They know when I don’t have a clue what I’m doing. They know when I’m lost; thats when they pounce. They get up from their seats, they get out of control. It’s clear I’ve lost the room.
I try to bring them back, I try to think on my feet and organise my next move. It takes too long, they don’t want to sit. One’s under the table, another rips all of the flashcards off of the wall. I want to leave the room and go cry at my desk.
Instead, I grab paper and crayons and I sit down to color. One by one they follow my lead. The screaming stops, they sit down at the table with me and take up their sketch books and colored pencils. The calm resumes as though it’s been there all along.
As they color I pick up the flashcards, one by one returning them to the wall, all the while cursing the uselessness of velcro under my breath.