I still remember the first time a student refused to step into my classroom. Initially ecstatic to start school, Truman was now red in the face from crying while my teaching assistant and I practically pried him off his mother’s leg.

We were a few weeks into my first year teaching kindergarten and I had begun to think of my classroom as a warm and inviting space. The walls were painted sunshine yellow and covered with student artwork. I played smooth jazz in the background to help ease the kids into the day. Every morning I neatly placed a worksheet in front of each child’s chair, following the example of my colleagues. I never imagined those same worksheets would become what made Truman dread the classroom so much.

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