This post was originally published in the Tiny Teaching Stories feature of Education Week. Special thanks to Catherine Gewertz for the opportunity.
As I ushered students out of my 5th period class, a police officer was waiting for me outside the door. My heartrate spiked. I sheepishly approached him. Was this really happening? Was I going to be arrested in front of my kids? What did I do? My career is over.
We locked eyes. He said, “Is the answer 13?” Startled, I paused. Huh?
Suddenly, relief fell over me. My anxiety lifted. I confidently replied, “No, there’s more. Keep at it.”
He was just checking his answer to the Sidewalk Math problem I created in front of the school. Whew.
bp