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A few of the children giggle.

“I’ll have to be extremely careful,” I continue. “But if it gets dirty, I can put it in the wash.”

“What if it doesn’t come out?” Zack asks.

“Then tomorrow, I’ll wear black.”

He seems satisfied with that answer.

“Who’s next?” I scan the raised hands. “Yes, sweetheart. What’s your name?”

A little girl wearing purple glasses sits taller in her chair.

“My name is Lucy,” she says. “Do teachers know everything?”

“That’s an excellent question.” I pretend to think about it. “Teachers know lots of things, but nobody knows everything.”

“My brother thinks he does,” Lucy informs me.

“Most brothers do.”

The class laughs again.

“When I don’t know something,” I continue, “we can find the answer together. That’s one of the best parts about learning.”

Lucy smiles and lowers her hand.

Another little girl begins waving her arm excitedly.

“You’re next,” I tell her. “What’s your name?”

“My name is Annie,” she replies. She points toward the quiet girl sitting beside her. “This is my bestest friend, Aspen.”

Aspen gives me a small wave before hiding part of her face behind a stuffed crab.

“It’s lovely to meet you, Annie.” I smile at the girl beside her. “And hello, Aspen.”

Aspen peeks over the crab’s head but doesn’t say anything.

“Are we going to have fun?” Annie asks. “Can we play games?”

“We’re going to have lots of fun learning new things,” I promise. “And yes, we’ll play games.”

The entire class erupts into cheers.

“But,” I call over them, raising one finger, “we’ll be learning while we play.”

Apparently, that doesn’t bother them. The cheering becomes even louder.

I wait a few seconds before clapping once.

A handful of children copy me.

I clap twice.

More join in.

By the third pattern, the room grows quiet.