Kind-Hearted Kids

"One of your students is in the office," a teacher reported the other morning. "He seems upset." Not a moment later, said student hurried down the hallway, exploding binder and lunch box in hand.

"What was happening in the office?" I asked.

He took a deep breath through his mask. "I was trying to ask them if they had my sweatshirt in the lost and found but the lady kept asking me to speak up, and when I finally raised my voice loud enough, she yelled at me for shouting at her!" his voice rose as he was telling the story.

"I wonder if your tone of voice was frustrated," I said. 

He shrugged. 

"A loud frustrated voice often sounds like yelling," I pointed out. "Which sweatshirt are you missing? Is it the Minecraft one?"

"Yes!" he said loudly. "It's the one my mother bought for me, but I get made fun of all the time for wearing!"

I nodded.

"But now I'm a bit cold and I really could use that sweatshirt!"

As we went through when he had last seen it, where he thought it might be, where he had already checked, his aggravation level was climbing. "Okay," I said. "Leave your binder here and go put your lunch box in your locker."

With a sigh, he complied. Several students were milling in the hallway waiting for homeroom to begin, and they had clearly overheard the whole conversation. "We need to find that sweatshirt, stat!" I said. 

"I'll check the orchestra room," one kid said and was off.

"I'll check the cafeteria lost and found," said another and turned on her heel to go.

"I'll double check the main office," said a third, "maybe they didn't completely understand him," and then he was gone, too.

The first student was sitting quietly at his table when the two boys returned empty-handed from the office and orchestra. "Thanks anyway," I said when they reported the news. As they turned to go back to their own classes, the girl who had gone down to the cafeteria returned, triumphantly bearing the bright green hoodie.

"Hooray!" we all cheered, for the day was saved.