Troublemakers: Lessons in Freedom from Young Children at School

Shalaby describes her first day in six-year-old Marcus’s classroom: Unlike the other students, he approaches her immediately, asking her about her coffee. She finds Marcus “charming,” but his struggles quickly become apparent as lessons begin: He fidgets, grows distracted by a student in time-out, and soon gets sent from the classroom himself. Later, he interrupts Emily as she reads aloud from a book about a young Black girl’s relationship with her father. Marcus is Black himself, but his father is incarcerated, and Shalaby wonders what he makes of the story. This time, Marcus himself decides to take a break, only to get into an argument with Emily a few moments later. All told, he ends up missing a significant amount of the day’s instruction.

Shalaby describes Marcus’s various support systems: a school counselor, an outside therapist, a mother (Cheryl) who diligently takes him and his siblings to visit their father, and special education screening. Cheryl is initially reluctant to involve more people in Marcus’s life, and Shalaby never visits Marcus at home or holds a formal interview with Cheryl. However, once convinced that Shalaby’s approach to Marcus would be different, Cheryl becomes eager to hear her “tips” on the situation.