The next morning I stop by Ms. Dunn's room. Her door is wide open and she's busy posting her learning objectives on the white board. "Knock-knock," I say as I cross the threshold. "Morning, Rhonda, how are you doing?"

"Oh, hello Xander. Good, good. You?" She caps the dry erase marker and steps towards me as she speaks. "Coming by to talk about Blake?"

"Well, I'm always up to chat with you, but yes, Blake was the topic of discussion that I had in mind. Do you have a minute?" I smile and lean against the kidney table.

"Of course, of course. But, mind if I prep these papers as we chat?" There is a pile of photocopies on her desk and she starts to sort them into piles.

"No problem. You know, I have to say, I was quite impressed with Blake yesterday."

"Really now?" She glances up momentarily.

"Yes. He really seemed to know his stuff. And he put in effort the whole time."

She pauses and looks up at me. "Fidgety? Anxious?"

"Not at all. He seemed confident and capable. I mean, obviously kids usually work better one on one, and I'd love to keep working with him being that he's having a hard time in class, but I think it'd be good to see him in the whole class. Would you mind if I came and observed today? I'll be as unobtrusive as possible."

"Xander, you are always welcome in my room!" Ms. Dunn assures me.

After a few more pleasantries I leave her classroom and head back to my office. I have other teachers to check-in with and other student intervention lessons that I need to prepare.

The morning flies by and before I know it, it's almost 11:15. I grab my clipboard and make my way to Ms. Dunn's room. Classical music greets me as I step through the door and take a seat in the back. Blake is sitting on the rug and when he sees me he smiles and gives a small wave. He starts to stand, but I shake my head and gesture with my pencil. I look around the room and do my best to show that I am here for the whole class, not just him.

Students are spread out again, similar to the previous day. Ms. Dunn is a fan of station work, and I can see that she is sitting with one small group, while other kids are working either independently or with partners. Her classroom walls are colorful, but not too busy. A few houseplants and a decorative table lamp also help create a homey feel to the room. It feels calm and positive in here, which is something that I know she works hard to create. Not all classrooms have such joyful vibes.

I notice that Blake is working with another boy. They are using square tiles to match shapes on a worksheet. As I watch, Blake shifts how he is sitting and accidentally kicks the tiles, scattering them. "Aw man," the other boy reacts.

"Sorry," Blake shifts again and helps gather the tiles. I see what Ms. Dunn means about him seeming anxious. The other boy barely reacted, yet Blake is almost vibrating with tension. He keeps shifting position and can't seem to sit still.

What is making him so nervous?

I look around the room again. No other students are looking towards Blake. Everyone else seems to be busy and on task. I'd be more concerned about bullying, except, Ms. Dunn said that he does well during other periods. It's only during math when he gets so squirmy.

The schedule indicates that they have lunch next. Maybe he's hungry? But it looks like they had a snack and recess break at 10:20, so he shouldn't be starving an hour later.

I stay for another fifteen minutes, but am unable to solve the mystery. Something is preventing Blake from doing his best work. Hopefully if I continue working with him I'll figure it out soon.