“Stop dragging your feet,” you lecture your daughter, who pouts and crosses her arms, keeping her eyes glued to the floor as she continues to drag her feet, the both walk down the hall towards her classroom.

Today, you received a phone call from the school’s office saying your daughter had gotten into a fight with a boy, making his nose bleed. Not only did you have to leave work early, but your daughter’s teacher also requested a mandatory parent-teacher conference in the afternoon.

Rounding the corner, the door of your daughter’s classroom, room 1-C, is already wide open, an invitation to step in without knocking.

Glancing inside, you see the classroom that is decorated with posters of basic numbers and letters, rules, and a reading corner with bean bag chairs and bookshelves. The desks are neatly aligned facing the front, where the blackboard is. Levi is sitting at his desk, typing something into his computer, until he looks up as you and your daughter walk in.

Getting up, he walks over to you and your daughter, sighing, “I apologize for such a last-minute meeting, but considering the events of today, it unfortunately needs to be discussed.” Levi glances down at your daughter, who refuses to meet his gaze. “And how are you doing?”

“Greet Mr. Ackerman, don’t be rude,” you gently try to coax your daughter to respond, but instead, she runs to the reading corner, landing on stomach on the bean bag chair, hiding her face as she refuses to get up.

You let out a sigh of frustration, going to apologize, but Levi shakes his head, “No need to, she’s upset. Anyways, let’s get started.” he says, leading to his desk, motioning at the empty across from him for you to sit. Taking a seat in his chair, he sighs.

“As you know, your daughter punched a boy in class, and from what I’ve gathered, it’s because he started picking on her. Still, not an excuse to punch him in the face.” he pauses, glancing at your child, before looking back at you, “I’ve noticed her behavior has changed recently… Beginning of the year, she was very carefree and enthusiastic. Now, she’s a bit more reserved and quiet. I don’t mean to pry, but is there anything that may explain this?”