“Maria would just disappear. One day at a time.“
The Ruckus Maker Flywheel Chapter 2
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What happens when a kid disappears, and nobody notices?
This week, Jordan’s story continues.
She’s running a school.
She’s checking boxes.
But a single absence — one student gone — cracks something open.
Because if she can lose Maria…
Who else is slipping through?
📖 Never miss a chapter of Jordan’s story. You can read each chapter in the First in Line section of Ruckus Makers.
Maria
Jordan was halfway through her second cup of coffee, trying to answer emails faster than they arrived, when she noticed it.
Maria D.
Absent.
Unexcused.
No referral.
No nurse visit.
No parent call.
Just gone.
Jordan blinked at the screen.
She refreshed the portal like that would make a difference. It didn’t.
Maria wasn’t the kind of student who went missing.
She was the kind who blended. Sat in the back. Turned in perfect essays that made you stop and reread them just to make sure you didn’t miss something.
Not loud.
Not needy.
Just … present. Until she wasn’t.
Jordan had been watching her fade for months now.
It started with the way she stopped saying hello in the hallway.
Then it was the hoodie — always up, even when it wasn’t cold.
Then the assignments started coming in late.
Then they didn’t come in at all.
No meltdown.
No incident.
Just a slow dissolve.
And the worst part?
Jordan had noticed.
And still hadn’t done anything.
She told herself she was watching. Keeping an eye. Letting the team handle it.
But the truth was, she hadn’t made time for Maria.
Because Maria wasn’t a problem.
She wasn’t failing.
She wasn’t setting fires.
She was just quietly losing hope.
Jordan felt something tighten in her chest.
She thought about yesterday’s meeting — the one where she’d spent two hours revising the campus vision with Central Office. They argued over verbs. Vetted synonyms for “rigor.” Left feeling important.
And now?
Maria was gone.
And nobody had even noticed.
Two years ago Maria had come to the front office carrying a science fair trifold almost taller than her.
She was shaking.
“Is it okay if I show you first?” she asked, her voice barely audible.
Jordan knelt beside her and said, “Absolutely.”
The board was covered in bright blue paper and glitter-glued letters that said:
How Music Affects Plant Growth
Each section was typed. Color-coded.
There were actual basil plants in little mason jars lined up on a tray. One had earbuds in the dirt.
Maria pointed to her bar graph. “This one got classical. This one got reggaeton. This one … I gave heavy metal.”
Jordan laughed. “And which one grew the most?”
Maria grinned. “Bad Bunny wins.”
They talked for ten minutes.
And when Maria left the office that day, she turned around at the door and said,
“Thanks for seeing me.”
Jordan blinked back into the present.
That version of Maria wasn’t gone because of a new seating chart.
She was gone because the culture changed.
Because no one had time to look up.
Because somewhere along the way, Maria stopped thinking she was worth seeing.
Jordan stood.
No clipboard.
No excuse.
No announcement.
She was supposed to meet with the tech coach in ten minutes.
Supposed to review the testing calendar.
Supposed to finalize a PD agenda that nobody would read.
Instead, she walked out of her office and headed for Mr. Lu’s room.
She needed to see the empty seat for herself.
Not because it would fix anything.
Not because she had a plan.
But because something in her gut said:
If it’s this easy to lose Maria… how many more have I already lost?
💬 Who have you lost sight of?
Jordan didn’t ignore Maria on purpose.
But the truth is — urgency always crowds out what matters most.
👉 Drop a comment:
Have you ever watched a student fade like this?
What systems (or habits) make it too easy to miss the quiet ones?
What would you do differently if you saw the signs sooner?
I read every reply. Let’s talk.
Continue Reading …
“What’s the Point of a Vision If You Can’t See the Kids?”
Sometimes the email that breaks you isn’t cruel.