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Chapter 33 — The Visit
Andre was fixing a bulletin board that didn’t need fixing.
Jordan leaned against the doorway, watching him adjust a corner for the third time.
“You nervous?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Not really.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Okay, maybe a little,” he admitted. “District folks make me itch. You never know what they’re really looking for.”
Jordan stepped beside him. “They’re not looking for perfect. They’re looking for possible.”
Andre nodded, eyes scanning the hallway. Everything was in place — but not staged. The kids were ready. The staff was ready. He was ready. But still, his stomach flipped.
“Feels like a performance,” he mumbled.
“No,” Jordan said softly. “It’s a window.”
Mark was the first to walk in. Franklin’s former assistant superintendent, now wearing a district badge with more stripes. He smiled when he saw Jordan.
Behind him, two others followed:
Dr. Gomez, Deputy of Instruction: quiet, curious, clipboard in hand.
Ms. Fields, Data and Accountability: tight bun, tighter mouth.
Jordan greeted them calmly.
No slideshow. No agenda packet. No preamble.
Just an open door.
They started in Pod C.
Maria stood at a whiteboard, guiding a discussion on restorative justice in schools. Two classmates debated respectfully while others took notes. Ms. Holloway sat nearby, not interrupting — just listening.
Dr. Gomez leaned toward her. “Is this… typical?”
Ms. Holloway smiled. “Every Tuesday.”
They kept walking.
In Pod A, a student showed off a prototype for a water-filtration system. A Sticky Core Value banner — Name the Gap — hung above their workspace.
“Why that phrase?” Ms. Fields asked.
The student shrugged. “Because we don’t pretend here. If something’s broken, we say it. Then we fix it.”
A third pod group had a student-led help desk. No teacher in sight. Just peers helping peers.
Jordan watched from a distance.
She didn’t need to explain anything.
The school was doing that on its own.
The T-shirts caught their attention next.
Each student and teacher wore one.
On the front: one of the Sticky Core Values.
On the back: Ask me about it.
Dr. Gomez asked a girl about hers — Be the Lead Domino.
She lit up. “It means if I want something to happen, I have to go first. Not wait.”
He looked stunned. “You believe that?”
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