Trouble Catching a Breath After Recess

Case overview

Maya Patel is still learning the rhythm of the playground when Quincy Brooks leaves a running game early and leans against the fence. He says he just needs a minute, but he is taking longer than usual to answer her. The water line is noisy, two children need help with a jump rope, and Maya has not yet learned every health routine in the building. She remembers that her job is not to decide what is causing a change. It is to keep Quincy nearby, notice what she can actually see and hear, and use the people and plans the school has already put in place. The case begins with an ordinary recess interruption and asks what a careful first response looks like when a student is not quickly returning to their usual self.