At 9:03 a.m., Ms. Delgado makes the mistake of asking the class what their parents do for work.
“Dentist,” says Maya.
“Firefighter,” says Liam.
“Bus driver,” says Emma.
Oliver raises his hand. “My dad mines crypto.”
Ms. Delgado nods politely, the way adults do when they encounter a sentence they hope will not require follow-up questions.
Unfortunately, Sophie raises her hand. “What’s crypto?”
Ms. Delgado considers saying she doesn’t know. Instead, she says, “Imagine everyone has stickers.”
The class brightens immediately. Stickers are a language they understand.
“Everyone gets ten stickers,” Ms. Delgado says, drawing circles on the whiteboard. “You can trade them with each other.”
Oliver nods approvingly. “Yes,” he says. “That’s like crypto.”
“Great,” says Ms. Delgado. “So if Liam wants one of Maya’s stickers, he gives her something for it.”
Liam raises his hand. “What if Maya says she never gave me the sticker?”
