What's the Commotion?

English class today. The 8th graders were watching Charly. (An excerpt from Flowers for Algernon is in their literature textbook.)

Class was going well. They were reacting in all the appropriate places. I had to explain that dough (with yeast) will expand when left alone for a while (it's a joke his coworkers play on him), but other than that they followed along just fine.

It was towards the end of the period when we heard some sort of commotion coming from outside the class. It was loud enough that it might have been a fight. The students wanted to check it out.

The school has two lunches (long story). So, the students outside the room were on lunch while my bunch were in class (they had already had their lunch). Whatever was going on outside was going on amongst the students at lunch, and it was not my concern.

One girl begged. She just wanted to see. Could she look out the window?

Yeah, that's just what I needed--8th graders wanting to get into whatever they were doing outside.

Another student noted that a girl had been called up to the office. She probably started it. (I doubt that.)

I never did find out what happened. By the time the bell rang (five minutes later), it was all over. And the students went on their merry way.

I consider this a win. They could have gone to look anyway, but they didn't. That's a respectful class.