Watching again, he could see that the gestures clearly meant something, both to Colleen and to her students. Two fingers to her eyes—that meant “track the speaker,” code for paying attention to the person talking, usually another student. The fly swat, applied to a raised hand, meant “I’m not taking questions right now.” And the prayer sign reminded students to get into the attentive position that no-excuses schools called SLANT or STAR, a back-straight pose tied off with primly clasped hands.
