If the school administrators (who I genuinely believe cared about me) had attempted to understand the context of my behavior, perhaps they could have helped me, instead of labeling me as aggressive, instead of consigning me to the troubled realm of the “problem child.” If they had tried to gain insights into why I was misbehaving in that context perhaps they could have intervened—by talking to the teacher or moving me to a new class—instead of presuming they understood something essential about my character.
