I struggled to match the pace of Principal Silva as we strode his school and finalized logistics for an upcoming volunteer project. Spotting a student pouting outside a classroom, without missing a beat the principal said, "Tell me why you're upset while you feed the fish in the office".
On the way to do that, Principal Silva exchanged some words in Spanish with a passing student, checked in with the secretary, answered a question from the custodian on his walkie-talkie, and finished business with me. Wow.
For further reading on pivotal principals in Chicago-area schools: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/10/opinion/sunday/want-to-fix-schools-go-to-the-principals-office.html?emc=edit_ty_20170310&nl=opinion-today&nlid=29093880&te=1&_r=1