David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants

Stella is sitting in a chair at the front
of the room. She’s reading out loud from
a book that she is holding up to one side:
“...seven slices of tomatoes,” “eight
juicy olives,” “nine chunks of cheese.
...” A girl is standing in front of her,
reading along, and all around her, the
class is in chaos, a mini-version of
Belfast in the summer of 1970. A little
girl is doing cartwheels across the room.
A little boy is making faces. Much of the
class seems to be paying no attention at
all. Some of the students have actually
turned themselves entirely around, so
that they have their backs to Stella.
If you were to walk in on Stella’s
class, what would you think? I’m