Revolutionaries in Elementary

Awexander Hammyton

Mr. Washington looked around at all the children in the room. Some were playing together but most were still testing the waters. After all, it was their first day of school. With a smile on his face, he cleared his throat. "Children, if you would all take a seat."

It took a few minutes, but eventually, every child got into a seat.

"My name is Mr. Washington. You can call me Mr. W, if you'd like. I'll be your teacher this year." He paused, looking around the room once before continuing. "Now I'm aware that many of us don't know each other—"

"I know Eliza! She's my sister!" One girl interrupted. "Ah, yes, then you must be Angelica Schuyler."

The girl pouted. "No. I'm Peggy."

"My apologies. I'll make sure I get right on getting to know you three so I don't mix up your names. Now as I was saying, I've decided we're going to play a little game to get to know each other."

All the children cheered.

"Everyone go make a circle on the rug." As the children ran off to the rug, Mr. W found a chair and added it to the circle for him to sit. "Now..." Mr. Washington reached behind him and grabbed a foam ball. "See this ball?" All the kids nodded. "This is the magic ball. Let's pretend a wizard glued all our lips." A few kids gasped. "But fear not! This magic ball allows your lips to open if you are holding it. But it only works on one person at a time. However, if we can get this ball all the way around the circle, maybe, just maybe, it's magic will travel through us all and we'll be able to speak again. Are you up for the challenge?" The kids all shouted 'yeah', but Mr. Washington pretended to zip his lips and the kids realized they couldn't speak, so they nodded with excitement.

"All right. When the ball gets to you, say your name, and your favourite thing in the whole world." Mr. W passed the ball to the kid to his right.

The kid looked around the circle, a bit nervous. He took a small breath, before beginning to speak. "I'm John Laurens, in the place to be, I like singing and dancing, and I once went to the sea!" The kid sang, his face turning a light shade of pink. Some kids giggled, and he quickly passed the ball to his right.

The kid beside John, a girl, wore a large smile. "My name is Angelica Schuyler! I am a feminist and I love my sister Eliza!"

Mr. Washington's eyes went wide. 'How does this girl even know what feminism is?' He chuckled to himself as she passed the ball.

The ball was passed a few more times before it got to a kid everyone was waiting to hear from. He hadn't talked since he got to the school, and they were very curious to see what he'd have to say.

The kid squeezed the ball a few times, then looked up at everyone. "Bonjour.  Je m'appelle, er uh, my name is Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette. But you can just call me Lafayette." All the kids stared with wide eyes. "I am French. My English is not good. Sorry." He quickly passed the ball. Again, it was passed a few times until a girl got it. Like Lafayette, many of the kids were waiting for her to get the ball, but for a different reason.

"Hello. I am Maria Reynolds. I really like cats, and the color red." She smiled sweetly, then passed the ball.

The ball made it all around the circle until there was only one more kid left. There was a few moments of silence as he got the ball. He examined it, bounced it, squeezed it, threw it once in the air, and then stood.

"My name is Awexander Hammyton! And there's a miwwion fings I haven't done! I wike witing, and I wike my fwiend Wauwens." The tiny kid said, matter-of-factly. Suddenly his expression changed and he was now pouting. "I don't wike storms though."