The Old Green Duffel Bag That Taught a Town How to Breathe

The day I dumped thirty anonymous pain cards out of an old duffel bag, the toughest boy in my class broke down sobbing—and one note made me call for help.

“Put your phones away. I’m not teaching *Of Mice and Men* today.”

A few kids groaned.

One laughed and asked if this was another “feelings lesson.”