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A boy notices something others ignore. A construction site. A disturbance. A question that will not let go. In Hoot, Roy Eberhardt does not wait for permission to care. He does not raise his hand and ask if he is allowed to act. He sees an injustice, endangered burrowing owls, and chooses to do something about it. That is student agency. Not compliance. Not participation. Not engagement framed by adult direction. Agency is ownership. It is identity. It is action rooted in pur

Is it Support or Control? In education, we care deeply. That is both our strength and our vulnerability. We step in because we want students to succeed. We clarify directions before confusion sets in. We remind them about deadlines. We fix formatting. We redirect quickly. We anticipate mistakes before they happen. Here is the uncomfortable leadership question: Is what I am doing truly support, or is it control? The distinction matters more than we think. A Classroom Scenario