Is this something that requires my immediate attention?

How to respond when someone approaches, when to pivot your focus, and what they want to talk to you about

I took a deep breath, steadying myself before knocking on Principal Cunner’s door. My heart raced with a mix of nerves and hope—hope that she might offer guidance on the classroom management issue that had been keeping me up at night.

Principal Cunner was unhappy with my late performance, especially after the eighth-grade fight in the hallway outside my…