KETTERING, OHIO—It’s Tuesday, Sept. 14, and Brian Newell has 10 students in his high school-age class seated around a U-shaped table arrangement in front of him. He has one student on Zoom. He’s making a point, says something funny, and the class erupts. Within a minute, everyone is jumping in, gesturing, laughing.
Brian’s wearing a T-shirt, shorts, and popular sneakers with ankle socks. The students are dressed like typical teens: black T-shirts, ripped jeans, the only girl in the room is wearing a camo-style jacket. They’re discussing British literature—Chaucer’s “The Knight’s Tale”—and now one or more is dissing on another who spoke up.
