Still waters in a storm

Previously published as Kid Quixotes, the unlikely, inspiring true story of a one-room school where children of undocumented immigrants and their teacher unlock the revolutionary power of listening. "Haff paints a picture of what education in America could and perhaps should be. His story is passionately honest, profoundly open-minded, and suffused with optimism, and his writing is crisp and clear and persuasive." -Andrew Solomon, National Book Award-winning author of The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression Still Waters in a Storm is an after-school program held in a small room in Bushwick, Brooklyn; it is a place for kids to practice reading and writing in English, Spanish, and Latin. For the students, many living in constant fear of deportation, Still Waters is a refuge. For Stephen Haff, a former public-school teacher, it is the sanctuary he built following a breakdown caused by bipolar depression. At Still Waters, all agreed that there would only be one rule: "Everyone listens to everyone." And this has unlocked spectacular potential. Since 2016, the students have been collectively translating Don Quixote into English, taking the Spanish tale-a story about a dreamer who never gives up-and adapting it into a bilingual musical. Six-year old Sarah tells of her mother's journey across the desert from Mexico riding on the back of a tiger. Alex, a very private teenager, sings her coming out song to standing ovations. As the kids perform their work across NYC, they learn that they belong in this country-their voices amplifying to deliver a message of diversity, love, hope, and resilience essential to us all.