--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nobody is in the school yard when I get…" description: "\"“Nobody is in the school yard when I get there, except for a few guys hanging near the fence. I recognize a couple of them from the forbidden Latin lun..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba0/meg-medina-25356_quote_nobody-is-in-the-school-yard-when-i-get_1047328.jpg" --- # Nobody is in the school yard when I get there, except for… ![“Nobody is in the school yard when I get there, except for a few guys hanging near the fence. I recognize a couple of them from the forbidden Latin lunch table. I walk fast, trying not to be noticed, but, of course, they have to go out of their way to call me out. “Move that junk, mami!” one of…” quote by Meg Medina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba0/meg-medina-25356_quote_nobody-is-in-the-school-yard-when-i-get_1047328.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba0/meg-medina-25356_quote_nobody-is-in-the-school-yard-when-i-get_1047328.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba0/meg-medina-25356_quote_nobody-is-in-the-school-yard-when-i-get_1047328.jpg) > ““Nobody is in the school yard when I get there, except for a few guys hanging near the fence. I recognize a couple of them from the forbidden Latin lunch table. I walk fast, trying not to be noticed, but, of course, they have to go out of their way to call me out. “Move that junk, mami!” one of them calls, making squeezing motions with his hands. I don’t turn around to give him the finger, though I probably should. Instead, I hurry up the steps two at a time.”” [Meg Medina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-medina/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A student feels threatened and harassed by peers, highlighting school bullying and the pressure to stay invisible. **In simple terms:** A kid is bullied and tries to avoid attention. Key Takeaway Stand up against bullying and seek support. Themes bullying school social pressure Mood anxious defensive Type narrative social commentary When to use this quote - classroom - school hallway - after school - peer interaction Key Concepts identity power dynamics resilience Questions to Reflect On - How does silence affect the bully? - What can allies do in such moments? A Different Perspective The quote shows the victim’s perspective but may underplay the bully’s motives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [When you've come face-to-face with the dark side of the school yard, life doesn't hold many surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-colfer/when-you-ve-come-face-to-face-with-the-dark-side-of-the-school-yard/) [Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-colfer/) > [The punches came fast and hard, lying on my back in the school yard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-young/the-punches-came-fast-and-hard-lying-on-my-back-in-the-school-yard/) [Neil Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-young/) > [“And as we stood half circle in the bright school yard, we saw the lost and beautiful and hungry in each of us. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/and-as-we-stood-half-circle-in-the-bright-school-yard-we-saw-the-lost/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) ## More by Meg Medina > [“You know where this Yaqui girl is going to be in a few years if she doesn't change? She'll still be there, same as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-medina/you-know-where-this-yaqui-girl-is-going-to-be-in-a-few-years-if-she/) [Meg Medina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-medina/) > [“How can you say bad things about someone you don’t know?” I shout. “How can you hate a stranger? Why do you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-medina/how-can-you-say-bad-things-about-someone-you-don-t-know-i-shout-how/) [Meg Medina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-medina/) > [“Yeah, sure. That’s what you think.” She sounds a little sad when she says it. A boy hasn’t looked Mitzi in the eyes for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-medina/yeah-sure-that-s-what-you-think-she-sounds-a-little-sad-when-she-says/) [Meg Medina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-medina/) > [“It was Ma who first noticed my body changing, but she wasn't exactly tactful about my getting cuerpo. "Put on a bra already, Piddy,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-medina/it-was-ma-who-first-noticed-my-body-changing-but-she-wasn-t-exactly/) [Meg Medina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-medina/) > [“Darlene rolls her eyes – again – like I’m the stupid one. White-skinned. No accent. Good in school. I’m not her idea of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-medina/darlene-rolls-her-eyes-again-like-i-m-the-stupid-one-white-skinned-no/) [Meg Medina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-medina/) > [“Nothing ends. There is only transformation, ugly as it may be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-medina/nothing-ends-there-is-only-transformation-ugly-as-it-may-be/) [Meg Medina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-medina/) > [“SKANK is scribbled in ballpoint pen on my desk. I don’t exactly know why my heart starts to thump. It’s not like there aren’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-medina/skank-is-scribbled-in-ballpoint-pen-on-my-desk-i-don-t-exactly-know/) [Meg Medina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-medina/) > [“When I look up, I’m surprised to find myself in front of the old building. My feet must have gone on autopilot. I’m like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-medina/when-i-look-up-i-m-surprised-to-find-myself-in-front-of-the-old/) [Meg Medina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-medina/) > [You never forget the books you loved as a kid. You never forget the poems you memorized, the first book you read until the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-medina/you-never-forget-the-books-you-loved-as-a-kid-you-never-forget-the/) [Meg Medina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-medina/) > [“The camera does a close-up on the girl who can miraculously see again. It cuts to the mother-in-law, then to the clueless husband. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-medina/the-camera-does-a-close-up-on-the-girl-who-can-miraculously-see-again/) [Meg Medina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-medina/) > [“Nobody is ever beating off starvation at Mitzi’s house. Her parents are so utterly boring, old-fashioned, and ordinary. Her dad works at a clinic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-medina/nobody-is-ever-beating-off-starvation-at-mitzi-s-house-her-parents/) [Meg Medina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-medina/) > [“Son unas cualquieras,” she mutters. Nobodies. No culture, no family life, illiterates, she means. The kind of people who make her cross to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-medina/son-unas-cualquieras-she-mutters-nobodies-no-culture-no-family-life/) [Meg Medina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-medina/) > [“The whole building was probably listening in on her escandalo through the pipes; maybe even the whole block could hear. That tells you how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-medina/the-whole-building-was-probably-listening-in-on-her-escandalo-through/) [Meg Medina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-medina/) > [“I can’t get Yaqui Delgado out of my mind. Plenty of girls shake their junk. How is that enough to make somebody hate you?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-medina/i-can-t-get-yaqui-delgado-out-of-my-mind-plenty-of-girls-shake-their/) [Meg Medina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-medina/) > [“Sometimes it's hard to wait for good things to happen. - Tia Isa”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-medina/sometimes-it-s-hard-to-wait-for-good-things-to-happen-tia-isa/) [Meg Medina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-medina/) [Explore all 23 Meg Medina quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-medina/) ## More School Yard quotes > [When you've come face-to-face with the dark side of the school yard, life doesn't hold many surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-colfer/when-you-ve-come-face-to-face-with-the-dark-side-of-the-school-yard/) [Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-colfer/) > [The punches came fast and hard, lying on my back in the school yard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-young/the-punches-came-fast-and-hard-lying-on-my-back-in-the-school-yard/) [Neil Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-young/) > [“And as we stood half circle in the bright school yard, we saw the lost and beautiful and hungry in each of us. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/and-as-we-stood-half-circle-in-the-bright-school-yard-we-saw-the-lost/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) Browse all 4 School Yard quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Nobody is in the school yard when I get there, except for a few guys hanging near the fence. I recognize a couple of them from the forbidden Latin lunch table. I walk fast, trying not to be noticed, but, of course, they have to go out of their way to call me out. “Move that junk, mami!” one of them calls, making squeezing motions with his hands. I don’t turn around to give him the finger, though I probably should. 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