In Noa’s classroom, my dog Gus and I both have lessons to learn—mine: “get off your phone”; his: “stop eating from the garbage.” We take our seats (mine cross-legged, his…loosely interpreted), and class begins. Within minutes, my phone is confiscated, Gus is barely paying attention, and somehow, I’m the one who ends up in the principal’s office. And I learn: To slow down and be present.