Imagine sitting in Peet’s Coffee sipping a Latte and relaxing over a crossword puzzle, when suddenly the peace is broken as a teenage boy wearing a poncho and a fake mustache announces the arrival of Don Quixote de la Mancha.
No, you are not in Spain, and this isn’t the year 1615. It’s Paly English teacher James Hanmer’s World Classics class, enacting an introduction to the ancient tale of Don Quixote.

Complete with cowboy boots, a garage can lid for a shield, a curly brown beard and plastic battle ax, Hanmer, dressed as Quixote, leads his sixth period class across the street to Town and Country. Their journey begins by charging through the halls and catching the attention of all the classes along the way. The character of Quixote is known for his acts of chivalry, confidence in humanity, and childlike spirit.

"The main goal [of the demonstration] is to live with Quixote’s spirit, even for a little bit," Hanmer said. "But you never know what will happen, you have to react in the moment, or else it won’t work."

Hanmer has done this activity for three years and every semester students, teachers and onlookers continue to be amazed. "He is one of the most highly original, entertaining teachers I know," said head of Paly’s special education department Lynn Repetsky. "My students are always enthusiastic about taking his classes…But we are kind of worried about the school’s reputation over at Peet’s."

Reactions vary as Quixote brings his followers into the coffee shop and asks the clerk to "knight" him. Senior Laura Ordonez, wearing a floral head wreath, played Quixote’s true love, Dulcinea, and rang the triangle bell to signify Quixote’s knighting from the ‘Queen’ of the "Castle of the Bean.’

To some customers the goal of Hanmer’s lesson was obvious. Out-of-towner Ralph Williams was surprised by the interruption but was glad to see the type of learning students were experiencing.

"It was a shown-by-example type thing," Williams said. " [Hanmer] never knows what to expect when he comes in here."

Others however, were not as amused. One woman, who chose to remain anonymous, thought the intrusion was annoying and unnecessary. "It didn’t seem to involve the students," she said. "It was all about the teacher."

According to Hanmer, that was the point. "There is a certain self-absorption about Quixote," he said. "He doesn’t care what people think. He has faith, and that’s all that matters. Some coffee wench doesn’t matter at all to Quixote."

Hanmer demonstrates many chivalrous deeds during the simulation, including friendly greetings to passersby, opening doors for ladies, and stopping traffic to allow his students a safe crossing. Though he makes arrangements with the managers at Peet’s, or the "Castle of the Bean," as Quixote calls it, his outrageous actions still arouse security issues across the street.

"People have questioned [his actions] in the past," said campus supervisor Scott Reese, who followed the group on their journey in case of confrontation. "They have a lot of homeless people dressing weird and coming over here…they don’t know who [Hanmer] is."

Hanmer admits there have been certain instances of misunderstanding at Town and Country. "If they call security, that’s a major problem," he said. "But that’s usually because of poor decisions on my part…I once threw a spear at a car."

Generally, Hanmer’s performance is well received, and his portrayal of Don Quixote gives students an accurate picture of the character and his mission.

"I was very startled when he came in," said senior Mere Lada, a member of Hanmer’s sixth period class. "It was fun knowing we made chaos in people’s lives."