Camila Cabello was enlisted to teach the art of pop stardom to schoolchildren and ‘chaos’ doesn’t even begin to describe the results

Between her Billboard honors, her Fifth Harmony legacy, her pair of Latin Grammys, and her alter ego of the not-so-Disney Princess Cinderella, Camila Cabello has been keeping busy as an artist for quite some time. So, when she received the call from Julian Shapiro-Barnum to pass her wisdom down to a group of schoolchildren, the promise of a casual diversion was one that she couldn’t pass up.

But the thing is, if you’re looking to pump the brakes on a hectic schedule the one thing you should absolutely not do is work with children, as they will always find a way to create excitement out of antimatter itself. Is it any wonder the highs of teaching are some of the most rewarding highs around?

The latest episode of Celebrity Substitute — Shapiro-Barnum’s YouTube series in which famous names are recruited to inspire the creative imaginations of New York elementary schoolers — saw Camila join forces with the pupils of P.S. 241 in hopes of strengthening their relationship to the stage and all the performance art that it plays host to. Comfort and confidence were the name of the game here as the gang prepared to create a brand new music video for Camila’s charting bop “I Luv It.”

The proceedings began with Camila giving out high-fives to her new collaborators, during which she made the rookie mistake of asking who could give her the strongest one. Legend has it that her hands are still swelling.

Shortly after, the kids were eager to prove themselves as true fans of Camila’s work, with some noting how they’ve heard her music on Alexa, and others boasting that they “know the song but then kinda forgot it.” Indeed, the most optimal approach to fangirling is to pretend you’re not fangirling.

Then it was time to get her new pupils acquainted with the stage, and of all the methods Camila could have utilized for this part of the lesson, she went with telling the children to run around on stage in order to make the space their own. This, of course, is the procedural equivalent of stepping into a mouse-infested home and herding a bunch of baby elephants inside. Roping the children’s attention back in quickly became the most herculean task of the day.

Once the bedlam ceded, it was time for the kids to own their confidence, and they had a whole lot to be proud of. One lad patted himself on the back for being good at listening to his parents, while others announced their skating and whistling proficiencies to the world.

And then from Camila’s lips came one of the single greatest pieces of advice that you could ever hope to hear as a child, teenager, adult, or senior citizen; the best way to overcome your stage fright (or any fear, really) is to allow yourself to be afraid, and then do what you’re afraid of anyway.

Soon after, it was time to redefine “I Luv It,” and, armed with Camila’s knowledge and inspiration, her squadron of enthusiastic new performers delivered in every sense of the word, grooving along to their new teacher’s lyrics with all the wondrous swagger so many of today’s youths are defined by. It was a great school day indeed.