Japanese Etiquette & Tradition, 1/4/10, Period 5

[shiroi_tiger]

When the students filed into the classroom today, they would find the setup to be... sparse, at best. Algren had taken the time to push the desks to the side of the room, and to set out cushions to sit on. There was a mat at the door for students to leave their shoes on, and slippers nearby for them to wear instead. No, this wasn't the way that classrooms were set up in Japan. But Algren found it comfortable, and he could get away with doing this while teaching this particular course, and so the students were going to just have to suck it up.

Algren, who was clad in a traditional Japanese hakama today as opposed to his typical and very dated brown suit, was already seated, cross-legged, on the cushion farthest from the door.

"Hajimemashite," he said, speaking up as the last of the students settled in. "Algren desu. Doozo yoroshiku. Make yourselves comfortable. It's the first lesson of the year, so I'm going to actually take it easy on you, just this once."

How kind!

"Today, we'll be introducing ourselves. Hopefully the novelty of doing so hasn't been worn thin after a weekend of it. After all, you've still got another week of 'hello, my name is,' left to go. In front of you, you'll find your syllabus as well as a handout with the words I just said to you written on it, and a translation underneath. Introduce yourselves the way I just did, and then, please, share in English your grade, something random about yourself, and why you're taking this course."

Yes, 'paperwork error' is a completely acceptable answer. 'I enjoyed or missed out on laughing at you in Sex Thru The Ages' will probably result in detention.

"Miss Yamanaka, I would like to speak with you after class, if you don't mind. The rest of you? Introductions. Go."

[OCD coming up! And go!]

Horror 101, Monday

[chosehumanity]

Mitchell waited until everyone piled into the classroom before he began to speak. He was sitting on top of his couch again, with the class supplied with comfortable seats of their own. He always prefered things homey.

He scraped his throat. "I've got this friend," he started. "He says the human condition, human nature, being human, is to be cold and alone. Like someone lost in the woods." He leaned his hands on the surface of the couch and flashed the class a smile. "It's safe to say he's a 'glass-is-half-empty' kind of guy."

He toyed with his own fingers. "I see things differently," he said, "I've always seen the world as full of beautiful things - and unspeakable things. One tends to be the flipside of another." The corner of his mouth tugged up. "What does that have to do with horror? Everything. Horror film as a genre is a reflection of the world through the lens of our own fears, rubbing away at what's real and what's not to uncover the ferocious elegance underneath." He was in a mood to wax poetic today, that much was obvious.

"At least, if you've got a good one. There's more than a bit of shit in any genre if you're not paying attention. And especially in a place like this, you've always got to wonder what's a metaphor, and what's real - where the fiction ends and reality begins. As a rule, though, we reflect our own fears, needs and wants onto the dark. Horror is not about being scared or frightened. It's about finding new places in yourself."

He picked up his cup of coffee. "This is the first day, so we'll be doing introductions. I hope you have your speech ready, because you'll find yourself doing a lot of them this week. I want names and classes, of course, but that's not really the interesting part. What I really want to know is one thing you're afraid of, and one thing you hope to be. That doesn't have to be anything dark or secretive, I don't want you to reveal anything you don't feel like. Just whatever comes to mind."

Beat.

"Speaking of which, if anyone here wants to be a teacher's assistant, there's free coffee and you get to make fun of everyone else."

[[ ocd up! have at ]]

Library, Monday

[ancientbschamp.livejournal.com]

As promised, Gabrielle arrived bright and early at the library on the first day of her new shift and before doing anything else (well, setting the scroll she was working on down at the front desk) got the first of two pots of coffee brewing. Nobody had ever told her how much coffee to use, and the instructions about scoops that she'd read on the back of the first can she'd looked at sometime early last semester were not terribly helpful when that can hadn't had a scoop in it, so . . . she used a lot, dumping the grounds straight from the can into the filter with what she thought was a fairly practiced eye by now.

There was something awfully fitting about starting off the first week of a new year -- by this era's standards, not hers at home -- and a new semester in the library, in her opinion.

And the smell of the coffee made it seem a little cozier, which was nice; it hadn't been cold at all while she'd been home for break.

Study Hall, Monday [1/04]

[takesaftermom.livejournal.com]

Summer opened up study hall, taking time to set out an assortment of pastries. There was also coffee, tea and various juices to go along with the snacks.

She helped herself to a large cup of coffee before settling in with her laptop. She also had a book with her, for variety. And if anyone needed help with anything, they were free to interrupt.

[Wait for the OCD is up!]

Ethics [Tuesday, January 5, 2nd period]

[sith_happened]

Anakin walked into his classroom precisely on time and gave the students assembled there an appraising glance--lingering a moment on a few faces--as the door clicked shut behind him. If you were late, you weren't getting in. "I'm Master Anakin Skywalker," he said in a voice that was intended to carry, "this is Ethics, and we're going to skip the introductions--I'll figure out who you are, if I don't recognize you already--and move straight to our first discussion."

He paced around the room, cloak flaring out behind him, as he handed out the syllabus. "Today's topic," he said, pointing to the top of the page. "Self sacrifice: knowing the difference between saving people and being a pretentious twit."

"Any time I ask a a group of people what they would do to save someone they love, they all blither on about how they would set the world on fire, lie, cheat, steal, kill, die, et cetera, et cetera. I've been at this school too long to believe that half of you haven't already been put into this situation and I'm in no mood to hear adolescent ramblings about how wonderful you were or might hypothetically be. Instead I want you to give me a concrete example of a time you admitted to yourself that a problem cannot be solved, and that sacrificing yourself wasn't a statement, but was merely pointless." His gaze swept the room. "How long does it take for you to realize you can't fix everything by yourself? Have you ever learned that lesson?"

Outdoor Fitness and Strategy [Monday, Period One]

[doubleohblonde]

The sun might have risen, but it was both early and cold enough that Bond's undisguised cheerfulness as he waited on the steps of the school for his class to finish assembling did not bode well for them.

"Good morning," he began, with a smile that was in no way predatory. "I'm Professor Bond, and this is Outdoor Fitness and Strategy. Due to the fact this is the first class of the year, we'll be going relatively easy today, with introductions and a couple of fitness tests so you'll each have a baseline to compare improvements against at semester's end."

"A few more things before we get started. Firstly, Kyle and Rose are your TAs," he said gesturing to them assuming they were around. "You may approach them as you would me, and in the case of my absence they have comparable authority to my own. Secondly, while you don't have to wear the eyesores masquerading as uniforms that Professor Dex is so very fond of in this class, I would advise that you wear durable, comfortable clothing that you don't mind getting dirty as well as suitable footwear. In the case that an activity needs specialised clothing and equipment, it will be provided for you."

Bond grinned again. "Finally, and most importantly, before we start with our introductions, we're going to warm up so we don't sprain something. Three laps around the school building, gentle jog. Four if you think you're up for it."

[ooc: wait for ocd up!]

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