Show and Tell, Tuesday, Period Two

[myownface]

So, this week, Sparkle had e-mailed his class, telling them to bring in their favourite foods, if they had any way of getting their hands on the stuff. If they didn't, they could let him know and he'd try his best to supply some, and if that didn't work... hey, that was what the danger shop was for.

"If any of you guys have any food restrictions, now would be the time to speak up," he shared, grinning wryly. "I'd rather someone have to work their way through a double helping of something than have to drag someone to the clinic because they've gone into anaphylactic shock or something. Today, we're sharing food."

He held up four chocolate bars, in yellow wrappers, as if he'd just come across the holy grail and he needed to show them to the room at large so that they could be properly beheld by all.

"These," he said, "are Coffee Crisp. They are Canada's gift to itself, because you have to order these puppies online if you want to get them anywhere outside of the country, and nobody believes me when I say that a chocolate-covered vanilla wafer bar layered with soft coffee candy is basically the best ever thing... ever. So you guys are going to put these things into your faces and back me up on this, because even if you don't like coffee, this stuff is divine."

Not literally divine. But it did completely lack the bitterness of coffee that tended to turn people off, so it had that going for it.

"And then we're going to share what kind of food you guys want the class to try. And eat it. Because food."

Resolving Conflict Without Violence, Wednesday First Period [Week 4]

[retired_hero]

"Welcome back." Anne's usual smile was, perhaps, a little bit brighter than usual.

"We've spent our three weeks of class so far discussing a very specific non-violent approach to resolving conflicts: discussion. We've sought to hone our conversational skills, to improve our ability to examine our own positions, and others'. And while that will continue to be one of our primary focuses as we move forward, today we're going to discuss another tactic that's worth having in your arsenal."

She turned, writing on the board, and then stepping away with a flourish to reveal what she'd written. "Leave," she recited as she turned back to the class. "Sometimes this will be simple. In many situations, you can simply turn and walk away from whatever conflict crops up. Sometimes it will be more complicated. You may be in a location that precludes that option, such as an elevator."

Anne's smile slipped just a bit, dipping toward melancholy before recovering. "Sometimes you will find it difficult to leave because of your convictions. Because you can't simply walk away from a particular discussion even if it isn't violent. Or you may find yourself in conflict with someone who matters too much to you for you to simply walk away."

"So, before you can employ this particular technique, it's going to be important to recognize what situations you can use it in, and what situations you can't. And, as usual, the answer to that question is going to be different for each of you."

"So, today, let's take that as our topic of discussion: what sorts of situations do you feel comfortable walking away from? And, in such situations, what can change that makes you feel like you have to stay?"

"For myself, family is almost impossible to walk away from. I did do it once because I thought everyone would be better off that way, but in the end I regretted that decision. So, what about each of you?"