Show and Tell, Tuesday, Period Two

[myownface]

Thank god next week was the last week of classes. Sparkle had only had to scrounge up like a half-dozen show and tell prompts, and he was already blanking. They'd done food, they'd done music, they'd even gone to a zoo. Sparkle supposed he could get the students to talk about their favourite movies or something, but that seemed like a weird cop-out kind of thing, and it wasn't like they had time to sit down and watch even one full movie in the class time they had.

"YouTube videos," he blurted as he stepped into the classroom, wide-eyed. "This week we're going to show off some video on the internet that we really enjoyed, or one that really helped us with something, or, shit, even the first meme that jumps to mind. We're going to do that."

Because they were usually shorter than movies, yes. And because there were all of three students in his class, he didn't have to worry about, like, dragging in a big screen or anything. He could just pull out the datapad that Atton had given him and have the class gather around.

"So, mine is... actually, like, a serious one this week," he shared. "It's this poem, actually, by a Canadian guy called Shake Koyczan, called To This Day. It can be hard to listen to; this one in particular is kind of a sometimes food, you know? He wrote it about bullying and the long-term impact it has on people, and it does touch on suicide, so yes, you're welcome to tap out on this one before I hit play."

The possible suicide trigger, he could warn for. The potential for messy tears, he'd really just brought a box of Kleenex for. He looked at his students, waited for anyone to leave if they needed to, and then started the video.

When I was a kid, I used to think that pork chops and karate chops were the same thing...

Yeah, shut up, even Sparkle was kind of tearing up a little bit by the end of that one. Maybe the Kleenex was just as much for him.

"So. Uh. Anyone have anything they'd like to share?"

They could use a mood-lifter.

[OOC: Yeah, the link above has a video that talks about all kinds of things, from bullying to drug abuse to suicide. Feel free to give that one a pass if you need to.]

Try Not to Die, Tuesday, June 13, 2017

[sith_happened]

"Today we're going to New Zealand," Anakin said, "even though I haven't figured out where Old Zealand is just yet."

He pointed to the map. "New Zealand is located down here, near Australia where not everything will kill you, but not from lack of trying."

Resolving Conflict Without Violence, Wednesday First Period [Week 6]

[retired_hero]

"During most of our time together, I've been the one supplying the topics which we've shaped our discussions around. And I hope that that's been useful to you all. After all, it is often the case that the most difficult questions we find ourselves faced with come from other people."

Anne smiled wryly. "After all, our own brains tend to try to protect us from things we don't want to deal with, so they're often quite unreliable when it comes to difficult but important questions."

"But resolving conflicts without needing to resort to violence is often as much about asking the right questions as it is about being comfortable in difficult conversations. So today, that is what we're going to practice: asking questions."

"Once again, I'm going to want you to find a partner to work with, but rather than me providing you with a topic, I want you to take turns initiating conversation with a question. Your goal is, by the end of this class period, each of you should have learned one thing you could do for the other that would meaningfully improve their life."

Anne lifted a hand in a vague gesture. "I'll leave 'meaningful' up to your personal judgments, but I do encourage you to go a little deeper than that they could totally go for a pizza right now. And remember: your first question may only lead you to another question. Keep digging until you feel like you've gotten an answer that really satisfies you."