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Climbing and Caving, Monday
Sunday, May 13th, 2018 10:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
firstofitskindWhen the students entered the classroom, they'd find their teacher standing at the front, by a table full of helmets of various sizes with lights mounted on the front, as well as an array of flashlights and matches.
Liam had never imagined that he would ever be in the position of a teacher. Technically speaking, he'd never had the leisure to imagine being anything at all, having stepped into his first job mere hours after being born. But if Fandom was good for anything, it was new experiences. So here he was. In front of a class full of students. A little nervous, but not letting anything about his expression or mannerisms betray as much.
"Hi," he greeted them all, once the number of people in the room matched the number of people on his attendance list. "This is my first time teaching any sort of class, but if I'm given to understand the radio broadcasts, the first week is usually full of introductions. So I'll start with myself: My name is Liam Kincaid, I used to be- well, I suppose the closest definition would be a bodyguard of sorts, and currently I'm the Sheriff in town. Neither of which have anything at all to do with this course, but since you all have to share a little bit about yourselves, I figured I'd return the favor. I'm teaching this course because caving is something I've enjoyed since-" a slight pause, there, "- well, my mother was an expert caver, and it's something she passed on to me." In a slightly more literal sense than how most children learned from their parents. "From you I'd like name, class, if you've got any experience with either mountain climbing or caving, and what prompted you to take this class, regardless of whether you have experience or not. Why don't you start," he instructed, pointing at a student at random.
Once the introductions were finished, he continued: "This class will involve a combination of Danger Shop scenarios and real-world field trips. While the former will have safety measures programmed in to the scenarios, with the latter, safety depends entirely on your behavior and level of preparation. Responsible caving is a team activity, and not a competition, so don't worry about being the first or the fastest, or jumping down heights you shouldn't. If you want to be reckless on your own time, I'm not your parent, so I'm not going to tell you not to, but I won't tolerate it in this class. As for preparation... each of you is going to need to pick out a helmet, as well as take a flashlight and matches. You're expected to bring these to every class. Yes, even if you don't think you need a helmet." Sure, at least one of the students looked distinctively non-squishy, but Liam wasn't about to take any chances. Sorry Peridot. At least the light on the helmet was useful?
"The flashlight and matches are because you should always have backup sources of light. If you wear clothing, make sure it's in layers and ideally waterproof. As well as a sturdy pair of gloves and hiking boots if you have them. If you don't, you should be able to pick them up at one of the clothing stores in town." Here, at least, he was willing to make concessions for those who didn't usually need protective clothing. "A water bottle is always a good idea, if you drink water, and you might want to bring a camera to record anything of interest. Which leads me to the cardinal rules of caving:
Take nothing but pictures
Leave nothing but footprints
Kill nothing but time."
"And speaking of time," he said with a smile. "Ours is up for today. I'll see you all next week, and don't forget to bring your equipment."
Liam had never imagined that he would ever be in the position of a teacher. Technically speaking, he'd never had the leisure to imagine being anything at all, having stepped into his first job mere hours after being born. But if Fandom was good for anything, it was new experiences. So here he was. In front of a class full of students. A little nervous, but not letting anything about his expression or mannerisms betray as much.
"Hi," he greeted them all, once the number of people in the room matched the number of people on his attendance list. "This is my first time teaching any sort of class, but if I'm given to understand the radio broadcasts, the first week is usually full of introductions. So I'll start with myself: My name is Liam Kincaid, I used to be- well, I suppose the closest definition would be a bodyguard of sorts, and currently I'm the Sheriff in town. Neither of which have anything at all to do with this course, but since you all have to share a little bit about yourselves, I figured I'd return the favor. I'm teaching this course because caving is something I've enjoyed since-" a slight pause, there, "- well, my mother was an expert caver, and it's something she passed on to me." In a slightly more literal sense than how most children learned from their parents. "From you I'd like name, class, if you've got any experience with either mountain climbing or caving, and what prompted you to take this class, regardless of whether you have experience or not. Why don't you start," he instructed, pointing at a student at random.
Once the introductions were finished, he continued: "This class will involve a combination of Danger Shop scenarios and real-world field trips. While the former will have safety measures programmed in to the scenarios, with the latter, safety depends entirely on your behavior and level of preparation. Responsible caving is a team activity, and not a competition, so don't worry about being the first or the fastest, or jumping down heights you shouldn't. If you want to be reckless on your own time, I'm not your parent, so I'm not going to tell you not to, but I won't tolerate it in this class. As for preparation... each of you is going to need to pick out a helmet, as well as take a flashlight and matches. You're expected to bring these to every class. Yes, even if you don't think you need a helmet." Sure, at least one of the students looked distinctively non-squishy, but Liam wasn't about to take any chances. Sorry Peridot. At least the light on the helmet was useful?
"The flashlight and matches are because you should always have backup sources of light. If you wear clothing, make sure it's in layers and ideally waterproof. As well as a sturdy pair of gloves and hiking boots if you have them. If you don't, you should be able to pick them up at one of the clothing stores in town." Here, at least, he was willing to make concessions for those who didn't usually need protective clothing. "A water bottle is always a good idea, if you drink water, and you might want to bring a camera to record anything of interest. Which leads me to the cardinal rules of caving:
Take nothing but pictures
Leave nothing but footprints
Kill nothing but time."
"And speaking of time," he said with a smile. "Ours is up for today. I'll see you all next week, and don't forget to bring your equipment."