So You Want to Be a Pirate!, Wednesday, period two

[betterthanaplan]

There was no boat at all in sight when the students arrived in the Danger Shop for class today. There was plenty of water, bright blue and sparkling under a hot, cloudless sky, but the students would find themselves on a beach rather than a boat, with dense, vibrantly green vegetation unbroken behind them.

"Congratulations," Duke said, from where he lounged under a palm tree at the edge of the greenery. He tipped up the brim of his baseball cap and gave them a bright smile. "You've been shipwrecked. This is now your very own deserted island paradise. Or possibly hell. We'll see. Your assignment today is simple: survive. You don't know if or when help might be coming. You were sailing towards a well populated island, but the storm that stranded you here blew you off course, so you can't be sure how far away it is or in which direction. Your provisions and supplies all went down with your ship — as well as your captain, so I'm dead — and all you have are what you happen to have on you right now, and this." He held up a battered machete, then tossed it onto the sand, well away from the students. "Oh, and anything you happen to find on this island. You can band together or go it alone, it's up to you all, but by the end of class I want to hear your plan for survival. Oh, and Sidon if you're here, there's . . . let's say a wild, unpredictable ocean current that runs around the whole island, strong enough to send even you off course. So swimming for reinforcements isn't an option."

He leaned back against the tree and clapped his hands. "Well? What are you waiting for? Hop to. That sun's not going away any time soon, which means it's not going to get any cooler out here. And you all have work to do."

He pulled his hat back down over his eyes, looking for all the world like he was settling in for a nap.

Ethics [Wednesday, November 13, 2019]

[sith_happened]

"Regardless of what universe, time or dimension you are from," Anakin began, "sentient beings tend to make the same sort of mistakes over and over again. On this planet, those common failings are organized by major religions as the 'seven deadly sins': pride, envy, gluttony, lust, wrath, greed, and sloth."

He smiled a little ruefully. "If you're honest with yourself, there are probably a few in the last you recognize as characteristics you recognize in yourself. Pride--or vanity--for instance, is the excessive belief in your own abilities and rightness and can blind you to many, many other flaws. 'Pride goes before a fall' is an extremely unhelpful thing people will tell you after you've made a huge ass of yourself." He began pacing the room. "Envy is the desire for traits, status, abilities, or situations that other beings have. Gluttony is the desire to consume more than what you require. It doesn't have to be food related--it can be resources, or money, or someone else's time. Lust...well, you're teenagers. I don't have to explain lust to you. Anger...well, you're teenagers. I probably don't have to explain anger to you, either, but it become dangerous when it is how you channel your envy, lust, or gluttony."

Anakin Skywalker: galaxy's leading expert on wrath.

"Greed is the desire for material wealth or gain and also goes by avarice or covetousness, if you speak Old Testament religion and all of the 'thou shall not covet's. Finally, there's sloth or the avoidance of work, either physical or mental--the paralyzing 'whatever, not my problem' that can be so insidious in a society."

He stopped back at the front of the class. "And because it can be hard to see our own flaws and very easy to see other, let's start out by thinking of an adult in your lives--either a parent, a guardian, or a teacher--and decide which of these seven flaws you think they have and what you can learn from not emulating that."

Bitching about authority figures: always a winner!

Phys Ed, Thursday, Period Two

[firstofitskind]

There was only one teacher in the Danger Shop today, which was set up to be a pretty accurate replica of the lanes at Fast Eddie's. Because of course the actual bowling alley had been closed when he went to try and arrange for class to be held there.

"Hey, all," Liam greeted, once everyone had arrived. "Verity apologizes for not being here today, but something came up on the mainland, so," he shrugged. Truth be told, he couldn't help but feel he should've gone with her, but that probably wasn't fair to the students to cancel class, so here he was.

(Would he change his mind about that "not fair" thing once he found out what the Danger Shop had in mind for today? Oh, probably.)

"I thought we'd try bowling today," he said, gesturing to the lanes. "So go ahead and pick out a ball and we'll get started with an overview of the rules."