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Badass Bitch Survival Guide; Tuesday, First Period [09/22].
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2020 05:37 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
died8yearsagoIt was Parents Weekend this weekend, so did that mean it was time for the Parents Weekend speech? Oh, it was totally time for the Parents Weekend speech.
Look, Rosa felt it was a really important speech. And not just because it ended with her trying to convince her students to make sure no parents actually bothered her this weekend. It definitely wasn't a speech for everyone, but if it wound up being a speech for at least one of them, then that was the reason she did it, really.
"Right," said Rosa, from where she was leaning against the front of the desk with her arms folded, once the students filed in and found their seats in the classroom. "So, this is a class I only do in the fall semester, for a reason that we're going to start getting into next week. But what also happens in the fall semester at this school is Parents Weekend, which is a good opportunity to talk about something that isn't as easy to really teach. It's not something I can just give a lesson on, like how to splint a broken arm or punch someone in the face right or how to get outself out of tough situation. That stuff's all important, but some of the most important Badass Bitch Survival Skills have nothing to do with first aid or self defense or basic life hacks and skills. It has to do with mental strength, self-awareness, and self-confidence, which is a lot harder to teach, but is just as important.
"In light of this upcoming weekend, I have just two lessons for you, lessons that I can't really lecture on because it has to do with you and you alone, and, like I've said, you can't really teach being a Badass, anyway, you either are or you aren't, so it's up to you guys to decide if you are, in this respect."
She pushed off the desk and moved to the board, as if writing it down clearly made it a viable lesson and therefor it counted.
"Number one," she said, writing it big and bold for them to see, "don't care about what people think about you, because most people suck anyway.
"And number two, remember that parents are just people. And as we covered in number one, most people suck.
"Now, obviously," she turned back to the class, "I don't know your current parental situation. If you even have one. And I don't care. Some of you might have a strained relationship with your parents. Some of you might not have any parents at all. Some of you might come from weird cultures where kids are so coddled that a ten year old is considered 'too young to have a knife'"--not that she was pulling from any specific experience there or anything--"some of you may have come out of the womb clutching one. Some of you might have a great relationship with your parents, and that's actually awesome, and hope it stays that way for you, but, guess what? Your parents are just people. And people suck. And it might not always be that way, and, if it happens, then it's probably going to suck even more unless you're prepared for it. And it's not something you can really prepare or train yourself for unless you start while you're young, realizing that these people aren't some all-important, all-knowing bastions of guidance and support. At the end of the day, they're just people. Fallable, vulnerable, sometimes mistaken or just plain ignorant. Sometimes, they can turn around. Sometimes, they won't. And you're just as much of a person as they are, with valid opinions and thoughts and just as much of a right to your thoughts and opinons as they are to theirs. This goes for more more than just parents, too. Siblings, friends, guardians, bosses, cops, teachers. All of 'em. Just people. And people suck. A Badass Bitch remembers that, and she's not going to let what people who suck thinks about them drag her down."
Rosa sucked in a small breath, sighed just faintly, and shrugged. "And that's it'. That's today's lesson. If there's any questions, go ahead and ask them, or if you want to talk about anything, we can, but otherwise, you're free to go. Just think about that, and try to have at least one 'enlightening' moment of realization that you don't have to listen to whatever some jerkwad is telling you, and maybe we'll talk about those moments next week.
"Also," she added, getting to the other important part, "anyone who doesn't have some guest come and talk to me this weekend gets extra credit, or at least bonus points on some activity we do later on in the semester. So there's a gimme for you orphans, I guess."
Look, Rosa felt it was a really important speech. And not just because it ended with her trying to convince her students to make sure no parents actually bothered her this weekend. It definitely wasn't a speech for everyone, but if it wound up being a speech for at least one of them, then that was the reason she did it, really.
"Right," said Rosa, from where she was leaning against the front of the desk with her arms folded, once the students filed in and found their seats in the classroom. "So, this is a class I only do in the fall semester, for a reason that we're going to start getting into next week. But what also happens in the fall semester at this school is Parents Weekend, which is a good opportunity to talk about something that isn't as easy to really teach. It's not something I can just give a lesson on, like how to splint a broken arm or punch someone in the face right or how to get outself out of tough situation. That stuff's all important, but some of the most important Badass Bitch Survival Skills have nothing to do with first aid or self defense or basic life hacks and skills. It has to do with mental strength, self-awareness, and self-confidence, which is a lot harder to teach, but is just as important.
"In light of this upcoming weekend, I have just two lessons for you, lessons that I can't really lecture on because it has to do with you and you alone, and, like I've said, you can't really teach being a Badass, anyway, you either are or you aren't, so it's up to you guys to decide if you are, in this respect."
She pushed off the desk and moved to the board, as if writing it down clearly made it a viable lesson and therefor it counted.
"Number one," she said, writing it big and bold for them to see, "don't care about what people think about you, because most people suck anyway.
"And number two, remember that parents are just people. And as we covered in number one, most people suck.
"Now, obviously," she turned back to the class, "I don't know your current parental situation. If you even have one. And I don't care. Some of you might have a strained relationship with your parents. Some of you might not have any parents at all. Some of you might come from weird cultures where kids are so coddled that a ten year old is considered 'too young to have a knife'"--not that she was pulling from any specific experience there or anything--"some of you may have come out of the womb clutching one. Some of you might have a great relationship with your parents, and that's actually awesome, and hope it stays that way for you, but, guess what? Your parents are just people. And people suck. And it might not always be that way, and, if it happens, then it's probably going to suck even more unless you're prepared for it. And it's not something you can really prepare or train yourself for unless you start while you're young, realizing that these people aren't some all-important, all-knowing bastions of guidance and support. At the end of the day, they're just people. Fallable, vulnerable, sometimes mistaken or just plain ignorant. Sometimes, they can turn around. Sometimes, they won't. And you're just as much of a person as they are, with valid opinions and thoughts and just as much of a right to your thoughts and opinons as they are to theirs. This goes for more more than just parents, too. Siblings, friends, guardians, bosses, cops, teachers. All of 'em. Just people. And people suck. A Badass Bitch remembers that, and she's not going to let what people who suck thinks about them drag her down."
Rosa sucked in a small breath, sighed just faintly, and shrugged. "And that's it'. That's today's lesson. If there's any questions, go ahead and ask them, or if you want to talk about anything, we can, but otherwise, you're free to go. Just think about that, and try to have at least one 'enlightening' moment of realization that you don't have to listen to whatever some jerkwad is telling you, and maybe we'll talk about those moments next week.
"Also," she added, getting to the other important part, "anyone who doesn't have some guest come and talk to me this weekend gets extra credit, or at least bonus points on some activity we do later on in the semester. So there's a gimme for you orphans, I guess."