Exit Strategies, Monday, Period 2

[jedigrammarians]

Once more, Aphra was at the head of the classroom sim and looking like she had many regrets over teaching a morning class.

The sim itself was set up with two person tables which she directed the class to sit at. "Now there's a lot of moving parts that go into creating an exit strategy, some you can control, some you can't so today we're going to talk about the one you really, really can't, which is people. Today we're looking at the buddy system!"

Aphra waited a beat then pressed a control, and everyone suddenly found themselves hand-cuffed to the person they were sitting next to. It sim itself also changed from a classroom to a crashed shuttle (not on fire, for once, Aphra was working up to that). "Oh no, the prisoner transport crashed," Aphra declared dramatically. "Can you make it to the end of class without being recaptured?"

Rage Against the Machine: Etc, Etc, Etc; Tuesday, Second Period [01/11].

[somethingwithturquoise]

It was a much more subdued Summer at the front of the classroom sim in the Danger Shop this week, looking almost apologetic as she waited for everyone to get settled in. "So welcome back, you guys," she began, "and before we get into anything else today, I just wanted to take a second to kind of apologize for last week. One of these semesters, I'm going to realize that sometimes it's not always best to just charge in and hit the ground running, but this semester? Was not that semester, and sometimes it's easy for me to forget what it's like to have a whole bunch of shit like that just thrown at you. So my apologies, and hopefully this gets us on a better foot, I've brought doughnuts, and going forward, please know that this class will be dealing with a lot of hard and senstitive topics. But I know some of that can be difficult, and not everyone really chose to be in this class. If you need to tap out, by all means, please do so, and there's nothing wrong with that. This is not an evil Galactic Federation. I hope you'll want to be here to learn, but literally no one will make you."

She nodded a little, still feeling like that wasn't quite enough, but it would have to be good enough, and gestured to the box on the desk.

"Now come get some doughnuts, and we'll get into today's topic: Why Evil Empire Bad?"

( Evil Empire go Brrr. )

"So today, that's what I want to talk about. We all come from different experiences and backgrounds, and so tap into your own experiences or from your history, to think of signs that you might be dealing with a growing or perhaps even fully formed evil galactic empire, and we'll compile a list on the board here. I'll start by putting up assimilation and promises of 'unificiation' in big fat quotes there, probably 'WMD - weapons of mass destruction' is a big one, too, and then I'll turn it to you guys. Who has something else they can think to add?"

Books vs Movies, Tuesday first period

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"Good morning." Jon nodded to the class; he still looked a bit run-down, but he was putting on a brave - or at least an in-denial - face.

"I hope you all got my handwavey assignment, since I forgot to put it on the board last week," he began. "It's a little past the season, but I thought starting with "A Christmas Carol" would be interesting. There are around a hundred different movie and TV versions; it's been pretty popular.

"There are a lot of versions we could be watching, but I've chosen one that's both a more unique take than some, and yet gets across the basics of the story idea. So let's watch it, and then we can discuss the similarities and differences."


After class was over, he wrote the next assignment on the board: Exodus, chapters 4 through 15.

Mad Kings & Queens: Raving Royals and How To Survive Them (Tuesday, 4th Period)

[atreideslioness]

When the bell rang, Ghanima did a quick head-count to see who was still there and who had dropped before beaming brightly at the class. "Looks like I didn't scare off too many of you," she teased, blue-on-blue eyes crinkling in mirth. "So, today we'll start with my personal favorite."

( If sincere, his was a career of long heroic sacrifice; if an imposter, he must be ranked as one of the most extraordinary of that class who has yet lived. He left no successor. The emoluments of an unattractive throne and an empty royalty were not alluring; there was none strong enough to follow him; and finally the world was entering upon an epoch of materialism in which there is no provision for such a monarch. From that strange stage through the doors of oblivion, thus passes forever Norton I, Emperor of the United States, and Protector of Mexico. L'Empereur est mort. )

Living with Trauma, Tuesday 1/11, 3rd Period

[stykera]

“I missed last week,” Stark said. “I’m sorry.” That complete lack of explanation was the only explanation he was going to offer. “I’m here now.”

“So,” he continued, starting to pace at the front of the room, “since it’s our first class even if it’s the second week we can do introductions.”

“I’m Stark, for those who don’t know me. Not Tony, he has another class, just Stark. I’m here, we’re all here, to talk about trauma. Or not talk about it. Sometimes that’s easier. Not always better, but sometimes easier. And sometimes making things a little easier is all you can do. Sometimes you can’t do that much. It helps to try, at least. Usually.”

“If you like, you can tell us all why you’re here. Or what you want from this class. Or you can just say who you are. I’m not going to pry. If you want to talk when you’re here you can talk. If you want to listen and never talk, that's fine. Sometimes I don’t talk at all for long stretches.” Sometimes he talked non-stop. It all depended on the situation.

“I’m Stark, as I said. A Banik, not from Earth. I am…very familiar with trauma. Grief. Loss.” Too familiar, really. “And I’d like to help you all. If I can. Who wants to start?”