Fandom High School

The class was back in the Danger Shop in the playroom again, because it didn't make sense to go back to a classroom for the final. However, there were desks set up for the students to sit in, since this was going to be an actual test.

Lily looked a little sad, too. "I always hate the end of the semester," she said, even if she didn't hate it so much because the end of the semester usually meant summer vacation and that meant sleeping in. "You've been an awesome class, and I hope you've learned something. If not, well... good luck on the final. Afterwards, when you're all done, you can either head out or you can stick around to talk to your friends as long as you don't disturb anyone else."

The students coming to class today would find their teacher a little on the late side.

And when she did show (don't even try enacting the five minute rule), she was wordless, dancing the hula to some imaginary music, complete with the outfit.

And then, a couple minutes in, it wore off.

Lily stared at the class, her mouth open in a wide embarrassed "O", and finally rallied, clapping her hands together. "SO. We were going to talk about problems in school today. I... seem to have left my handouts and everything at my apartment somehow. Can't imagine why. So I'd like you all to pair up and discuss a problem a school-age child might have in school and how you would go about dealing with it. And then when you're done... get a stuffed animal from the toy box and cuddle it."

Don't ask why Lily was wearing a Santa hat in class in March. The end of March, even. But there was a giant Christmas tree in the playroom! And there were presents underneath!

"We were going to talk about personality but you know what, no, we're having Christmas," Lily announced. "Those four to six-year-olds? You're going to watch them open presents and experience the childlike glee. That's it. Merry fake Christmas!"

And once again the class was back in the playroom setting in the Danger Shop, with Lily looking positively cheerful as everyone took their seats on the floor. "Okay, so this is the class I'm really excited about, because we're going over the age range I'm used to dealing with. This would mainly be between the ages of four and six, think preschool and kindergarten age." She began passing down this week's handouts as she spoke. "By now your kids are active, rambunctious little bastards, getting into things, happily telling you exactly what they think of everything because they don't have that little mental filter in place, and really getting into a social setting. They have definite personalities and clear likes and dislikes, but they're still just learning how to get along. Kids at this age need discipline, and they need someone who's going to help them learn what they need to know to grow into responsible big boys and girls while still helping them learn right from wrong.

"And these kids pretty much act without thinking first. They don't usually mean anything by anything they do. If they tell you your hair looks stupid, well, they may not have learned how to be polite yet. Try not to take it too seriously, and remember that they're like five. A five-year-old should not have that much bearing on your self-esteem," Lily advised. "They might push another kid down because they don't realize that that's not how you behave in society- well, you do, but you're not supposed to- and they don't take into account yet that they don't want that kind of thing done to them. And they're not all that way. Like we've learned before, everyone's different and everyone learns at a different rate. Some are very polite, well-behaved children whose parents maybe didn't want to deal with having to apologize for them all the time. Some parents were maybe a little bit more lax. And sometimes the kid's just a brat.

"So today we're going to have kids again. You're each going to have one preschool-to-kindergarten-age child to deal with for the class period. You can let them play with the toys or on the playset, see if they've learned how to share... The one thing is, remember that this is a school, and therefore corporate punishment is a big no-no. If they do something wrong, there's a time-out corner right over there. Give them five minutes to think about what they did and I keep Kleenex over here if they really make you want to cry."

There was a Lily here today when the kids got to the classroom. Yes, classroom, no Danger Shop today. And this Lily was a tense little thing. Because while she may have looked like a cute innocent everyday teacher girl, she was in actuality kind of a sex fiend and this week was going to kill her.

"Today we're learning about language. Kids grow up, they start hearing you talk, they start imitating what you say which is why you shouldn't curse in front of them unless you want them to grow up to be sailors, and it's harder to learn languages when you get older which is why it's easier to grow your kids bilingual. There. You're done learning. For the rest of the class, talk to your friends."

And as she sat back at her desk, she added, "And shut up!"

Figure that one out.

The class was in the Danger Shop again, though the cribs were gone. Today the room looked very much like an indoor play area full of toys and games.

For a long moment after the bell rang, Lily just stared at the class.

Then she let out a heavy sigh and said, "I had to have a class where I have to talk today, didn't I? Okay, look, if you're in the same boat I am, you just want to do what you need to do and get out before telling the cute guy you've been staring at you like him or something, or whatever kids do these days when they're supposed to be listening to the lectures. So. We are covering ages two and three today. You know this as the terrible twos. Kids are running, jumping, climbing trees, and yelling 'no' at you a lot. They're a lot like teenagers that way.

"You have handouts, look at them instead of listening," she said, passing them out. She was also talking really quickly, like it was the speed of her speech and not so much what she said that might stop her from yelling something like "SOCK" out in the middle of class. "You're going to have fake toddlers in class today. You each get one, and you get to take care of him or her for the class period. Good luck with that, I made them especially annoying."

She covered her mouth with her hand and said, "And don't forget to clean up after them before you go."

Everyone was back in the Danger Shop this week, where the nursery setup from last week was back. There were no crying babies, though. "Hi, guys, hope you're enjoying both the inauguration and the snow, whichever you like best," she greeted them, indicating that they could sit on the floor. "But hopefully I can keep your attention for at least a class period.

( these classes get talky )

"Hey, guys!" Lily greeted everyone. "I see a couple familiar faces here, good to see you again. For those that don't know me, I'm Ms. Aldrin, and I've been teaching here since the summer. Some of you know that my background is as a kindergarten teacher, and now I teach you all. So, I have a little experience with kids of most ages by now. Now, some of you might be here because you like kids, or want to go into teaching, or because you've had to babysit tiny versions of your teachers or something and want to know what you're doing the next time. Or you just ended up in the wrong class, in which case I'll try to make it not suck too hard.

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