005: Knife in the Back (Locked to the Adults.)

[tarnishedavenger]

[Yup. No teenagers allowed in this filter. Mac is only included after a very, very long and intense mental debate. The toys and the Easter Bunny, as odd as they are, are also in on it.]

So, I've been thinking. Jorgmund's doing a... job of getting everyone some sort of physical training, and there's some of us who don't mind getting a little bit of an extra hand. But we're going to be here for longer than I think any one of us anticipated.

One of the things Jorgmund isn't touching on, though, is education for anything that doesn't apply to missions. Some of these kids and, yes, some of the adults, have serious knowledge gaps.

This is going to be an unpopular idea for some of them, but I think they, and we, would benefit from setting up some sort of lesson plan, get some schooling going. Obviously not history or anything tied so closely to our worlds, but universal things like physics, math, computer skills, locksmithing, other things that could serve them later.

Any opinions? I should probably say that I'm not the most experienced when working with and educating young teens, my only experience is a few guest talks and 'field trips' with the kids at the Ravenswood Academy (I don't think Rowan's desire for secrecy there applies when there's no one from my world here) and Generation VIPER.

Comments

[walkingballpit]

I am going to regret this.

[ He sighs and scrubs his face. ]

I may have experience as a teacher. With... slightly abrasive super kids who could theoretically been called a “handful.”

[tarnishedavenger]

What kind of teacher?

I don't mean any offense, but when it comes to superkids, there's a difference between "This is how you find the area of a cylinder" and "This is how you stop a bus." I don't know which one you fit in under.

[walkingballpit]

None taken, but stopping a bus is harder than it looks. I co-taught Superhuman Ethics, and we all ran PE or powers training sessions, whatever you want to call it.

It’s not as handy as physics, but when do you ever need the volume of a cylinder - don’t at me, math nerds. I’d probably be better as a substitute teacher or basic computer skills. “How to deal with future tech when they think you’re a barbarian for liking water-based showers.”

Pretty sure teaching real ethics is a violation.

[tarnishedavenger]

Back home, I've stopped one. It hurt for a little bit afterwards, but it beat the alternative.

You need the volume of a cylinder to get a gold sticker. We should pass those out, I think kids respond well to those. Stacia did, at least.

We don't need to bog the kids down with ethics. No need to make working at Jorgmund more stressful for them than it already is. That'll be one thing I want to hammer in, punishing them for poor educational performance isn't going to do us any good. We need more carrot, less stick, if we're going to keep them at this.

[walkingballpit]

I haven’t. My powers would make it potentially messy. Not that I wouldn’t try, but there’s usually a telekinetic around to do it.

You’re planning to bribe them with gold stars. What, like grade school, appeal to their sense of accomplishment and love of shiny foil?

[ Robbie is incredulous to say the least. ]

Did it really work?

More carrot, less stick still won’t put butts in seats. You’re going to have to be the next Sister Act II if you’re going to want them to willingly, voluntarily show up for geometry.

[tarnishedavenger]

TK is handy.

All kids love stickers. They just pretend they don't. I bet there'd be knife fights over some Lisa Frank supplies.

...In case it isn't clear enough, I am joking. But Stacia appreciated it.

I'm up to suggestions. Could be we just need to lock the fun stuff behind the math lessons. Or find some way to sneak them in to other things. "Well, this rope can only carry a few hundred pounds at a time, you'll have to figure out the fewest trips necessary to finish this training session."

[walkingballpit]

Oh, Lisa Frank stickers. Well, now that’s a horse of a different colour.

It’s hard to read sarcasm. See what I did before - that was sarcasm with some emphatic intonations to help clue you in.

That sounds almost entertaining - and way too much like an escape room. You gonna have them do axe throwing for a trajectory lab?

[tarnishedavenger]

[He'll just ignore that first bit. Normally he'd say something, but he doesn't actually outrank Robbie here. It's not his place. They're equals, more or less, and that means he's got to look over some of the pricklier bits of the younger man's personality, like he would other members of Dragon Branch.]

Might have better luck with wall ball or some other game. Not because they wouldn't be good with axes, but trying to lay hands on weapons on a regular basis would be like pulling teeth.