Living on the Outskirts, Friday, Period 2
Once again, the classroom layout was very much the same as it had been in weeks gone by. Except it was possible that the shadowy corner that Jono had made a point to include was a little smaller, and a little more well-lit. You know. If you squinted a little. Or were the sort to pay attention to the shadowy corners at all, Cade.
Jono was sitting up on the edge of his desk today, legs crossed and hands folded in his lap, looking for all the world as though he was about to have some sort of candid conversation with his students.
"So, the last couple of weeks here, you've all given me some insight as to the sort of students I have here in this room every week," he shared. "Now I intend to try to reel you back in from those outskirts you're all standing on. For some, that might just be a matter of picking up your self-esteem and shoving you back at society no-holds-barred. For others, for people who are on the outside looking in not by choice, but by necessity, the process is liable to be a little more difficult. I trust that you all have your reasons for being here, whether you want to be accepted back into society's fold or somebody thinks you need to be. I can't change society, if you're in a situation where simply existing as you are means that you're going to be edged out. And I don't want to change you."
He felt the need to make that last part very clear.
"Not a single one of you needs to change who you are. All I intend to do is give you the tools you might need in order to begin finding your way back into the fold, be it society at large, or a small group of like-minded individuals who will accept you for who you are. The trick is finding out who those people are, and for the rest of the semester I intend to use Fandom itself as a sort of safe stomping ground, a place where all outsiders are accepted as equals, on the merits of who they are as opposed to what. Believe me when I say that I've got tried and true experience ascertaining that one for myself."
And a sparkly prom king tiara crown that continued to baffle him to this day.
"This week, we're going to start with the art of communication, of talking and of listening in turn. We've had a couple of conversations already, between you and myself, and as I'm certain you've all figured out by now, a conversation is a two-sided thing. You could very well have one with yourself, and I'm not about to judge anybody for it, but in this class I'm going to speak to you all more with an emphasis on having a conversation effectively. After all, a few words exchanged between two people could make you a friend for life. A few more words might even change the world. The difficult part is getting people to take those words for what they're meant to be, and in a world where people might shake their head at you for being teenagers, for being different from themselves, that can be a challenge."
He grinned faintly. "What you need to do is communicate with people in a way that leaves them feeling obligated to take you seriously. Being a competent conversationist can go a long way toward that. Make eye contact with the person you're speaking to. Unless you're speaking to a bear or something, in which case that will probably just get you mauled." Fandom. Weirder things had happened. "Otherwise, looking in the eye of the person you're talking to shows, first, that you have conviction about the things that you're saying. It shows a level of competence that's difficult to ignore. It also makes the other person in your conversation feel acknowledged. It's a nonverbal indication that, even while you're the person speaking, you are listening to them when they speak, too."
Which meant, next, he had to bring up...
"Listen." Of course. "A conversation is a two-sided thing. You can talk and talk and talk all you want, and maybe you'll even be heard, but that person that you're talking to is going to be less willing to hear you out if they feel as though they're not being heard, in turn. Pause now and again to hear the other person out. Repeat things they say so that they know you understand their point of view, or at least that you're making an effort to. Ask questions. Ask for clarification on matters you're uncertain about. Ask for their opinion on your own points. You might not like what you hear. In some cases you're practically guaranteed that much. But in those cases, you will, at least, come out looking as though you were the one who made the effort to be civil. In one of those conversations that's meant to change the world, that alone might make all the difference."
Unless you were talking to Scott Summers, but Jono wasn't going to get into that.
"This week, I want you to all pair off, or join a group of three if our numbers make it necessary. And I want you to pick a topic that's dear to you, something that you wish you could speak out about. And I want you to have a conversation, remembering what I just told you. Eye contact. Listening skills. Ask questions and make a point to include the other person just as much as you want to be included. And don't go throwing up a wall and giving monosyllabic answers. Full and complete sentences, if you please. A conversation doesn't go anywhere if you aren't giving anything to work with, either."
And that was that.
[Open!]
Jono was sitting up on the edge of his desk today, legs crossed and hands folded in his lap, looking for all the world as though he was about to have some sort of candid conversation with his students.
"So, the last couple of weeks here, you've all given me some insight as to the sort of students I have here in this room every week," he shared. "Now I intend to try to reel you back in from those outskirts you're all standing on. For some, that might just be a matter of picking up your self-esteem and shoving you back at society no-holds-barred. For others, for people who are on the outside looking in not by choice, but by necessity, the process is liable to be a little more difficult. I trust that you all have your reasons for being here, whether you want to be accepted back into society's fold or somebody thinks you need to be. I can't change society, if you're in a situation where simply existing as you are means that you're going to be edged out. And I don't want to change you."
He felt the need to make that last part very clear.
"Not a single one of you needs to change who you are. All I intend to do is give you the tools you might need in order to begin finding your way back into the fold, be it society at large, or a small group of like-minded individuals who will accept you for who you are. The trick is finding out who those people are, and for the rest of the semester I intend to use Fandom itself as a sort of safe stomping ground, a place where all outsiders are accepted as equals, on the merits of who they are as opposed to what. Believe me when I say that I've got tried and true experience ascertaining that one for myself."
And a sparkly prom king tiara crown that continued to baffle him to this day.
"This week, we're going to start with the art of communication, of talking and of listening in turn. We've had a couple of conversations already, between you and myself, and as I'm certain you've all figured out by now, a conversation is a two-sided thing. You could very well have one with yourself, and I'm not about to judge anybody for it, but in this class I'm going to speak to you all more with an emphasis on having a conversation effectively. After all, a few words exchanged between two people could make you a friend for life. A few more words might even change the world. The difficult part is getting people to take those words for what they're meant to be, and in a world where people might shake their head at you for being teenagers, for being different from themselves, that can be a challenge."
He grinned faintly. "What you need to do is communicate with people in a way that leaves them feeling obligated to take you seriously. Being a competent conversationist can go a long way toward that. Make eye contact with the person you're speaking to. Unless you're speaking to a bear or something, in which case that will probably just get you mauled." Fandom. Weirder things had happened. "Otherwise, looking in the eye of the person you're talking to shows, first, that you have conviction about the things that you're saying. It shows a level of competence that's difficult to ignore. It also makes the other person in your conversation feel acknowledged. It's a nonverbal indication that, even while you're the person speaking, you are listening to them when they speak, too."
Which meant, next, he had to bring up...
"Listen." Of course. "A conversation is a two-sided thing. You can talk and talk and talk all you want, and maybe you'll even be heard, but that person that you're talking to is going to be less willing to hear you out if they feel as though they're not being heard, in turn. Pause now and again to hear the other person out. Repeat things they say so that they know you understand their point of view, or at least that you're making an effort to. Ask questions. Ask for clarification on matters you're uncertain about. Ask for their opinion on your own points. You might not like what you hear. In some cases you're practically guaranteed that much. But in those cases, you will, at least, come out looking as though you were the one who made the effort to be civil. In one of those conversations that's meant to change the world, that alone might make all the difference."
Unless you were talking to Scott Summers, but Jono wasn't going to get into that.
"This week, I want you to all pair off, or join a group of three if our numbers make it necessary. And I want you to pick a topic that's dear to you, something that you wish you could speak out about. And I want you to have a conversation, remembering what I just told you. Eye contact. Listening skills. Ask questions and make a point to include the other person just as much as you want to be included. And don't go throwing up a wall and giving monosyllabic answers. Full and complete sentences, if you please. A conversation doesn't go anywhere if you aren't giving anything to work with, either."
And that was that.
[Open!]