Living on the Outskirts, Friday, Period 2
The classroom was set up just the same as it always was when Jono started his lecture today. Comfortable places to sit, table with food on it... It was practically homey, really, wasn't it?
"I'm going to mix up the syllabus a little bit, in honour of the weekend," Jonothon announced. "Instead of sitting down and having a candid conversation with you about the dangers of convincing yourself that a bad situation is somehow a blessing, today's class is going to focus around the concept of home. I'm going to proceed with this class assuming that you all know what that word means to you. If I'm wrong, stop me, and I'll try to explain, but if there are any lingering doubts, perhaps our discussion today will help erase them."
He reached for his coffee, took a sip, and then set it back down again before continuing.
"The trouble with having a lecture about home to a group of people coming from such wildly varied circumstances is that the word itself can mean such a vast variety of things to even one person alone. Home can be a memory, something from the distant past that one longs for but can never attain again. After all, they say that it's impossible to go back home once you've left. Perhaps that's true. To others, it's the opposite, home is a goal to strive for, some comfortable place to come to a rest. Perhaps home is simply where they are at any given point in time, meaning nothing more than a roof over one's head, or it's wherever one's friends might be. I know that my own definition of the word has shifted over the years to fit my circumstances, I'm curious to see, what with people's visitors arriving today from where one might assume is home, what your own definitions are."
Once again, he made a reach for his coffee.
"Speaking of, I will be holding office hours this weekend, for any parents, guardians, friends to visit, in order to speak about you lot. I'm also aware that not all of you are from a world where Fandom's... eccentricities are exactly smiled upon. While I don't intend to flat-out lie to anybody's visitors this weekend, let me know if you're concerned, and I will be willing to... embellish for you. Everything from what the class is about, to what the island is really like, to, yes, the way I look. I won't be thrilled about that last one, but I do understand if it's problematic. I won't embellish about your own participation here, personally, however. If I have any concerns about you, I will share them, right along with any praise. Keep that in mind if you approach me, looking to have me essentially lie on your report card for you."
[Open!]
"I'm going to mix up the syllabus a little bit, in honour of the weekend," Jonothon announced. "Instead of sitting down and having a candid conversation with you about the dangers of convincing yourself that a bad situation is somehow a blessing, today's class is going to focus around the concept of home. I'm going to proceed with this class assuming that you all know what that word means to you. If I'm wrong, stop me, and I'll try to explain, but if there are any lingering doubts, perhaps our discussion today will help erase them."
He reached for his coffee, took a sip, and then set it back down again before continuing.
"The trouble with having a lecture about home to a group of people coming from such wildly varied circumstances is that the word itself can mean such a vast variety of things to even one person alone. Home can be a memory, something from the distant past that one longs for but can never attain again. After all, they say that it's impossible to go back home once you've left. Perhaps that's true. To others, it's the opposite, home is a goal to strive for, some comfortable place to come to a rest. Perhaps home is simply where they are at any given point in time, meaning nothing more than a roof over one's head, or it's wherever one's friends might be. I know that my own definition of the word has shifted over the years to fit my circumstances, I'm curious to see, what with people's visitors arriving today from where one might assume is home, what your own definitions are."
Once again, he made a reach for his coffee.
"Speaking of, I will be holding office hours this weekend, for any parents, guardians, friends to visit, in order to speak about you lot. I'm also aware that not all of you are from a world where Fandom's... eccentricities are exactly smiled upon. While I don't intend to flat-out lie to anybody's visitors this weekend, let me know if you're concerned, and I will be willing to... embellish for you. Everything from what the class is about, to what the island is really like, to, yes, the way I look. I won't be thrilled about that last one, but I do understand if it's problematic. I won't embellish about your own participation here, personally, however. If I have any concerns about you, I will share them, right along with any praise. Keep that in mind if you approach me, looking to have me essentially lie on your report card for you."
[Open!]