DADA: Lesson Three (All Years)

Subject: DADA: Lesson Three (All Years) Sat Nov 04, 2017 3:47 pm

With the impending meeting of the ICWW, Jake had been reading up on the subject of the Statute of Secrecy with a little more enthusiasm. Reading, for Jake, was one of the most tedious uses of time that he could think of, so to say Victoria had been surprised when he'd gone to her with the question of a good place to start on this subject, was an understatement.

But, after a fair amount of research which would not only be interesting for the kids, but useful for the summer assignment of the security at the ICWW Summit, Jake had come up with something of a different lesson.

Desks lined the room, though it was in a semi-circle, so that all the kids could see it. Jake sat atop his desk, as per usual, and the board behind him held the topic of today's class.

The kids had all been sent a little piece of paper with a country that they were to represent, the decision of whether they would be for or against the change to the Statute, and an explanation that they would be having a debate in today's lesson. It was not, Jake knew, Defence Against the Dark Arts. Not strictly speaking. But, how could one defend themselves from the world, if they did not know what was going on in it? No, today they would be learning to defend their opinion, and though Jake was stretching his subject to the maximum, he hoped the kids would find it enjoyable.

OOC: Please put an OOC note for the country you wish to claim your student as having in your post. There is no set way Jake did this, so if your character is French, it's unlikely they got France as their county to represent. The For or Against is also fictitious, and does not need to be what the country will actually be doing in the real Summit. It's all for fun!

________________________________________________
~ Auror ~ Profile ~ DADA Professor ~
~ In a Relationship ~ 36 ~ Father ~ 6' ~ American Accent ~

Guest

March. It was March and a lot of things had changed in a short amount of time. For one thing, the ICWW was coming and it had caused a lot of conversations to occur in the home. For one thing, her brother was attending. The Minister of Magic had requested that he attend, thinking it was good exposure for him if he wanted a future in deeper politics. Tess was admittedly proud of him, if not jealous. She didn't know how she would be able to ever beat him in anything, but she was proud. Though, she did hope that they weren't using him for just the family name. The location of the conference was a bit concerning, considering their history there, but she figured if she pretended to know nothing she would be fine.

Pushing the door open, she realized she was the first one in. She smiled softly at Jake and gave him a small greeting before moving over to her usual desk that was now curved to the room. She had a feeling that she knew what would happen. The day before she had been told that she would be representing America, and she would be arguing something she didn't agree with: integrating with Muggle society. She had read about the history and prepped herself as best she could.

What could go wrong?

OOC: America. For.

Guest

Defence Against the Dark Arts was not one of the lessons that Dimitri enjoyed very much. Most of the time he stayed as something of a wallflower in the lesson because it wasn't his favourite. Of course, the lesson was very popular, though, and many vocations insisted upon you having a minimum of an O.W.L. in the subject to study further.

Dimitri wasn't going to give this up, though, no. He would take DADA through to N.E.W.T. level to ensure his options were never limited.

DADA had take a weird turn, though. The professor had sent them a note of a country, a stance and a mention of a debate in class. Anyone who read the news knew that this was about the impending ICWW Summit, and this piqued Dimitri's interest. He was not a fan of politics -- much to his father's distaste -- but the Statute of Secrecy was a good topic. And a debate on whether to keep it, or not, was one that he was quite looking forward to.

He'd been given Italy, who were for the Statute being abolished, and Dimitri could understand why they would want to. He personally had no qualms over the Statute being taken down. After all, all the Statute did was keep the superpower Purebloods such as the Clements in power.

Heading in to the classroom, which unsurprisingly had chairs in it today, Dimitri gave the professor a warm smile. "Morning Jake, hey Tess." The Ravenclaw greeted the other witch in the room, before making his way to a free seat -- not too close to Tess -- and readying his argument in his head. Today... was definitely going to be interesting.

OOC: Italy. For.

Guest

Sasha wasn't really that much waiting for DADA lessons today. Just the today's topic wasn't really something she would discuss. Well, she knew there was this whole news about things with muggles and wizards. The girl knew about the ICWW summit thing. So the topic today will be probably a good idea.

She was supposed to represent Estonia, the country she knew very little about. So she had to do a lot of digging about it. She was very confident in herself about doing well but she hoped things will go well. She just hoped. She knew things can go wrong very easily.

She walked into the classroom. "Hello," she said simply and walked in the back row of seats. She didn't really wanna be the first one to start by saying something. She barely even knew what she should say today but all she knew this lesson might be end up being one of the interesting ones for sure. She had no idea what to expect from this lesson for sure.

OOC: Estonia. Against.

Guest

For once, Mercy wasn't particularly looking forward to DADA. Normally, she'd consider it her favourite class--fun professor, practical lessons, and active classes (with real magic casting, unlike some subjects). But today's class didn't make much sense to her at all.

She'd gotten a slip of paper earlier, which had three bits of information on it: her country was Greece, her stance was for changing the Statute of Secrecy, and today's class would be a debate.

Debates were not her idea of fun. She didn't really see what it had to do with Defense Against the Dark Arts, either. From what she'd seen, it was just talking back in forth about complicated things, using big words that she didn't understand. And she had no idea what they were debating, or why it was relevant.

Mercy didn't really keep up with the news, and especially not that political nonsense. That was grownup stuff, and she didn't see how it affected her. But apparently there was some big conference, and important people from all different countries were having this debate, so they were having a miniature version in class? At least, that's what she had gathered from some older students when she'd asked. They'd also given her a few tips for preparing her argument, but she still wasn't really sure she understood the premise of the debate in the first place, so, while she could recite what they had told her, she couldn't really explain what she was saying or why.

Still, if the class was to have an argument, she was determined that her side would win.

OOC: Greece. For.

Guest

Clara wasn't sure how to feel about the upcoming ICWW conference. Her opinion wasn't strong either way, despite knowing how crucial the decision was. There were pros and cons to both sides. She wasn't so naive as to believe that the muggles and the wizards would integrate smoothly and peacefully--change of any sort sparked backlash, and change of this magnitude would cause a proportionate level of contention.

But on the other hand, she would never condone hiding knowledge. People had a right to know the truth about the universe. Concealing the truth went against everything she worked for as a scientist--her job was to expose the truth, for the benefit of mankind and for the sake of progress. And more people with knowledge of both magic and science would undoubtedly result in unimaginable progress in just about every field. The world could improve in leaps and bounds if wizards and muggles combined resources and worked together.

The only problem was that people couldn't be trusted to work together--and it was just as likely that revealing such knowledge could tear them apart. So Clara was undecided on the issue--not because it didn't matter to her, but because neither choice was wholely right or wrong, and either way it went, she agonized over the issues it presented.

The slip of paper she'd received, however, had chosen for her, so for the current debate, she wouldn't have to worry about that. Her country was Portugal, and she was arguing against changing the Statute. She'd done her research, as always, and she came prepared with pages of notes to help with her argument.

She couldn't help but feel as if she were arguing against herself, though. As a muggleborn, the Statute put her, and others like her, at a disadvantage. Doing away with the Statute was certainly tempting, and, in an ideal world, without a doubt the best option.

But this was not an ideal world, and she understood both sides. She could argue convincingly for either one, so she put her reservations aside, and focused on the task she'd been given. She entered the classroom and sat down, slightly away from the rest of the students, organizing her notes in a neat stack before her.

OOC: Portugal. Against.

Subject: Re: DADA: Lesson Three (All Years) Sat Nov 18, 2017 8:53 am

As the class began to fill with his students, Jake greeted each of them in turn. He knew who was representing who, and he had a good enough balance, really to keep the class discussion going. But, before any of that could happen, he was going to have to introduce the topic completely for anyone who didn't know about it.

"Good morning, everyone!" Jake greeted them all once it seemed the last person had arrived at the class. "I hope you're all well? You'll have noticed that today's lesson is a little different from normal, and that's okay. You see, the world is currently facing a new kind of danger, the danger of unrest due to the Summit coming to our world this summer.

"Now, for those of you who haven't read up on the news, I'll let you know what the Summit is about." Jake continued, looking around at the many faces before him. "Many years ago, there was a Statute of Secrecy published by the International Confederation of Witches and Wizards. The Statute is put in place to make sure magical people do not tell Muggles there is magic, or display magic in front of Muggles. Now, I know many of you are sat there, thinking of a time where this has not been the case. Muggleborn witches and wizards have to tell their families, accidental magic happens before Muggles.

"Whilst this is all correct, there are exceptions to the Statute, or policies -- including memory adjusting spells -- that make Muggles unaware of what they have seen." Jake explained, though he knew he was only going over the top of this, not with enough detail, but the point was there.

"Today's assignment is a debate, using the information I sent to you, you're going to represent the country you were given, and argue for the Statute being removed, and the freedom of Magical people to act however they think it right around Muggles, or against the removal of the Statute, and to leave things the way they are." Jake explained, looking around the classroom to make sure everyone understood the assignment.

"You'll earn House Points based on the following things, you will need to develop and maintain your argument, based on the card given. You will allow others their chance to talk, but also link your own responses to theirs. You will also work hard to try to convince me of what the over ruling decision should be." Jake explained.

"Now, who would like to open the debate?"

________________________________________________
~ Auror ~ Profile ~ DADA Professor ~
~ In a Relationship ~ 36 ~ Father ~ 6' ~ American Accent ~

Guest

The chatter within the classroom was more than usual. Many people muttered about being confused about the assignments and others who saw wha would be coming up were complaining about what was to happen. If she was perfectly honest with herself she was in the latter group.

Public speaking was not the issue but rather the idea of selling an idea she did not believe. She already lied so many points in her life, but she rarely bent so clearly as she would today. If she was honest, she did not want the statute to be removed. There had been so many harms on both sides of the world she could not fathom the idea of having Muggles know what power was across a small vail. More specifically they would be scared, and during moments of fear aggressive action would be taken.

Still as the professor went on about their assignment and requested someone to begin she wonders why in the world she found herself raising her hand. Was it pride or hopes or getting over it? Yes to both.

“Thank you” she murmured to Jake as she began her key points. “Magic has always been integrated with Muggle society until the statute occurred. In fact the best historians know that magic in America existed way before the Puritans emigrated. Magic came from the earth and was elemental. Native Americans even still use it in their native tribes and sell it for Muggle consumption.” She took a deep breath and continued. “As a country of immigrants it’s only fair that we are progressive with the times. Each and every generation shows a rise of more muggleborns meaning that magic exists to each an every muggle by a simple gene. So how can we exclude others when they have potential of not feeling like outcasts in society? It’s a disservice. Thank you”

She went back to her position and waited patiently for someone to argue her point. It was a hard pill to swallow; thinking of the less fortunate and impure society.

Subject: Re: DADA: Lesson Three (All Years) Thu Nov 30, 2017 9:10 pm

Jake had listened to the opening debate with a smile on his features. Young Tess really did know how to get the ball rolling, and he was glad to see the young French witch was integrating well with her surroundings, and had the confidence to start.

After Tess had chipped in with her idea, the debate had flourished for the rest of the lesson, Jake only needing to interject when a small pause would arise with a vague question that didn't show his personal like, or dislike, towards the whole idea. From what he could tell, though, the students had really gotten in to their arguments -- and hopefully, learned a thing or two about the upcoming political debate that would soon be affecting their lives.

It was only when the bell had rung that Jake looked down at his watch with mild confusion before calling an end to the lesson.

"If I don't see you before, enjoy your summer -- make sure to keep an eye on the news, this decision is going to be huge!" Jake told them, dismissing them, before realising something else. "And the best of luck in your end of year exams, I have faith in all of you. And I'm only an Owl away if you need help!" Jake insisted, just in time for the door to open as the first person reached it.

Class now closed.

House Points
Mercy Williams = 10 points for attendance
Sasha Denver = 10 points for attendance
Clara Goldstein = 10 points for attendance
Dimitri Moreau = 10 points for attendance
Tess Holmes = 10 points for attendance + 10 points for participation = 20 points.

TOTAL:
Gryffindor: 10
Hufflepuff: 10
Ravencalw: 20
Slytherin: 20

________________________________________________
~ Auror ~ Profile ~ DADA Professor ~
~ In a Relationship ~ 36 ~ Father ~ 6' ~ American Accent ~

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