Global Citizenship - Lesson 1 (closed)

Adelaide had never made her dislike of both children and the teaching profession a secret, and yet through the most ironic of ways she had found herself playing Headmistress to nearly seven hundred students. As if that hadn't been enough, she had been asked by the board to justify her position - a position the board had foisted off on her in the first place - by doing actual teaching.

Still, at least she had been allowed to pick her own subject. The higher ups might be vindictive but they were not unintelligent. They knew not to force her into a subject or syllabus she had no command over so at least here she was given the option of instructing in something she had a decent grasp of. A woman who had grown up and spent her adult life in the cutthroat world of business could only think of one thing to teach.

Sociology.

Of course, other topics they would touch on would be history, politics, current affairs and even the economy. But all this was neatly packaged into year long lectures that would be delivered hopefully with minimal interaction from the students. If the stars shone in Adelaide's favor, the kids would simply take notes and leave.

Taking her place behind the large wooden desk and crossing her legs as if in preparation for a formal interview, the redhead swiveled her green gaze to the door. Her class would allow limited students and as soon as it was filled to maximum capacity, the door would close of its own accord and lock the people within from the outside world.

Beside her on a huge chalkboard at the front of the class, only four words stared out into the empty room. The words were vague, inviting the students to think for themselves and not ask any questions.

Dominique walked into the Global Citizenship classroom. She was a little nervous as she thought this class would be different. As she wasn’t sure what she was expecting to get from this class. She then noticed that there were two older students. Right now was the only first year student. But she wasn’t going to let that bother her. Dom then walked to the front row, that way she would not miss anything.

She then took her notebook and quill out. Just was ready to start taking notes. Because she knew that she would need them. Just so that she could look back and help her with her homework. Looking around, she wondered if more people was going to show up. She had no idea if another first year would be here? Or was she going to be on her own. But she was here to learn from this class. Then she would worry about making friends. Right now was the time to focus on her studies.

Zoey walked into the Global Citizenship classroom and her eyes were immediately drawn to what was on the black board. Where it all began. That had to be the Big Bang theory, right? It was how muggles explained the forming of the earth and the solar system and all the planets and such.

She nodded politely at their professor and took a seat. She kept thinking about the words on the board and stared at the intensely as she thought. Always a Ravenclaw, through and through. Where it all began. Where it all began. Where did it all begin?

Zoey looked around and bit her lip before looking back at the board. She took out a quill and parchment and wrote the words at the top of the page before writing out possible solutions. Maybe it was a riddle? Or maybe a joke? Although their professor did not look like she cared for jokes.

As the class filled up, the Headmistress was glad to see it mostly comprised of older students. Students who, one could hope, wouldn't require as much hand holding and "nurturing". When she had first submitted the final syllabus to the board, Adelaide had done everything in her power to make it as bland as possible. No outdoor activties, excessive homework and self study components, everything that would a child of today pick this particular subject last on their list.

And yet she supposed there were at least a few children here not of today. A nod to Ms. Clement and Ms. Holmes who had at least taken care to make themselves presentable for the occasion. The rest were one and the same. The only other student who stood out was a first year who must have gotten lost on her way to a more interesting lesson.

Regardless, it was now showtime.

"Welcome, ladies and gentleman, to Global Citizenship," she began as the door snapped firmly behind them, signalling the class closed. "You may address me as Headmistress or Professor, to prematurely answer that particular query. I only have a few simple rules, yet they may be the hardest to keep so i advise you listen well. Listening well is a skill you will need for this lesson especially."

While other professors may have written out rules on a board or made them prominent in some written fashion, Adelaide had no such intentions. She would speak and the students would keep up. "i do not appreciate late comers, so you will be on time if you choose to continue this class for the rest of the year. I also do not appreciate noises, whispering, irrelevant discussions or  complaints. If you need to see me, make an appointment with my assistant and keep it, most of you are old enough to realize this is a useful habit to develop now."

Drawing another breath she added. "Your homework is for your own benefit, not mine. So if you submit it, you will be graded. If you do not, you would have wasted an opportunity to learn. This is not a subject included in your OWLs or NEWTs so the results may not impact your score sheets, but if you listen well, it may add to your knowledge of this world we live in."  

That being said, the redhead stepped tot he side, making the chalkboard and the written question the center of attention. All around the classroom, the lights dimmed as if a movie was about to start.

"Global Citizenship, if broken down into each individual word, can easily tell you what this class is about. We are not simply citizens of a country but this entire world. Everything that happens around the world, affects us in some way or the other. Be it magical, muggle, animal, plant, astral body or changes in the course of nature. We would be foolish to believe we live independent of a larger system. And that larger system is what we will try to delve into this year."

The words on the board, which had been written in normal hand only a moment ago, began to grow in font, until they dominated the entire board. The question "WHERE IT ALL BEGAN?" glowed softly on the board as the lights dimmed even further.  

"Where did it all begin? Some people claim it began a long time ago with a loud bang. Fitting how the universe felt it had to nosily announce itself as it came into being. However, we will look into the beginnings of magic." the redhead rescinded to her desk, completely drawing the students' attention to the board where the words were now replaced with an mage of the perceived Big Bang. The image was soon replaced with that of a lone wand, emitting sparks.

"We now take it for granted that magic comes from our wands, or the more educated of us claim it is the most efficient tool to channel our magic. After all, it is recognized globally as a symbol for witches and wizards. And yet few of us realize that using a wand is predominantly a result of European influence. Earlier civilizations had their own ways of utilizing magic. Would someone care to name a few methods by which our ancestors channeled their magic?"