13th of Cylus 721
"So, do you have any experience at all with teaching students?" Said the large overgrown rabbit in front of Kalortah. He was dressed in the most ridiculous suit, with a patched blazer, an orange bowtie, and yellow pants. His feet were bare, and long like a rabbit's. His hands were tiny and he stood at six feet tall. Overall, he was a grotesque example of his kind. Kalortah wondered to Delroth why he must be so afflicted, to always get these types in a school setting, but nevertheless, here he was.
"Yes, I’ve taught in the University of Scalvoris.” Kalortah truncated his reply, for fear that he might vomit in the face of Mister Rabbit and his mange-ridden face.
Garth Kindman clasped his tiny hands together at that, happily. ”Good, then we probably don’t have to go through too much of a refresher course for you to get started! You already have some teaching experience. We just need to do an evaluation, of your teaching style… I’ll be your willing subject!”
Kalortah had to suppress the physical reaction that this revelation induced. He wanted to narrow his eyes, furrow his brow, spit on the ground, any number of negative reactions, but he maintained his composure in the face of what he’d heard. ”So, erm…”
Kindman stared at the avriel a moment and then smiled, his grotesque buck teeth showing. The singer had to stifle another gag. ”Well, that means… You start the class off with an introduction normally. I thought you said you have taught before?”
Kalortah shrugged, ”I never volunteered my name to new students. I just launch right into the lesson, headlong usually.”
”Oh my.” Kindman wrung his little hands at that, but then smiled again, ”Well, it’s good to try and put your class at ease at first. To set their expectations that they won’t be judged for how they keep up, and that you’ll be maintaining the pace of the classroom with their needs in mind. Teaching is as much a caregiving process as being a nurse, a medic, a parent. Do you have children, Mister Satravial?”
Kalortah’s voice caught in his throat. Instinctively, he wanted to throttle the meek and soft-bellied prey-animal before him. He wanted to shout invective, and hurl insults. But he knew this wasn’t done in polite society. So he only sat with his hands in his lap, waiting for the mood to pass him by. By Delroth, he really needed to kill someone or something. His anger was getting out of control lately. But then, his feelings here were entirely reasonable, or so the avriel felt.
”No children.” The mortal born said, ”And what does teaching have in common with nursing?”
Kindman stood slightly agape at his student for a second before responding, ”Well, as a nurse one is tasked with setting certain expectations for a patient, and establishing a predictable routine through which they can begin to trust the person caring for them, and thus receive appropriate treatment. As a teacher, you’re also tasked with giving them the same thing, only with a focus on administering knowledge to fresh minds!” Kindman seemed excited by the prospect.
