walk with a walk that is measured and slow to the place where the street begins

The class rises in unison, collecting their things.

"The bell does not dismiss you, I dismiss you!" protests one cog in the machine, unaware--or in denial--of the simple fact that every speck, every iota of her own motive force is derived from the clockwork upstream of her. "Okay," power proven, "now you can go."

riding-out-the-clock

The bell rings, and there's walking, and sitting, and the bell rings again--the first period. Your second period class is on separating the waters above from the waters below--well, either that or Social Studies. Either would be equally dry.

Your ride-along phantom might have noticed by now that you're not a very good student.

riding-out-the-clock

You wrote a paper in school, once--in the sixth grade, before you stopped writing papers--, about a world where they taught Ice Cream Studies in school. In that world, ice cream was universally despised, and the people who liked it were seen as weird nerds. Your teacher called it "insightful" and praised it, to your discomfort, in front of the entire class... although looking back, you think it was poorly written and rather on the nose; but then again, sixth-graders are dancing bears--the marvel is that they write, not that they write well. And then she ("but please don't be discouraged!") gave you a failing grade on it because you hadn't conformed to the rubric.

riding-out-the-clock

This to say, as you hate Hell, all Montagues, and Language Arts, so you hate Social Studies. Nor are you alone in this. Rowling chose Magical History to give Professor Binns. You're aware of a rap song about how, rather than learn useless things like human history, the indignant singer wishes they'd been taught about the tax code.

And you have to wonder whether to someone from a world where they don't teach history--of all things history! fencing fighting torture revenge giants monsters chases escapes true love miracles and every single campfire story that made it this far, passed from one generation to the next--whether to a person from a world where they didn't teach history in school, and let people learn it unmolested, would your world seem poorly written? Would your world seem too on the nose?

But at least--this year--in second period you just learn history; you could be in a really tedious class, like Music or Arcane Arts.

"I'm not going to take attendance, we'll just be interrupted halfway through by the morning announcements."

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The class chatters, relatively quietly.

You wonder how it is that some teachers can reign in a class with their presence and others incite bedlam worse than the students get up to left to their own devices.

If you had a book you would read it. You have your social studies textbook, but you've already read it. You could walk to the library and return with a book before your name is called for attendance, but you may not.

Sunlight streams through the bars in the window.

riding-out-the-clock

riding-out-the-clock

"Okay, it looks like they're going to be late with the announcements. Zachery Baker."

"Here!"

"Solomon -"

The intercom crackles and your teacher groans.

A student on the other end of it reads, word by disjointed word, "GOOD. MORNING. SUNDEW. MEADOW. MUTANTS. MY. NAME. IS. RODNEY REMINGTON. AND. TODAY. IS. TUESDAY. NOVEMBER. TWELVE. PLEASE. STAND. FOR. THE. PLEDGE. OF. ALLEGIANCE."

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You rise, a spinal reflex, and all chorus, "I pledge allegiance. To the flag. Of the United States of America. And to the republic. For which it stands. One nation. Under God. Indivisible. With liberty and justice for all."

"OUR. FACULTY. OF. THE. WEEK. IS. MISS. MURPLE. MISS. MURPLE. I. WOULD. LIKE. TO. NOMINATE. MISS. MURPLE. FOR. FACULTY. OF. THE. WEEK. SHE. REALLY. CARES. ABOUT. HER. STUDENTS. AND. GOES. ABOVE. AND. BEYOND. FOR. US. I. WON'T. GET. INTO. THE. PARTICULARS. THANK. YOU. MISS. MURPLE."

"TODAY. WE'VE. GOT. AN. IMPORTANT. ANNOUNCEMENT. ABOUT. ONE. OF. OUR. STUDENTS. CONSTANTINO. ALVAREZ. AT. THE. WRESTLING. MEET. AGAINST. KILMORE. CONSTANTINO. UNFORTUNATELY. SUFFERED. SUBSTANTIAL. INJURIES. INCLUDING. THIRD. DEGREE. BURNS. AND. NOW. HE'S. IN. THE. HOSPITAL. CONSTANTINO'S. DETERMINATION. AND. FIGHTING. SPIRIT. WERE. THE. REASON. WE. WON. AGAINST. KILMORE. MIDDLE. WE'RE. ALL. HOPING. HE. MAKES. A. SWIFT. AND. TOTAL. RECOVERY."

"BASKETBALL. TRYOUTS. FOR. THE. EIGHTH-GRADE. BOYS'. BASKETBALL. TEAM. ARE. THIS. FRIDAY. THAT. IS. THE. 15TH. OF. NOVEMBER. IF. YOU. HAVE. THE. SKILLS. OR. WANT. TO. LEARN. THEM. SMMS. NEEDS. YOU. TO. JOIN. THE. EIGHTH-GRADE. BOYS'. BASKETBALL. TEAM. YOU. DON'T. NEED. TO. BE. AN. EIGHTH-GRADER. OR. A. BOY. LAST. YEAR. OUR. TOP. SCORER. WAS. A. SIXTH-GRADE. GIRL. ALL. THAT. MATTERS. IS. TALENT. AND. HARD. WORK. IF. YOU. WOULD. JOIN. THE. BASKETBALL. TEAM. BUT. YOUR. PARENTS. DIDN'T. BUY. YOU. AN. ACTIVITY. CARD,. TALK. TO. COACH. MCTAVISH. IN. ROOM. 302. IF. YOUR. GIFTS. LET. YOU. FLY. OR. DO. AIR. DEFENSE. AND. YOU'RE. STILL. ON. THE. FENCE. ABOUT. JOINING. THE. BASKETBALL. TEAM. PLEASE. PLEASE. PLEASE. SEE. COACH. MCTAVISH. PLAYING. SPORTS. WILL. OPEN. DOORS. IN. YOUR. LIFE. TOGETHER. WE. CAN. MAKE. THIS. A. GREAT. SEASON. FOR. BASKETBALL."

"REMINDER. BULLYING. IS. ANY. SPOKEN. WRITTEN. PHYSICAL. PSYCHIC. MAGIC. ELECTRONIC. OR. INEXPLICABLE. ACT. OR. THREAT. BY. A. STUDENT. THAT. A. REASONABLE. PERSON. UNDER. THE. CIRCUMSTANCES. SHOULD. KNOW. WILL. HAVE. THE. EFFECT. OF. HARMING. A. STUDENT. OR. DAMAGING. A. STUDENT'S. PROPERTY. OR. PLACING. A. STUDENT. IN. REASONABLE. FEAR. OF. HARM. TO. THEMSELVES. OR. PLACING. A. STUDENT. IN. REASONABLE. FEAR. OF. DAMAGE. TO. THEIR. PROPERTY. OR. IS. SUFFICIENTLY. SEVERE. PERSISTENT. OR. PERVASIVE. THAT. IT. CREATES. AN. INTIMIDATING. THREATENING. OR. ABUSIVE. EDUCATIONAL. ENVIRONMENT. FOR. A. STUDENT. OR. UNREASONABLY. INTERFERES. WITH. AN. INDIVIDUAL'S. EDUCATIONAL. PERFORMANCE. OR. OTHERWISE. ADVERSELY. AFFECTS. AN. INDIVIDUAL'S. EDUCATIONAL. OPPORTUNITIES. STUDENTS. AT. SMMS. ARE. PROHIBITED. FROM. ENGAGING. IN. THE. FOLLOWING. BEHAVIORS:. PHYSICAL. ABUSE. AGAINST. A. STUDENT. INCLUDING. BUT. NOT. LIMITED. TO. HITTING. PUSHING. TRIPPING. KICKING. BLOCKING. OR. RESTRAINING. ANOTHER'S. MOVEMENT. CAUSING. DAMAGE. TO. ANOTHER'S. CLOTHING. OR. POSSESSIONS. AND. ANOTHER'S. BELONGINGS. VERBAL. ABUSE. AGAINST. A. STUDENT. INCLUDING. BUT. NOT. LIMITED. TO. NAME. CALLING. THREATENING. TAUNTING. AND. MALICIOUS. TEASING. PSYCHOLOGICAL. ABUSE. AGAINST. A. STUDENT. INCLUDING. BUT. NOT. LIMITED. TO. SPREADING. HARMFUL. OR. INAPPROPRIATE. RUMORS. REGARDING. ANOTHER. DRAWING. INAPPROPRIATE. PICTURES. OR. WRITING. INAPPROPRIATE. STATEMENTS. REGARDING. ANOTHER. AND. INTENTIONALLY. EXCLUDING. ANOTHER. FROM. GROUPS. OR. SIMILAR. ACTIVITIES. ANY. UNWELCOME. USE. OF. PSYCHIC. MAGIC. OR. INEXPLICABLE. POWERS. AGAINST. A. STUDENT. BULLYING. ALSO. INCLUDES. ANY. ACT. OF. RETALIATION. TAKEN. AGAINST:. ANY. PERSON. BRINGING. A. COMPLAINT. OF. BULLYING. ANY. PERSON. ASSISTING. ANOTHER. PERSON. PARTICIPATING. IN. AN. INVESTIGATION. OF. AN. ACT. OF. BULLYING. STUDENTS. AT. SMMS. ARE. EXPECTED. TO:. TREAT. EACH. OTHER. WITH. RESPECT. REFUSE. TO. BULLY. ANYONE. REFUSE. TO. WATCH. LAUGH. OR. JOIN. IN. WHEN. SOMEONE. IS. BEING. BULLIED. REPORT. BULLYING. TO. AN. ADULT."

"NO. STUDENT. SHALL. WILLFULLY. AND. OR. MALICIOUSLY. DISTURB. THE. PEACE. BY. CHALLENGING. TO. FIGHT. FIGHTING. INSTIGATING. OR. ENCOURAGING. OTHERS. TO. FIGHT."

"REMINDER. THAT. LUNCH. SHOULD. BE. EATEN. OUTSIDE. OR. IN. THE. CAFETERIA. THE. ONLY. REASON. WE. NEED. TO. EAT. IN. THE. HALLWAY. IS. IF. THE. WEATHER'S. BAD. ONCE. STUDENTS. ARE. DONE. EATING. THEY. WILL. BE. ASKED. TO. GO. OUTSIDE. DURING. LUNCHTIME. THE. LIBRARY. WILL. BE. LIMITED. TO. THE. FIRST. THIRTY. STUDENTS."