Roll Call...? | OPEN

[Apollo de Costa]

A p o l l o { s h i e l d } D e C o s t a
>> ftm  >> mutant  >> 21 >> teachers' aide

 
Almost every chair in the room was filled, Apollo noticed, and chatter and noise filled the air. A paper plane flew by and did a loop-the-loop, seemingly under its' own power, Apollo noticed vaguely as he tried to check off the mass of students against the roster that he'd been given for the first class of the day. Given that it was the first day back to school, classes started at ten-thirty instead of eight - which would explain why everyone was so awake. And loud. Hadn't they worked off their summer enthusiasm by now?, Apollo wondered, thinking fondly back to the days when he had had things like vacations. Not anymore, certainly. No, he'd a few glorious days of sun-filled lazing about before the school term at Xaviers' started, and while he'd taken advantage of them to the fullest, the twenty-one year old mutant knew he wouldn't be getting anything of the same for quite a while.

Dressed business-casual, the dark-skinned man had picked black slacks and a light blue button-up shirt. He'd even broken down and worn a (horribly paisley-colored) tie as well. Black dress shoes, a little too big at the toes, completed the ensemble. It would impress the teacher he was supposed to be working under, he was sure...if they ever got to class! After making sure all of the papers he had were neatly stacked - they wouldn't stay that way, probably, but he would try for it - Apollo rose from the chair he'd moved to the side of the classroom, walking across the front of the room to lean out of the doorway into the hallway, checking up and down. Students wandered this way and that, maps clutched in hands, fins, and floating in thin air in front of them, occasionally. Older men and women strolled here and there, dipping into classrooms and wrangling errant older students, directing some of the newer ones on where to go. But nobody made a bee-line for the classroom Apollo was in, he noted with a sinking heart. They'd show up soon, he was sure... Right?

There was no way, he was sure, that he could handle a classroom by himself. His clearly not being a student had some gravity to it for the students - enough authority to make them behave, at least - but he was still under-prepared. He had the usual papers he could hand out - rules of the school, classroom rules, the outline of what the class was going to learn for the semester - but handing them out would only be a staying measure. That didn't mean Apollo didn't consider it a viable delaying tactic, but...well, he'd simply have been more comfortable with an actual, experienced teacher around. He would hold off handing out the papers, Apollo decided, brushing a hand over his hair as he half-closed the door, but he could certainly do a simple thing like roll-call, right? Yes, of course he could. It wasn't hard, and everyone knew the drill. He'd simply have to introduce himself first - it'd be odd for some no-name person to take stock of a bunch of students, after all.

Standing in front of the classroom, in front of the teachers' desk, Apollo cleared his throat. "Excuse me! Hello. Your teacher is running late today, so I'll take the roll call this morning. I'm going to be helping with different classes - you'll see me often. My name is Apollo De Costa, you can call me Apollo if you'd like." He got it all out in a bit of a rush, turning to grab the clipboard with the class roster on it - pictures next to names, age and grade of the student listed below in clear print.

[Deleted]

G I G A B Y T E
> > sierra parker

Her steps were steady and brisk as she trekked through the pristine hallways of the mansion. Her sudden appearance around corners startled those older students whom believed that they could skimp out on the first day of classes; they swiftly remembered where to go after meeting her stoic stare. She may not be taller than most of them, but her charcoal-gray pantsuit and sharp heels cast her above them as an authority figure that may or may not be able to hurt them.

Do you enjoy frightening the returning students?

"Perhaps just a little, Pip," Sierra murmured in response to her artificial intelligence. She heard Pip's vague chuckle in her mind while she continued on her way.

Sierra herself was a few minutes late to her own class, but she was aware that one of the teachers' aids was to be assisting this particular class of hers. Presuming that he was on time for the class, it would be interesting to see how he conducted himself without her for a few moments. If her memory was correct -- and it always was -- then this was his first chance at teaching in a real class.

Sierra eventually reached the threshold of her classroom, and she paused by the door frame to observe the aid taking roll call. He was dressed adequately for his position (although she wasn't entirely sure of the tie), and she approved of his effort to look professional, as well as the fact that he took the initiative to start the class. The majority of the students appeared to be paying attention to him, yet there were always a few whom couldn't keep their mouths from yapping.

With a blink and a polite request, the room's lights flickered and sizzled for several seconds before continuing to illuminate the room. It was a move that would startle the students to maintain their concentration on the front of the room.

"Good morning, class," Sierra said, walking behind her desk. "I trust you all will continue to respect Mr. De Costa as he finishes calling attendance."

She nodded to the aid to continue and sat at her desk, quietly shuffling through the paperwork that the students would need. She collated the multiple piles, creating packets to ensure that time would not be wasted; instead of spending several minutes passing out about half a dozen papers to everyone, each student will receive a packet with all the needed information.

Once Mr. De Costa finished his task, Sierra gave him another nod as thanks and took her place in the front of the room to address the class.

"Good morning," she said again, "and welcome to biology." Her tone was neutral and at a leveled speaking volume. Students would have to remain quiet in order to hear her words; if they missed what she said, it would be their loss, not hers.

"I am Ms. Parker, your instructor for this course," Sierra said. "I presume Mr. De Costa already introduced himself to you. I expect you all to give Mr. De Costa and myself proper respect. In return, we will respect you as the young adults you are.

"Mr. De Costa, if you please...?" Sierra handed the aid the packets of information to pass out. "One packet per student. Class, what will you be receiving from Mr. De Costa are the sheets detailing the school rules, my expectations for this class, this course's syllabus, and so on and so forth. Take a moment to browse through these items. We will go through them after you have perused them."

[Apollo de Costa]

A p o l l o { s h i e l d } D e C o s t a
>> ftm >> mutant >> 21 >> teachers' aide

As she walked in the door, Apollo felt himself relax a bit. he'd known she wasn't going to skip the class altogether, of course, but part of him had still worried. After a brief pause - as Apollo himself and the students took in the short, stern-looking teacher - Apollo nodded back and continued. Roll had been halfway done, and it didn't take him long to finish even with most of the class in attendance. "...and that's everyone.", Apollo noted quietly, moving to stand by the side of the desk as Sierra moved around the thing. He had to stop himself from leaning against it hip-first - some habits were harder to break than others.

The biology teacher - Ms. Parker, as she introduced herself - seemed less severe than simply...not uncaring, Apollo thought to himself. Overly precise. She spoke quickly, loud enough for everyone who wasn't talking to hear. How long had she been teaching? he wondered. He was nervous just standing in front of the students, but she spoke to them with a confident no-nonsense attitude. She was older than him, the mutant guessed, but not by more than six or seven years. She also didn't look very obviously like a mutant, but considering the general state of the few human teachers the school hired (namely: uncaring, very old, and generally frightened of their pupils) Apollo assumed that she was one of the 'Children of the Atom'.

"Of course, Ms. Parker.", he acknowledged, taking the offered packets and handing a stack to the student at the first desk of a line. Six in one, four in another... Soon they were gone, with a few left over. The few kids that hadn't made it, he guessed. He knew it was protocol for both himself and Sierra to have a copy of everything handed out to the students, although he'd yet to print the pages that he'd been sent via e-mail. I need to do that soon... he reminded himself. The beginning of the school year certainly wasn't the time to slack off.

[Deleted]

G I G A B Y T E
> > sierra parker

"Thank you." Sierra nodded to the aid and observed the class as the packets were being handed around. There were a couple of empty seats in the class, a few of the kids not having shown. It was a shame for them.

The majority of the students who were studious enough to show up were doing as she told them to, going through the packet and skimming the information. Of course, there were the few who barely glanced at the papers before turning their attention out the window or to the ceiling or some other such nonsensical spot. If those students couldn't buckle down on the first day, Sierra mused on how well the students would do overall for the course.

"Please follow along as I brief you on this packet," Sierra said when she began to hear murmuring and whispers among the class. Apparently they were done perusing the information on their own. She picked up her personal packet and gestured to Mr. De Costa to take one as well so he could follow along.

"To those of you who are new to the school, welcome," Sierra said. "To those of you who are returning for another semester, welcome back. The first page is a basic map of the school while the second page details the rules of this school, rules that apply to every class that you have. No doubt you will receive multiple copies of these sheets today from your other teachers. I will not go over the school rules. It is full of points that insult common sense. If you have common sense, you have nothing to worry about."

She flipped to the third page. "Here are my rules and grading rubric. Attendance, participation, and organization are just as important as homework, tests, and projects. Skills and knowledge are well and good, but future careers will not care how well you did your homework in high school. They will judge you based on the first impression you give them. Learning how to present yourself well and doing your work adequately are the underlying goals of this course."

The packet ruffled as Sierra went to the next page. "This is our course goals and units. We will be focusing on the cell, genetics and inheritance, taxonomy, and evolution throughout this semester." She moved onto the fifth sheet. "For your convenience, I've also created a dated list of the our labs and tests. You will do well not to miss or be late to class on these days."

Coming to the end of the packet, Sierra placed the papers on her desk and looked at the class and her aid. "Any questions or comments thus far?"