Class on Tuesdays and Thursdays
Sep. 5th, 2012 06:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alt_antoninAs there was some confusion with the third-year classes yesterday, please allow me to clarify: the timetables you have been issued are not in error. Due to the difficulty involved in integrating the changes to the curriculum, we have indeed been forced to schedule several classes through the lunch hour. In addition to yesterday's third-year students, this also affects the fifth-year Gryffindor class on Thursdays.
As I'm aware that in many cases, your schedule does not permit you to eat earlier or later, you may arrange with the elves for lunch to be delivered to the classroom, and eat quietly and unobtrusively through our discussion. (I will likely be doing the same.) I know this is less than optimal; I apologise profusely for the inconvenience and will do my utmost to keep the situation from becoming too untenable.
As always, if you have any concerns, please stop in my office during my scheduled open hours, arrange with me privately for evening or weekend hours, or contact me via private message. I remember from my own school days how reluctant we always were to disturb our professors, but you will not be a disturbance to me in the least: I would far rather clarify the issue early when whatever problem can still be easily solved.
As I'm aware that in many cases, your schedule does not permit you to eat earlier or later, you may arrange with the elves for lunch to be delivered to the classroom, and eat quietly and unobtrusively through our discussion. (I will likely be doing the same.) I know this is less than optimal; I apologise profusely for the inconvenience and will do my utmost to keep the situation from becoming too untenable.
As always, if you have any concerns, please stop in my office during my scheduled open hours, arrange with me privately for evening or weekend hours, or contact me via private message. I remember from my own school days how reluctant we always were to disturb our professors, but you will not be a disturbance to me in the least: I would far rather clarify the issue early when whatever problem can still be easily solved.
Re: Private Message to Lucius Malfoy
Date: 2012-09-06 12:16 am (UTC)Am not at all surprised to hear the Governors are beset. I trust you and Dominic are holding firm against all comers? Do let me know which voices are most worth wooing; I can likely cadge the time to exert some charm. (As long as it isn't a Thursday. Suspect I will be quite low on my reserves of 'charming' by Thursday end.)
Also suspect, though, that fears will ease when the first crop of public reports start appearing in journals. The little darlings have been skittish thus far, and I've not seen many references (in journals at least -- who knows what they're writing home) but I've received a first few tentative forays into trusting I mean it when I tell them I want them to think, not parrot. (Your son's class, for instance, managed to forget their affront at the disruption to their schedules quickly and settle straight down to merrily unpicking the questions I threw at them. Which reminds me: Tony's daughter is your goddaughter, yes? She had several astute observations to make; do I detect your hand in her past reading?) But there are ways and ways to skin a kneazle, as you of all people know, and I bear full faith and confidence that I've not yet lost my knack for overcoming the worst of objections through the repeated application of patience and reason. (Except on Thursdays.)
With luck, the worst complaints you'll be hearing by Hallowe'en will be moaning that I expect too much work out of them!
As for my predecessor -- well. Your theory that Our Lord has been planning this, or something much like, all along is a comforting one, I must admit. I have been at a loss to think of any others, save one; I will say this for Alecto, for all I cordially despised her and her brother for years for their crudity and utter lack of self-insight (and for all the feeling was mutual) she was, at very least, a powerful practitioner of her small subset of the whole of our Art. It has occurred to me perhaps that is what He was after, the chance to show the children what power could be theirs if they applied themselves to study. Still, believing that would also require me to believe Our Lord could not foresee the effect sheer terror would have on young minds, and even were that not utter folly to contemplate, I have never known Him to be anything less than impeccable in his understanding of the myriad motivations of mankind; His wisdom and foresight were what first attracted me, and no small part of the reason why I am His loyal hands, for life and beyond.
It is a mystery I have not yet been able to unravel. Perhaps I should turn my thoughts away from it, and simply accept once again that Our Lord's understanding so surpasses that of even we happy few that we might never hope to follow.
To happier matters: Am quite glad to hear that your Dragon approves thus far; suspect interest levels will rise further once I begin demonstrations. In deference to parental vapors, we shall be easing in, but yes, I do plan on letting the little darlings loose on each other eventually, once we've established ground rules about how cross I shall be if they reach for any of the hexes and curses I can't easily undo. (Have reassured Madam Pomfrey she shall not be seeing an endless stream of patients from my quarter, at least; not sure if she believed me, what with past precedent working against me, but she seemed to appreciate the assurance.) Depending on how quickly they progress, I do plan on running regular sessions of class under Salazar's Rules (with, of course, my own variations) starting soonest; that should allow me to measure their suitability in advance.
(You may wish to assure the other Governors, should they hear of the plans for our little games before they reach fruition, that I shall design the objectives most carefully to steer them away from doing permanent injury to each other, at least.)
As to the rest of the castle: Minerva is well, though appears overworked; she has been quite supportive of my educational aspirations. Horace is Horace, ever and eternally. (Suspect it will take me months before I can call him that to his face without stumbling; fifty-two years old and I still turn sixteen and spotty the minute he addresses me.) Razzer is a delight (and it is so good to see the changes time has wrought in him); Umbridge a horror (I am minding your cautions, Lyoushka, I truly am). The others are mostly forgettable walk-on players, save for Razzer's Aurora, whom I persist in finding utterly delightful.
I have hardly forgotten your thoughts on those beneath your station and stature, old friend -- but you will not have forgotten my conviction that there is occasionally mettle to be found in the strangest of quarters: in Aurora I have seen the faintest of stirrings to remind that the badger has tooth and claw, when properly roused. I do not yet know what it would take to awaken the badger's fierceness in her, but I have found -- on multiple occasions -- that still small sense I have always relied upon to draw me to those who have potential tells me she is one in whom an investment of time, and a bit of tailoring one's approach to account for both nature and nurture, might pay interesting dividends a bit down the road.
Besides, I do find myself liking the girl. A very great deal, in fact. And if I'm to be stationed here for forseeable duration, conviviable company will no doubt come to mean a great deal, all notions of future utility aside. I am not underestimating how much value there will be in a friendly face at table by February or so!
Barty did indeed write (and, to answer the question you most carefully did not ask: the assorted stairs, passages, corridors, &c have not yet defeated me, though I've resorted to breakfast in quarters and lunch in office these past two days to minimise my exertions) and we've plans for a good long wallow when I'm back in town for my next Healers' consult. Razzer, meanwhile, suggests inviting Rod up to the castle for whichever afternoon we feel bold enough to brave the pile of dear departed Alecto's miscellaney I simply chucked into a closet and warded against the most curious of the little darlings, and making an expedition of it. (And then, no doubt, retreating to Hogsmeade to drink heavily and tell lies of our valor.) If this keeps up, I have no doubt we'll have moved along to happy reunions of we merry few by midwinter at latest.
And now, having discharged my duties of correspondence, I shall close with my eternal love, and retire to my bedchamber with the current book (no, nothing you'd find of interest; I am alternating texts on the Arts with hideous soppy romances, the more florid the better, and tonight is a night for Petunia's Purple Passion or whatever the fuck the actual title is; I can't recall but it's certainly doing its duty of distraction) to brace myself for Thursday.
I did mention how dire Thursdays are likely to be, yes?
Waving this copy of Love's Lascivious Lustre at you, just to see the faces you are no doubt making,
T