Advanced Potions I (7th Years) on Potions

Professor Fawcett

September 16, 2010 10:02 PM

Advanced Potions I (7th Years) by Professor Fawcett

Having a class composed of only seventh years was not quite the same thing as teaching at university level, but it came close enough. It also meant he could focus on the RATS much more thoroughly than was usually possible when he had a few sixth years to bring along in their level. Most of them had what it took, he felt, to pass the exam, but needed a touch more polishing and sometimes a bit more knowledge to exceed at it.

He knew the group well enough to greet the small group of students individually as they came in and mark attendance at the same time, eliminating the time taken up in larger classes with taking roll. They were a bright group, these students, and he expected nothing less than their best as their scores came back - assuming everyone could be kept, anyway, from having a breakdown. He knew many of them were pushing themselves hard this last year, and under the stress of constant test prep, it wasn't unknown for people to simply crack and, occasionally, remain shaken through the exam period. Such people seldom produced the best scores, or remembered their professors with much fondness.

Not, of course, that John cared about such petty and un-academic things as his own popularity. Of course not. But it would be nice to not have people of influence and power remembering him as the person who drove them over edge. Allison would be most displeased if she had to come rescue him from such people in thirty years.

Once the group was all gathered at the front of the room, as many as he expected, and the bell had rung, he raised his voice slightly to get their attention. "Good morning," he said. "I hope you all had enjoyable summers - and that your book list for this class did not excessively alarm you." He had assigned, in addition to the usual lists-and-concepts textbook, four supplemental texts as well. None was as thick as the main book. "While you may of course feel free to do so, you will not be required to read the full texts of all of them.

"Due to the size and age of this class, we will focus much more intensely on preparing you for the Ridiculously Anal Testing of Skills than you saw with your classmates last year. We will analyze ways to beat the test - if you'll pardon my terminology - as much as we analyze the material, and in as many ways. I will not be so much lecturing you as guiding you, and any assistance I can reasonably offer you in completing your coursework and preparing you for your exams is yours. My office hours are in both your syllabus - which reminds me, you should all hand in the reading reflection I owled instructions for to you at the beginning of the week before you leave today - and, ah, outside my office. Group study or review sessions may be arranged if you like, and feel free to offer any suggestions you may have for other preparatory activities."

He didn't actually expect most of them to take him up on every opportunity, as the number of Aladrens made the group lean toward independence, but he meant the offer. Perhaps it was his knowledge of the Muggle world impacting him, but he had always felt the magical model of education was often far too impersonal and relied too much on students always being able to look out for themselves. They had to learn to do so, of course, but if they already knew, then they would be adults, not students.

"To get us off on the right foot, we will begin our year with a condensed version of the RATS exam given four years ago. It's the short answer today; we'll look at the essay and practical portions on Wednesday and Friday. Work together on this, either in pairs or threes or as a whole group, there's few enough of us for that. I will, of course, also be happy to assist you if you cannot work out something on your own. If you see something you have never heard of, give it your best shot and move on. This is not a graded assignment, merely a way of determining where you are now and how far you need to go before June. Pass these along, thank you," he added to the nearest student, handing over the exams. "Begin when ready."

OOC: You all know the drill, standard posting rules apply and so forth. Feel free to look back at old CATS and RATS posts for ideas for questions, and to flag John down if you need him. Have fun!

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