Professor Fawcett
August 29, 2010 6:19 PM
Intermediate Potions I (3rd-5th Years) by Professor Fawcett
In light of what he had planned for the intermediate group, along with the vaguely terrified looks he imagined he had been getting since the morning mail had presented each of the Advanced students with a syllabus and an assignment to be done before their first class with him, John feared that he would have a reputation for fearsomeness as was seldom bestowed on a thin, graying man with an almost permanent expression of good-natured disinterest, unremarkable voice, and tendency to try to make jokes with the class after he was sure he had their respect before he ever saw the first years.He wasn't quite sure how he felt about that, but it wasn't relevant. The years being shuffled again meant that he had to assess where each group – except the seventh years, who, without the sixth years in their group to slow it up, he could work hard enough to have a reasonable chance of more Os, or at the very least more Es, than usual – was, ability-wise, again. He had never trusted the usual sorts of tests, as they could be easily manipulated, so his strategy was to push and see if the students folded or pushed back.
Once the large group – he had so enjoyed having roughly equal ones, last year – appeared to be largely present and the bell had rung, John rapped his pointer on the table in front of him to get their attention. “Good afternoon, everyone,” he said. “I realize this is a large class, so I must ask that you all be silent so that everyone can hear when I speak. Thank you…Now, if you could each answer when I call your name off the roll, you know the drill now.” At least, he thought there weren’t any new transfers this year.
Once the roll was complete, he put it away to begin the lesson. “You should have each had a syllabus in front of your seats; please raise your hand if you did not, and otherwise put them in safe places, where you can access them easily.” He kept additional copies, but saw no reason to encourage carelessness by mentioning it at this point. “While I do reserve the right to alter it at will, and issue you with revised copies when I do, this provides you with what you may more or less expect in terms of assignments, homework, suggested readings, and class sessions. I encourage you to take full advantage of it. Don’t be intimidated by the length; there will be many lessons in which you do not all work on the same material, and all of these lessons and assignments are factored into the syllabus.”
Something new he was trying was increasing the amount of differentiation in the classroom, with more chances for students to select which difficulty level or learning format to work with and much more frequent occasions on which the fifth years in particular were given a different assignment outright. Not only was it frustrating for many of them to have to work on the same level as the third years, but it was also potentially detrimental to their development and thus their CATS scores. The experiment might not pan out, but that was why he would be issuing a second syllabus before midterm. If this failed, then he would revert to something more traditional, and if it went well, then those students that cared to and did not require the actual potion as a guide would be able to work ahead on their written assignments during the holidays. “There will also be large and small group discussion periods, in which we will combine our knowledge and expertise in pursuit of greater understandings. These will not, third years, be entirely unlike discussions you had in the beginner’s class, though they will be more intensive and count as a larger portion of your grade. The ability to argue a point well, and with adequate support, both aloud and on paper is essential for all, and not only in Potions.”
“If there are no questions about the syllabus – and I encourage you to ask, now or later, any that you do have, as there may be a quiz over the non-schedule related content at some point – then we shall proceed to our lesson. Third years will be working on the Shrinking Solution, which is a bit trickier than the potions you have worked with thus far because of its lack of exact measurements. Wearing gloves while stirring would be wise. On invertebrates, the potion has the effect of returning the affected creature to an earlier stage of physical development, and it can have unusual and unpleasant effects when ingested by humans as well. Your ingredients are chopped daisy roots, skinned shrivelfig, sliced caterpillar, a single rat spleen, and a dash of leech juice, and you will find instructions on page 12 of your books. You should finish before the end of the period, at which point I ask that you come to the front, take a flask - ” he pointed to a tray of them – “and place a sample of your potion within it, labeling the flask with your name and your partner’s. You may, of course, feel free not to do so, but you will receive a failing grade for the sample if so and have to work extra hard on your homework assignment and your first essay to make up the credit. This applies to all year groups.”
Though he was not a Pecari, and would be mildly offended by the comparison, John was more adaptable than usual in the classroom. When a situation arose that he clearly could not mow over, he adapted and went around it, and when it came to a battle of wills at this school, students were more likely to win, especially once their beliefs came into the equation. For Quentin Melcher, he picked potions with an obvious purpose, and for Jose Hernandez and, when magic came into play as it sometimes did, Marissa Stephenson, he modified the grading structure slightly so that they could find a way to pass with reasonable scores, if they were willing to do especially good written work. Jose, in particular, would never have the grades that those who would do the bloody potions would even if he took every extra credit opportunity offered in the syllabus, but he could scrape a pass. If he chose not to take the opportunity, well, John would fail him without much remorse, but he had enough professional experience and quirks in his family tree to consider that political beliefs, apparently essential to the self-concept of the California Pierces in a way that fascinated his inner sociologist, could be a genuine reason for behavior that acted to one’s own detriment.
And he disliked reporting failures to Sadi. He disliked reporting them to himself when he wrote out the grades in his ledger and filed them. There was no reason for anyone to fail when all that was needed for passing to be an option was for him to bend half an inch and them to put in some extra effort, if the standard effort was somehow worse for them.
“Fifth years – no, fourth years, I haven’t forgotten you – you will be working on the Draught of Peace, a calming agent.“ He was considering modifying the ethics in composition of mood-altering potions discussion he had with the Advanced group to cover with this class, but thought he might see how they reacted to a less…wobbly topic before he made up his mind. “The theory behind it is simple enough, no concepts you are unfamiliar with, but the composition is very difficult and relies heavily on precision and order, which should make it something of a challenge for you after a summer in which I very much doubt measurements were on your minds. I recommend that you work together, in the interests of time, but be very careful not to lose track and allow one to repeat the other’s work. If the vapor rising from your cauldron is anything other than light and silvery, and if the consistency of the potion is not very liquid, then you have made a critical error. If your potion produces green sparks, then please dispose of it at once with the Evanesco charm, or ask me to do so, as it will otherwise explode soon. Your ingredients – “ he tapped the board with his wand, and a list of ingredients and instructions appeared next to the simpler third year one – “are ginger roots, syrup of hellebore, essence of Belladona, powdered moonstone, unicorn hair, and scurvygrass.”
He looked over those students still not flipping through books or taking out supplies. “Fourth years, I am giving you an option. You may work on either the Shrinking Solution or the Draught of Peace, whichever you feel more comfortable with, and you may work together or separately, as you like, if you choose the former. In addition to the homework assignments listed for the third and fifth years, I will also ask you to write an explanation of why you chose the potion you did, how well you feel you did, and whether you would choose the same a second time around. Please be frank, and remember that I will have your finished products in front of me while I read these.” He looked around, then, at the room. “And everyone may, if you have not already, begin.”
OOC: Standard posting rules apply, as do “Potion rules:” you may make mistakes, but deliberate mayhem will lead to IC consequences, and your character need not be a perfect potioneer to get credit for the post. Tag John if you need him, and enjoy yourselves!
Subthreads: Tremendously relieved by Pippa Brockert
Geez, no hesitation with the hard stuff. by Adelita Garcia (Crotalus)
Pondering by Quentin Melcher with Daniel Nash II
Unable to come up with a decent title by Alessa Hinckley with Rachel Bauer
It's a challenge just finding a partner. by Cassie Kerrigan, Aladren with Marissa Stephenson
Will I make a friend today? by Dulce Garcia (Teppenpaw)
A Great Start for Fourth Year! (Professor) by Jose Hernandez with Professor Fawcett
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Professor Fawcett
Intermediate Potions I (3rd-5th Years)
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Professor Fawcett
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Quentin Melcher
August 30, 2010 10:24 PM
Pondering by Quentin Melcher
One of Quentin's favorite classes was Potions. He liked how it was a very precise, to the point class and Professor Fawcett made it even more so. He even specified that questions were supposed to pertain to the lesson. Of course, that could also be a drawback, if Quentin did have questions about something else.Which, being Quentin, he did.The Aladren fifth year wondered about so many things. He wondered why his cousin liked to eat such weird things, for instance. After last term's Endspring-Quentin would not call it Midsummer when it didn't take place in the middle of summer-fair, he was slightly worried that Kirstenna had something called pica, where people craved non-food items such as chalk and feathers. And cotton, whether it was mixed with sugar or not, it wasn't food and therefore, qualified as something those with pica would crave.
Then there were questions like, if cats always land on their feet, and toast always lands butter-side-down, what happens if you take a cat, strap some toast to its back, and let it fall? Quentin didn't quite feel okay with trying that one out, just in case he ended up hurting the cat. Sure, he was okay with using animal ingredients in potions, but actually harming an animal didn't sit well with him.
Speaking of animals, if someone jumped into a tiger's cage at a circus-thanks to Kirstenna, Quentin had been thinking more about the circus- and the tiger attacked him, whose fault was it? The person or the tiger's? He was inclined to blame the person for being dumb enough to climb into a tiger cage at all, but Kirstenna said the circus was full of people who did things that risked their lives in order to entertain others.
It seemed to Quentin that the circus was full of Pecaris, or rather the type of person who would be in Pecari if they had magic and attended Sonora.
As Professor Fawcett began speaking, Quentin gave the man all his attention, pushing thoughts of pica and cats and circus people out of his head. As with most professors, the Aladren tended to find almost everything that Professor Fawcett said fascinating, though some of it did not pertain to Quentin. Still, he listened as he did not want to miss the instructions that did.
Once the instructions were recieved, Quentin got out his cauldron and his ingredients. He seemed to be missing scurvygrass. The fifth year turned to his neighbor and asked. "Do you have any scurvygrass? And will you work with me on this assignment?"
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Quentin Melcher
Pondering
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Quentin Melcher
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Daniel Nash II
September 23, 2010 1:37 PM
Potioning by Daniel Nash II
Daniel entered the potions classroom with a polite nod and smile for Professor Fawcett (who was both a good teacher and Daniel's Head of House) and looked around for an empty seat. He almost bypassed the one next to Quentin simply because it was next to Quentin and he liked to spend classes learning, not watching his language for metaphors, but then he decided it was potions and sat down. Fawcett took Quentin's peculiarities into account well, and the class was precise and exacting enough that literalism probably wouldn't be a major drawback.Besides, potions was Daniel's absolutely best class. It appealed to his perfectionism. Even a small error in measurement or a fractionally mistimed stirring could lead to complete failure on some of the harder potions, and Daniel reveled in the fact that he had never once failed to brew a potion successfully even when teamed with Pecaris or other hopeless cases, which Quentin was not. James outscored him in most of their classes, but if Daniel wasn't winning in Fawcett's it was only because they were tied.
As the lesson began, Daniel eagerly noted the opportunities for extra credit and hoped having a better than perfect score would settle that rivalry in at least the potions arena, but that would depend on James not doing the extra work, and Daniel doubted that would happen if only because James was just that annoying.
In the meantime, there was today's brew. He was glad he had chosen to sit with Quentin instead of a third year or a fourth year who may have decided to try the easier potion. It meant he didn't need to change seats. Daniel checked through his potions kit and was pleased to find all of the ingredients listed. He was glad he'd remembered to refill his supplies over the summer or he wouldn't have had enough of the moonstone, which was one of the ingredients in the placebo anxiety potion Daniel made for Holly (and advertised as a lower grade anxiety relief that wasn't as addictive as her normal kind).
"Do you have any scurvygrass? And will you work with me on this assignment?" Quentin's voice interrupted his inventory, and Daniel looked over at him.
"Yes, I do have scurvygrass, and I will work with you on this assignment," he agreed, finding it safest to answer Quentin's questions in the same order and in almost the same words as they'd been asked, instead of going with the words his mind had initially drawn up: Sounds good, and I've got it.
He considered his next idea carefully before voicing it, checking it for metaphors or ambiguity, revising it (three times), and then checking it again, "I think our best strategy is to alternate responsibility of the ingredients so the timing doesn't get too difficult. Since I have the scurvygrass, I'll work with the hellebore, the moonstone, and the scurvygrass; which leaves you with the ginger roots, Belladonna, and unicorn hair. Is that a reasonable plan?"
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Daniel Nash II
Potioning
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Daniel Nash II
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Quentin
September 29, 2010 9:59 AM
Always on tangents. by Quentin
Quentin smiled pleasantly when Daniel agreed to work with him. Well, he assumed it was pleasantly, anyway. That was the way he would have interpreted it and that was the intention of the expression. At one time, Quentin might have even said one couldn't smile in any way that wasn't pleasant, but that was before he'd become used to having Tawny in class with him and had inadvertantly seen some smiles on that girl's face that seemed completely contradictory. Smiles usually were meant to convey happiness or pleasantness and while Tawny's showed the former, they still were not usually very pleasant because she seemed normally happy for all the wrong reasons.His own smile at Daniel contained none of that however. It meant he was glad to have a partner and one that was actually intelligent. There may have been tension between Daniel and James and Daniel and Juri but Quentin really didn't mind any of three. They were all Aladrens which meant at some level that they were intelligent. A stupid Aladren was like a mean Teppenpaw or cautious Pecari. It just didn't happen. (Granted, that was what Quentin said about unpleasant smiles and that had been proven wrong.)
As for Crotali, well they had a range. The ones in his own year were quite different from Marissa who was different from Jethro Smythe who was different from his relatives that had been sorted into the house. (Quentin referred to houses as such because he had no better thing to call them.) In turn, his relatives sorted into the house were different from each other, though admittedly Quentin didn't know Autumn or Ryan very well, and hadn't known Adam that well-still didn't, it was just that his older cousin was no longer at Sonora-and his impressions of Adam and Autumn were similar. He was more familiar with Kirstenna of course, and Chelsea and Alessa who were members of Aladren and Pippa who was in his year and Tawny whom he'd often had class with.
Still, he'd have been glad to work on the potion with any of his roommates or Taylor, even though Marissa would have been his first choice of partner. Especially in Potions where wands were not used and he could do any magical part of a potion.
"That sounds like a decent plan." Quentin replied. Saying that it sounded like a plan was too obvious. It was a plan, but so would it have been if Daniel had suggested something ridiculous. Saying it was more than a decent plan was overstating the fact. "I'll start on the ginger roots. Shall we use your cauldron or mine?" Quentin inquired. If he'd just asked which cauldron to use, Daniel could have responded with using any cauldron that existed, though that would have been silly. Actually he still could respond that way but Quentin had only given him those two choices. Hopefully he'd respond with one of them.
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Quentin
Always on tangents.
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Quentin
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