Professor McFarlan
April 22, 2007 7:53 PM
First and Second Year Class by Professor McFarlan
Kathleen McFarlan smiled at the all but barren classroom. The First and Second year class would begin soon and she'd done nothing to personalize the space allotted to her. Oh, there were a couple of Muggle star charts and the book shelves were filled with reference material, but really, that was it and in Kathleen's eyes it was more than adequate.Surveying the classroom as she set the heavy case she lugged from her office on her desk, the new professor decided she'd have to do something about the seating arrangements. A sweeping motion of her wand and the desks that were lined neatly in rows moved this way and that to form a large circle.
Yes, that was much better. Kathleen walked over and touched the desks one by one with her wand while muttering the appropriate spell. Each student desk transformed into a cushy recliner. After all, when one looked up, proper head and spine alignment was needed to avoid that annoying crick in the neck.
With just minutes to go before the students would be arriving, she hurried back to her desk, opened the case and pulled back the soft material that protected the very large crystal contained within. Reverently, she lifted into its proper position. There were only two like it in the entire world. The other crystal resided with her brothers in Ireland. Gently, she touched her wand to just the right spot and it began to glow softly as the room dissolved away.
Instead of a classroom, Kathleen stood in outer space. Below her the earth rotated on its axis, looking like a beautiful blue opal. To the left and a bit closer, the moon made its guardian trek around the fragile planet. All around, planets and their satellites, stars, and comets, asteroids and distant galaxies shone with breathtaking beauty. In the distance, a large, yellow star know to the inhabitants of the watery planet below as Sol, stood guard. Kathleen had grown up working and playing a place that looked exactly like this, but it never ceased to take her breath away. At least this crystalline image would be put to more productive use other than decorating a posh nightclub.
Hearing footsteps outside, she combed her fingers through her shoulder length auburn hair. Satisfied the waves neatly curled up at her shoulders, she commanded the door to open. Her emerald eyes sparkled with silent laughter at the astonished faces of her charges who had their first look at their new Astronomy professor standing, apparently, on nothing but space.
"Come in," she walked over making a welcoming gesture. "The floor is still quite solid. That's right, find a chair and make yourselves comfortable. Don't worry, gravity still applies."
She gave the students a few moments to adjust to their unusual surroundings and get seated. She could only imagine what was going through their heads. She found herself wishing her Muggle university students could have experienced this. Well, time to begin.
"Hello. My name is Kathleen McFarlan and I have the happy privilege of being your new Astronomy Professor. Please respect the usual classroom etiquette. From his notes and your work, I realize that Professor Chatterjee is a hard act to follow, but I'll do my best. He prepared you well on the basics and I believe you are ready learn how all this," Kathleen made a sweeping gesture, "pertains to you."
"All of the Cosmos is interdependent and everything in it affects us. We may not see it or feel it, but all of this affects our world, nature, and magic. This class is more than just memorizing the names of planets and stars. I hope to teach you how what is happening out here affects every single aspect of magic, from charms to potions and everything in between.
"Nothing demonstrates this more than our closest neighbor, the moon." Professor McFarlan's touched the crystal again and the view changed. Above a huge three dimensional moon filled the ceiling. "Its gravitational pull dictates the tides and it works on us in numerous physical and magical ways.
"Like language, Magic is not gender neutral. The moon's magical resonance is female. That's not a man in the moon, its a lady. The monthly cycle of the moon affects us in different ways. The new moon is a good time to begin projects, long brewing potions, and plant root crops like mandrakes. Love potions and charms are particularly effective during the first quarter. During the full moon, a woman's magic is at her peak. Gentleman, never duel with an angry witch three days before and after a full moon, you'll loose. There is also a rise in crime, births, and accidents during a full moon.
"Now that's enough from me for the time being. I want to know what you know about the moon's powers. You can talk about what you know or have observed in nature, the Muggle world, and the Wizarding world. If you know any historical lore or superstition, feel free to impress me. Please raise your hands and I'll call on you." Kathleen looked around the class in the dim light for the first hand.
OOC: Feel free to Google away or use your brilliant imaginations! Keep it believable and have fun!
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Subthreads: Meh by Paul Tarwater with Brett Hodges, Professor McFarlan, Paul
Why did we have to combine classes? by Hyana Kamiya with Echo Elms, Hyana, Professor McFarlan
Re: First and Second Year Class by Eavan Valentine with Elly Eriksson, Eavan, Professor McFarlan
Tripping the light fantastic . . . literally by Gwyneth with Professor McFarlan
Superstition by Ebony with Professor McFarlan, Oliver Abbott
Yay! Theres an Astronomy Class by Hikaru Kasuragi with Professor McFarlan
COOL! Look ma, no floor! by Josiah with Irene Liddowe, Professor McFarlan
Feeling a bit out of place... by Beth Fisher with Talitha Cumni, Camren Christianson
Woah, coolio! by Derek Samonns with Professo McFarlan, Derek
Using soaps as an educational medium... by Amber Carey with Professor McFarlan, Amber
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Professor McFarlan
First and Second Year Class
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Professor McFarlan
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Hyana Kamiya
April 23, 2007 6:22 PM
Why did we have to combine classes? by Hyana Kamiya
A new class, a new professor, a new fear. That's all Hyana really knew about Astronomy. And the fact that the first and second years were in class together. She had to stay away from Caedence. Until her bruises would heal, she'd have to stay away from the professors too. Hyana blended in the crowd that was walking into the classroom, and was just as amazed as everyone.She was in outer space, was that even possible? Well, this was Sonora after all. And she was a witch. The Astronomy professor had to be a witch too. Feeling stupid, Hyana got a seat as far back as possible. She let her long black hair drape over her face as she tried to blend in to her spacy surroundings. No one should see her now...right?
The professor, McFarlan, introduced herself, and Hyana was slightly curious. McFarlan seemed nice. And Professor K was gone...maybe she could talk to McFarlan sometimes? No, she didn't want to bug the professor already. Hyana definatly came out of her thoughts when a huge three dimensional moon appeared in front of the class. It was interesting to learn that the moon was a woman, and how all of these things happened at certain times of the moon's cycle.
Then the professor asked people if they wanted to share stuff that they know about the moon. Hyana did know a japanese legend...she started to raise her hand into the air, but felt her sleeve start to slide down her arm. She quickly put her arm back down. It wasn't like the professor could see her anyway. She turned to the person next to her, and asked, "Do you know anything about the moon?" Maybe it was someone who didn't know her...then they could ignore her like everyone else. But if it turned out to be Caedence...that would be a different story.
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Hyana Kamiya
Why did we have to combine classes?
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Echo Elms
April 23, 2007 8:49 PM
Because it's fun? by Echo Elms
Echo lingered behind and waited for everyone else to choose their seats. Only when the rush was over did he hop into the circle, wave to Elly and Meredith, and take the free recliner next to Hyana. He hadn't really met her before, but he knew who she was. Brett had pointed her out in Cascade Hall after he met her that first week, and, plus, he'd seen her hanging around with Caedence.The classroom as space thing was cool. He listened to the new professor attentively, sometimes glancing at his friends to see if they were as into it as he was. Space was way visual with this new teacher, and as the lecture went on, he stopped missing Professor Chatterjee. Sitting crosslegged on a recliner with notebook in your lap would do that.
Professor McFarlan posed a question to the class, and Echo was surprised the Hyana leaned over and asked him if he knew anything about the moon.
"It's dusty," he whispered back, "and it has craters. Look," he added, pointing subtly to the model. He'd always thought the craters were cool. Paul Tarwater explained about tides -- Echo wished he'd thought of that -- and Brett gave him a hard time. Echo gave him a look, trying to mentally send Brett instructions to chill. Brett leaned back with attitude. Great way to make an impression on a teacher, Brett. Good job.
Not that Echo hadn't done worse in elementary school. Then the roles were switched and Brett was telling him to chill. Echo had his only friendship falling apart at the time, what was Brett's excuse? Echo made a note to approach him later.
As McFarlan asked Paul to elaborate on the wobbles, Echo jotted, "Did you ever see the video of the moon landing?" in his notebook and showed it to Hyana.
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Because it's fun?
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Hyana
April 24, 2007 5:55 PM
I guess you could say that by Hyana
So the person sitting next to her was Echo Elms. She didn't know much about him, except that she saw him and Brett hanging out together. He also hung around Elly sometimes. She tried to remember if he hung out with Caedence...but she wasn't too sure. Ah well, didn't matter. He was answering her question. He had to be okay. She nodded at his response, and turned her gaze back at the model.Brett said something aloud, but Hyana didn't really pay attention. He was just scolding Paul, who didn't like her too much to begin with. She started scanning the room again, trying to figure how far away she was from Caedence, and pulled her legs closer to her. Since she was so small, doing that in a recliner was not difficult at all. It made her seem smaller anyway. Starting to turn her gaze back to the professor, she spotted Echo jotting something in his notebook, then he showed it to her.
"Did you ever see the video of the moon landing?"
Hyana shook her head. She didn't have much at home, except for books. She'd usually just walk the streets (running into the muggle jerks), or read in her room. There was nothing better to do. Again, Hyana considered raising her hand. She started raising the left one, the not injured one, but pulled it back down when the professor started talking to Paul. She ended up staring at the floor. That didn't scare her, as long as she remembered that gravity still applied.
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Hyana
I guess you could say that
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Professor McFarlan
April 24, 2007 11:08 PM
I Have Excellent Peripheral Vision by Professor McFarlan
The chatter in the room was getting out of hand. Professor McFarlan hadn’t minded the few whispers here and there, but this was just too much. Perhaps next lesson she should change her tack and come up with a project that would give them the option to work in teams like many of the other professors did. For now, she needed to get things in control.“Ladies and Gentlemen.” she announced in a controlled voice that didn’t sound angry yet allowed no arguments. “Please have the common courtesy to pay attention to what your fellow students are saying. I don’t mind occasional whispered discussions, but honestly, you’re being a bit rude.
“Remember, I am very interested in what you might know. It doesn’t have to be scientific. More and more we are learning that old wives tales are actually based in very real ancient magic that we’ve somehow forgotten, cultural legends have traces of genuine history, Muggle history is tied into our own, and there is very frequently fact hidden in fables.
She turned to one of the chatting couples that seemed to be staying on target in their conversation. The tiny Asian girl who was speaking to a lad in glasses seemed to almost raised her hand twice then timidly change her mind. The be-speckled boy seemed to be kindly encouraging her.
Professor McFarlan mentally crossed her fingers, hoping she was right in her assessment of their conversation and instead of singling her shy student out completely, she smiled warmly and addressed both children together.
“May I please have your names and could you share with the rest of us what you’ve been discussing?”\n
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I Have Excellent Peripheral Vision
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Hyana
April 26, 2007 7:51 PM
That you do by Hyana
Hyana almost fell out of her chair from surprise when the professor started scolding the class. Luckily, it was a recliner. And recliners are big. Very big. At least they are when you compare them to a very small girl like Hyana forcing herself to be smaller so she wouldn't be noticed. Of course, that never really worked out the way she wanted it to. Especially when Professor McFarlan addressed both her and Echo.She squeaked slightly as she felt (or imagined) eyes on her. She took a deep breath to calm herself and waited for Echo to speak. He still hadn't said anything, and Hyana just couldn't stand the stares. Pointing at the three dimensional moon, she whispered, "Th-there's a bunny...on the moon..." Now that she said something, maybe the professor would leave her alone. But she doubted that.
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Hyana
That you do
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Echo Elms
April 26, 2007 9:20 PM
Uh-huh by Echo Elms
Busted. This was why Echo didn't try stuff in class. He never got away with anything, not even a little note passing when the teacher was facing the other way and everyone else was whispering too. No way. It all went back to elementary school. His rap sheet was miles long and whether or not it transferred from muggle school to wizarding school, and whether or not it even still existed because it was like 3rd grade, teachers could smell things like that. They just knew: this one is a troublemaker. They knew.At least, that was his theory.
Echo had learned from careful observation that the best thing to do when you got caught was to just stop doing whatever it was you were doing. A little half-voiced, "Sorry," didn't hurt anything either, as long as you didn't try to argue. He tried this strategy and it seemed to go alright except that she decided to focus on him and Hyana. She asked Hyana what they'd been talking about. At least, it seemed like she was asking her and not him. Maybe it was addressed to both of them. He couldn't decide and he was starting to think Hyana wanted him to say something instead because she was looking at him like she didn't know why he wasn't talking. So maybe she thought Professor McFarlan was talking to him?
"Th-there's a bunny... on the moon..." Hyana said before Echo had decided to break that weird awkward gap. Somehow, Echo didn't remember anything about a bunny.
"Yeah," he agreed anyway, "Like, in the craters. One of them looks sort of like a rabbit," he pointed, "There's the ears. See it?" He, honestly, didn't really see it either, but he saw something that he could argue was shaped like a bunny. He glanced a Hyana, hoping he was on the right track with his bunny comment. He completely forgot to answer the question about his name. "And I was asking Hyana if she saw the video of the moon landing. My dad has a video that says that some people tried to prove it was faked, but it wasn't."
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Echo Elms
Uh-huh
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Professor McFarlan
April 27, 2007 8:53 PM
Fluffy Bunnies and Lunar Modules by Professor McFarlan
Now this kid was trouble. At least trouble for a professor who had a hard time keeping a straight face when it was time to put on a stern teacher face. When the young man ’innocently’ stuck up for his companion by trying to declare he actually triedto convince her he knew what the oriental girl was talking about, she had to bite the inside of her cheeks hard and turn her back as if thought to keep it together.Fortunately, what he said next was something she could use. And I was asking Hyana if she saw the video of the moon landing. My dad has a video that says that some people tried to prove it was faked, but it wasn't. Taking a centering breath to get back into teacher’s mode she turned back to the young man.
“Oh, you’re correct, it wasn’t faked. It was one of the most monumental events in Muggle history. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin were officially the first human beings to walk on the moon. July 7, 1969 ended the Space Race to put a man on the moon between the USA and the former Soviet Union. A fantastic feat.
“Do you remember what Neil Armstrong’s famous quote when he placed his foot on the moon for the first time, Mr.___? I’m sorry, I don’t believe I caught your name.”
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Fluffy Bunnies and Lunar Modules
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Professor McFarlan
April 27, 2007 9:26 PM
Don't Hop Away Just Yet by Professor McFarlan
Oka-ay, another child to tread softly with. Professor McFarlan thought. But this time the child she had to deal with was fragile instead of arrogant. She had a strange urge to scoop the tiny girl and run to the nearest rocking chair and rock until everything was all better.“You're very correct,” McFarlan answered as softly as she could and still be heard by everyone. “Japanese and Chinese children don’t see a man in the moon, they see a rabbit. There is an ancient fable in connection to the Moon Rabbit.”
Still getting the impression that the girl was actually a Pooka that would change herself into frightened rabbit at any moment, she took a chance any try to draw the child out of herself. This little lady needed to learn that this classroom and its professor were safe.
“Could you briefly tell us the story of Moon Rabbit, Miss___?”
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Professor McFarlan
Don't Hop Away Just Yet
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Echo Elms
April 28, 2007 10:44 AM
What about loony fluffballs? by Echo Elms
"Elms," Echo filled in. Was this a last name teacher? He'd seen teachers on tv who called everyone Mr this and Ms that. That would be sort of cool. Old school cool. But it seemed sort of weird to not give his first name so he added, "Echo." And then worried that she would think he was Elms Echo, not Echo Elms. But he refused to do the James Bond thing in front of the whole class so he left it alone.He liked that muggles were the first people in space. Echo was totally going to be scientist, like his mom. He had assumed he was going to have to go back to the muggle world to be a scientist, but from what McFarlan said, it sounded like maybe Wizards had them too. That would be awesome. Mugs were cool and all, and he knew Brett wanted to go back, but if Echo had a choice, he'd rather keep being a wizard.
"He said, 'One small step for man... one giant leap for mankind,'" Echo replied dutifully. He had seen it on the documentary debunking the rumor of it being fake, at a museum in Chicago, and other places too. It was easy to remember. "And he had this crazy white spacesuit and his voice sounded all wacked out staticky cause, like, it was on a radio, and radios used to sound all funky weird."
He definitely would have worded that different if Paul Tarwater hadn't just insulted the mug-speak. You just don't do that, especially not around Brett, who's entire world revolved around his talk. War was ON. Echo and Brett exchanged a look of solidarity.\r\n\r\n
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Echo Elms
What about loony fluffballs?
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Professor McFarlan
April 29, 2007 2:32 PM
What About Dust Bunnies Under the Bed? by Professor McFarlan
“Correct, Mr. Elms! Very good.” Professor McFarlan was delighted he knew. For these kids, the moon landing was ancient history. Not for me, I was four when it happened McFarlan thought wincing. Sometimes being over thirty wasn’t all that fun.Echo really seemed to enjoy the subject, she wondered what else the young man knew. “For those of you who don’t know, radios are a some of the many devices that Muggles use to communicate over long distances.
“This was a very important step in scientific history. Space travel and research led to an explosion of discoveries in the hard sciences that benefited all disciplines in both worlds.
"Tell me, Mr. Elms, can you name the US organization where most of the country’s space exploration and technology is centered? And for a bonus point, can you name the command module and lunar module that carried the astronauts to their first adventure on the moon?”
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Professor McFarlan
What About Dust Bunnies Under the Bed?
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Echo Elms
April 30, 2007 1:29 PM
They abhor a vacuum. by Echo Elms
The organization was easy. \r\n"It was NASA," he told Professor McFarlan. It stood for the National Air and Space Association or maybe the North American Space Academy. He wasn't sure he ever really knew and hoped the lack would slip away unnoticed if he moved right along. "And the," what the whats-it was a command module?, "I don't know, but I think the ship was Apollo 11. Or maybe that was the mission or... what you said: the command module."
Echo's memory was a little fuzzy on the details. There was something he was missing here and he wasn't sure what it was. The other big quote was 'The Eagle has landed' but he didn't remember what that was all about. That must have been the ship then, if it landed on the moon, right? But then where did Apollo 11 fit in? Maybe Professor McFarlan could clear it up, even if he didn't get the bonus points. He didn't think he'd need bonus points anyway.
"I don't remember," he admitted, "I think there was an Eagle somewhere too, cause of that guy saying 'The Eagle has landed.' Or maybe that was from a different thing."\r\n\r\n
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Echo Elms
They abhor a vacuum.
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Hyana
May 01, 2007 6:15 PM
You haven't given me much of a choice ma'am by Hyana
Hyana let out a sigh of relief. It was nice that the new professor seemed to understand what the heck she was talking about. She started making herself small again when the professor turned to her once more and said “Could you briefly tell us the story of Moon Rabbit, Miss___?” Hyana gulped and nodded her head. Of course she could, but that didn’t mean she wanted to. But it wasn’t like this new professor wasn’t giving her much of a choice.“Hyana Kamiya.” She filled in the blank shyly. It was kind of new for her. Adults usually didn’t have much interest in her. “W-well, a long time ago there was a bunny, a fox, a monkey and a coot who became hermits.” She gulped again. She had to be louder, she couldn’t even hear herself! “They swore that they would never kill anything, so the god Sakkria decided to try their faith. He took up the form of a Brahmin and went to the monkey, begging for alms.” Hyana took another shaky breath after her voice broke off and began again, but stronger this time.
“The monkey immediately brought him a bunch of mangoes. The pretend Brahmin left the monkey and went to the coot, asking for the same thing. The coot brought out a whole row of fish that he had found on a riverbank. The coot said that they were left by a fisherman. Then the Brahmin went to the fox, who went out searching for food and came back with milk and liguan, which he had found in the plains. He said that it was left by a herdsman.” Hyana continued, becoming louder and stronger with each word.
“At last, the Brahmin went to the bunny, and begged for alms. The bunny told him that he only ate grass, and it wouldn’t be any use to the Brahmin. Then the Brahmin said that if the bunny was a real hermit, he would offer his own flesh in hope of future happiness. The bunny agreed and the Brahmin kindled a fire at the foot of a rock, instructing the bunny to jump in. The bunny agreed, and jumped off the rock. But before the bunny reached the fire, it was extinguished.”
“The Brahmin changed into his real form, the god Sakkria, and took the bunny into his arms. He drew the bunny’s figure in the moon, so every living thing in the world could see it.” Hyana smiled at the professor. “Is there anything else you would like me to share ma’am?”
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Hyana
You haven't given me much of a choice ma'am
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Professor McFarlan
May 02, 2007 12:16 AM
Close Enough by Professor McFarlan
Professor McFarlan raised an eyebrow. This young man was impressive. Definitely some one to keep an eye on. He seemed to know a lot for a boy his age. Better yet, he seemed excited about it. She made a mental note to nurture that spark, the Wizarding world needed more scientists.“You’re right,” she answered Echo. “The organization was called NASA. You’re also right about the quote, the lunar module was called, ‘Eagle’. The only thing you missed was the name of the command module, vehicle that took the Eagle and Muggle astronauts to the moon. Its name was ‘Columbia’.
More hands were now in the air as the other students fell into the rhythm of the class and wanted to contribute to the discussion. “Excellent job, Mr. Elms, if you think of anything else, please feel free to raise your hand.”\n
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Professor McFarlan
Close Enough
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Professor McFarlan
May 02, 2007 1:04 AM
Re: You haven't given me much choice by Professor McFarlan
“Very well done, Miss Kamiya.” Professor McFarlan was pleased to see that Hyana brighten as she warmed to her subject. She’d even gained enough courage to add a bit of cheek toward the end. She nodded at the girl with approval. “I’m actually surprised that you knew that myth. It is not commonly know this side of the Pacific.“In the forties, during World War II, Japanese children in this country, Wizard and Muggle alike, were severely punished if they said they saw a rabbit. American children were supposed to see a man in the moon and the parents were terrified that the wrong person would overhear and they would lose custody of their children for not raising them to be ‘loyal citizens”. It was a very shameful chapter in this country’s history. Bigotry is always wrong, always evil and it is usually the innocent that suffer the most.”
Like the obsession about Pureblood, Halfblood, and Muggle born. Will we ever learn. Professor McFarlan shook her head a bit, realizing she’d drifted into her own thoughts.
“Very good job, Miss Kamiya,thank you,” McFarlan said, smiling again. “If you can think of anything you’d like to add to the discussion, please raise your hand.”
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Professor McFarlan
Re: You haven't given me much choice
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