Coach Amelia Pierce
March 30, 2012 9:31 PM
Flying Lessons for First Years by Coach Amelia Pierce
In her 'Quidditch Coach' hat, Amelia Pierce was only responsible for teaching one class: Flying Lessons, which was given only to first years (though older students could attend if they wanted to and signed up in advance). It was generally a popular class among the kids because there were no homework assignments or tests, and half the class was allowed to play broom tag or a pick-up game of Quidditch for most of it while the true beginners were given basic lessons. The rest were only expected to participate to the best of their ability.As long as everyone spent the entire period sitting on a broom in the air and at least attempting to do as instructed, they passed. It was not a difficult class by any stretch of the imagination. The final exam was flying from one end of the pitch to the other and back without crashing. That got an A. If they could do in under ten minutes it was an E. Under five earned an O. Most kids earned Es and Os in her class.
"Hello," she greeted her new class of first years once they seemed to have stopped trickling in. She allowed for 'getting lost time' the first week, but she'd dock points for poor punctuality later. She was Head of Crotalus and the Deputy Headmistress; it was practically in her job description to be a stickler for rules. "My name is Coach Pierce. I will be your flying instructor this year."
"Now, I know most of you will not view this as a 'real' class, but I can and will take House Points and assign detention if I catch any of you messing around, and I will catch you if you do. I expect you to show up on time. I expect you to behave and show each other respect. I will not tolerate insults or taunting of any form. I expect everyone to try their best."
She did not assert that there would be no exceptions because she had been informed that sometimes there apparently were good medical reasons for some students not to participate. Those students would be seen to on a case by case basis.
There was one reason she would hear nothing about, no matter how much some of the Board of Governors howled. "For those of you with parents who support WAIL, I assure you, they will not disown you for hovering on a broom and flying across the pitch for one hour, once a week, for one year."
She took a breath, and used the short pause to look around the group to make sure they were still listening. "That said, I am aware some of you already know how to fly. I offer those students the priviledge of forgoing the basic lessons and doing whatever you like so long as you are on your broom and flying for the duration of the lesson. I have Quaffles and other muggle varieties of balls available for your use. Later, once I know I can trust you, I'll allow bludgers and Snitches. If you need anything else, let me know and I'll see what I can do."
She waited a moment to let them try to imagine what other equipment they might need for more creative flying games, then added, "Just remember, this is a priviledge and if I have any problems with you fighting amongst yourselves or interferring with my lessons, you will all be down here hovering five feet over the ground with the beginners."
With that threat leveled, she expected not to have any problems with the experienced kids (in point of fact, in her seven years coaching here, she had only once had to follow through with it and she had only leveled the punishment against the single offending student). "Now I'm going to call roll, and then anyone who feels they do not need basic instruction may go play. Please raise your hand and say 'here' when I call your name. Ammon, Liam." She went through the list and marked attendance. "Okay, that's it. If I didn't call your name, let me know. Experienced fliers, you may take to the air. School brooms are over there, if you don't have your own."
She gave a few seconds for unnamed students to make themselves known and for the fliers to get out of the way. "Everyone else, line up here." Her wand flicked out and a white line appeared in the grass. "If you have your own broom put it down beside you. To your right if you're right-handed, to your left if you're left-handed. Everyone else, just stand in front of the line."
Once they did that, Amelia started distributing brooms to those who didn't have one yet. "Put it to your right if you're right-handed, to the left if you're left-handed," she repeated as she moved down the line. Once they all had brooms beside them, she instructed, "Now hold your wand hand out over your broom, like this," she stepped over her own broom, lying in the grass, so that it was to her right. She held out her right hand over it. "Palm down. Now, in a firm voice, like if you're ordering a dog to sit, tell it to come to your hand by saying 'up' - Up!" she said, louder, in demonstration, and her broom leapt up directly into her hand.
"I'd like you all to try that. You may need to try it a couple of times to get it to work. Once it's in your hand, just swing one leg over it like this," she demonstrated climbing onto the broom, "and just hover there for a bit. Try to keep steady and not drift too much. Raise your hand if you have a question or a problem. Barring too many of those, I'll show you how to manuever once everybody gets into a hover."
OOC: Hello and welcome to Sonora. Your character earns points for their House by participating in classes. Long, quality posts earn the most points, so be sure to follow the posting rules. Have fun!
Subthreads: This probably fits well with my name by Aria Yale, Teppenpaw with Wesley Kohler, Pecari
Well, there's one step out of the way... by Lucille Carey, Teppenpaw with Lucrezia Renaldi, Crotalus, Lucille
Indulging my curiosity by Jay Carey, Aladren
Disasters in flying by Clara Abernathy with Lucian D'Alesandro, Aladren
Defying Gravity by Aubrielle Thornton, Teppenpaw
Can't I keep my feet on the ground? by Solomon Bensalem with Clara Abernathy
Refusal (Coach Pierce) by Carrie O'Malley, Crotalus with Coach Amelia Pierce
Slightly appalled. by Melanie Lennox, Teppenpaw
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Coach Amelia Pierce
Flying Lessons for First Years
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Coach Amelia Pierce
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Carrie O'Malley, Crotalus
April 20, 2012 6:44 AM
Refusal (Coach Pierce) by Carrie O'Malley, Crotalus
Flying was not a proper activity for young ladies. That was common knowledge. It was so simple that even Carrie's moronic brother could have figured it out. Therefore, the first year was absolutely not going to do it. Carrie didn't want to, and that was all there was to it. She didn't have to do anything she didn't want to do and she didn't want to do this. Coach Pierce could not make her. She was so far below the Crotalus that the idea of Carrie doing what that woman told to do was ridiculous anyway.In fact, the first year had considered not even showing up for flying as there was no need for her to be here when she was not going to do the lesson in the first place. Oh, Carrie was certain that she was capable of flying. Ryan couldn't and of course, she was better than he was so, of course, she could do it. It was simply that she didn't want to and therefore was not going to. Carrie didn't have to because she was special. Coach Pierce would just have to get used to that.
That was why the first year had decided to go to this lesson in the first place. Just so she could have the satisfaction of telling that woman that she wouldn't be flying. Carrie was certain that her mother would be very proud of her for this-and if anyone didn't give her what she wanted, she would certainly let her mother know and Mother would have a word with the school. Carrie could not be expected to be treated like the others. She was better than them and thus deserved to be treated as such.
She lined up with the others, making sure she had the best school broom, even if she did have no intention of using it. It was the principle of the thing, after all, and the best got the best-and that was Carrie. She was the best. It was simply a fact. It would never do to have anything shabby near her. That was a positive crime. Having something used by others-even possibly touched by mudbloods-was bad enough but of course, Carrie did not own a broom of her own. No respectable pureblood girl ever would.
Nor did she have a relative who had a broom she could use to protect her from touching something touched by people who were impure. It wasn't as if Ryan had one. No, he was a loser, who couldn't fly at all. It was one thing for Carrie to never fly, because she was a girl, but boys were supposed to. Besides, she would never want to use anything he did either. Her mother hadn't even allowed him to eat off the same dishes as the rest of the family.
The first year nearly laughed when the woman said her mother wouldn't disown her for participating in flying lessons. Of course Mother wouldn't! It wasn't Carrie that was the one in the wrong-because she never ever was of course-it was the school and Coach Pierce. Flying was supposed to be for boys and the only women who liked it were manly ones. Like the coach, which was probably why she wasn't married.
Carrie waited until role was called and the experienced fliers were released to play their barbaric games-taking note, of course, of who went where given it was another way to figure out who was worth associating with. Boys who went with the experienced group most likely were and girls who did were not. It was a given that most pureblood boys could fly after all and that any girl who did, pure or not, was probably not from a good family or was the sort that was improper. Those who stayed with the beginners were more likely to be either proper girls or mudbloods. Of course, Carrie also paid attention to who answered to what name in order to make sure.
She was also quite offended by the fact that Coach Pierce apparently had muggle balls as well. How utterly dreadful! Just the fact that anything muggle would be brought into Sonora was offensive to Carrie. Mudbloods were bad enough and certainly, their...contraptions had no place here either. This was supposed to a magical school and any bit of filth who happened to show up needed to get used to it or get out. Their games certainly couldn't be around corrupting purebloods. Coach Pierce was apparently even trashier than Carrie thought.
As soon as the beginners were given their instructions, however, the Crotalus turned and began to walk away from the pitch, her head held high and her nose in the air.
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Carrie O'Malley, Crotalus
Refusal (Coach Pierce)
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Carrie O'Malley, Crotalus
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Coach Amelia Pierce
April 22, 2012 6:18 PM
Not so fast, missy by Coach Amelia Pierce
Amelia was watching the group of first year, initially focusing on a boy (Solomon Bensalem, she remembered, having made particular note of the children designated as belonging to Crotalus on her list) who couldn't get his broom off the ground and a girl (who was not a Crotalus and who therefore hadn't made Amelia's first pass at memorization) who managed that much but crashed off her broom after only a few moments of hovering. She gave the boy a sympathetic look and meant to check on the girl's health (and get her name for the incident report she'd have to submit to Medic Bailey later), but that was when she noticed Carrie O'Malley (another Crotalus) walking off.That could not be tolerated.
"Miss O'Malley!" she called sharply, following after the girl with long, ground-eating strides that shortened the lead the much shorter eleven year old had on her with every step. "Hold it right there," she ordered. Getting in front of the girl, Amelia blocked her way back to school and demanded, "Where do you think you are going, Miss O'Malley?"
Her tone was stern and if had been Derry Three she was addressing, he would have already been vainly trying to talk himself out of trouble. Carrie O'Malley was not her son, however, so Amelia persisted, making clear the consequences of crossing her further, "You are supposed to be attempting to hover, Miss O'Malley. Any other activity will gain you a detention, and believe me, you would far rather hover than serve a detention with me."
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Coach Amelia Pierce
Not so fast, missy
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Coach Amelia Pierce
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Carrie
April 26, 2012 11:46 PM
Fast would be unladylike. by Carrie
Carrie raised a perfect eyebrow. Miss Pierce was trying to stop her from leaving? How utterly ridiculous. Just like this entire class. Pureblood girls were not supposed to fly, but of course, it wasn't their fault they were in this class. It was the school's. Still, that didn't mean that Carrie was going to do it."I'm leaving." The Crotalus said, speaking the way someone might to a very small and stupid child. "There is no reason for me to be here. I am not going to fly. It's an unladylike and I don't want to. Therefore, I do not have to." Honestly, Carrie could see why the woman had been disowned. Clearly, she didn't seem to understand the way things were. Didn't understand that Carrie-in fact, many of the students, but especially Carrie-were her social betters and she had to respect that. Really, if Miss Pierce couldn't grasp that, she had no business in this job.
And now she was threatening the first year with detention! How absurd! The utter notion of it was downright insulting. Who did this woman think she was? There was no doubt about it, Carrie was going to contact her mother about Miss Pierce's behavior towards her. "Look, I'm sorry that you blew your chance at being respectable and that you're bitter towards students who are your betters, but that's not my fault and you have absolutely no right to take it out on me." She told the woman.
Clearly, Amelia Pierce needed everything spelled out for her. It was amazing but Carrie had actually met someone as dumb as Ryan was apparently. Obviously this woman suffered from the same sort of mental handicap that the older Crotalus did. Only she was also under this delusion that she could boss Carrie around.
She looked the woman straight in the eye. She wasn't a cowed little wimp like Ryan either, the first year was not afraid of Miss Pierce. This nobody was not going to intimidate Carrie, the first year was better than the Quidditch Coach. "You have to understand, that I am special and deserve to be treated as such. If I don't want to do something, I don't have to do it." Honestly, that was just the way things and Miss Pierce had to accept that. She could assign Carrie a detention but it wasn't as if Carrie was going to show up.
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Carrie
Fast would be unladylike.
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Carrie
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Coach Amelia Pierce
May 15, 2012 9:24 PM
Well you're going somewhere very quickly by Coach Amelia Pierce
"You are not leaving," Amelia stated in firm certainty when the girl tried to claim otherwise. She was sorely mistaken if she thought she was. Amelia had raised Belinda Pierce when she was a hormonal teenager. No little eleven year old could even be comparable to a volatile teen who thought fist fighting and hexing people was the best way to deal with the emotional upheaval of the entire world as she knew it being blown to kingdom come."I may not be able to force you to fly, but you will remain on the pitch, and you will serve detention if you don't spend the period at least attempting to fly. That is not up for debate. You are a Crotalus and you are expected to follow the rules. The rules are that you, and everyone else in the first year, will participate in flying lessons. And I assure you, you are no better than I am or anybody else here, so you either get on a broom, young lady, or you will find yourself wishing you had."
She scowled down at the girl, not liking her attitude at all. "You are not special, Miss O'Malley. You are a first year student who is required to take Flying Lessons by the Board of Governors, regardless of whether or not you wish to. Now, you have one more chance to join your classmates." She folded her arms and waited expectantly. She did not draw her wand, but she was keenly aware of its presence and location, and her muscles twitched in anticipation of a fast draw, if it proved necessary should the child try to walk off again.
The girl could peacefully join the class or she would spend it petrified on the Pitch floor, unable to move but perfectly aware of herself, so she would understand she was being punished.
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Coach Amelia Pierce
Well you're going somewhere very quickly
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Coach Amelia Pierce
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Carrie
May 18, 2012 5:40 PM
Yes, away from here. by Carrie
Carrie nearly laughed at the woman. She was seriously deluded. "Oh yes, I am leaving." Honestly, Miss Pierce was nothing but a bitter old spinster who had lost everything and now she was taking it out on her betters because she was jealous. It was her own fault for being defective, not Carrie's. Nothing was ever the first year's fault. Everything she did was perfect and right.And what made her think that Carrie would even show up for detention? What made this woman think she even had the right to make the Crotalus do anything-and the fact that Carrie had to follow the rules because of her house? That hardly seemed fair. If she was in a different house she could get away with leaving? Wow, that seemed like favoritism-and of the completely wrong people as well. "So, what you are saying is that because of my house I'll get in trouble?" She would have to tell her mother about this.
Of course, Crotalus was primarily a house of proper purebloods. Very few mudbloods or even half-bloods ever got in there. "Or is what you're really saying is that you're persecuting me because I'm from an important pureblood family? Because you're bitter and angry about being kicked out of your own." Apparently the woman was completely prejudiced as well. That really didn't speak well for her. Especially not if she wanted to keep a job that she probably desperately needed.
"And yes, I am special." This was just a fact that Miss Pierce had to accept. "I'm a better person than you and I am not going to fly. Just because you were socially acceptable at one time does not mean you are now and because you're not, I don't have to listen to you." This woman was honestly just not getting it. Honestly, she was probably downright mentally handicapped like Ryan. Her family was quite obviously right to disown her. If only Carrie's father would do the same with her brother.
She turned to leave again. Carrie did whatever she wanted. There was never any consequence because she was perfect and could do no wrong. Certain people just had to learn that. She was definitely not going to submit to a bitter outcast who was beneath her in every way.
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Carrie
Yes, away from here.
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Carrie
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Amelia Pierce
May 19, 2012 8:36 PM
Not so much. I actually meant my bad side. by Amelia Pierce
"Petrifis Totalis," Amelia stated calmly, her wand dropping easily into her hand and flicking at the girl's back. She had allowed two steps. The first step let her turn around and the second proved the child was actually attempting to leave and this was not simply retaliation again the utterly ridiculous but completely disrespectful comments the girl had said.She had little illusions that Miss O'Malley was alone in her opinions and that didn't bother her. That came with the territory of being disowned and teaching at a school full of people who cared about that kind of thing. Most students, however, regardless of background, understood that, within the school, being an adult trumped any social standing they may or may not have, and teachers were to be treated with respect. That was simple etiquette and politics and most purebloods learned those basic skills when they learned to talk.
In her eight years of coaching at Sonora, she had never before had a problem with direct insubordination. Most Crotali knew how to pick their battles better than that. In truth, she was more angry about the girl's complete lack of finesse than her words.
It was probably useless, Miss O'Malley's prejudices no doubt went deeply enough that she would disregard almost anything Amelia said, but an attempt had to be made, if only for Amelia's own peace of mind if not for Miss O'Malley's benefit. Amelia was the girl's teacher right now, so she would at least attempt to teach her. Any fault for not learning would lie in Miss O'Malley's own hands.
Like most victims of the petrifying curse, she had gone stiff as the hex hit her and then fallen over onto her back on the soft grass, staring up to the sky. An enchantment on the pitch itself would have further softened the landing, so Amelia had little concern that the girl might have been hurt.
She walked beside the student's frozen form and squatted down beside her head so they look each other in the eye. She kept her voice calm and level, not letting any emotion show, except maybe a little disappointment. "So we are clear, this is my pitch. You do not leave my pitch unless I allow you to leave my pitch. I am the Quidditch Coach and I am in charge here. You will lie right here for the duration of the lesson. I will release the curse when the lesson is over. At that time, and only at that time, do you have my permission to leave."
"Furthermore, I mentioned your House only because Crotali are supposed to understand rules better than other Houses, but clearly you do not. You have detention, Miss O'Malley. I will expect you at my office at promptly at 7:30 tonight. If you fail to attend, I will speak to Headmistress Kijewski and recommend suspension. In fact, I will be speaking to the Headmistress regardless. Your parents will be informed of your disrespect today."
She stood again then, but remained standing beside the girl as she added one final remark. "You may spend the lesson contemplating whether or not you would have liked sitting on a broom for this hour better than lying on the ground with the ants, and which you will be doing next week during my lesson."
With that, she returned to the remainder of her students who deserved her attention more than Miss O'Malley did.
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Amelia Pierce
Not so much. I actually meant my bad side.
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Amelia Pierce
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Carrie
May 20, 2012 3:41 PM
Like I care by Carrie
Carrie stopped dead in her tracks and fell over. Apparently the foul woman had petrified her. The nerve! She was going to pay dearly for this. She was lying on the ground in the dirt with the ants . This was going to mess up her hair! It was going to get dirt and bugs in it. Her clothing was going to get dirty too. That was no place for Carrie. She deserved better.Amelia Pierce was nothing but a bitter old hag. The first year was going to have to contact her mother about this. If she wasn't so furious she might have found the idea of contacting her parents laughable. Carrie knew full well that her mother would be mad at Coach Pierce, not her. Her mother was never mad at her . The Crotalus was perfection. Even her father, who was a real idiot sometimes, sticking up for that worthless brother of hers and not treating her like a princess the way he should wasn't going to be happy about this .
The woman should really know better. Not only was Carrie deserving of overall better treatment just because she was her and special which should have been obvious to everyone but she was an O'Malley. More importantly, perhaps, on this side of the country, her mother was a Brockert . That meant something. They were powerful. Amelia Pierce was nothing but someone with an overinflated sense of her own importance for being the Matriarch of a bunch of rejects.
Oh, Carrie would show for the detention. Which seemed excessive after this but she didn't really want to be kicked out of school. Even though so far, nobody was giving her the special treatment that she was entitled to. However, Coach Pierce was going to pay for what she'd done. She needed to learn to respect her betters or there would be consequences for her.
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Carrie
Like I care
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Carrie
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