Free Web NovelChapter 14: 14. One Day In, Already Dealing With Angry Investors... Wait... I Mean Parents
William went back to his lecture, but he could tell that the room’s mood had changed. The students were now paying more attention to him and taking him seriously instead of thinking of him as a teacher who didn’t belong here.
’There we go... just what I want...’ William exhaled. ’The respect I needed all along.’
After the class was over, William had a line of students waiting to ask questions or get more training after class. The best students who had been skeptical were now interested in how he did things.
The students who were having trouble in the back felt more confident about speaking up. And somehow, William had gotten a fourth great student who would probably test him in more and more interesting ways.
William said to himself, "This is getting out of hand," as the last student left and he was able to sit down in the teacher’s chair. freewebnøvel.com
’Four smart girls, a plot at the academy, and a class full of students who think I know what I’m doing.’
’What next? Is a dragon coming to get us?’
’But wait... that seems like a good idea because I really want to test out my strength right now!’
Catherine Blackwood, the vice headmaster, came into the classroom through the door. It was hard to tell what she was thinking.
"Instructor Wade," she said in a calm voice. "We need to talk about the way you teach."
"Huh...?" William glanced at her. ’So this is the vice headmaster that sent me the letter yesterday.’ freēwēbηovel.c૦m
"Some parents have already called the academy to say that their best students are in a class with regular students."
"Why do they want to know?"
William looked at her, then the ceiling, and then back at her again.
"Of course they are," he said in a flat voice.
"Because this day wasn’t hard enough already."
Vice Headmaster Catherine Blackwood stood in the doorway with a stiff posture that made it clear she would rather be anywhere else right now. William stopped for a moment to really look at her instead of just seeing "angry authority figure" and going about his day.
She was probably in her early thirties. Her silver hair was pulled back into a tight bun that looked like it was trying to strangle her scalp.
Behind her thin-framed glasses, her sharp pink eyes looked out. She wore the formal instructor uniform perfectly, with every button lined up and every crease ironed to mathematical perfection.
The overall effect was that someone was trying very hard to look like they were in charge while also looking like they hadn’t slept well in about six months. And William noticed right away about her ears that are the same as Ellie.
’An elf... and whoa... not going to lie that she’s gorgeous.’
"Ehem, oh, right," William said as he stood up from the instructor’s chair and mentally prepared for the bureaucratic nightmare that was about to happen. "Let me guess... the rich parents are threatening to stop giving money if their kids have to breathe the same air as poor people?"
Catherine’s eye twitched a little at how casual he was, but she didn’t say anything, which William took as proof that he had hit the nail directly on its expensive, aristocratic head. "Well... things are a little more complicated than that, but yeah... you’re not completely wrong about what you said."
"Several powerful families are worried about the makeup of the class and want the academy’s authorities to explain themselves."
William said, "And by academy leadership, you mean you had to deal with angry rich people while the headmaster was busy with other things...?"
For a moment, the vice headmaster’s professional mask slipped, showing real anger underneath before she quickly pulled herself together again. "Headmaster Albert is taking care of other things at the academy."
"That’s why... as the vice headmaster, it’s my job to deal with parents’ concerns."
"That’s a very polite way to say yes," William said as he pointed to the empty classroom. "So, what’s the plan?"
"Should I beg and promise to split the classes, or are we really going to stand up for this clearly helpful way of teaching that I planned on purpose and didn’t just happen to find?"
Catherine looked at him in a way that made it seem like she wasn’t sure if he was being sarcastic, honest, or a mix of the two. "The parents are coming in about thirty minutes for an emergency meeting."
’Oh fuck...’
"You will need to provide a clear explanation of your teaching methods and demonstrate that the mixed class structure is effective by presenting measurable results."
’What the fuck...? There’s no fucking way I have to do this stupid thing again...’
"30 minutes?" William looked at the clock and saw that he had been sitting in this class longer than he thought. "That doesn’t leave you much time to get ready for what sounds like a corporate presentation to angry investors."
Catherine said, "That’s why I’m here to help you get ready."
She stepped fully into the classroom and closed the door behind her. "Even though you might think so, Instructor Wade, I’m not here to make your job harder."
"Please keep that in mind."
"Oh, I already am."
"The headmaster has made it clear that you should have a fair chance to show what you can do."
"High expectations, huh?" William shrugged. "Don’t ya think that’s just giving me some pressure?"
"He trusted you, so yeah..."
William looked at her for a moment and saw that her shoulders were tense and that she kept fidgeting with a pen she had taken out of her pocket. There was more going on here than just him or the way the class was set up.
She was more stressed than usual about dealing with frustrated parents.
"Okay, thanks for the help," William said, deciding to believe her for now. "What do these parents really want to hear?"
"I don’t think ’your kids need to learn humility and teamwork’ is going to work."
"They want some data," Catherine said as she took a tablet out of her briefcase and scrolled through what looked like enrollment records. "Anything measurable that shows their kids aren’t being held back by less experienced students, like academic performance metrics or improvements in combat skills."
"That’s asking too much!" William said, "Don’t they see that I’ve just taught one class for one day?!"
"How the hell am I supposed to have an reliable data already?"
"You’re right... you don’t have it yet," Catherine said, her anger showing through more clearly now. "This is why this meeting is unfair at its core and politically motivated."
"But that’s the way things are, so we need to make an argument that is good enough for them to buy you time to get things done."
’This time it’s a problem that needs some big brain thinking... ah jeez...’
William leaned against the desk and thought about this in terms of strategy. ’Rich parents didn’t really care about education because they cared about their status and how they were seen as having an advantage...’
’If their kids were in a mixed class, it meant they weren’t in the elite track, which hurt their social standing...’
"How about we look at it differently?" William said slowly, thinking about what he was saying as he spoke. "We don’t call it a mixed class, but we call it an experimental advanced integration program."
Catherine nodded. "Explain."
"You see... the students were chosen because their skills worked well together to make the best learning synergies."
"Elite students get to show off their leadership and teaching skills especially their experience, which looks great on their academy records."
"Struggling students, on the other hand, get help from their peers, which is sometimes more effective than traditional teaching.
Catherine stopped scrolling and looked up at him with real shock. "That’s not too awful, actually."
"It turns a punishment that people think is unfair into a chance to do something wonderful."
William said with a smile, "It’s complete marketing bullshit, but it’s the kind of bullshit that rich people love because it makes them feel special and forward-thinking instead of punished."
"I was trying to be polite, but yes," Catherine said.
William saw a hint of a smile on her face before she pushed it back down into professional neutrality. "Parents might see this as their kids being chosen for a new program instead of being put in a remedial class if we present it the right way."
"Good thinking, Instructor Wade."
"Thank you! Now... let’s execute it!"
