The Importance of Classroom Management: An Ikeaverse Installment
Title: The Importance of Classroom Management
Rating: T
Disclaimer: don't own them
A/N: This is part of an 'open' universe, which begins with " Normaling"
Bill reluctantly left Laura’s Bed, pulled his clothes on, and left her condo, as she commanded, with the promise he’d be back soon. They did have a lot of work to do after all.
After Bill had gone, Laura pondered her decision to bring Bill into her world. Their weekend sex-a-thon was lovely and fulfilling of all of her most latent desires, but it was the weekend. During the week, Laura was Ms. Roslin, the AP English teacher and Administrator of the English department for grades K-12. That was her world, her life. And she had invited Bill Adama, a stranger essentially, into it. But it felt strangely right to do so.
From what she had gathered from their conversations, Bill felt lost after his retirement. She wanted to help him find his way. She didn’t necessarily think that he’d find his path through teaching. Of course not. Teaching isn’t for everyone; nobody knew that better than Laura. But she wanted him to see he had more to offer the world. And she thought there were a few individuals in particular who would benefit from meeting the former Commander.
Deciding her invitation would be beneficial to all parities, Laura was ready to shift her thoughts to dinner. She and Bill would be preparing dinner together. He was a self proclaimed novice in the kitchen, so she wanted to start with something simple to build his confidence. Plus, they really had more to do than just cook all night. Laura slipped into her robe and went into the kitchen to take an inventory and make a decision. After looking in her closet, she found she had enough ingredients for spaghetti. Laura started assembling the ingredients on her island and waited for Bill’s return. She made a cup of tea and sat at the island sipping it, forming a mental lesson plan.
Before long, Bill was back.
“Hey, beautiful. Ya miss me?”
“Yes,” and as she said it, she realized she meant it.
“What’s all that?”
“That’s going to be our dinner. Now go put your bag away in my closet, and get your ass back here. We’re making dinner together.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“Was I demoted already?”
“I mean, my queen.”
“That’s better.”
Bill decided it was best to follow his superior officer’s orders. He had been taking orders his whole career, but he had never really enjoyed it until he met Laura. She could issue commands to her heart’s content, and he would willingly follow every one. So, he went into the bedroom they were currently sharing, placed his bag in her closet, and hurried back to the kitchen to await his next instruction.
“I’m ready to begin.”
“No you’re not. Wash your hands, mister.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Bill washed his hands thoroughly and reported back to Laura.
“Now I’m ready to report for duty.”
“Yes you are. Now first thing’s first. We’re having spaghetti. We need to boil a pot of water first. You ever boil water?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Take this pot, and fill it this high [using her finger to point how high] with water. Then put it on the stove, and heat it to a boil.”
Bill set about accomplishing that task.
“Okay, it’ll take a while to boil. Let’s start our salad. We’re going to make lettuce wedge salads with halved grape tomatoes, bacon pieces and ranch dressing. It’s really easy. You chop the head into quarters, place a quarter on a plate. Slice some tomatoes in half, nuke the ready-made bacon for fifteen seconds and break it into bits, and put some dressing on the top.”
“What about the other quarters?”
“We’ll use them for something else tomorrow.”
Bill did everything Laura said, as she monitored his progress, offering hints and encouragement as needed, and checking the on the pot of water. When he was finished with their salad wedges, Laura had him pour the tomato sauce into a sauce pan and put it on the stove to heat. By that time, the water was about ready to boil. When it finally did, Laura instructed him to add salt, butter, and the pasta to the water, and let it cook.
“I don’t like al dente, so we want it to cook long enough to get soft. It’s best to taste it periodically. In the meantime, let’s set the dining room table.”
“You’re an excellent teacher.”
“Aside from Billy, you’re my best student.”
“Billy?”
“My favorite student this year. I’ll tell you all about him later.”
“You have favorites?”
“Yes. It doesn’t affect how I treat them or grade them, but I have a soft spot for Billy.”
“Do you have a soft spot for me?”
“You know I do.”
“I’m feeling a little hot for teacher myself.”
“Later. We have a lot to do, Commander.”
“Right. Let’s check the pasta.”
They returned to the kitchen just in time. The pasta was cooked perfectly to Laura’s liking, which meant it was to Bill’s liking, as he wanted nothing more than to make his teacher happy. Laura showed him how to strain the pasta and pour the sauce over it. Finally they were ready to serve themselves and eat. They moved into the dining room with their filled plates.
“Tell me about Billy.”
“He’s only 15, but he’s so smart he skipped a few grades, so he’s a senior already. He’s awkward and shy, but he’s so sweet. I’ve taken him under my wing, mentoring him. He’s planning to enroll in college in the fall, and he’s so nervous about it.”
“He sounds like a great kid but a handful.”
“That’s the thing. He’s not. He’s very quick and appreciates everything that’s given to him. I’d take a thousand of him any day.”
“So I’ll get to meet him?”
“Yes, and I’d love for you to be a role model for him. He could use a strong male role model.”
“What about his parents?”
“Oh, they’re wonderful, but they have no idea what to make of their son. He’s their youngest, their only boy, and he’ll be the first in his family to attend college. Anyway, I’d like him to see what a good man is. Aside from his own father, there aren’t many good men he’s exposed to. He needs you, Bill.”
“I’ll do what I can.”
“I know you will.”
“What else do I need to know?”
“We should talk about classroom management.”
“Sounds intimidating.”
“It’s very important. Without a well managed classroom, you could have a mutiny on your hands.”
“That would be bad.”
“Very.”
“What do you do?”
“Classroom management is a lot like being in the military. You need to expect something to happen at any moment. You should remain calm, treat your students with respect but have clear expectations for them to live up to. If they see that you care about them, they’ll care about themselves more and behave.”
“That is a lot like being in the military.”
“Then you’ll be fine.”
“Plus, I’ll have you around to protect me.”
“That too.”
“But I still have a problem.”
“What’s that?”
“You’re in that robe.”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“It’s covering you.”
“Oh dear! What are you going to do?”
“This.”
Bill rose from his chair and was quickly by Laura’s side. He helped her stand, and stripped the robe from her.
“That’s much better.”
“What about you? This seems a little unfair.”
“What ya gonna do about it?”
“This.”
Laura went to work removing his clothes. He didn’t offer much resistance.
“You know, we still have all those dishes to clean and food to put away.”
“We’ll take care of it after dessert.”
“Mmm. I like the sound of that."
Next Installment
Rating: T
Disclaimer: don't own them
A/N: This is part of an 'open' universe, which begins with " Normaling"
Bill reluctantly left Laura’s Bed, pulled his clothes on, and left her condo, as she commanded, with the promise he’d be back soon. They did have a lot of work to do after all.
After Bill had gone, Laura pondered her decision to bring Bill into her world. Their weekend sex-a-thon was lovely and fulfilling of all of her most latent desires, but it was the weekend. During the week, Laura was Ms. Roslin, the AP English teacher and Administrator of the English department for grades K-12. That was her world, her life. And she had invited Bill Adama, a stranger essentially, into it. But it felt strangely right to do so.
From what she had gathered from their conversations, Bill felt lost after his retirement. She wanted to help him find his way. She didn’t necessarily think that he’d find his path through teaching. Of course not. Teaching isn’t for everyone; nobody knew that better than Laura. But she wanted him to see he had more to offer the world. And she thought there were a few individuals in particular who would benefit from meeting the former Commander.
Deciding her invitation would be beneficial to all parities, Laura was ready to shift her thoughts to dinner. She and Bill would be preparing dinner together. He was a self proclaimed novice in the kitchen, so she wanted to start with something simple to build his confidence. Plus, they really had more to do than just cook all night. Laura slipped into her robe and went into the kitchen to take an inventory and make a decision. After looking in her closet, she found she had enough ingredients for spaghetti. Laura started assembling the ingredients on her island and waited for Bill’s return. She made a cup of tea and sat at the island sipping it, forming a mental lesson plan.
Before long, Bill was back.
“Hey, beautiful. Ya miss me?”
“Yes,” and as she said it, she realized she meant it.
“What’s all that?”
“That’s going to be our dinner. Now go put your bag away in my closet, and get your ass back here. We’re making dinner together.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“Was I demoted already?”
“I mean, my queen.”
“That’s better.”
Bill decided it was best to follow his superior officer’s orders. He had been taking orders his whole career, but he had never really enjoyed it until he met Laura. She could issue commands to her heart’s content, and he would willingly follow every one. So, he went into the bedroom they were currently sharing, placed his bag in her closet, and hurried back to the kitchen to await his next instruction.
“I’m ready to begin.”
“No you’re not. Wash your hands, mister.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Bill washed his hands thoroughly and reported back to Laura.
“Now I’m ready to report for duty.”
“Yes you are. Now first thing’s first. We’re having spaghetti. We need to boil a pot of water first. You ever boil water?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Take this pot, and fill it this high [using her finger to point how high] with water. Then put it on the stove, and heat it to a boil.”
Bill set about accomplishing that task.
“Okay, it’ll take a while to boil. Let’s start our salad. We’re going to make lettuce wedge salads with halved grape tomatoes, bacon pieces and ranch dressing. It’s really easy. You chop the head into quarters, place a quarter on a plate. Slice some tomatoes in half, nuke the ready-made bacon for fifteen seconds and break it into bits, and put some dressing on the top.”
“What about the other quarters?”
“We’ll use them for something else tomorrow.”
Bill did everything Laura said, as she monitored his progress, offering hints and encouragement as needed, and checking the on the pot of water. When he was finished with their salad wedges, Laura had him pour the tomato sauce into a sauce pan and put it on the stove to heat. By that time, the water was about ready to boil. When it finally did, Laura instructed him to add salt, butter, and the pasta to the water, and let it cook.
“I don’t like al dente, so we want it to cook long enough to get soft. It’s best to taste it periodically. In the meantime, let’s set the dining room table.”
“You’re an excellent teacher.”
“Aside from Billy, you’re my best student.”
“Billy?”
“My favorite student this year. I’ll tell you all about him later.”
“You have favorites?”
“Yes. It doesn’t affect how I treat them or grade them, but I have a soft spot for Billy.”
“Do you have a soft spot for me?”
“You know I do.”
“I’m feeling a little hot for teacher myself.”
“Later. We have a lot to do, Commander.”
“Right. Let’s check the pasta.”
They returned to the kitchen just in time. The pasta was cooked perfectly to Laura’s liking, which meant it was to Bill’s liking, as he wanted nothing more than to make his teacher happy. Laura showed him how to strain the pasta and pour the sauce over it. Finally they were ready to serve themselves and eat. They moved into the dining room with their filled plates.
“Tell me about Billy.”
“He’s only 15, but he’s so smart he skipped a few grades, so he’s a senior already. He’s awkward and shy, but he’s so sweet. I’ve taken him under my wing, mentoring him. He’s planning to enroll in college in the fall, and he’s so nervous about it.”
“He sounds like a great kid but a handful.”
“That’s the thing. He’s not. He’s very quick and appreciates everything that’s given to him. I’d take a thousand of him any day.”
“So I’ll get to meet him?”
“Yes, and I’d love for you to be a role model for him. He could use a strong male role model.”
“What about his parents?”
“Oh, they’re wonderful, but they have no idea what to make of their son. He’s their youngest, their only boy, and he’ll be the first in his family to attend college. Anyway, I’d like him to see what a good man is. Aside from his own father, there aren’t many good men he’s exposed to. He needs you, Bill.”
“I’ll do what I can.”
“I know you will.”
“What else do I need to know?”
“We should talk about classroom management.”
“Sounds intimidating.”
“It’s very important. Without a well managed classroom, you could have a mutiny on your hands.”
“That would be bad.”
“Very.”
“What do you do?”
“Classroom management is a lot like being in the military. You need to expect something to happen at any moment. You should remain calm, treat your students with respect but have clear expectations for them to live up to. If they see that you care about them, they’ll care about themselves more and behave.”
“That is a lot like being in the military.”
“Then you’ll be fine.”
“Plus, I’ll have you around to protect me.”
“That too.”
“But I still have a problem.”
“What’s that?”
“You’re in that robe.”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“It’s covering you.”
“Oh dear! What are you going to do?”
“This.”
Bill rose from his chair and was quickly by Laura’s side. He helped her stand, and stripped the robe from her.
“That’s much better.”
“What about you? This seems a little unfair.”
“What ya gonna do about it?”
“This.”
Laura went to work removing his clothes. He didn’t offer much resistance.
“You know, we still have all those dishes to clean and food to put away.”
“We’ll take care of it after dessert.”
“Mmm. I like the sound of that."
Next Installment