Teaching & Learning Methods [BL]

Untitled Part 8

The lecture hall was large.

As soon as I opened the door, the somewhat noisy lecture hall became quiet. The silence grew longer as I walked slowly.

As I stepped up to the podium, I saw the students' contemptuous expressions. I thought of the notes I found in Professor Letier's house. It seemed plausible that they had sent those notes.

I briefly considered running out of this room, submitting my resignation to the president, and eating something delicious.

But I held back. I stayed because I thought I knew what Professor Oster's strange smile at the front of the lecture hall meant. I also knew why Professor Milman had readily handed over the class. It was clear that the two of them knew how the students would react.

I looked around the room, meeting each student's gaze one by one. Some students stared back at me, while others averted their eyes as soon as our eyes met. No one cursed at me. This was not because they had less resentment towards Professor Letier, but simply because they were well-educated.

How should I teach a subject I don't know well to students who despise me?

A student raised his hand. He stood up from his seat before I could even give him permission to speak and asked a question.

"I heard that Professor Letier was suspended."

"That's right."

"Then why are you in the lecture hall? This is Professor Chelsea's class time."

"There are times when subtle interference can affect what people do."

"What?"

"Don't you understand?"

The student who asked the question sat down hesitantly and asked something to the student next to him. The quiet lecture hall became noisy. They seemed to think that I had been reinstated. If I corrected their misunderstanding, I was about to leave the room.

I closed my mouth and quietly observed the students. Suddenly, I had a good idea. I pulled up a chair and sat down in front of the podium.

Another student raised his hand and asked, "Are you not going to teach?" I nodded.

"It doesn't seem like there's an atmosphere for teaching."

Another student shouted.

"Then can we leave the lecture hall?"

"No. Let's use this time to have a short but very necessary talk. Take out your paper and pens. And ink."

At first, the students ignored me. Some students folded their arms in defiance, some hesitated and reached for their bags, and some chatted with their friends. However, when one student hesitantly took out his paper and pen, the others took out their writing utensils one by one, like ink spreading when dropped in water.

I looked around the room and continued speaking.

"As I came to the lecture hall today, I heard people denying the achievements of Grand Duchess Angela. They said that literature is a useless subject. But it seems like you all think the same way. I don't see anyone who is happy to be able to learn a helpful subject again."

Some of the students shrugged their shoulders. Some of their expressions became hostile.

"So I'm going to ask you a few questions."

The students showed interest. It seemed like my words were more plausible than they thought.

"First, what do you think literature is? Second, why do you think you should study literature? Third, what do you want to learn in literature class? Fourth, do you want to learn literature from me? For the fourth question, please write down your reasons in detail."

The buzzing became louder.

The student who had asked why I was in the lecture hall when I was suspended raised his hand again.

"That's a strange question. I don't see how it could be helpful to us in any way."

"Submit your answer first, and then ask your question."

"I can't follow you without knowing the reason. Not like this is a class, so there's nothing wrong with that."

The student put down his pen as if he had made a decision. The room became quiet. A few students giggled and followed him in putting down their pens. He seemed to be quite influential among the students.

His caramel eyes shone with confidence. I nodded. It wasn't a big deal. If they didn't want to write, I could make them.

"Do as you please. No one will be able to leave the lecture hall until you answer my questions. Thanks to you, I'll be able to have the special experience of spending the night in the lecture hall with my students."

"What the...!"

He grumbled.

The blonde student sitting next to him patted his friend's shoulder and shouted.

"Do you have the authority to do that, Professor?"

"Well?"

"Are you trying to scare us into obedience? Are you trying to get us to do what you say?"

"Whether I have the authority or not is not important. Think about it this way. What happens when a professor abuses his power?  If it's something that warrants suspension from teaching, I'm in the clear. I'm already suspended."

The student who asked the question opened his mouth and closed it. He seemed to be at a loss for words. I folded my arms and asked.

The student who had asked the question opened and closed his mouth again. He seemed to be at a loss for words. I folded my arms and asked.

"Perhaps you could even face a more severe punishment. I might fail the February professorial review because of this. However, I'm also willing to submit my resignation depending on how you all answer in this class. Furthermore, I'm thinking of sending a petition to Her Majesty the Queen to abolish the literature class itself from the Royal Academy."

"A-are you threatening us right now?"

He shouted.

"I'm disappointed that you think it's a threat. Time is a limited resource. Isn't it a waste to spend it acquiring unnecessary knowledge? If you really think literature is trivial, then the subject should be abolished."

The lecture hall erupted in noise in an instant. I've never been there, but I don't think even a market would be as noisy as this. I waited for them to calm down before adding.

"The opinions of students who don't identify themselves will be overlooked. Write it down at the bottom of the paper and submit it."

No one else asked any questions. The student with caramel-colored eyes and his blonde friend next to him also picked up their pens. It seemed that they thought they had nothing to lose by following my instructions.

I watched the students as they buried their noses in their papers and wrote. They were very passionate. They seemed to really want to abolish the literature subject and kick Professor Letier out of the Royal Academy.

If I were Albert Letier, I might have thought I wanted to die. The position he had built up was on the verge of collapse.