#baronyofthesilverwolf

A chuckle at Gwen's suggestion. "Another possibility. I don't know this teacher -- does that seem likely?"

"Well, I hear morale is low."

Arty volunteers, "If he won the lottery, he wouldn't need to settle for a teacher's job, and could do whatever he wanted."

Mr. Casso -- Gio -- looks at Arty, and his eyes narrow just slightly for a moment. "Settle," he repeats, and nods slowly. "It's a matter of settling? Truly? This is how you see the art of teaching? Possibly the only truly great profession? The one profession from which all others spring, for all must learn before they may do." His voice has risen a bit. A pause. "Of course, the pay is crap."

Katrina scoffs.

"That isn't to say that truly great mentors do not exist." Art offers back, and adds, "Just that I haven't met any yet. Not here."

"Well, there I am not surprised."

Though, he does feel a bit of a twinge of guilt, thinking of the chemistry teacher.

She nods at 'not here.' A scowl at a memory.

"So...this is your history class. Have you learned anything enticing? Enraging? Enlivening?"

"Mortal men repeating man's mistakes." Art sighs, "And a video about a singing scroll?"

Faint snort.

A bemused look. "Well, at least that much. Yes, mistake after mistake after mistake. Why is that, do you think?"

"Hey now, that's a classic." Trina counters Arty, re: Schoolhouse Rocks.

Gwen frowns a bit .

The nocker raises her hand. "People are dumb."

A curious head tilt. "Really? Are they? How so?"

A hesitation about putting herself forward, but...

"An individual might be smart, but in groups? People want to fit in, people don't want to speak up, and so the average intelligence of a group is that of the dumbest schmuck in the bunch."

"Look at all the QAnon as-.. uh.. QAnon people. It's MENTAL. It's inane, but they wanna believe bullshit because they feel like they're part of the in-group, and they got the drop on others."

"But it FEELS good to their little peabrains. My group good, person different from me bad, I can do whatever I want, but they gotta be arrested or sh-.. stuff... and that's history, you just change out hats."

Laughter from some of the other classmates - others have decided that this is a free period and are reading, looking at phones, passing notes.

Gwen overall thinks this is good. She was worried a certainn art teacher was filling in today.

Some may be ready for the sub to tell her to mind her language or to interrupt, but he merely listens. Then he looks around the room and chooses a kid who isn't reading but isn't actively participating. "Do you agree with her?"

"Uh...." Jennifer blinks and pushes her glasses up on her note. "I guess it makes sense?"

"Which parts? Which parts ring true to you?"

"Like... when people are just like animals because of crowds, like if someone yells fire in a crowded Kohl's, and suddenly it's a stampede - or at a Black Friday sale..."

"Yeah!"

"People stop thinking about other people as people....?"

Art looks a bit uncertain at the mention of recent history ala QANON and... Kohls?? But he is listening.

"So? What of it? After all, aren't there people that you dismiss as less-than, yourself? As too stupid to matter?"

"Or are we only talking about OTHER people who act that way? Only OTHER people are stupid?"

"Only OTHER people act like animals?"

She shrugs. "Some people are more stupid, but everybody f-.. everybody screws up."

"If you think your shit don't stink, you're lying to yourself."

Art opens his mouth, but then closes it again.

"Sometimes..." Gwen starts to say then clams up

A side glance over to Gwen.

Gio nods approvingly at the nocker, then gives Gwen a curious look. An encouraging gesture for her to continue.

"What?" Trina looks at Gwen.

"Sometimes there's power in a community, and the people in it are better for it. Some tribes worked pretty well for a time. And there can be wisdom in a crowd. "

Another grin, and a slow nod. "Yes, that is a very different way of thinking, isn't it? The American Dream...but not the dream of I-want-a-car, or I-want-a-great-paycheck. Rather, the dream of what we want, how we will thrive, how we will prepare for those who come after -- and that we including all beings, not merely those on two legs."

Her eyebrows twist up.

That's not quite what she meant

He waits. Giving her the opportunity to...correct him?

He does seem to expect some kind of response.

"that's not quite what I meant, sir."

Hesitantly. "You wanna build sh-stuff that lasts."

"I thought that the American dream was to get rich."

Art says. "Everyone seems to just think that if they have more money, it will solve all their problems. They may not be wrong." Thinking of his own 'family'.