Freshman

Chapter 46: The Newbies

You must wonder– since Ms. Cabinet and Ms. Elaine left, who became our Social Studies and Filipino teaching facilitators?

Well, we were just about to find out.

It was a pleasant Friday morning with Ms. Cassanero as the first teaching facilitator we faced. She's our adviser after all, and homeroom in the morning would be futile without her.

"Are you finished with the attendance Maine?" She asked the busy secretary. "And have you written them on the board and attendance sheets?"

"Yes, and yes, Ms. Cassanero." She answered promptly. "Although, we've had more absentees than lates for the past two weeks, miss."

"Mhm, I've noticed." She nodded. "Especially that tall and portly one– Robbie."

[Robbie, from class 7B. An awkward and real tall dude, that's all I can say.]

"Oh well, thank you." Ms. Cassanero ushered. "You may return to your seat."

She followed the teaching facilitator's instructions, and returned to her seat. Ms. Cassanero then stood in front of the board, and silenced everyone with one of her powerful glances.

"Alright," Ms. Cassanero stood. "Today is the first Friday of the second term, am I right?"

"Yes." We answered.

"And Ms. Cabinet and Ms. Elaine left last term," Ms. Cassanero stated. "To your knowledge, there will be new teaching facilitators taking their place, am I correct?"

Everyone looked grim.

"Oh, don't fret," she gave us a half smile. "Sir Frail Deimos and Ms. Munchkin Carbonara are nice teaching facilitators. I'm positive you'll learn to love your new teaching facilitators the same way you loved your old ones."

"As you say, Ms. Cassanero," RA muttered.

"Good," she nodded as she proceeded out the room. "Behave yourselves, Sir Deimos is already outside. Best wishes to your Social Studies. Good bye and thank you, 7B."

"Good bye and thank you, Ms. Cassanero."

She left for the door, and shut it gently. Then, someone else opens it, and enters the room.

I couldn't really say he looked near anything familiar, nor very profound. He's just an average looking Joe. A guy in his early twenties– a fresh grad I suppose, wearing a dark green flannel and denim skinny jeans.

"Ehem," he scoffed. "Good morning 7B."

"Good morning, Sir Deimos."

"Well," he looked baffled. "It seems like you already know my name, no introductions required then."

He set his materials on the desk. "Please, take your seats."

Everyone followed his orders and sat down quietly. You could feel dark and heavy tension within every corner. If awkwardness were a blanket, it had already covered the whole room.

He fished out a lesson from his laptop and started teaching us with incredible patience. By incredible patience, I legitimately mean, incredible patience. Some students had to ask repeatedly to understand, and some just simply didn't care and only slumped on their seats. Despite this, he continued to teach.

The others looked completely bored, while others were already talking. Noises sprouted from different parts of the room. Incoherent screams, unwanted murmurs, and hearty chuckling– they all seemed to have put up the message to Sir Deimos that he was unwanted.

Filipino classes didn't turn out so well either.

She arrived with a smile and a laptop bag. If anything, her demeanor was as timid as any. At first sight, she seemed strict, but at the end of the day you are presented with something else.

"Good afternoon, 7B," she set her materials on the desk. I could say, the volume of her voice wasn't up to the highest option yet. It was soft and fine like a hare's.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Carbonara."

"Please, sit down." She gave us a smile and took a marker from the desk. "I'm Ms. Munchkin Carbonara, since in HTEC we follow the last name basis, you may call me Ms. Carbonara."

Yet again, she speaks softly with no heed of authority. Indeed, she was kind– too kind for her own good. She had trouble disciplining the class like Sir Deimos.

The class became more chaotic than ever with the two new teaching facilitators. Though they try to govern us patiently, we do otherwise. Our lack of respect and profuse distraught seemed to overpower our compassion and empathy towards them.

As newbies, I can completely understand. They're new to this adjustment, but that doesn't mean we aren't new to this as well.

Still and all, we couldn't keep this refute under our noses. None sooner or later, the adversity reached Ms. Cassanero's attention. This was not by any means good news to any of us.

"Whatever happened to this classroom's respect?!" Ms. Cassanero sermonized.

Ironically enough, on top of the classroom's whiteboard, huge letterings of the word 'RESPECT' was tattered and disheveled as if it were devoured and marauded by hyenas.

"CJ!" She called aggressively. "Stand up, and explain why the class had been rowdy in Ms. Carbonara's and Sir Deimos' classes."

CJ reluctantly rose from his seat and adjusted his already fixed collar.

"Well," he cleared his throat. "Ms. Cassanero, to be fair, Ms. Carbonara seems to have trouble governing the class, and Sir Deimos just sort of lets us do whatever we want as long as we answer the essays and assessments."

"Just because Ms. Carbonara can't handle all of you, it doesn't necessarily mean you can just let it be that way," Ms. Cassanero scoffed. "And when Sir Deimos loosely lets you do whatever you want just as long as you answer the essays, it doesn't by mean you can fool around and make incoherent actions."

"Ms. Cassanero," Aganda stood. "If I may speak, some of us do appreciate and respect Ms. Carbonara and Sir Deimos' presence. However, we just can't absorb pretty much anything in their lessons through the noise and everything."

"Exactly my point, Ms. President!" She pounded on the table. "I appreciate the efforts of the people who actually try to adjust and make use of what they have in hand with Ms. Carbonara and Sir Deimos. Nonetheless, the mass and accretion is with the aversion."

"Despite the fact that Ms. Cabinet and Ms. Elaine had left, I had really thought you'd try and embrace your new teaching facilitators as your own. Instead, you did the complete and absolute opposite! You've humiliated, disrespected, and defied their authority. Mind you, your place are as students, and they as teaching facilitators– not the other way around!"

"Honestly," she shook her head. "I have no idea what I'm going to do with all of you! You've been headaches, and nothing but headaches! First it was the door, second it was Biclone's consecutive fights, third it was the the suicide attempts, forth was the contend between Vauld and Mavie, and now this?! Oh hell knows what might happen next!"

She massaged her temples. "I ask of you myself, 7B, treat your new teaching facilitators with the kindness and respect they deserve. Is adjustment too much to ask? Even I had to face and accept that Ms. Elaine and Ms. Cabinet had to leavr. Ms. Cabinet, one of my best friends, plucked out of my life just as easily as picking an apple. It's hard, but I'm learning to get through, and I hope you do too."

"I'm sorry for this, but it had to be done," she huffed. "You're too young to act so rebellious and disrespectful. You are no longer young children, nor are you independent adults– you're adolescents who still need to be taught and counseled through things. Yet, I ask of you to mature and know your limitations, students. You've done already so many– too many violations and mishaps."

For a good and long while, we were left with an uncomfortable and remorseful silence. Guilty and sullen faces were pretty evident from where I sat.

"Good bye and thank you for your time, 7B." She walked briskly towards the door. "I hope, I do hope, all of you will change your ways."

Then she left the classroom with no other remark, but her last ultimatum.