Monday starts in a very typical way with the third termer class. The students come in looking a bit tired, having stayed up late and then slept late for the weekend, and now trying to get back to the weekly rhythm with varying results. Well, at least they are wake enough to say good morning when they enter the classroom. It's good that Jane gives these extra sword exercises on Saturday so that some of them have at least something sensible to do during the weekend.
I spent myself most of the Sunday rereading my notes on Geltoech, and also what Sharon Rey had to say about him, and comparing that with the King's history book. It was mostly useless, as all that was written is well known already. I tried to compare Rey's and King's wording and attitudes. Rey did not attempt to glorify Geltoech nor defend the pre-battle attitudes that sorcerers were somehow superior. The King's book, on the other hand, was less detailed with the history but condemned the pre-battle hybris with strong words.
My search on Rey's book for some kind of hints of vague messages that a weak mind would interpret as justification to oppress other people in the name of Geltoech were futile. There was nothing of the kind.
Actually, I must admit that her text is clear and analytical, and her conclusions are based on the facts that she presents. We would probably think about many things in a very similar ways, if she just would accept to use actual facts without putting so much emphasis on things that cannot have happened. But of course her story seems more reliable in the eyes of an ignorant audience this way.
The clock starts to strike nine, and I take my cane and knock on the floor twice. All students rise.
"Good morning, professor Cole!"
"Good morning, students. Please be seated."
Not all teachers keep up these traditions, but I have noticed that good manners are very useful for students. They know what to do and when to do it, and they know what is expected of them. Things are easier, and they get done.
"Today we will study the friendship agreement our kind King Geronos signed with our western neighbours ten years ago. You are so young that you probably didn't pay attention to politics at the time. But does anyone know what is the main content of the agreement?"
There is a long silence, just like on an average Monday. But they also know by now that unless they try, I start pointing at them with my cane at random. And most students try to come up with an answer before then. Laelia Salvai is the first one to beckon. I nod at her.
"The friendship agreement says that free citizens of Caldoria can go to Zanland without permission, if they are unarmed. And free citizens of Zanland can come here."
Laelia Salvai is clearly the smartest student in this class. If there just were more as active students as she is.
"That's correct. And what do you think is the most important benefit of this? Others?"
Laelia starts to raise her hand but pulls it back after my last word. I look at the class in silence for a while. Then I raise my cane.
"Maybe Mr. Smither wants to join our conversation."
Jack Smither startles in the last row when his name is mentioned and looks around for a second. He seemed to be awake but his behaviour hints that his brain is right now trying to speed up to get the first thought moving.
"The important benefits of the friendship agreement with the Western kingdom?" I help him to the topic.
"Uh, oh..." He knows he is trapped and he has to come up with something reasonable before I let him go. He looks around, to me, and to his fellow students, starting to talk, mostly to himself in the beginning.
"Yes, well, the Western kingdom... It is Zanland."
A silent giggle from the audience tells him that he is still far from an acceptable answer.
"Uh, I mean that the benefits to the Zanland, the Western kingdom is that... that they can come here and worship Geltoech."
There are multiple gasps in the room. Smither realises that he just said something that he should not have said, but does not quite understand what it was. I keep a calm face.
"Very well," I say smiling peacefully. "I did not expect that as the most important thing, but you may be quite right. But why do you think they would value that?"
Smither is a bit relieved that he was not completely wrong and I did take his answer seriously.
"Ah, well, Geltoech is famous in the West, I have heard."
"Indeed he is. But I mean, why would they want to come here for that?"
Smither's expression tells that he clearly did not think through what he actually said, and it was just something that popped into his head for some reason. I must now play my cards carefully.
"Uh, well, there are people in Caldoria, too, who believe in Geltoech."
I say nothing, just look at him, waiting him to continue. After a pause, he does.
"I mean, there are", he says defensively. "There is this Geltoech meeting in our town, too."
I look around the class. Maybe three fourths look indifferent or surprised, while maybe half a dozen look really uncomfortable implying that they seem to know what he is talking about and that he should not talk about it.
"Oh, there is? I did not know about that." I say nonchalantly.
"Well, that's what I heard. There were posters and an invitation."
"Ah, the posters. There were posters but I took them down on Friday because it was just some practical joke. But I did go to a Geltoech ceremony once when I was in Zanland decades ago, and I must say that it was really a fascinating cultural experience. Do you know when the ceremony will be? I'd love to go once again."
"Oh, I don't know. The boys didn't tell." Smither shrugs his shoulders.
"It's quite alright."
I can now see that those who were just a few seconds ago worried look now more relieved than the others. They clearly know more than Jack Smither. I should try to memorize a few of them, so that if need be, we know whom to ask. There are at least Ethan Jones, Briallen Ranch, and - indeed - Laelia Salvai. Unfortunately students keep all kinds of secrets from their teachers, so I cannot know what it is they actually know that the others don't.
"Now that we are talking about Geltoech, I could tell you how exactly I did my journey back then. Has someone travelled to Zanland during the last - say - five years?"
Two students raise their hands.
"Excellent. Let's each of us tell our stories. You will see how much easier it is to travel nowadays when we have the friendship agreement. Let me start my story from the old days..."
This is the best part of being a history teacher. Many students are not that interested in history, because they do not understand how their own lives and their own very thinking is strictly based on what has happened in the past. To understand the presence, you must understand the past.
But even those students who don't care about understanding, value the power of stories. Their eyes light up when a good story teller shares his adventures, and you can almost imagine that you see the story coming into life inside a person and you only need to look through his eyes. Maybe stories are the natural way to understanding the world, and only some crave more analytical understanding.
I love both.
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