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Post by JOHANNA WALTON on Feb 12, 2012 19:00:34 GMT -5
Ms. Walton had the best break hour, in her honest opinion. It was literally right after her lunch, so it made break seem longer and she had more time to relax. Teaching was not an easy job for anyone to do, and though Johanna loved doing it, there were times when she thought of maybe going into something else. She hadn't reached thirty yet, and to her that meant there was still time to really decide what to do. She had considered becoming a doctor, but something didn't seem quite fitting. She had yet to figure out what that was, and that's why she was sitting in the teacher's lounge, oddly enough alone. Most of the teachers spent thier breaks in thier classrooms, but wasn't the point of a break to get away from that classroom setting?
Or maybe that was just something Johanna did. Because a lot of times, she couldn't wait to get out of the classroom. One of the reasons she considered doing something other than teaching was that she was getting slightly tired of seeing the same things every day. The same room. The same posters on the walls. The same faces and bodies filling the same desks in the same rows. Well, that last part wasn't all that true. She tended to change up the layout of the desks at least once a month. It helped, but almost not enough.
Not that she would do anything drastic before the end of the school year anyways, and that was a while away. Maybe she could just negotiate teaching only one subject, because her health class made her want to pull out her hair. The immaturity levels seemed to increase in that class, and the reason why was still unclear. Maybe because there were freshman, and freshman tended to be a bit more immature because, well, logically, hey were younger. Also fresh out of middle school, which didn't help things. Middle schoolers tended to act like the students did in her one hour of health, which is why they didn't offer a legitimate health class at that level.
Honestly, it was a ridiculous thing to even agree to in the first place. There were four other health teachers. Granted, they were also gym teachers, and PE credits were just as required as health credits, but still. She was sure that they could handle it, they were just too lazy to. It actually surprised her how lazy the physical education teachers could be. Often times, they didn't even make the students do any activities at all, from what she heard.
...Okay, her mind was getting a bit out of control. So took a few deep breaths and tried to relax. That was the point of breaks. So you didn't literally pull your hair out.
Which then led her to think about how she was going to manage to pay the rent for her shabby apartment this month. To be honest, she was really thinking about moving, though she doubted she could find a better place she could afford. She hated that she felt too guilty to get money from or even just contact her estranged family. It would solve so many problems if she could just bring herself to do it. But how could she? Johanna had been so horrible to them after her parents had died.
It wasn't surprising when she found her mind wandering again. That was fine. Minds always wandered when one didn't have much to do and had a lot to think about.
[/justify] notes; ugh first posts OUTFIT
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DR. EDITH ALLINGHAM
CLASSIC LITERATURE
ADULT SHERLOCK HOLMES SHERLOCK HOLMES DORMANT
I cannot live without brain-work. What else is there to live for?
Posts: 29
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Post by DR. EDITH ALLINGHAM on Feb 12, 2012 20:33:38 GMT -5
Edie always thought her free period was the absolute best of the day, mostly because it meant that she could just parade about the school or read or do puzzles and nobody would bother her. Unless she had something stupid and official and teacherly to do, like writing curriculum or meeting with the faculty, all things that did not interest her. She was a creature of interest. She followed what was engaging and ignored what was not. Meetings were in no way engaging.
That aside, what was engaging was trying new blends of tea, and that was exactly what she was planning on doing during her break today.
The only place in the entire school with hot water that was not the student-infested cafeteria was the teacher's lounge. Edie had never been particularly fond of the place -- it seemed to be created for the sole purpose of hiding from the student body to gossip, be it about one's pupils or peers. (For instance, Edie was very much aware that she was gossiped about, and it amused her endlessly.) She found the whole business pathetic -- and, on a more rational note, she liked to stay in her room just in case a student popped in for a chat. (Few did, of course, although many did come in for advice or help on their homework. Dr. Allingham was known for being good at everything when it came to school.)
But the place did have hot water, and as Edie had a distinct aversion to the clamor of the cafeteria, it was the only place she could get it without risking harm to her eardrums.
Thus, mug in one hand and newly-blended tea in the other, Edie sauntered into the teachers' lounge and set to work without a moment's delay.
She put the tea into the tea infuser. She snapped the tea infuser shut. No more tea than necessary and no less, the strength had to be perfect or she would not be able to properly judge the flavor. The perfect amount of water was necessary, as well, and it was just as Edie was measuring it out that she noticed there was someone else in the room.
Blonde hair. Attractive, by societal standards. Looked thoroughly lost in thought.
Edie knew her. The health teacher, wasn't she? No, no, no, Anatomy, though she also taught health. Fascinating branch of science. Like physics, but for biology. The way things work. Intrinsically fascinating.
Her dark eyes fixed on the teacher. She didn't think they'd met in person.
Removing her cup from under the flow of the water, she set it down on the coffee table and put in the tea infuser, allowing the tea to steep and turning her full attention to an analysis of the woman who had drawn her attention.
Taller than her. Well-built. The shape and tone of her arms suggested she was physically fit, unsurprising for a health teacher. Well-dressed, but not too well-dressed -- she clearly had a taste for comfort. She cared about the way the world saw her, but she didn't care too much. She wasn't trying too hard on the outside. Edie liked that about her immediately.
She sat down on the coffee table next to her cup, as slight and quirky as her companion was beautiful and grounded.
"Have we met?"
Placing one elbow on her crossed knee, she cradled her face in one heavily elephant-ringed hand, watching the health teacher with an unusual intensity. ooc:OUTFIT IS ELEPHANTASTIC
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Post by JOHANNA WALTON on Feb 20, 2012 15:52:42 GMT -5
Johanna didn't notice anyone enter the room. When she was really thinking, her awareness level tended to go down. Like, for instance, she was not aware that while she had been eating lunch, a bit of the strawberry jam had gotten into the ends of her hair, the mix making it appear to be a lighter scarlet color. Never having been a really messy eater, she wouldn't have thought to check. The only thing that snapped her out of her zoned state was the smell of... tea? Yes, tea.
She looked around, first seeing the coffee cup that wasn't hers. She didn't really drink coffee or tea, so she hardly ever even bothered to get a cup out. Bottled water was good enough. And then, her eyes traveled up to the person sitting next to the cup.
Johanna knew who she was, though they never met in person. Edith Allingham. Dr. Edith Allingham. She sometimes overheard the other staff talking about her, though she never really got in on gossip. To be honest, she thought it made the teachers no better than the students, and hated gossip in all forms. It was hardly ever true, just spun up by some social spider to trap a social fly. But she didn't seem like a fly. More like... an elephant. Though not physically by any sense of the imagination. Maybe not mentally, either. That's just what she was wearing. Not the most in-depth analysis, but it's not like they even spoke a word to each other yet.
Fidgeting in her chair uncomfortably, she remembered why she didn't like being stared at. It made her feel exposed, as if one look could give them all your secrets. Which wasn't logical, but Johanna's instincts wouldn't listen to her or reason.
"Have we met?"
"I don't think we have," she said, attempting to act normal. This wasn't a government interrogation. Just a simple question. Reaching out her hand for a shake, she introduced herself. "Johanna Walton, Anatomy & Physiology teacher, though you probably knew that." Which was a stupid thing to say, because she didn't know why she was so nervous all of the sudden. Or why she would think she would know that already. Unlike Dr. Allingham, Johanna was hardly ever the topic of staff gossip because she was just so... bland. She preferred it that way, though.
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DR. EDITH ALLINGHAM
CLASSIC LITERATURE
ADULT SHERLOCK HOLMES SHERLOCK HOLMES DORMANT
I cannot live without brain-work. What else is there to live for?
Posts: 29
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Post by DR. EDITH ALLINGHAM on Feb 29, 2012 19:54:43 GMT -5
For all of her odd mannerisms, Edie was oddly polite – or, at least, she thought so. Though she could occasionally make snarky comments, there was nothing about her that was particularly socially awkward or unacceptable; borderline, perhaps, what with her combat-boots-and-dresses approach to fashion as well as to life, but never particularly rude or uncouth unless she wanted to be. And that was why, though she kept her eyes fixed on the blonde woman across from her, she did not move any closer. She knew her stare was invasive enough.
She studied the woman, analyzing her appearance. There was a bit of red ink on the knuckle of her right pinky finger – she must have been grading papers before coming to the teachers’ lounge. Probably tests – judging by what Edie knew of the Anatomy curriculum, there were not many extensive essays that would merit such a stain. The blonde teacher didn’t have a cup with her, something that seemed to be standard gear for most teachers, which meant she probably didn’t drink coffee – few other teachers in the school drank tea besides Edie – and that she probably had her own drink, most likely water, sitting around somewhere else. The woman also had a bit of jam in her hair, just at the tips, Edie noticed, which seemed to be out of character with the rest of her personage and everything else she had managed to hear about Ms. Walton. Curious.
Regardless, the jam was a crimson color that made the ends of her hair appear light red, meaning that it was either strawberry or raspberry. Edie drew on her knowledge of jelly: 80 percent of all jam production was centered around nine popular flavors, the two most popular being grape jelly and strawberry jam. These were followed by grape jam, red raspberry jam, orange marmalade, apple jelly, apricot jam, peach jam and blackberry jam, in precisely that order according to general preference. It could only be red raspberry or strawberry, and statistically, it was more likely the latter. So the jam in her hair was probably strawberry, which the color supported. Red raspberry would have been a little darker, had a little more purple to it.
Then why, Edie mused, had she gotten jam in her hair? It was clear from her appearance that Ms. Walton was not the type to go getting food in her hair and not noticing. She must have been rather deep in thought to allow such a thing to occur without taking note of it. Very deep in thought indeed.
And that made Edie insatiably curious.
"I don't think we have.”
The woman reached out her hand toward Edie, and the English teacher raised her eyebrows for a moment before taking her hand and shaking it firmly in response.
“Johanna Walton, Anatomy & Physiology teacher, though you probably knew that.”
Ah, yes, that was the name she had been looking for. Johanna Walton. Yes, she knew that name.
“I do,” she replied. “Edith Allingham, though you know that already.” She could see the look of recognition on her companion’s face. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Walton.”
Unable to help herself, she continued to analyze. She had heard good things from students in their little side conversations, but that did not count for much – often, lazy teachers were revered as gods by the students simply because they did not assign much work. However, she somehow did not interpret that from Ms. Walton. The fact that she possessed the stain on the knuckle of her pinky implied that she was grading closely enough to acquire said stain, something that would not be present on the hand of an inattentive teacher.
Finding her interest piqued by this young woman, she leaned her head against her hand and said, smiling mysteriously, “What were you thinking so hard about while you were eating your lunch, Ms. Walton?”
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Post by JOHANNA WALTON on Mar 3, 2012 4:48:43 GMT -5
Johanna was on edge. Not that she saw the obviously smaller woman as much of a physical threat, but it was her business to keep her business her business alone, and the quirky English teacher seemed to be threatening that. She very much felt like an open book, but there was an unexpected sort of trust within the unrest. Security within the threat. It was odd, but Johanna sort have felt something pulling her to befriend the woman she just met and exchanged very few words with.
Indeed, she had been grading tests earlier. Grading was her least favorite part of teaching, because some students never failed to disappoint her. She honestly thought that her students would do fine if they put even a minimal amount of effort in her class. Of course, she hadn't noticed the pen mark, either. Her life outside school was commandeering her train of thought and barreling through everything else.
"Pleasure to meet you, too." anatomy teacher didn't notice the raise of the eyebrow as Dr. Allingham shook her hand. No, she was pretty focused on the elephant rings. Funny, Johanna wondered if the woman was one of those people who remembered everything. She had seen a piece like that on 60 minutes. Honestly, no one ever really forgot anything, it was just a matter of whether or not they could consciously access it.
She took a drink out of the water bottle sitting next to the leg of her chair, and nearly spilt it as she put it back down. The question took her by surprise, even though she knew Edith Allingham had been judging her this whole time. She just didn't think that she would know about her thinking about her life at lunch. Just... how could she tell? Johanna hesitated, then replied honestly. "Just about the rent, and whether or not I want to continue teaching. And immature students." Unable to resist, she added on a question. "How could you tell?"
[/justify]
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DR. EDITH ALLINGHAM
CLASSIC LITERATURE
ADULT SHERLOCK HOLMES SHERLOCK HOLMES DORMANT
I cannot live without brain-work. What else is there to live for?
Posts: 29
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Post by DR. EDITH ALLINGHAM on Mar 3, 2012 20:58:37 GMT -5
Edie couldn’t help but smile a little bit at the look on Ms. Walton’s face. Shock. Awe, even? She loved that look. It fed her ego, which she had, though she would never admit it. This was why she liked analyzing – or, rather, the part of it she liked. Sometimes, seeing everything, perceiving everything, was both a blessing and a curse, but she liked it the best when she was being flattered for it.
And Johanna Walton could flatter her without saying a single word.
It was the look. The look, oh, goodness, she loved it when people gave her that look. It made her feel like some sort of demigod.
Demigods, of course, weren’t real, but still. It was a nice feeling to have. She hadn’t had many friends, not many people to gawp openly at her cleverness, so anytime someone did, it was rather refreshing.
Johanna would have been absolutely right to assume that Edie remembered everything. She did; well, almost everything. Important things, she remembered. Of course, “important” to Edie Allingham was a relative term – there were things that she didn’t remember or just didn’t know because she simply didn’t find them relevant. Like the Copernican system. She didn’t know it. She didn’t think it was important. What mattered was life, all its interesting little intricacies, its little quirks, idiosyncrasies – she liked them. Like the fact that there were 243 different types of tobacco ash. That was interesting, important stuff.
"Just about the rent, and whether or not I want to continue teaching. And immature students."
Ah, honesty. She liked that. It was a very good trait for a person to have, one that was surprisingly hard to find. Few people were so open about what they were really thinking...it was...well, it was pleasant. It made her smile.
“I’m assuming that paying the rent and immature students might be two of the reasons you’re considering ending your teaching career,” remarked Dr. Allingham, leaning back a little. She reached over to her teacup and moved the infuser a little, distributing the tea. “I’m not very good with immature students. They typically end up in the hallway. I’ve little tolerance for it.”
Ah, and then came the good question. Edie smiled.
“Well,” she began, and took a deep breath before speaking. “It is clear from your presentation and posture that you are an attentive woman. And I have heard from the students that you are a relatively dutiful grader, as is evidenced by the small red stain from your grading pen on the knuckle of your right pinky. But you have a bit of jam in your hair...strawberry, I’m guessing? A woman like you clearly is not the type to go getting jam in her hair and not noticing, so you must have been very deep in thought, indeed. That you did not notice me when I first came into the room only fostered this assumption.”
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Post by JOHANNA WALTON on Mar 26, 2012 7:25:57 GMT -5
"Of course," Johanna remarked. She wasn't sure how much longer she could go without smacking a kid, getting fired, and probably never having an okay job ever again. Maybe she could become a doctor. She had the knowledge. It would only take a few more years of college and medical school and... Who was she kidding? As much as she had always wanted to be a doctor, she doubted she would be able to tell a patient if they only had 3 months to live because a tumor she had missed burst.
But she was getting distracted.
Looking from the wall back to Edith Allingham, she shrugged. "I don't want to treat them like little kids, even if they act like them. And if they're outside, they definitely can't learn anything. After that, it's hard for them to be active about getting caught up." You couldn't force teenagers to stay after school for tutoring, and parents tended to take offence to her calling and reporting that the child they raised was acting... well, stupid, to put it frankly. Twiddling her fingers a bit, she hoped this didn't make her seem weak. Johanna wasn't weak. Every time she rearranged her classroom, she moved the furniture herself. She could shoot a target right in the head without fail. Which, she was getting distracted again.
And then Johanna listened, her eyes widening as she pretty much explained how she had read her like an open book. At first, she thought that maybe she was just kidding or making it up, that she had seen that she had a strawberry jelly sandwich for lunch, so she looked at her hair. There was the jam, and Johanna knew she hadn't been in here while she was eating lunch. "Strawberry..." she murmured, amazed and completely taken aback.
When the English teacher was done talking, she breathed. "That was amazing," she blurted. "I mean... She wasn't sure how to regain her lost composure. Her mind was racing with questions, some more unintelligent than the others. What did her students say about her? How did she guess it was strawberry? It could have been raapberry after all. And mainly, if she could observe and conclude that much, why was she just an English teacher? She could solve crimes and mysteries, like in the stories Johanna read when she got some free time.
After all, the woman seemed like she could relate. To Johanna Walton, Edith Allingham was her own kind of mystery.
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DR. EDITH ALLINGHAM
CLASSIC LITERATURE
ADULT SHERLOCK HOLMES SHERLOCK HOLMES DORMANT
I cannot live without brain-work. What else is there to live for?
Posts: 29
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Post by DR. EDITH ALLINGHAM on Jun 11, 2012 19:32:16 GMT -5
Edie smirked. “Of course.” She was already intrigued by this woman. Easy to read, and yet she was...hardly reacting the way that most people did to her deductions. Even when Edie tried to be discreet or inoffensive, she always seemed to end up pissing someone off with her assumptions about the lives of those around her – more often than not, not because she was wrong, but because she was right.
Still, an Anatomy teacher, why? Why not a doctor, or a surgeon? Why an Anatomy teacher, why a Health teacher? That was the real question. Why was this woman here?
She asked herself those questions about a lot of people. However, usually, they were asked because she wanted those people not to be there. It was a different story with Ms. Walton. She was earnestly interested, instead of dismissive.
Her dark eyes rolled slightly at the comment. “If they act like children, they should be dealt with as children,” she said quickly. Then she blinked, considering what the woman had said and tipping her head slightly to the side. “You have a point, of course. I suppose you’re more patient than me. I grow easily bored with tolerating bad behavior from my students.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not here to babysit them, I’m here to teach them. And they should know that.” Of course, the students who did try to make Edie babysit them were often the ones that were kicked out of her class, and often the ones that spread horror stories about what a horrible bitch she was. She wasn’t a bitch. She just had a very low tolerance level for stupidity. “By the way,” she said, “it doesn’t make you seem weak to say that. It probably makes you a better person than I.” Her smirk was slightly self-deprecating.
However, the self-deprecation quickly faded in the wake of Johanna’s earnest amazement at her deductions. She seemed confused – almost pleasantly surprised. “You think so?” she asked, raising her eyebrows. “...thank you.”
It wasn’t the response she was used to, not at all, but it was considerably more pleasing to hear.
Ah, she reminded herself, but she’ll soon grow tired of your knowing everything. Most people do. They grow tired of you, and then they leave. That’s why you’ve never had any friends.
Yes, well, shut up.
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Post by JOHANNA WALTON on Jul 4, 2012 14:25:14 GMT -5
To be honest, she had been taking a few online courses over the summers to attempt to get some sort of medical degree, but obviously she would have to go to a legitimate medical school, and she doubted that she could afford it. Especially since she would likely have to quit teaching in order to make time for it. So at the moment, she was kind of stuck.
Johanna nodded and shrugged a little. "I suppose...." Had she heard any horror stories about Dr. Allingham from the students? Well, she didn't generally listen to them talking, but some voices did carry above others when she allowed them to talk. But she hardly remembered hearing anything strange, though did her students have her as a teacher? Perhaps; Anatomy & Physiology was an advanced science course and she was sure the obviously intellectual teacher taught advanced English courses.
“By the way,” she said, “it doesn’t make you seem weak to say that. It probably makes you a better person than I.”
Johanna was distracted and shook her head. Wait, had she read her mind? Telepathy wasn't eactly scientific, but Johanna was starting to doubt logic at this point. "I think... I feel like I have to be patient and kind of deal with it, you know?" She probably did, seeing as the woman knew practically everything, which wasn't a bad thing to Johanna, just a curious thing. "Anatomy and health are kind of easy-to-joke-about courses." If she had a dollar for every penis joke cracked in her classroom, she would be able to afford the rent at her apartment and probably a nicer one, at that. The thought made her roll her eyes a bit, and sigh.
Johanna was actually surprised at Edie's... was that surprise, too? She didn't strike her as the type, to be honest. She smiled anyways, as if to say 'you're welcome', not offended at all. Merely amazed. She would never grow tired of intelligence, no matter what scale it was on.
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DR. EDITH ALLINGHAM
CLASSIC LITERATURE
ADULT SHERLOCK HOLMES SHERLOCK HOLMES DORMANT
I cannot live without brain-work. What else is there to live for?
Posts: 29
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Post by DR. EDITH ALLINGHAM on Jul 29, 2012 22:55:12 GMT -5
Dr. Allingham received mixed reviews as a teacher. Many agreed that she was exceptionally talented at her job: she was, after all, certainly an expert in almost every field of literature, incredibly well-versed in the art of literary analysis, and an exceptional writer and editor. However, she was also known to be exceptionally strict. When she gave a deadline, she expected it to be adhered to. When she gave work, she expected it to be done. She had high expectations of her students, and she made it very clear to them on the first day that her course was rigorous, with a heavy workload and very high expectations. After that first day, she always had a few students drop out. More than anything, it pleased her, unlike it might other teachers -- for Edie, seeing those students drop out of her class told her that not only was she free of a few more idiots in her life, but that the rest of the students were resolved in their decision to take her class.
As a disciplinarian, she was equally unforgiving. She did not tolerate goofing off in her classroom -- you paid attention and you shut up when she was talking or you went to the office. Dr. Allingham had a one-warning policy; if she tells you to pipe down or cut the crap, you do it, because she shouldn't have to tell you twice. She treated her students like adults, and she expected them to behave as such.
However, she was also remarkably unconventional. Her classes took frequent field trips and were interspersed with numerous unusual and fun activities and projects. Edie hated to be bored as much as her students did, so the verdict on her was largely that she was completely mad and strict as hell, but her English class was the best most students had ever taken.
And that was something she was proud of.
She hadn't heard much about Johanna's reputation -- she held little interest in the other teachers, as they didn't often approve of her. In comparison to the other teachers, Dr. Allingham was...avant-garde, and it wasn't something all of them approved of. Still, Johanna seemed oddly intrigued with Edith.
How...interesting.
She smiled just slightly, a dry expression that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Of course, I understand," she replied, head tilting upwards slightly. "It's why I would never teach such a course. I have very little patience for immaturity. In general, my tolerance level for stupidity is remarkably low...yours is, in fact, remarkably high." She took a sip of her tea cautiously, swished it over her tongue thoughtfully.
"I should move," she mused, changing the subject rather abruptly. "My current flat is...mm, small. Too small. I need more space for my books...my equipment. My things." She seemed almost to be talking to herself, eyes focused on her tea, but it was hard to tell.
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