Looking forward

[alt_sinistra]

As promised, 5th and 7th years, I am extending my regular office hours as you continue to review for your upcoming exams. A schedule of chances to practice charting with the projection stones (or outside, if the weather allows) is also posted. If you need additional time, or the scheduled times don’t work for you, please let me know, and we’ll find a time that does.

In addition, I have my own list of topics we’ll be reviewing in class, but please let me know about any areas where you would like additional time or conversation.

7th years: I am also reminded by a chat last night that many of you are looking ahead to life after Hogwarts. I do know of a few possible apprenticeships requiring good results on the Astronomy NEWT exam, but I also sometimes hear of others, and plan to do my usual asking around at the next Astronomy Guild meeting. If you are considering future plans, do let me know your interests and I’ll be glad to see what I can do to put you in touch with people with related positions.

My other years: please do be considerate of the exam year students. I am of course always glad to help you, or to discuss astronomy, but for the next month or so, do need to give priority to exam-related questions during office hours.

Comments

Private message to Gilly Chadwick

[alt_sinistra]

Gil -

Keeping my promise and checking in. It's harder than I hoped being back, and I hate how much my frustration and exhaustion kept bubbling over during hols themselves. (On that note, Tosha came and fiddled with my wards, and that, at least, is helping more than I thought it might. Tell Delilah if you would?)

I keep thinking back to last week, the two students I mentioned I'd seen. They - they're smart young women, and practical, not just brainy. They got pretty close to the truth on their own. It was so very hard talking about it (I can see your eyebrow go up at that understatement, but I did manage to duck out and hold onto my shreds of dignity when they named names.)

Part of me knows they're young. That there are things they needn't know about me, about Madam Headmistress, about their housemate. And then there's the part of me that won that night, that says that when I was their age, Alcor asked me if I'd be his successor. That remembers you working so hard to find your current orbit. All the other people, sure they knew what they needed and wanted.

And ... I won't dim the brightness of their stars in the sky. I'd never have told them if they hadn't asked, but they did. Guessed at a lot of it. And even while some of what I said sounded so feeble and so selfish (and probably is), at least talking is better than silence. Holds more hope than silence.

Maybe.

Re: Private message to Gilly Chadwick

[alt_sinistra]

Also, look. I know you're reading a lot out of Hogwarts these days, because of me. I - Miss Jones. That essay, Sunday. I just keep coming back to it. Or that horrible thing from Miss Parkinson. (She is not normally like that, I promise.)

You know that's not how I think, right? Not about you, not about Dai, not about your Juniper. Not about my students who are halfbloods. It's - it's so hard to figure out what to do about it, outside the little personal things. And I know you'd tell me, if I could do something specific.

It's just such a waste. How long it took you to find something that really uses your brains and how precarious you feel it is. Dai. The other stories you and Sigrun have told us. And I hate that that kind of - Hogwarts should be the place where the people who can be of use, can do good things, can be found and developed. We're not, right now, and it's getting worse and worse.

What surprised me a little is - there's more variation, among the Council, than I'd have thought. They fought for things to be like they are now, of course. But it's not black and white. They had different reasons, different bits they care about. Lots of planets around the sun. Similar, and yet not the same.

I'm saying this badly. I remember our school years and how it was different Never mind.