my thoughts you can't decode; closed.

Anton walked into his classroom, messenger bag over his shoulder, his neck and half his face covered with a dark gray and black plaid scarf, and a large thermal mug of coffee in his right hand. He was not ready to be back in this hell hole. He loved his job but there was no way he would ever be happy to deal with a two hundred teenagers that could care less about what happened a few hundred years ago in Europe. With any luck though this year would be better. He place the coffee on his desk, set his bag in his chair and loosened the scarf. Until the room warmed up some, he would not be taking off the scarf or peacoat. He would, however, be writing out this morning's lesson plan on the white board behind his desk. He had just over fifteen minutes before school officially started and he knew his students would wait until the last second to walk in.

@ typhlophile

[just realized I used the wrong character pic when I made the thread but keeping it anyway because what's done is done, don't mind my thoughtlessness]
@ MarryTheNight

For whatever reason, Monday morning Derek woke up an hour early and fully energized for the day. Something told him this year was going to be a good one. He smiled at himself in the mirror once he'd dressed - his favorite red plaid shirt and some comfortable jeans. Downstairs, Derek scarfed down a bowl of cereal. Derek didn't have his own car yet, and waiting around for the bus to come would bore him to death, so he decided to take advantage of his head start and walk to school. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he hustled out the door and down the several blocks to the school. It was a twenty minute walk and pretty chilly, but his jacket and slight excitement kept him warm. It wasn't much warmer inside the school building, but Derek took his jacket off anyway and tossed in his locker. He walked into his first hour class ten minutes early. Derek smiled towards the teacher, the only other person in the room, and took a seat near the front, adjacent the door.

[Haha, you fine! I just figured you chose someone else last minute. :p I didn't bother me.]

Anton was surprised when there was actually a student that walked into his room early. He was impressed. Maybe this would be the year things perked up? Here's hoping, he though and downed the last of his coffee. He sorted through the papers he had on his desk until he found the roll for his first class. He grabbed a pen and looked up at the student that had taken a seat at the front of the room. "What's your name?" He asked, feeling a little awkward with the way his voice filled the room. he would be happy when there were a few more students in here to stop that. He marked the kid in attendance and and stood, grabbing part of a stack of papers on the corner of his desk and started placing them on every desk in the room. He did not remember how many kids he would have in this class to the best be was to put one on every desk. Besides, chances are that they would all still be there when class ended.

@ typhlophile

@ MarryTheNight

The sudden break of silence startled Derek as he settled in his seat. He looked up and answered quietly, "Derek Stein." He blushed at himself for being so awkward about it. Due to the fact Derek had never had this teacher before, he didn't know the man's name. He felt foolish for needing to ask so he just kept quiet. He grabbed a book from his bag and started reading it while he waiting for the other students to get to class. It didn't take long for everyone to file in, filling to room with noise, mostly towards the back of the classroom. Derek put his book away and waiting for further class instructions.

When the late bell rang, Anton stood and walked to the front of his desk. "First thing's first," he said, "Everyone needs to move as far forward as you can." He waited for the groans and complaints to finish and everyone to follow his instructions. "My name is Mr. DeCota and you may refer to me only as that." He said and started to pace. "Rule number one in my classroom is to treat everyone with respect. I don't care who your father is, just do it. Rule number two, absolutely no late work will be accepted. Rule three, make an effort. Why are you even going to show up if you don't make the effort?" He paused for a moment to look over the class. "That being said, I will be here Tuesdays and Thursdays for to help with anything I can. Are there any questions?" Anton scanned the class once more, raising his eyebrows.

@ typhlophile

@ MarryTheNight

Derek adjusted himself in his seat and leaned forward slightly as everyone moved into different desks. He smiled as Mr. DeCota announced his class rules. Nothing too complicated. Mr. DeCota could easily become Derek's favorite teacher. Derek noted the slight accent Mr. DeCota had. He liked the way he pronounced his vowels, and the way he small in a voice that almost seemed too deep. By the end of the class hour, Derek had concluded he would come to school early every day. The classroom atmosphere was a great start to his day today and he figured he might as well keep it that way. When the bell rang, Derek waited until almost everyone else had left before getting up from his desk and swinging his bag over his shoulder to walk to his next class.

Anton spent the rest of the class period going over the syllabus and the course schedule for the year with minimal interruption from the few trouble makers he had. When the bell rang he reminded his students that they would be having a pretest tomorrow and that everyone would need to bring a pencil. He sat back behind his desk and watched as students shuffled in and out of the room. He readied himself for the same spiel but with a younger group of students. He would be happy when tomorrow came. There would be more variation in what would be happening. He rifled through his bag and pulled out a breakfast bar, happy that it was nearing his usual eating time. Anton was a fan of food and had no problem admitting it. Lucky for him, he had a high metabolism and a penchant for an evening run.

@ typhlophile

Anton spent the rest of the class period going over the syllabus and the course schedule for the year with minimal interruption from the few trouble makers he had. When the bell rang he reminded his students that they would be having a pretest tomorrow and that everyone would need to bring a pencil. He sat back behind his desk and watched as students shuffled in and out of the room. He readied himself for the same spiel but with a younger group of students. He would be happy when tomorrow came. There would be more variation in what would be happening. He rifled through his bag and pulled out a breakfast bar, happy that it was nearing his usual eating time. Anton was a fan of food and had no problem admitting it. Lucky for him, he had a high metabolism and a penchant for an evening run.

@ typhlophile

[Skip to mid-term]
@ MarryTheNight

It didn't take long for Derek's go-get-em early mornings to become a hassle. His homework load began to build and build, keeping up late every night. Ironically enough the class he was struggling the most in was his first hour history. Staying up all night to finish work made him exhausted in the mornings. He had the worst time trying to pay attention in class and he often dozed off during lectures or videos. Derek's mother wasn't at all please when he brought home his mid-term paper with a D+ on it and that's why his mother was driving him to school - so he could get to the guidance office and sign up for tutoring. When Derek got to the office, he waited to be called in only to be told that there were no available history tutors left. Derek sighed when he walked into first hour. His only option left was to ask Mr. DeCota if he would be his tutor. Nobody was in the classroom yet so Derek approached the teacher's desk, "um Mr. DeCota?"

Anton quickly grew tired of the antics form most of his classes. This was the worst part of his job. My the time midterms arrived, most of his students were either failing or just barely passing with a C or D. The worst part about that was that very few of those students even made the effort to stay after school so that he could help them. He even missed the student that started out the year arriving early. Derek had become a happy fixture in the mornings, then he stopped showing up and his grades slipped. Anton was half worried drugs were involved. At the end of the day, he sighed and sat back in his desk, eyes closed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was so ready for break. He looked up when his name was spoken. He was surprised to find Derek standing in front of his desk. Sitting up, he asked, "What can I do you for?"

@ typhlophile