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Henry Henderson placed great importance on good manners, a good upbringing, and utterly elegant behavior, which is why he couldn't make sense of his students' behavior at all. Reportedly, the entire Class 3 had physically attacked the janitor.
Shaking his head, he looked out the window. Three names in particular were mentioned frequently in the report: Anya Forger, Becky Blackbell, and Damian Desmond.
For this reason, Henry had summoned the three of them to get to the bottom of this inelegant incident. But before the kids arrived, he wanted to read through the report.
According to the report, the entire class 3 ganged up on the school janitor after he had simply been doing his job. In addition, they had previously been vandalizing the entire school grounds and scattering piles of leaves throughout the playground.
Henry stroked his long beard thoughtfully. He wasn't used to such inelegant behavior from his students. He clasped his hands behind his back and walked back to his desk. The children were about to come in at any moment. He heard a timid knock on his door. “Come in,” he said loudly, and the three defendants entered his office.
Not a single trace of guilt was visible on any of their faces. “I assume you know why you’re here?” Immediately, the three children began talking over each other wildly, and Henry had to put a stop to this inelegant behavior right away.
“Quiet. Miss Forger, tell me what this action is all about.”
He looked at Anya expectantly. “We built houses for hedgehogs!” Anya explained excitedly. “Without a house, they could die in the winter because they’ll be cold.”
Henry thought he remembered that Class 3 had recently had a lesson on wild animals on the schedule. Henry nodded in understanding. “Okay, so why did you attack the janitor, then?”
“Because he’s a mean villain and just got rid of Anya’s hedgehog house and the others’ too!”
“Even though we told him about the hedgehogs!” Becky agreed with her friend. “We just wanted to stand up for animal welfare, and now we’re supposed to be punished for it? That’s unfair,” Damian declared in outrage.
Henry looked impassively at the angry-looking children, who were staring at him fiercely. “All right, you may go. I’ll think about your punishment later.” Amid quiet protests, the children left his office.
Lost in thought, Henry looked out the window again and watched as the children were greeted by the rest of their class. They were chatting animatedly among themselves, and none of the other children showed the slightest sign of remorse.
Even though their intention had been very elegant and noble, their subsequent behavior was utterly inelegant and could not possibly be tolerated at this school. So he had to punish the class.
He straightened his back and watched the children for a while longer before sitting down at his desk to document the incident properly and elegantly.
“Do you think we'll get in a lot of trouble?”
“What if we get a Tonitrus bolt?”
“Or get expelled from school!?”
The anxious whispering died down as Henry entered the classroom and came to a stop at the teacher’s desk. Nodding, he noted that the entire class was present.
“Thank you all for coming. As you know, here at Eden Academy, we expect nothing but the best behavior from our students at all times.”
He looked seriously down the rows of students. Some ducked their heads, while others bravely met his gaze, not feeling the least bit guilty.
“We expect the same behavior toward the teaching staff and other school personnel. Your behavior toward the school janitor was absolutely unacceptable, so each and every one of you will apologize to him for what you did.”
A murmur of relief swept through the room.
“Please follow me for the second part of your punishment.”
Startled, the students looked at one another. What could that mean?
With their heads hanging low, the children followed their teacher to the craft room. There, pre-cut pieces of wood, other supplies, and tools were already laid out on their workbenches.
“Please take your seats,” Henry told the children, and began writing on the blackboard.
He could feel the students' curious stares on his back, but he didn't let it faze him. Instead, he wrote the instructions on the board in elegant handwriting, which the children were to follow along with him as he went.
When he was finished, he smoothed out his coat and turned to the children. “Your punishment will be to build an elegant winter homes for wild animals like hedgehogs and set it up in suitable spots around the school,” Henry explained, and the children looked at him with excitement.
“All right, then, let’s get started.”
Never before in his career as a teacher had he seen his students work with such focus and enthusiasm. He knew he could count on them.
In the end, elegance was always the right approach.