Reading Aloud in Class

Wednesday. February, and the ordinary schools have gone back, which means my academy fills with grown-ups on their days off. They are just as noisy as the children and much worse at sharing.

Several have asked how much reading the final test requires. A fair amount, I tell them: scrolls, notices, a word here and there that matters. Not everybody needs to be a great reader. One or two confident ones are enough, and the rest can do the looking, the turning and the fitting-together.

The story and the hints come aloud, through the walls, in English. An apprentice who doesn’t hear well simply has a friend nearby to pass things on, and there is plenty to do with eyes and hands. This week I had a class who signed to each other the whole way through. They were the quietest class I have ever had, and among the quickest.

One more thing, for the light-sensitive: our lighting is moody, with darker moments and the odd flash. The eclipse insists.