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Class

The room filled in most seats with students. The teacher had been sitting quietly staring at her computer screen. She was average height and build for a middle aged teacher with curly brown shoulder length hair. Then she stood and said, “All right class. Good morning. My name is Miss Ursbrook.” She spoke with a hint of a German accent barely noticeable but there. “Welcome to virtual learning. I hope you will find this experience to be both exciting and beneficial. I have your assigned seating in front of me. If any would like to sit somewhere else let me know. I want to do it right away to make it easier for other students to get to know you. Also in this class I will allow for you to change your appearance and voice digitally in our environment. If you want to change your hair color or sex or what ever it is that you like. You can do it now by loading this at home to your pod and I will make it permanent. I want you to be comfortable here so your appearance can be like what you picked out to wear from your closet. It will be permanent for the year though. It is important not to confuse your fellow classmates. I will teach your entire curriculum here. We use many software applications to assist in teaching so I can do it all. So you will be seeing a lot me from now on. Are there any questions before we get started?”

Pete deciding to show off his sarcasm to the class right away said, “I wonder if it would be OK if I changed my look to my twin brother’s who I call Re-Pete?”

Miss Ursbrook replied, “Well why would you like to do that? I mean its OK if that is what you need to be comfortable, but doesn’t he look just like you?”

“Well he is good looking like me but he has a mole on his… well never mind.” He looked around the room nodding his head up and down while smiling and got some laughter. Josh, Sheri and Yancy did find it funny and joined in the laughter.

Miss Ursbrook said, “I see we have a comedian already. That did not take long. OK let’s begin then.” She started in on algebra and made her computer screen seen on the front wall of the room. “You can also view this on your desk. It is a display and can show whatever I am showing up here,” She points at the front wall. “Also, you can save snapshots if you like of the screen and they will be available to view there again if you want both here at school and your home computer so that you can prepare yourself for testing. Sometimes your desk display will be disabled for testing though. I will tell you before.”

Josh’s Mom felt everything was going well in the class so she left the room and decided to check back before starting her job later.

A couple of hours went by and the teacher was talking about reality and the virtual world they were getting accustomed to when Yancy leaned over and commented to Josh, “This is cool. I don’t get uncomfortable sitting in this chair because I am not really sitting in this chair.”

“I know,” replied Josh. He did struggled with something in this new environment though. In his analog classroom, whenever the material sounded like something he new or was boring he would look out the window and daydream about being out there. He loved being outside in the sunshine. There were no windows in this class. It had similar walls to the training program he was in. The outside view would give a dreamy creative spark to his day. Something about being in here seemed like being in a prison. He mentioned it to Yancy in a low voice.

Miss Ursbrook asked, “Something you would like to share with class Joshua.”

Josh couldn’t believe she heard him.

Pete jumped in, “That’s right he was just wondering if you were real or imaginary?”

Miss Ursbrook was caught off guard by Pete, “That is quite a question Peter but it is not what Joshua was saying. Joshua will you share now?”

Josh amazed that she seemed to know what he was saying said, “Well I was just wondering why there are no windows in here? You know to see nature and clouds in the sky.”

“They are a distraction for grade school students. You are not in grade school anymore. You can remain focused on your education this way.”

Pete tried to continue interrupting class, “What about it teach, are you real or virtual?”

Miss Ursbrook tried to brush off, “Well I am as real as any of you are in this room.”

Pete pressed her, “What about outside this room?”

She seemed to be uneasy directly answering his question but ended with somewhat of a riddle, “I would say to you. All of you are two and maybe I am too.”

Pete turned and looked at Sheri, Josh and Yancy with a frown. Had he met his match? This would require more thought before he blurted anything else out.

She said, “I think you will know yourself in time. I think maybe we should get on with class now.” She went on throughout the day subject by subject, one after another and never going back or confusing which subject she was on at the moment.

Josh stared at a blank wall and imagined there was a window with a view of a tree lined brook. He smiled, problem solved. The sun was shining bright and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The teacher spoke in a monotone voice where she occasionally raised her volume to reel daydreaming students back to the subject. He enjoyed solving problems.

It was soon mid afternoon and the day was near complete when she said, “That is all for today class. Homework will be posted to your home routers and you can connect with your computer or go back into the pod and work on it. See you all tomorrow.”

Josh watched as seats became empty all around him as students pressed their exit buttons immediately like it was a race to see who could get out of there first. Sheri turned and asked, “How did she hear what you said to Yancy? I didn’t hear it and I am right in front of you.”

Pete said, “Maybe because your ears were facing forward and hers were facing Josh or maybe she is a robot with bionic ears.” He lifted his wrist to exit.

She tried to asked Pete, “Did you hear what he said,” but before she could finish his chair was empty. “I guess I will see you guys tomorrow,” she said looking at Josh and Yancy. Her chair became empty.

Josh said to Yancy, “Later Buddy.”

Yancy sat alone, “See ya.” He stayed for a moment. He didn’t really have any reason to get back quickly, so he kind of took in the summation of the day from memory and then pressed exit on his wristband.

The room was empty except the teacher and she had a devilish grin on her face.

The upper shell of Josh’s pod creaked open and he climbed out of his casket. He went down to his kitchen for a snack. He realized he had no lunch but hadn’t gotten hungry all day until he got out of his pod. It was a weird feeling.

Dad was done work early and sat at the table, “How was your first day son?”

“Good, I’ve got homework,” he said and grabbed a glass of milk and a hand full of cookies and went to up his room.

His Dad was left wanting more details.

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