"It would be, yes," El-Melloi II agreed with a darkness that suggested how fond he truly was of mage politics. They were one of the worst parts of this job, and there were an awful lot of worst parts to be had. There were lists he had come up with in his downtime about ranks and whatnot, but...no. Those were the most private of thoughts that no one would ever hear.
At the mention of helping to grade though, the grumpy professor simply shook his head to decline the offer. "You are correct that their evaluation primarily comes from individual development, along with certain rubrics for say, knowing how to string two sentences together. But because that same individual development determines the mark, there's no way for you to meaningfully evaluate the paper. You don't know them or have a measure of where they were at the start of the semester."
If Roman was worried about being too rude, that response ought to demonstrate that no, it was nothing at all in El-Melloi II's eyes. The bluntness was not charming. It didn't win him allies. How the hell this man was considered one of the most eligible professors in the Clock Tower was to be forever a mystery.
That idealism though. El-Melloi II sighed as he sank into the chair behind his desk. It'd be destroyed soon enough, and he was unsure if it was his job to do it, or to let the dreams endure for just a little longer. El-Melloi II knew the world of magi too well. He was Waver Velvet once, a more self centered version of this idealist.
"Well, that's a healthy perspective to have," he said finally, after evaluating the best way to respond. "Most magi you meet won't share that point of view. I'm sure you are aware that there is a certain territorial aspect that most mage families have, due to the goal to reach the Root."
El-Melloi II was too critical, in the end. Which meant that his nature was to pick apart, pick apart, pick apart. "Whatever this goal is, you'll need to make sure that you find enough community oriented magi, doctor. I'll be amazed to see how many you end up with."
In that, there was polite curiosity. He actually would like to know, if only for his own edification.
no subject
At the mention of helping to grade though, the grumpy professor simply shook his head to decline the offer. "You are correct that their evaluation primarily comes from individual development, along with certain rubrics for say, knowing how to string two sentences together. But because that same individual development determines the mark, there's no way for you to meaningfully evaluate the paper. You don't know them or have a measure of where they were at the start of the semester."
If Roman was worried about being too rude, that response ought to demonstrate that no, it was nothing at all in El-Melloi II's eyes. The bluntness was not charming. It didn't win him allies. How the hell this man was considered one of the most eligible professors in the Clock Tower was to be forever a mystery.
That idealism though. El-Melloi II sighed as he sank into the chair behind his desk. It'd be destroyed soon enough, and he was unsure if it was his job to do it, or to let the dreams endure for just a little longer. El-Melloi II knew the world of magi too well. He was Waver Velvet once, a more self centered version of this idealist.
"Well, that's a healthy perspective to have," he said finally, after evaluating the best way to respond. "Most magi you meet won't share that point of view. I'm sure you are aware that there is a certain territorial aspect that most mage families have, due to the goal to reach the Root."
El-Melloi II was too critical, in the end. Which meant that his nature was to pick apart, pick apart, pick apart. "Whatever this goal is, you'll need to make sure that you find enough community oriented magi, doctor. I'll be amazed to see how many you end up with."
In that, there was polite curiosity. He actually would like to know, if only for his own edification.