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Sasha's Interview

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Simon: I think criticism can help people, if it's constructive and encouraging. It's part of my job.
Sasha: Hey Simon. I have a favor to ask, and I'll try not to insult your intelligence.
Simon: Yeah?
Carl: Sasha.
Sasha: Can I borrow your car tomorrow? I have an interview at a daycare center.
Simon: Sure! I hope it goes well.
Sasha: Thanks. Based on my track record, I'm not counting on it.
Simon: You have solid experience with childcare, right?
Sasha: With like, one or two kids at a time. Not sure how I'd handle fourteen of them at once. I'd probably end up tied to a chair with jump ropes.
(Carl is climbing on Sasha and has his hand on her face)

Critical Thinking

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Lily: It's HER problem. She hasn't EARNED her students' respect. She depends on their submission and obedience, so if anyone EMPOWERS them, it messes up her process.
Simon: I only heard ONE student's side of the story. Maybe it's more complex than that.
Lily: Could be.
Simon: Besides, it's harder than it looks to keep order in a classroom. I don't want to give the students permission to disrupt ALL their classes with unrelenting arguments. I just want them to think CRITICALLY about what they're taught - maybe go home and look it up for themselves.
Lily: That impulse is likely squelched by the mountains of required assignments.

The Problem With School

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Lily: The problem is, the whole school system is based on obedience and control. The kids are forced to be there, and YOU'RE the prison guard trying to make their captivity a positive and useful experience.
(panel with Simon teaching people in a prison cell)
Simon: Well, THIS is helping my confidence.
Lily: No, hear me out. I'm sure you're a great teacher. You don't ACT like a prison guard, and that's good. But if you accept the fact that you've been placed in that role, maybe you can sympathize with the apathy and rebellion that the system inherently encourages.
(one of the students in the prison cell says "Why do I even have to be here?")

Freedom in Education

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Simon: So you think school shouldn't be required?
Lily: It's complicated. My mom always said I could leave school if I wanted, and she'd homeschool me. But not every family is set up to deal with that. I CHOSE school. So I wanted to hold my teachers accountable for making it a good experience.
(Students are watching Spongebob in a classroom, Lily says "Hey, I'm trying to get an EDUCATION here!" )
Lily: Some people are so used to school being forced on them, even in COLLEGE when they're PAYING for it, they'll let their teachers slack off and they'll be HAPPY about it.
(A teacher says "No class for the rest of the semester." Students say "WOOHOO!")
Lily: Some amount of freedom is integral to motivation, because if you feel no agency in your life, why would you try very hard to do ANYTHING?

That Which Does Not Kill Us

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(Spencer is carrying a toilet into his house)
Lily: They say what doesn't kill us makes us stronger, but that means we're getting stronger every day until we die, and nothing can ever WEAKEN us short of death. Or, anything that weakens us is slowly killing us. Maybe we are always simultaneously dying AND getting stronger in response to everything. Thus, strength is perseverance ? it's the very ACT of living itself.
(Spencer puts the toilet down)
Spencer: So carrying a toilet doesn't count for anything? I feel like I deserve some credit here.
Lily: Good work, Spencer.

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