Fire Emblem: Three Houses shows what makes teaching worthwhile

I do not know how these kids get by without me.

Every Saturday, I wake up. I put on the exact same uniform, complete with lace tights. (Do you know how difficult it is to be a respected professor and take student soldiers out onto a battlefield without getting runs in lace tights?) I see how much time I have to spare for myself to prepare for the week. Then, I start my walk around Garreg Mach.

I never get very far very fast. If it is the first Saturday of the month, then it feels like everyone has something new to say. I have to make time for each one to ensure they’re properly motivated. Some of it might be because I genuinely like and care about the students under my wing. Part of it could be a desire to snipe up fresh talent that is wasted under Manuela or Hanneman. I won’t deny that there’s some “collect them all” mentality at play.

Once I talk to everyone, I have a good meal. The cafeteria is pretty great, so I’ll have the cooks make something and share that food with friends. I might single out one student to cook with them, to make sure they have some survival skills that don’t involve hurting other people.

After that, it’s time to pick up litter. Do these kids constantly carry everything they have ever owned around with them? Do they feel they need agricultural surveys, art books, ghost stories, bottles of perfume and weapons at all times? Also, if these things are so important that they are dragging them everywhere, shouldn’t they notice when they drop them in a graveyard or take them to the greenhouse? Why did you bring a jousting almanac to church, Ingrid?

When I’ve finally finished talking to everyone, feeding them and cleaning up after them, then I need to make sure they are well-rounded individuals. I need to shape their lives. Week after week, I meticulously decide which classes they’ll take, who they work with on extra activities, if they fight in battles and when they take supplemental classes. Instructing automatically is never an option.

Week after week and month after month, I dedicate myself to these young people. I keep them alive. I help them thrive. It is an incredible effort. It might even seem like too much. So why? Why do I put myself through all of this?

Because every time I head into the classroom or onto a battlefield, I see the rewards. I watch these warriors develop. I care for them. It doesn’t matter if training gets tedious or it seems like I have grabbed Linhardt’s pillow for the third time. I love this responsibility. I love thinking about what could be.

I love being a mercenary/teacher/person with a possibly imaginary, green-haired friend.