FadedMoonlight
Level 60
When it comes to Karakura Academics, there is no name more brought up in the household than that of Allen Black. From the man’s gnarly surfer-dad look, to his incredible skill in holding classes three times a day every day, something Karakura Highschool struggles to do even when the entire teaching division of the faculty are combined. However, one teacher has risen above and has decided to take it upon himself to help Karakura High’s understaffed classrooms and empty faculty rooms. Allen Black is a man who needs absolutely no introduction when you’re a Karakura student, his name itself brings about only good vibes and comfort to those who have interacted with him even once.
Allen is the type of guy you see in preppy High School dramas, except for the fact that he is real and provides the Hollywood ending that everyone wishes they could have in their school days. He’s the type of man that you aren’t afraid to go to when the going gets rough, when life becomes hard to bear. Sadly, he’s also one of the few Karakura High teachers that read the contract, stating that they did indeed have to show up for work.
Allen Black, a man who completes his quotas and goes well above and beyond, why does he do it? Personally, I believe that Mr. Black doesn’t care about his quota, nor does he care about the big envelope of yen that he is paid at the end of each month. Because Mr. Black has some assignments that have really piqued my interest. If you’ve ever attended one of Mr. Black’s classes on a Monday or Friday, you’ve more than likely received an assignment that asks you to write about your weekend, whether that be past or future. I’ve watched Mr. Black as he’s read each and every assignment that’s been handed back to him, I’ve seen him smile as he turns the pages, feeling both pride and joy as he reads each and every line. Even when I was feeling down, Mr. Black assured me that my days would improve, and that’s what set me on my quest in pursuing journalism. Truly, Mr. Black cares about each and every student that walks through his (new) doors. Mr. Black hardly cares about the paycheck, the paycheck doesn’t matter to him as much as the journey his student’s are going on means to him.
Mr. Black’s impact on Karakura High has been incredibly substantial for both the school itself and the students that dwell within. If you were to ask anyone about Allen Black, chances are you’ve heard some pretty good things about him. It’s no secret around the school that Allen Black is the fan favorite, even winning Prom King for the Winter Formal! (You know he won, SLT. Give him his true glory.) He’s a fan favorite when it comes to the student opinion, even befriending many students, including myself. Don’t believe me? Go ask any of your friends or peers about Mr. Black.
To prove this, I decided to interview a few students. First, my step-sister Aya Tominaga via text message as she could not make it to school today, she’d make a good Karakura High teacher!
Marilyn:
"So, Aya. This is my second interview and let me be honest: It's an interesting concept to do this over text. Anyways, it's great to have you. Please tell me your general opinion on Mr. Black."
Aya:
"Hi! Pleased to be here, my general opinion on Mr. Black is that he's great! he's really funny and a great teacher, i enjoy his classes!"
Marilyn:
"Mr. Black is funny? How often does Mr. Black make you laugh, Aya?"
Aya:
"He makes a lot of jokes in class that really adds onto his lessons, it's cool!"
Marilyn:
"It sounds like Mr. Black is worth over nine-thousand smiles and over nine-thousand laughs. What do you think about his assignments, Aya? Too easy? Too difficult?"
Aya:
"Well I think they're average, not too easy, not too hard, they're fun!"
Marilyn:
"Do you think the 'fun' factor adds to the lessons that Mr. Black teaches? Or are they more of a bonus?"
Aya:
"I think it adds to it! It definitely makes me more engaged, probably other students too!"
Marilyn:
"I'll keep an eye out for him, and peers do include your friends by the way, Aya. If you could say anything to Allen Black right now, what would it be?"
Aya:
"I'd probably tell him to do more classes, and that he's my favorite English teacher in the whole school! :D"
Marilyn:
"Certainly, thanks for your time, Aya!"
Aya is quite optimistic about most things, which definitely make it easy to talk about fun topics such as her favorite teacher. Which just so happens to be Allen Black. She also said that Mr. Black makes his classes fun! Which definitely adds to the value that Mr. Black’s classes provide. But, what about someone who is more well versed in English literature? Well, for my next interview I set up a short conversation with Arisu Mishimi, an author for Karakura’s library.
Marilyn:
“Thank you for joining me, Arisu. As a fellow author, you must like English Literature, correct?”
Arisu:
“Yes, I do!”
Marilyn:
“So, you must like our current English teacher, Allen Black. Right?”
Arisu:
"Yeah I think he's a really nice person, and definitely one of my favourite teachers here."
Marilyn:
“What would you say your favorite part of Allen Black's classes are?”
Arisu:
"Hm… that’s a good question. There are a lot of things to like, but I guess I'd have to say my favorite is when he gives us really fun writing prompts.”
Marilyn:
“Do you think that Allen Black encourages our creativity?”
Arisu:
"I think so! While his assignments usually have a minimum of one paragraph answers, he has never put a maximum to my knowledge. I think he genuinely enjoys reading things his students write and seeing what they can come up with."
Marilyn:
“Recently, there have been significantly less classes being held, do you think that Allen is helping combat that issue, or is he actually working WITH the issue?”
Arisu:
"Why would he be working with the issue?”
Marilyn:
“Well, perhaps him holding so many classes is causing more harm than good. Not my personal opinion, just throwing a random thought out there.”
Arisu:
""I see... Well, if he didn't host as many classes, that would leave an even bigger hole- there's been a real big shortage on the number of people hosting classes lately, so anything helps While he may gain an extra bonus in his paycheck, I definitely don't think he's doing anything to intentionally create the issue. It just wouldn’t make sense, you know?”
Marilyn:
“I agree. And if you had to make a personal statement to Allen Black, what would it be?”
Arisu:
“I’d say Mr. Black is one of the best teachers I’ve ever had, really!”
Arisu really had some good things to say about Mr. Black, certainly more than enough to prove my point that just about anyone you pull out of the hall will tell you that Mr. Black is one of the best teachers to ever grace this school. Arisu also wrote a book for the school library called Greving Genji, it’s quite an amazing read, and I recommend checking it out as soon as possible!
According to both people I had interviewed, Allen Black’s classes seem to be of much higher quality than what few other classes Karakura High School has available. Allen goes far above and beyond to ensure that not only are his students are learning, but also having a fun time in doing so. During the final period of each day, Mr. Black will more often than not take his class to the roof garden. This gives way to a sort of ‘recess’ as well as a much more relaxing break where we may socialize with those who joined the class with us. It’s a wonderful opportunity to practice socialization in a place that is calming to most people. Allen isn’t only excelling in English, but human interaction as well.
Do you think Allen Black is the best teacher in Karakura? Be sure to let him know on his onrain account @AllenBlack, I’d also recommend attending one of his classes if you have the chance, they are (for the most part) some of the most entertaining classes Karakura High has to offer. If you ever see Mr. Black in the hallways, remember that this is the man who carries the entire school on his back.
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