<em>Sylvia heard the bell ring, and promptly began class. As their first class of the new school year, she only recognized a small handful of students. She was a proactive, progressive teacher, and she felt like a slave to the desk as she sat behind it. Sylvia stood up, pushed out her chair and walked in front of the desk, and sat down on a bare area of the wood.</em>"Hello everyone, I'm Miss Llanas. You might have known me last year as one of the subs, but I got promoted, so instead of Sylvia, just please call me Miss Llanas."<em> When she saw some confusion on their faces, she wrote her name on the board in delicate cursive, 'Sylvia Llanas'.</em>"My last name is Hispanic, you don't pronounce the L's, like llama, the animal. Just say 'Yamas'. But this is English class, not Spanish, so enough of that then."<br/><br/><em>Sylvia reached behind her desk and pulled out that red nerf ball some of the students had seen last year. She smiled as she threw the ball to the young Asian kid. </em>"Tell us your name and one of your hobbies, and throw it to someone else. Then that person will do the same. Wash, rinse, repeat, okay?"