Should the X-men be teachers?

[Triniking1234]

As others have said, the problem isn't the CONCEPT so much as it is the EXECUTION.

Certain characters have no business being in front of a classroom, at least as a full-time job (I could see Logan being a guest lecturer in a history class, for instance, but never a permanent faculty member). The sliding timescale makes this even more problematic because you have characters aging at uneven rates (X-23 is now apparently roughly the same age as some of the New Mutants) or being outright frozen in time, leading to teachers instructing kids who may only be a couple years younger than themselves (there's certainly young teachers out there, but rarely THAT young).

My vision would be no sliding timescale. SOME characters become teachers at the school when they retire from the field, while others go on to occupations outside the school, but could still contribute in other ways.

Well written. It's obvious that as mutants develop their own community that they'll need teachers but it's difficult to execute with how the Big 2 comics work.

Without the time issues X-Men could've been like My Hero Academia where the teaching staff rotates to fit the classes.

[GigaBalls]

Honestly, Logan should just be a trainer for combat and survival, anything else is just weird for me. The guy is a drill sergeant from the army or a black ops operative, what is he going to know about running school?

Guy has wisdom beyond almost anyone else in the X-Men. He's been around 200 years, he's seen and lived through things no one else in the X-men have. He might not be a math or science teacher. But the guy speaks multiple languages has called multiple countries home. He has knowledge of cultures that no longer exist, guy was around before slavery was even abolished. He could easily be a history or language teacher.

[Wind Rider]

I don’t have a problem with them being teachers, but I don’t think they need to/should be. I think some characters are better suited in greater roles on the world stage (Storm, Cyclops, Emma Frost, Rogue) vs a teaching or admin role at a school.

[Gambit, King of Thieves]

Guy has wisdom beyond almost anyone else in the X-Men. He's been around 200 years, he's seen and lived through things no one else in the X-men have. He might not be a math or science teacher. But the guy speaks multiple languages has called multiple countries home. He has knowledge of cultures that no longer exist, guy was around before slavery was even abolished. He could easily be a history or language teacher.

Well, he could be a history teacher if he actually remembered any of his past.
But language I can see, although I feel like Laura would do a better job teaching and she's just as qualified, although maybe not old enough at this point.

[Ambaryerno]

Guy has wisdom beyond almost anyone else in the X-Men. He's been around 200 years, he's seen and lived through things no one else in the X-men have. He might not be a math or science teacher. But the guy speaks multiple languages has called multiple countries home. He has knowledge of cultures that no longer exist, guy was around before slavery was even abolished. He could easily be a history or language teacher.

Knowledge doesn't equate to ability. Just because you KNOW something doesn't mean you're able to effectively pass that knowledge on. Teaching is about far more than that.

[TheCape]

Guy has wisdom beyond almost anyone else in the X-Men. He's been around 200 years, he's seen and lived through things no one else in the X-men have. He might not be a math or science teacher. But the guy speaks multiple languages has called multiple countries home. He has knowledge of cultures that no longer exist, guy was around before slavery was even abolished. He could easily be a history or language teacher.

Yes, but Logan doesn't really has the patience teacth that, he is a good mentor/trainee, but has zero patience for schoolwork stuff, still it was kind of hilarious when he was teaching a class about the tactics of Ninja Masters

[TheCape]

Well, he could be a history teacher if he actually remembered any of his past.
But language I can see, although I feel like Laura would do a better job teaching and she's just as qualified, although maybe not old enough at this point.

After House of M he does rememeber it

[Beetle]

Wolverine threatening to disembowel students with his claws should probably disqualify him from ever being around children

[Rover]

I'm actually a huge fan of the idea. Having some characters become mentors is a great way to show how they have grown over the years. And it's an opportunity to have some moments where the characters share important messages with the younger generation (about growing up, self-acceptance, etc).

But the teacher thing is very rarely handled right imo. It's an aspect of the x-books that would benefit from a stronger editorial involvement, maybe by having a clear timeline of how people age. And becoming a teacher shouldn't be a default option for X-Men. It makes sense that they need teachers since the mansion is meant to be a school, but they should show X-Men who get careers in other fields, and maybe introduce some new background characters who are human teachers at the mansion.

I wish they would bring back military-type training (maybe not for all the students, but it would make the x-books a little more realistic if it's implied that some of the students receive specialized training for missions). That's a role that would make sense for a lot of the older characters and it's something that would be interesting to explore beyond showing a few danger room sessions.

[CRaymond]

So I guess I'm surprised that there are people who feel *all* X-Men should be teachers, much less considered qualified.

There are those for whom teaching is a passion, like Emma Frost. There are those who are just natural mentors, like Wolverine. There are those who have the gregarious nature and applied wisdom that makes teaching a practice, like Nightcrawler... or Magneto. There are those that have a big brotherly relationship with younger mutants, like Gambit. There are those that have shown all those qualities in the Deadpool film, like Colossus.

But I sure as hell wouldn't trust teaching to a great many X-Men. Many are unstable, many are damaged, many are far too inclined to violence... like Cyclops.

That all said, I feel the school environment is an important element of the X-Men's brand, and to pitch all that in favor of paramilitary adventures is cynical and boring. Others have said it's execution that's held it back, and I agree. Claremont preferred a boarding house with a single teacher, Morrison had almost a hundred Morlock teens living at Xavier's, Aaron went for irreverence, etc.



If my opinion was asked by X-editorial, the boarding school environment would be HOW the X-Men manage their population of rescued mutants. Regardless of missions and operatives, Xavier's would be a sanctuary, with only 20-30 students at a time. There'd be a bigger swath of ages too, from pubescent new mutants to older mutants who need training as well security. They'd spend their mornings in classes focusing on communications, conflict resolution, and creative pursuits... their afternoons in mutant training classes like flight, precision, and combat application... and while the students sleep, the school telepath uses Cerebro to teach the boring stuff like arithmetic, biology, physics.

Mutations would also be separated into general disciplines, something I'm surprised hasn't happened already. Students would learn mutations are usually a blend of two or three, and multiple mutations can sometimes occur. Elementals have power over environmental materials and forces, Psychics have mental "interface" powers, Transmorphs can alter their physiology into other things, and a Perk would be a rather simple mutation that substantially enhances baseline physiology. Wolverine's healing factor is a Perk, Beast's body and mind are a Perk, Colossus is a Perked Transmorph, Storm is a Psychic Elemental, Dust is an Elemental Transmorph, White Queen is a Psychic AND a Transmorph. Cyclops's energy projection would be described as a Dynamo, and Iceman would be an Elemental Dynamo. Jubilee's protoplasmic generation and pyrotechnical displays make her a Psychic Dynamo. Lastly, weird stuff like teleportation, time distortion, and reality warping would be thrown in the catch-all term of Aberrant. Nightcrawler is primarily an Aberrant, but has multiple mutations that classify themselves as Transmorph and Perk. Phoenix is a Psychic that bleeds into the Aberrant realms.

I've obviously put too much time into this.

ANYWAY, you'd end up with Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus and Beast teaching the day school fun stuff while Emma handles Psychic classes and the heavy lifting while everyone sleeps. Dudes like Wolverine and Cyclops would be best kept to rescue operations as "recruiters".

I wouldn't even try to find a place for Kitty or Rogue, they're better as straight superheros. Someone might say the same about Storm... but I see her essential struggle being the standard bearer for Xavier's simple optimistic philosophy in an increasingly complex world. It makes her THE central character in a brand that umbrellas a lot of personalities.

[Dante Milton]

No the X-Men shouldn't be teachers, because most of them are not qualified to teach. I like the idea of a mutant school, but I would want it to be separate from the X-Men base, not used as a recruitment farm, and properly staffed with qualified educators. Some X-Men could be involved in teaching the students how to use and control their abilities but not to teach actual classes.

[kevlon]

No the X-Men shouldn't be teachers, because most of them are not qualified to teach. I like the idea of a mutant school, but I would want it to be separate from the X-Men base, not used as a recruitment farm, and properly staffed with qualified educators. Some X-Men could be involved in teaching the students how to use and control their abilities but not to teach actual classes.

This.

Are any actually qualified to teach? The government should close the school down.

[yogaflame]

Claremont's Storm made it very clear in X-Treme X-Men that she wasn't interested in teaching. I think the X-Men are best as a superhero team. You can have your Professor X's and Headmistress Frosts running their schools, but that's not the main point and that's not what most of the X-Men should be doing. X-Men are trained to be badass superheroes to save the world. That's what they should be doing. Human-style education (and it's trappings like homework and boarding school uniforms) doesn't even make sense when you can telepathically have any knowledge or skill uploaded into your mind. Academia is the dusty past. Mutants represent the transcendent future.

[yogaflame]

This.

Are any actually qualified to teach? The government should close the school down.

There have been a couple funny stories with inspectors trying to accredit the schools(Gen X and the Jean Grey Schools). They certainly do not meet the flatscan's specifications(nor should they).

[Strong Girl Daken]

As a teacher myself, I really like the idea that the option to become teachers one day is open for students and we can see that happen. It works particularly well when the school becomes a big part of the character. I think running the school has worked best for Cyclops and Emma, and also Kitty (more so for the Jean Grey school; it makes sense that she is headmistress in Gold but that book handled the school poorly). Storm and Wolverine... not so much.

The school concept needs to be kept but with some radical changes. The mansion shouldn't be the only school. Start schools in other cities and in different types of spaces. I can absolutely see Storm starting some kind of institute but her version should look and feel radically different than Xavier's school.

Also, characters who aren't teachers can still be guest lecturers, tech leaders, guidance councillors, mentees in the field/apprenticeship.

The X-men should always pay attention to philosophies of justice and ethics. Schools are a good place for that but limiting "school" to a classroom at Xavier's mansion is reductive.