Judy energetically plopped down into her seat near the head of the class. Her senior year had finally arrived; just one year left, and then she could start pursuing her passion. As she was looking around the room for mammals she knew, she gave a terse gasp as she saw a red fox enter the room and walk to the front, behind the desk. He wrote his name on the board.
Mr. Wilde.
Oh great, a guarded portion of Judy's brain reflexively thought. Another fox to cause trouble in my life. Judy's eyelids lowered a bit, and her ears flattened back against her as as she saw Gideon and his ferret friend Travis enter the room as well.
We're off to a great start! Judy's mind sang sarcastically.
"Morning, class, welcome to homeroom," Mr. Wilde said easily, flipping a piece of chalk. "Welcome to your senior year at Westburrow High. My name's Mr. Wilde, just moved here from Zootopia last year."
A brief look of awe struck Judy. Zootopia! That's where she had to go. Where anyone could be anything... including a red fox becoming a teacher, she thought wryly. Mr. Wilde took attendance in a perfunctory way.
"Now, you may know that nothing big really ever happens on your first day of school, and I'm not one to buck tradition," Mr. Wilde grinned. "But... it is your last year of high school. So, we might as well talk about some of your goals for when you get out of this cage, huh? Anyone want to tell me what they're going to do after high school?" A few hands raised, but Judy's paw energetically shot up. "Yes, the gray and white bunny in the front... Judy, says here."
"I'm going to become a police officer!" Judy got out of her seat and stood straight up proudly, already imagining herself wearing the blue uniform of the ZPD.
"Ha! She's still on that?" Gideon chuckled and slapped at his knee. There were a few other laughs, and Judy grit her teeth within her closed mouth, sitting back down. Mr. Wilde's easy, smirking face did not look in any way phased by the answer.
"A police officer bunny, hm?" Mr. Wilde replied, clasping his hands together, then pointing his forefingers at Gideon. "Now, Gideon, would you be so kind as to tell us why you think this is a ridiculous idea?" Judy's mouth hung open a bit in surprise and a bit of disgust, and when she pulled it shut again a bit of her lip curled up in distaste.
"Bunnys're small n' weak," Gideon shrugged. "Everyone knows that. Even if they got a mean kick, ain't gonna top a horse's kick, thats for sure. That's why there ain't even any bunny sheriffs in Bunnyburrow! Y'let a big mammal get loose and they get all shook up." Judy sighed in annoyance. He'd never change. "Oh, and Mr. Wilde, may I say what a pleasure it is to have a fellow fox as a teacher?"
"Save the flattery for when you forget a homework assignment, Gideon," Mr. Wilde said coolly. This surprised Judy and she tried not to laugh. "Does anyone else want to weigh in on why Ms. Hopps can't be a police bunny? Yes, Travis, next to Gideon."
"Well, I just think it's something animals our size can't do, y'know?" Travis looked a bit pensive, brushing a hand through his head fur. "I mean, a ferret like me can't do it... we're too small to be real cops, and too big to be rodent cops."
"Size concerns, okay, something we have to worry about," Mr. Wilde rubbed his chin. "Now... how about someone tell me why Judy here could become a cop? Anyone?" Judy cocked an eyebrow, wondering what Mr. Wilde's game was. She looked around the room to see no hands, feeling her stomach sink a bit. But, after a moment, Sharla, her black sheep friend, timidly raised her hand. "Sharla, if you would?"
"Judy's really brave n' kind once you get to know her," Sharla said carefully. "She'd make a great cop. Plus, she wants to go to Zootopia, where anyone can be anything..." Judy flashed her a grateful look, and Sharla waved humbly.
"Okay!" Mr. Wilde clapped and rubbed his paws together. "Looks like we're going to have a lesson on the first day after all. Sorry, kits and kids." The fox chuckled to some of the student's groaning. Mr. Wilde energetically slashed at the board with his chalk. He wrote out "ANIMAL STEREOTYPES", before tossing the chalk over his shoulder. "So! Who can give me some? How about we let another fox take this? Yes, you to the side... Vivian? What are some fox stereotypes?"
"That we're sneaky, untrustworthy," Vivian said evenly, her face showing perhaps that she'd been called some of these. Her eyes tilted down a little, then she looked back up. "And for females, that we're sleazy and unfaithful..."
"Yes, exactly right," Mr. Wilde nodded. "Now, have any of you had a fox teacher here before?" A lot of heads shook. "No, that's right, you haven't. Because foxes are seen as untrustworthy on the whole. Who'd trust their kits to a fox so they could teach them? Even teenagers? They'd probably end up as delinquents, right?" Mr. Wilde scoffed, putting his hands in his pockets. "But, as a brief bit of backstory, I learned from the Junior Ranger Scouts that you have to fight against those stereotypes, or else you'll be doomed to fall victim to them." Judy's expression softened a bit. Mr. Wilde was more complicated than he first appeared. "That's why I wanted to become a teacher of older teenagers, really. What this world needs is more open minds, more people willing to fight to do what they are driven to do. Sharla!" Sharla flinched dramatically at the teacher's sudden attention. "What are some sheep stereotypes?"
"Um...!" Sharla was caught out, not prepared to be called on at random. "Th-that we're meek, that we're followers and have no backbone."
"Is any of that true to you?" Mr. Wilde folded his arms.
"I'm kind of shy, I don't like to get into confrontations..." Sharla admitted.
"What do you want to do with your life, though?" Mr. Wilde pressed.
"Uh... I kinda wanted to be an astronaut...?" Sharla had a 'sheepish' grin on.
"But Sharla," Mr. Wilde shook his index finger at her. "An astronaut is a leader, a pioneer. They brave the dangers of space to bring us information about how this universe works. A meek sheep couldn't do that. So, if I hear about Sharla, the first sheep in space, what does that say about you?"
"That I'm uh... not a stereotype...?" Sharla shrugged.
"Exactly," Mr. Wilde nodded. "Really, none of us fit our species stereotype to a T. So, here's what I want to know. Why do they even exist? Anyone?" Judy kind of wanted to answer to dazzle him with her knowledge, but she had to admit she wasn't exactly sure. All she knew is she hated most bunny species stereotypes. "Here, let me give you a hint. Officer Hopps!" Judy flinched at this, jarred out of her thoughts. "First thing that comes to your mind when you look at me. Go!"
"Uh..." Judy hesitated.
Mr. Wilde snapped twice. "No, no thinking! Say it!"
"Predator!" Judy shot back. Her ears felt a little warm; some part of her felt shame at saying that.
"Ah ha, we're getting to it," Mr. Wilde nodded sagely. "Back in the stone ages, as predator and prey, we had to know something about each other just at a glance. We had to know if we were friend or foe; if we could be trusted or not. Obviously, the first thing a prey has to know about an animal is if they're a predator, and vice versa, yeah?"
"But... we're not like that anymore," Judy frowned. "We've evolved."
"Socially, yes, but those tendencies still remain," Mr. Wilde nodded. "Heck, my Junior Ranger Scout pack was all prey animals. They initially didn't even want me in their troop, but the Scout Leader forced me in, to use as an example. So, bias. Still exists today, people, whether we want it to or not. Will we ever get rid of it? Don't think so. Is it always bad? Not always. But mammals react to it differently." Mr. Wilde walked over to Judy's desk. "Officer Hopps, don't think I didn't see how you reacted when you thought that I was against your becoming a cop. That vicious defiance. That's good stuff." He smirked. Judy brushed her ears back in a bit of embarrassment, giving a tiny, nervous laugh. "So biases like that can galvanize, out of a sense of wanting to prove them wrong. But how about someone like you, Sharla?"
"Huh? How about me?" She wondered.
"What if someone told you every day that a sheep girl like yourself didn't have what it took to be an astronaut?" Mr. Wilde titled his head.
"Well, uh, I know that's not true, because Judy's always encouraging me that I can reach for my dreams," Sharla gave her a smile, which she returned.
"But without Judy, and if everyone was telling you you couldn't..." Mr. Wilde made a continuing gesture by rotating his wrist.
"I'd be... discouraged, I think, maybe not wanna do it...?" Sharla admitted.
"Right," Mr. Wilde sighed. "Biases can be harmful too, especially when you use them against others with the aim to degrade." Mr. Wilde shot a pointed look at Gideon, who winced a bit. "Even if it's self-degradation." He looked at Travis with a glance more like pity. "I guess the moral of the story is, don't let anyone tell you what you can't be. I'm a fox teacher, after all." He chuckled smugly. A bell rang shrilly. "And, I am out of time. Catch you guys tomorrow. Maybe we won't learn anything tomorrow instead so we can emulate the first day of school."
Judy aimed a smirk at Mr. Wilde as she headed out of the room.
"Officer Hopps," Mr. Wilde tilted an invisible hat at her. "See you tomorrow."
"See you, Teacher Wilde," Judy said in a somewhat coy voice.