Wolverine is the best there is at what he does but does that include teaching? Since Schism and his disagreement with Cyclops over the mutant children in their care, Wolverine has been trying something different. He may have been molded into becoming one of the greatest killers and warriors in the world but that isn't what he wants for the next generation. He firmly believes they should be taught survival skills as well as how to best use their powers but he doesn't feel they should be trained to be soldiers.
Wolverine has been known to be one of the greatest mentors around. In the past, he took Kitty Pryde, Jubilee, Armor and even X-23 under his wing. For as much of a killer he can be, he has a soft-side to him and knows how to take care of and bring up young kids.
Since the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning opened, they've had a rocky beginning. They are moving in some radical directions in giving the students the best possible education, both in terms of their powers and a regular education. The methods that Wolverine has implemented and allowed to be used could be called into question.
With all the fun, excitement and dangers with the school, is Wolverine the best teacher there is or is he being completely reckless with the children attending the school?
If anything, you can't say the school is boring. The students have so much power at their fingertips and many have already faced huge threats. Trying to get them to stay seated in a classroom setting could be a difficult task. The majority of the students actually want to be at the school. They can see that this school could be a fun and exciting place. Wolverine isn't necessarily a by-the-books kind of guy. That could work for and against them. There are several things that make Wolverine a questionable teacher.
Wolverine is Still a Killer
Wolverine believes that there are times extreme measures have to be taken. As part of X-Force, they seek out the deadly threats against the X-Men, Mutants, the school and innocents in general. He does it so others remain safe and don't have to be faced with the dilemma of having to make hard choices.
There are two problems with this. One, a cold-hearted killer shouldn't be placed in charge of impressionable children. If they start to look up to Wolverine or think he's cool, they might believe that their powers could be use to follow in his footsteps.
The second problem here is killer bad guys could lead to associates of the deceased looking for revenge. If they come looking for Wolverine, they may choose to pay a visit to the school.
This leads to another point:
Everyone Knows About the School
On the very first day the school opened, they were attacked. This could be the biggest sign of Wolverine's irresponsibility. If he's so concerned over the safety of these young mutants, publicly opening up a school is the worst thing he could do. Part of the reason Schism occurred was over Utopia, their home and base, being targeted by a Sentinel. Opening up a new school on the destroyed remains of Xavier's school (which was also attacked many many times) is a giant invitation to enemies of the X-Men and mutant haters in the world.
Is the School Safe for Students?
Wolverine's goal is to teach the students and prepare them for the future and any incoming danger. Besides being a target for enemies, the actual school itself presents some threats. Beast has been busy trying to rewire the school and implement advanced technology. It might have been a good idea to make sure everything was running properly and wouldn't malfunction on the students.
One of the surprises was installing a Danger Room in the bathroom (and pretty much everywhere in the school). The idea of the Danger Room was to have a place to simulate different environments and dangers as part of training sessions. Now when unsuspecting mutants try taking care of personal business, they may find themselves in the middle of a Danger Room exam.
Another example of possible danger is the way some of the lessons are presented. In examining the "majestic wonders of the mutant body," students were shrunk down and journeyed inside an actual mutant body. With a lack of firm discipline over the students, keeping an eye on them while they are microscopic size and are let loose in a body could lead to bad things. Later, one of the students decides to handle a threat inside Kitty Pryde himself and is able to shrink himself down to attack the threat. This is a risk to his life plus as he's simply attacking left and right inside the Kitty's body, she is also placed in danger. The fact that he was able to so easily access the technology to shrink himself and enter another person's body before anyone could stop him raises some questions about the staff of Wolverine's school.
Wolverine is Not Always Present at the School
Wolverine is on several different teams. He's part of the X-Men, X-Force and Avengers. Where does he find the time to go on missions with each of those teams while still worry about the school's budget and curriculum?
When it came to the budget and the funding of the school, he had an idea and left with Quentin Quire. The thing is, he didn't just leave the school or the city or the state. He left the entire planet. He didn't bother to tell anyone that he was leaving or where they were going. When the school was attacked, no one had a clue where he was.
Abusing Mutant Powers for Personal Gain
As Wolverine leaves the planet on a one-on-one field trip with Quentin Quire, we might have a better understanding why he didn't tell anyone where they were going. His plan to raise more money to handle the incredible costs of running the school (and paying for the constant repairs) is to go gambling.
Wolverine takes Quentin to a dangerous planet full of high stakes gambling with the intentions of having Quentin use his telepathy to help him cheat to win.
Not only his he exposing a student to locations and situations that are inappropriate, there's also the matter of child endangerment. Quentin may be an extremely super powerful mutant but this is his first time off planet. His overconfidence and lack of experience could easily put him into extremely harmful situations. And gambling is bad, kids.
What Does This Say About Wolverine as a Teacher?
With Wolverine in charge, there won't be a dull moment. He might try to be a stickler when it comes to the rules but this is Wolverine we're talking about. He's broken more rules than he's kept. He has decades of experience to pass onto the students. When someone or something threatens the students, if he's actually at the school, he will do whatever it takes to protect them and won't be easily stopped.
Wolverine's methods might be questionable but the students will learn things they could never learn in a more structured environment. They just need to be able to survive long enough to appreciate them.
