Young Jabba the Hutt: Classroom Management Nightmare

Zorba Desilijic Tiure was not a very kind hutt (most hutts aren’t), but the infamous crime lord loved his son Jabba immensely. And unlike most hutts, Zorba decided to let his offspring (huttlet) live outside of his brood pouch. (Although at birth they have the mental capacity of a 10-year-old human child, most huttlets remain in their parents’ brood pouches for the first 50 years of their lives.)

Due to his atypical upbringing, Jabba was exposed to acts of greed and violence at a very young age. He began to prefer these things, as evidenced by his insatiable gluttony. When not eating everything in sight, young Jabba was fond of torturing Tusken Raider children. And the more evil he became, the more he stank. A slimy discharge covered the lumpy bag of flesh, and his tongue (gigantic even by hutt standards) pulsed outside of his mouth, dripping with spit.

When Jabba was around 25 years old (of preschool age), his father Zorba needed to leave for important criminal business in Cloud City. Seeing that his son’s appetite for trouble couldn’t be satisfied, he knew that he had to leave him in trustworthy hands.

That’s when Zorba remembered seeing an advertisement for a center that worked with challenging Tatooine youngsters. He recalled that it was run by a couple of tough, but sophisticated, Tatooine Howlers. Zorba decide to leave Jabba there while he attended to his business.

Immediately upon Zorba leaving, Jabba threw a complete tantrum. He began licking other kids, writing his name on the walls in slime, and emitting an uncontrollable, bellowing laugh. The experienced early childhood educators needed to act, but weren’t sure how to connect with the angry huttlet.

They considered how they would typically deal with children of other species. The teachers knew the tantrum was caused by Jabba’s need for attention. First, they got all of the other students to a safe distance, so that Jabba would not harm them. Then they ignored his erupting laughter, withholding the negative attention he was trying to provoke. One of the Howlers tended to the other kids, while one stayed to talk to Jabba.

“What’s going on, Jabba?” asked the Howler.

“Father went to Cloud City! Father left Jabba with tusked, smelly fur creatures!” the huttlet exclaimed.

Though Jabba tried to push the Howler’s buttons, the educator didn’t respond with anger. He pressed forward, asking Jabba non-threatening questions to help him verbalize his pain and frustration. The Howler knew not to pressure Jabba to calm down, knowing that only time would help him regain control. Meanwhile, he kept a healthy distance, avoiding the huttlet’s violently swinging tail.

At last, success! Jabba eventually was able to communicate more effectively, thanks to the Howler’s empathetic listening and calm demeanor. Gasping deeply due to the huttlet’s stench, the teacher was able to re-introduce Jabba to the other students. Having “saved face,” the huttlet immediately gained popularity and social status.

Article by Jason Cunningham, EducationWorld Social Media Editor
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