abstract
| - In many ways, Battle School was like a typical school on Earth. Children took basic classes for mathematics and other studies. In a many more ways, Battle School was very different. The classes were more advanced. Every child in the program were Earth's most intelligent, so that the slowest child at Battle School would be top of their class on Earth. The classes also had a distinct slant towards military topics, such as battle strategy and military history. If one chose, they could take a class in self defense. Students were allowed to do various simulator games, in the game room and on their personal Desks. The most significant of the games was the Mind Game, or the Fantasy Game. Its primary function was not to learn strategy and tactics, but to evaluate the psychology of the player. The Battle School students, coming from many different ethnic backgrounds, developed their own slang derived from their diverse native languages. They still had to speak a shared language, International Fleet Common, but over time, certain native words became one of the only parts of their culture that was evolved from the children themselves. (see List of Enderverse slang) The children dwelled in a highly structured environment, and were chosen specifically for their special abilities to function well within the circumstances of Battle School. As a result, discipline remained high, yet creativity was mostly suppressed. There were at least 650 students in Battle School during the events of Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow.
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