The Oven

I don't think that Simon got the opportunity to finish his education mostly because for the timeline that we know of Iron Lung he must have been imprisioned when he was around 17 years old, and adding the whole cult vibes Eden has going on I don't think the station was invested in the education of their kids beyond refining their qualities as soldier.

I also think that Simon is interested in understanding better how the universe works so he would be able to create his own conclusions and not depend in the word of someone else. In addition, I think he would want to learn about how human life was in Earth before the Quiet Rupture, after all he never step foot in Earth, but he is fascinated by it.

Grace of course accepts him in his class, he even finds him a table and a chair to sit, and a notebook and pen, and he treats him as any other sutdent. However, this leads to Rocky and Adrian, and even some members of the scientific eridian community wanting to be part of the class, since now that they know that Grace also teach adults certain barrier has been broken and Grace just seems unable to say no.

Extra:

The pebbles are the one who behave best, Rocky and other eridian scientists are usually asked to leave the classroom for bad behaviour; they are always picking fights with each other, arguing about theories and hypothesis until they get to out of hand, making Grace have to ask them to leave the classroom until they have reflected of why they were acting wrong.

Adrian, who sometimes is part of the fights mind you, also had the bad habit of making questions without filter, asking things that scare the pebbles or gross them out, or are just beyond their comprehension, or directly has nothing to do with the topic they are talkin so Grace have to do his best to answer and calm the pebbles or just ask Adrian to ask him after class.

Silly bloodymary meme. Plus rocky using some words of encouragement he learned from the Portable Earth thinking machine.

Not that I don't like touch starved Grace yearning for connection, I'm just basing this on when Rocky first came onto the Hail Mary. Like imagine Simon just following him around, not wanting to be alone now that he's around another person who's kind to him again (after being in prison for however long and, you know, being sent to die in a blood ocean) and meanwhile Grace is like hey, I'm glad you're not panicking anymore but can you let me work please. Just has to deal with the same shit all over again after Rocky's entrance but this time it's weird in a new and original way because this guy is human.

Also idk maybe Simon not just being around him but being kind of touchy as well, like using touch as a way to remind himself that this is actually real and Grace doesn't mind necessarily but after being isolated for so long (and not being super social even when he was around other humans) with the only other person around being unable to physically touch him it would probably be a lot.

When are we getting a comic of Laika having found her way to Erid??

Image shows Laika the dog that went to space