Nancy Kelly31 said:And when is the math remedial scheduled for those students enrolled in religious studies? I would be absolutely incensed by such a "solution"... ☕ It carries the implicit suggestion that children in religious education are somehow more intellectually gifted than their peers—as if these poor souls require extra help, while the others are apparently sharp enough to grasp everything on the first try. 😛
Have you reached out to the main office over at Cathedral Hill yet to see if anyone would dare organize something productive for the non-religious students? Otherwise, they’re just stuck staring at a hallway wall, contemplating the grim fate of those who founded the first >s.
I really appreciate how every single one of your posts on this thread manages to showcase the true depth of your "love for humanity and concern for the youth." 🙂
silentraven6 said:I’m going to find out today if my teacher is actually going to follow through on her offer to give us some extra math tutoring. 😁
silentraven6 said:NASA mentioned today: "That's part of my scheduled hours."
I really need to pull her aside and ask how that actually works. And yeah, she made it pretty clear that things will stay this way again this year, because they do a great job and actually enjoy the extra work—plus, she noted it's an opportunity reserved specifically for students who don't take religious studies. Apparently, the whole setup is going to change next year.
I'm dying to know how they'll pull that off.
Well, a decision was finally reached at the school level regarding our scheduling. It turns out that this time around, they’ve officially aligned the math tutoring sessions with the period when part of the class is away for religious studies. It’s all been formally integrated into the master schedule and logged as an official subject in the digital gradebook. This means everything is above board—the teacher is being officially compensated for the extra time, and there aren't any awkward gaps in the daily timetable.
This is honestly the first genuinely positive thing I’ve seen happen at our school, and it feels like such a refreshing break from the usual mediocrity. Of course, the IT teacher is clearly putting a massive amount of effort into this, though if I’m being honest, I think the sophomores might still be a little too young to fully grasp the scale of his projects!
In any case... 👍 Cheers to our school for making this move! 🥂
I honestly don't get what you're expecting from an American Catholic religion class. Freedom of thought? Open debate? Not really. You're expected to learn the prescribed doctrines with the same level of unquestioning certainty you'd apply to basic math. Have you actually looked at the textbook or the curriculum? One of the main reasons I decided not to enroll my child in those classes was because I didn't want to spend my evenings listening to a bunch of nonsense and misinformation at home, let alone having to help her memorize it. For instance, she once sat in on a single session and came home asking this "deep" question about why Jesus has five wounds but only four thorns. I just told her, "I have no idea, and frankly, you don't need to know either since you aren't officially in the class."
Now, she’s actually having a blast during that period. At least once a week they get to borrow something from the library, draw, or just play around. Yesterday, she told me that during their library hour, she was pretending to be Hermione and casting spells—apparently, they had the best time ever.
James Alvarez2 said:Trying to juggle class schedules with childcare and religious ed is a total nightmare when everything overlaps. Honestly, if we just cut the religious studies out of the mix, we wouldn't have this headache... 😬
Well, looking at the situation, 1) Every single grade level was enrolled in the after-school program last year. 2) This year, they’re still all in the program, but since there’s one less teacher available for supervision, they’ll be sending "delegations" from one class over to the other three groups.
I wouldn't say the after-school factor was the dealbreaker here. By the way, everyone has English as their primary language. Everyone is on the morning shift. They all use the same school building. No one has any special elective subjects that would complicate the master schedule. And honestly, back during enrollment, it was already clear who was signed up for religion and who wasn't. ...
In my experience here in the States, we aren't looking at a tiny 5% of first graders opting out of religious education; it’s closer to 30%. It’s actually quite significant when you think about it. If you look at four different first-grade classes, you could easily consolidate them into one single group where nobody attends those lessons. But, of course, that would leave some students without two hours of scheduled class time... and we all know whose interests really take priority when it comes to our school system. So, instead of making any real changes, they just let everyone have a two-hour gap in their schedule twice a week.
analogseal18 said:A decent enough post. At first glance, it seems solid, though upon closer analysis, I find myself questioning its depth.
To successfully file a tax return, one simply needs the basic reading comprehension skills acquired in elementary school; there is really no need to squander precious academic years obsessing over such a triviality. The concept of taxation is something children grasp quite easily if they bother to read the fine print or engage in discussions with their parents regarding household finances; if they don't, well, there is always civics and economics, subjects taught in half of all American high schools anyway. As for how to vote—even those who sign their names with a thumbprint understand the mechanics, and the poll workers at the precinct will guide them through it without much trouble. The true dilemma lies in deciding *for whom* to vote. Developing a genuine political stance demands significantly more intellectual labor and reflection than any classroom curriculum could ever provide, and frankly, any attempt to suggest a specific candidate feels like an intrusion on privacy or a blatant move toward indoctrination. Is there anything else concerning banking? This feels somewhat forced... while students learn about simple and compound interest in school, true comprehension of monetary policy remains elusive even for many who have graduated from top-tier American universities with finance degrees. It brings to mind a certain high-ranking Democratic official—I believe he was an Assistant Secretary at the Treasury—who openly admitted to carrying a mortgage with a Swiss bank. How does one apply for a loan? One can simply ask the clerk at a Chase teller window. But how to accurately assess risk—and let's be clear, we aren't talking about just one single risk factor—is a question many finance graduates still cannot answer. And buying a car or a house? Oh, that is the easiest part of all. You Google it, ask some acquaintances, or drive down to a local dealership. However, one must first actually earn the money required to afford those things in the first place.
Your point actually reminded me of this year's IRS instructions on how to file a tax return, and honestly, looking at how much the average American citizen actually managed to grasp from them...
I'll be the first to admit that even someone with a high school diploma would probably struggle to make sense of our government's complicated paperwork...
What exactly constitutes an "expert" in this field? From what I’ve been able to gather, our local educational "experts" seem to be in total agreement on one thing: they can't agree on anything at all. 😂
Honestly, reading this official's statements makes me feel like they truly believe we’re all just incredibly naive. I’m practically waiting for him and the Governor to spin this entire protest as some sort of enthusiastic endorsement of their supposed reforms 🤦 At the end of the day, it's just business as usual 🤮
redridge13 said:Look, I actually know a handful of people who went straight from nursing school into medical school and actually made it through but let’s be real—we’re talking about people who had the grades and the bank account to get into pretty much any university they wanted 🙂
plus, those vocational medical programs were never just three-year stints anyway
Okay, look—like I mentioned before, I'm not entirely sure how long the curriculum lasted, but you still had to take entrance exams just like students have to pass the SATs today. So, what's really the big difference? With the SATs, you can apply to four or five colleges at once, whereas we had to carefully coordinate our schedules so none of the exam dates overlapped, all while paying individual fees for every single entrance test.
You know, looking back, I’m honestly not even certain if you could have even applied for med school straight out of a vocational nursing program. Certainly not with just any random certificate—especially if they were offering those shorter three-year tracks. You really had to nail those entrance exams, much like how intense the SATs feel today. Back then, those students hadn't spent four years grinding through those specific core subjects, so passing those tests was an uphill battle. It was a similar story with business degrees, too. Students coming from the four-year vocational business schools struggled to get into university programs because their math wasn't quite where it needed to be, and if you were coming from the three-year commercial track, getting into a university at all was basically out of the question. Generally speaking, kids from traditional high schools usually had the foundational knowledge to breeze through the entrance exams, just like how high school grads handle the SATs now. I think things are actually a bit better today, though; I believe you can pass the required exams even with a shorter vocational background now, which used to be a massive hurdle. I might be slightly off on the specifics there, but I think there was some talk about changes being made to that system.
I honestly just love it when someone reminds me so eloquently—and without holding anything back—exactly why I don't feel any sense of solidarity with the protesters... 🙂
wanderingbadger44 said:The reason you might not see it clearly now is simply because when you're a kid, there’s a certain freedom in having zero expectations placed upon you. That’s not what an inspection is meant to be. If you actually hold people accountable, they just end up running straight to their parents, and the complaints always seem to land on the people trying to fix things, regardless of how much they're actually contributing. Neither the kids nor the parents mind the lack of productivity, so I’m glad we’re all on the same page here. 😉
wanderingbadger44 said:Most people don't even blink at it, though there are those who realize it’s a flawed system that shouldn't be applied to adults, let alone children. Everyone else just assumes it’s perfectly fine simply because they see it working in the real world, but honestly? It's a total illusion.
Quincy:
It’s almost as if parents don't actually want to see their paychecks grow while their workload shrinks, which honestly seems like a strange way to look at life.
So, when things don't go their way—like if someone refuses to bump up their salary even though they're doing way more work than originally agreed upon—who exactly are they turning to for help, and what kind of actual recourse do they have? I'd love to see a concrete example where that kind of logic actually holds water; please, show me a case where that mindset isn't just wishful thinking, but a proven strategy for success. Quincy:
Students should probably be praying that someone comes along to drain their very souls and sip their blood through a straw, especially when they lean on that old logic where God knows five, I know four, and you’re stuck dealing with whatever is left over.
Give me the hard data.
Do you have any idea what the average GPA actually looks like for kids finishing middle school? Honestly, only God knows. 😬
It feels like watching someone try to build a skyscraper out of playing cards, where every tiny gust of wind threatens to bring the whole ambitious structure crashing down. kaže: I've been wondering lately what exactly qualifies someone to earn those kinds of accolades or recognition. $1.75 It makes me wonder about the actual pay scales for school security guards and those who look after kids in our buildings—is the compensation truly fair given the weight of that responsibility? I don't mean this to be an insult, but rather just a logical conclusion drawn from what was actually said.
That’s exactly it. Only a fool would take offense at that, and let's be honest, there are plenty of those running around among us. Some people might try to get poetic about it and call them Don Quixote, but I prefer a more grounded perspective: we’re essentially just glorified babysitters. We spend our time tailoring reviews to suit whatever order comes in, because if we didn't play along, we'd find ourselves facing nothing but trouble.
Quincy:
If you aren't willing to stand up and fight for your own profession, then nobody else is going to step in to do it for you. Honestly, I feel like the first real step toward making a change is walking away from the union you’re currently in, because right now, they act more like an extension of the status quo than anything else, essentially just reinforcing the very system that keeps us stuck.
Honestly, why should I feel the need to fight for some noble calling? At the end of the day, I’m working for a paycheck, not to chase after some lofty set of ideals. Feel free to judge me all you want.
It’s a simple matter of value and necessity; if a parent truly finds themselves in need of their child, they will make the effort to invest in them, because when you don't pay attention to someone, it's clear they aren't actually a priority in your life. It works the same way with society at large—when a community decides that education is a fundamental requirement for its future, they will fund those schools and pay the costs, and in return, they reap the benefits of a well-educated citizenry.
Come on then, let’s hear them—go ahead and share your stories about getting laid off. 😁 It feels like you could search every corner of this country from New York to LA and still never stumble upon a single decent mathematician, physicist, linguist, or computer scientist. Honestly, we really need to start bringing some real talent to the table.
Hold on a second, it feels like you're actually asking us to step in and do all the heavy lifting for you. 😁
It feels like nobody actually wants to work in education anymore, unless they simply don't have any other viable career paths available to them. You end up left with those who stay in the field only because they’ve reached an age where pivoting to a different industry in this economy just isn't a realistic option.
I honestly feel like restoring the dignity of this profession matters far more to parents and students than it does to me personally.
I honestly don't understand why we're still going in circles on this thread about people just trying to minimize the headaches and friction in their daily work lives. Why should anyone go through the stress of constant conflict? They do it for the sake of social good, or some grand educational mission, or lofty principles and dignity—all that high-minded stuff that sounds great in theory but doesn't actually put food on the table or pay the mortgage. Personally, I'm not about to ride into battle for Truth and Justice if the cost is my own mental health and sanity. At the end of the day, I care less about the next generation than most of you seem to, and I'm perfectly fine with that. Feel free to keep bickering all you want. 🕺
I have the ability, the drive, and the actual know-how to get my job done right. If I'm not given that opportunity—if you make it difficult for me or create unnecessary friction that leads to nothing but burnout and constant stress—then I’ll simply find a way to work around those obstacles just to stay sane. That’s really all there is to it.
And then, once again, when the teachers go on strike for the XYth time to get a tiny percentage increase in Y, there will be those same old pleas: "Parents, please stand by us; we are looking out for your children's future." Should we collectively side with the Persephones of our school system? I wonder why, in those appeals, they don't just call us "mommy and daddy" in a condescending way.
I find it quite fascinating how some people don't seem to grasp the fundamental reality that their paychecks are essentially funded by tax dollars—money that their own parents have already contributed through the taxes they pay to ensure society functions. In a sense, their parents have already "paid" for them to fulfill their responsibilities. If someone truly lacks the desire to perform their duties, why on earth would they insist on staying in that role? Oh, and I almost forgot—we’ve already established that getting them fired is basically a Mission Impossible scenario, haven't we?
wanderingbadger44 said:Did you somehow miss the addresses for the College of Arts and Sciences or Harvard University? And honestly...
Anyway, the School of Law has already implemented entrance exams. 👋 I really hope the better high schools follow suit soon. Then you can all hang those inflated straight-A reports you squeeze out of kids like they mean something. 😁 Between parental pressure and student demands, things have spiraled into total absurdity; there are so many "honor students" now that the title has lost all meaning. And through all the whining about how hard it is for underprivileged kids and how the curriculum is too heavy, we've lost any sense of distinction between a solid student and a truly exceptional one. Because at this point, everyone is supposedly perfect. 😁
Are we parents really the problem just because we push for top grades!? Honestly, I don't know how some people manage to flip the logic like that. The issue with grade inflation was caused by the school system, not the parents. The system scrapped entrance exams for high schools but failed to introduce a single objective grading standard or any meaningful oversight for teachers in elementary schools. How can someone be so detached from basic logical reasoning—stubbornly focusing on the symptoms while completely ignoring the root cause? It's the same old diagnosis: total lack of perspective.
FYI, MIT isn't some mystery location to me, far from it. But, if I had to choose, an engineering major would have been my preference. ☕
The education system is completely dysfunctional. If you think a regulatory audit is a nightmare, try jumping into the private sector. I’m talking about unpaid overtime, dragging yourself out of bed at 5:00 AM, and lying awake staring at the ceiling because you're dreading the sheer mountain of problems waiting for you at the office—all while playing a guessing game as to when some corporate headquarters decides profits aren't high enough and starts cutting payroll through layoffs.
But no, apparently an inspection is pure hell, yet a single email complaining about ticket prices can trigger a full-blown town hall meeting for all the first-grade parents, where everyone who doesn't work in academia gets called out just because a principal doesn't know how to hit "reply" and handle a trivial parent complaint properly.🤦
There is zero standardization in how things are done, no external performance reviews, no objective metrics, no actual methods for improvement, and absolutely no meaningful consequences for those who don't pull their weight or, even worse, exploit students. Everything just gets swept under the rug until the person involved eventually retires. Honestly, if you're unhappy with your working conditions, what is the point of having a union at all?
Benjamin Nelson8 said:At our local elementary school, if the weather holds up—meaning it isn't knee-deep mud or pouring rain—they go out at least once, sometimes twice a day. But kids in preschool? Sometimes they don't go out at all, even when the weather is perfectly fine.
It all comes down to the X factor...
I have a similar situation here. My younger one ends up staying in their room most of the day (I can tell because they're perfectly 😁), while the older one comes back covered in dirt after playing soccer with the neighborhood kids.
After-school care runs about $67, and lunch is an extra 200. If your kid is staying for after-school programs, I’d say you should probably plan on packing some food too—the school lunches are decent enough for a midday meal, but the rest of the menu is pretty hit-or-miss. As for books, they give you a bit of a mix of used and brand-new textbooks (like for music or science classes). The workbooks are new, and the English books are new as well—I'm fairly sure the math textbook is new too, since kids end up writing directly in them.
hiddendriver34 said:Honestly, I wouldn't say that. I know a kid born on April 4th—totally mature, physically ready, everything you’d want for school—but his mom basically had to go to war with every single stubborn administrator at the preschool just to explain why she wanted him "enrolled a year early." In the rigid, programmed minds of all those bureaucrats, that kid was just a year younger than everyone else who happened to be born five days earlier, because according to the March 31st cutoff, he's practically ancient history.
I suppose you could look at it this way: there’s this lingering perception that they're being transitioned from a state of pure bliss into a much harsher reality. It feels like we're essentially robbing these poor kids of one more year of living in a carefree bubble.
I honestly feel like most kids actually crave a life filled with responsibilities and the little challenges that come along with school. A lot of this push for delaying things seems entirely unnecessary to me. It feels like parents approach it from the perspective of, "What if I were given a year of total freedom right now?" But you can't just jump into that—you have to go through years of schooling and building a foundation first. In general, I struggle to understand this widespread negative attitude toward education. Even when you account for the inevitable growing pains and the initial adjustment period, I think for most kids in those early elementary years, school is actually a pretty great experience.