Posts by wanderingbadger44

coastalorca43 said:On August 26, 2021, the CDC and the Department of Education released GUIDELINES for preventing and controlling COVID-19 in the 2021/22 school year.
UNVERIFIED AND UNSIGNED!
https://www.logicno.com/politika/kre...-hvala-ti.html

"It should be stated immediately that these guidelines carry no binding authority and must be taken exactly as they are written. They are guidelines—or rather, recommendations. This is clearly evident from the text itself, which mentions this repeatedly. There is no legal way to sanction anyone for failing to follow these recommendations. Therefore, teachers, professors, and students cannot be sanctioned in any way if they find these guidelines harmful or useless. To date, not a single misdemeanor or any other legal proceeding has been finalized against anyone in America for violating these measures, and I don't even have information that one has been initiated. Thus, the idea that we must strictly adhere to these measures is simply a myth. Children, in particular, are under no obligation to follow these recommendations. Besides, the harm these measures cause to children is common knowledge."

Principals, teachers, professors, and staff should not indulge in excessive zeal and treat these (at best, educational materials) as some kind of mandate. Specifically, they should avoid pressuring children, belittling them, or claiming they are required to wear masks, disinfect their hands, and so on. We saw far too much of that over the last two school years.

I recommend that principals, teachers, and professors read these Guidelines. In fact, these Guidelines are significantly less strict than the previous ones. Let’s look for ways to make life easier, not harder.

If parents feel that masks are unnecessary or harmful, they should simply inform the school, or whatever institution their child attends, that they consider the recommendations detrimental and have instructed their child not to wear a mask, not to disinfect their hands, and that they will allow their children to socialize and play without distance, etc.

A parent has the right to come into a school and request information not just regarding their child's behavior, but also concerning how the institution treats the child. The institution must respect the rights and obligations of parents, as well as the rights of the children.

Children have the right to full medical assistance without unnecessary obstacles. Parents should clearly demand this wherever it is being withheld."

Here you go, officially signed and published in the Federal Register.

Maybe you can find something to complain about regarding the missing stamp then.

Alex Roberts4 said:Look, I can head into my kid's school whenever I need info... Some parents show up in person, but personally, I just handle everything online because it's way more convenient. :P Honestly, it feels like people holding your kind of views are in the minority in the real world.

They didn't go full "bunker mode" with the schools; they actually care, and they aren't backing down now, even while we're all still playing this endless game of tag with COVID.

Well, Alex Roberts4 can always make it into the school—that’s exactly what I was implying in the parentheses. It seems like for folks like her, there is always some sudden crisis or something else that feels absolutely vital and needs immediate attention. ☕

Paul Kern12 said:I wonder what will happen—perhaps children will simply be deprived of those lectures from nimbleranger17...

Unofficial word: Easter break is being extended, while teachers might see smaller paychecks this April.

Whether we deal with April Fools' Day or not, children are still being robbed of the chance to listen to those speeches by nimbleranger17.

In a world where parents—barring a few rare exceptions—are strictly barred from stepping foot on campus because health protocols only permit staff and students inside, how on earth is it realistic to think that people like nimbleranger17 will be allowed to just wander through the halls of our schools?

I just don't see how the math works out. It feels impossible to believe that a kid who can't even keep a mask tucked under their chin for more than forty-five minutes at a time is suddenly expected to wear a heavy-duty surgical mask for six straight hours at school, much like a surgeon or an OR nurse would.

It’s a bit like how I used to naively assume surgeons were suited up in full gear every single day of their careers, when in reality, they really only pull those masks on when they're actually stepping into the operating room. 🤦

Surgeons, anesthesiologists, surgical techs, scrub nurses... they’re all dropping like flies because they can't catch a breath under those masks.

If you or someone in your family ever needs surgery, I’d honestly suggest asking them to operate without a mask, just to ensure the doctor has enough oxygen to stay sharp during the procedure. You really don't want to risk a slip of the scalpel just because their breathing was restricted.

My goodness, you truly realize how much kids can change once you see who their parents actually are...

velvetskipper11 said:People like this definitely shouldn't be working in schools.

My mom’s been teaching at her school for 30 years—30 years—and I don't think she's caught so much as a sniffle once. So, honestly? This isn't about anyone else; it's a "you" problem. If you're getting sick every single year, your immune system is clearly struggling—God knows what kind of lifestyle you're leading if that's the case. And then, on top of that, you want to force kids into masks just so you can feel safe? We already know the science shows that's harmful both physically and mentally. It's just a weak excuse to shield yourself at their expense. Good grief. 🤦

People should definitely be required to pass a psych test before landing a job at a school. They ought to start on fixed-term contracts for the first few years—just enough time to see if the role actually fits their mental state and emotional intelligence levels.

It’s not just a possibility; I am doing it, and I fully intend to keep doing it. 🥳

mellowskipper said:Besides, nobody was stopping you from wearing one during class before all this started. If it works for you, thank God, then keep doing it even after this whole thing blows over. Assuming it ever does...
It’s just funny to me—my homeroom teacher actually laughed at me back before COVID when I suggested we needed better ventilation and more frequent disinfecting of desks, door handles, and bathroom fixtures. Now, suddenly, she’s an expert.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy A10 using Tapatalk

Sure, nobody was physically stopping me from wearing it back then, but it's also true that no one ever made it a requirement for the students to wear it either.

It isn't enough if I'm the only one doing it; it really only makes sense if we all step up and wear it together.

Larry Wilson25 said:Sometimes I honestly wonder if there's any truth to that old cliché—you know, the one about how teachers and doctors aren't just working jobs, but following a "calling."

And look, I get it, we all need to pay the bills, but I just don't get why some people are acting so terrified. In my own line of work, I've been around people multiple times who tested positive via PCR-RT. Between keeping some distance and just having the windows wide open, I really don't see how a virus is supposed to just leap three feet through the air at you.

As for that girl over there who's convinced kids have weaker CDC-serological results than the working population—maybe she should try Googling "CDC-serological" for once. Once she actually posts a link to her findings, I’ll be more than happy to give her an argument for why things are the way they are (and honestly, it'll probably be in her favor). 😁

I’d bet anything that most grandparents would gladly agree to skip seeing their grandkids for a while if it meant the kids could just socialize normally like they should at that age—and actually have the same shot at getting into college as they did two years ago.

It blows my mind that anyone finds it SCANDALOUS that kids are being let out to play on a playground in a sun-drenched city like Miami instead of being stuck in Washington, D.C.
Have we really sunk this low?

edit: I won't even get started on how teenagers mock teachers for shaving their heads or whatever. That shouldn't even be their business. Most of them cruised right through it—to those kids, it was nothing more than a common cold.

It’s not everyone, really—just a handful of people. And because the media loves to spotlight those specific professors on Teacher Appreciation Day, they start spinning these stories about how educators are basically working for free, trading their salaries for nothing more than a kid's smile or a hug.

As for the rest of us, we're just trying to make a living.

Honestly, I couldn't care less if some kids find the safety measures ridiculous. In my classroom, they'll follow the rules and wear their masks, period.

I haven't caught so much as a sniffle or the flu all year. Long live the masks!

Ronald Chavez2 said:But where is the actual logic in that? Does anyone really think a teacher starts an argument just for the sake of being difficult or to sabotage everyone else's focus during a test? Students have rights, certainly, but they also have responsibilities, such as showing up with basic supplies and actually following instructions. If a student disrupts the entire process, shouldn't the consequences fall on them rather than making the teacher responsible for both their own conduct and the chaos caused by someone else?

I don't think you quite grasp that canceling, postponing, and rescheduling a written exam affects every single student in that department, not just Perica, who was the one without a pencil causing the mess. This hits people like Marica, who spent her time studying specifically for today, only to have her schedule pushed back when she actually had a chemistry test coming up next week. Marica wanted to get this over with TODAY. And let me be clear: Marica had her pencil, she even had a spare, and neither Marica nor her mother want this delay—in fact, they are actively pushing back against it.

Are you seriously suggesting that when I write up the formal request to the administrator to halt and reschedule a test via the school's academic calendar, I should list "student didn't have a pencil" as a valid justification? Are you being for real right now?

And then what? You, me, and the principal all sit down for a meeting to debate and hammer out a new date, cramming it into an already packed academic calendar and filing all the official paperwork just because?

That’s just not how it works!
"Here, Perica, just take my pencil. Just please give it back when you're finished."

Ronald Chavez2 said:Of course you're taking a risk. You're risking it whether you fail to give everyone an A at the end of the year regardless of their actual GPA, or if you simply try to maintain some semblance of order and don't let the kids run wild during class. There’s plenty more where that came from, but the point is that no matter what you decide to do, there's always some idiot out there looking for a reason to call the school board on you.

There’s an official procedure for postponing or canceling a written exam, isn't there, but I can't help but feel that this specific situation justifies it entirely. When someone is acting out and causing a scene right next to you while everyone else is trying to focus on their test, what else is that but a perfectly valid reason to push things back until conditions are actually suitable for testing?

That’s really just an issue of the kind of people you choose to surround yourself with, isn't it?

I’ve suggested a certain way of doing things, though you only really pull it off if you can spot that someone is momentarily unguarded, perhaps because they've left a gap in their defenses or just aren't paying attention. Is it even possible to act without waiting for those little cracks to appear?

Is there any point in even bothering to look at these things anymore? kaže:
wanderingbadger44 hits on exactly what most level-headed teachers feel about school specialists—that they spend their entire lives lost in theories and burying us under mountains of useless paperwork like surveys, assessments, and impact reports, all while acting like experts on how we should be teaching despite having almost zero actual contact with the students? It’s rarely about them being bad people, but isn't it just tragic how completely out of touch and impractical they are when it comes to the reality of a modern classroom?

Aren't there supposed to be some teachers' unions out there, or have I just completely misread the landscape? If you’ve actually managed to get organized, why not start an initiative with the relevant state agencies to strip those administrative specialists out of our schools entirely, seeing as they're nothing more than useless bureaucrats drowning us in pointless busywork? Why not fight for decent working conditions while you still can?👍

Exactly.

The issue with your perspective, though, is that you aren't distinguishing between a substantiated complaint and an baseless one.

Now, don't get me wrong—a baseless accusation isn't exactly a win. Once it's determined that you did nothing wrong, all you really get is the relief of being cleared, which is its own kind of satisfaction. There is absolutely no talk of apologies or penalties for whoever filed that false report.

But a baseless complaint gets dismissed. See what I mean? It carries no weight and results in no consequences for you, aside from the sheer stress and the toll it takes on your nerves.

On the other hand, a substantiated complaint—one that actually proves you were in the wrong—carries real consequences.
Any report regarding a violation of the Timekeeper or standard protocols, or failing to allow a student to complete a test, or even recording a grade for an exam a student couldn't even take because, hello!, they didn't have a pencil to write with... those reports would be taken very seriously by the administration.

Do you see the distinction between a report that sticks and one that gets tossed out?

Let me lay it out one more time:
if I refuse to give a student an 'A' when they have a 3.71 GPA and a parent files a grievance, that complaint will be deemed baseless and dismissed. I won't face any official trouble because of it (again, excluding the headache and the stress).

However, if I bypass protocol by rescheduling a test on my own whim, or if I fail to maintain a quiet environment in the classroom, or if students lose their testing time because I spent the whole period arguing with a kid who forgot their supplies, then the complaint is substantiated. In those cases, beyond just the stress, I am facing genuine, serious disciplinary action.

Linda Price5 said:How is it perfectly legal to mandate that an exam be completed strictly in ink—effectively banning pencils—yet we can't implement a rule that forbids students from turning around or whispering to their neighbors during the test?

And what exactly would the consequences be if a student just went ahead and finished their exam using a standard pencil because they didn't have a pen handy?

Oh, come on now! At the end of the day, any rule can be put on the books if someone decides to make it so, just like this one was.
The catch is simply that they haven't established specific penalties for breaking it yet. 😬

But what actually happens if a student just goes ahead and uses a regular pencil instead of a pen?

Nothing at all.
The requirement to use ink isn't just some random whim or a way to be difficult; it serves a practical purpose.
Teachers are required—and honestly, they should be required—to go over corrected exams with their students so they can see where they went wrong.
That’s when the trouble starts; while a teacher is busy explaining a mistake to one student, others might try to sneakily erase or alter their answers written in pencil.

In my classes, my students used to write in pencil and were allowed to use erasers, but eventually, they just started using pens out of habit on my exams. For me, grading is much easier because ink stays visible, whereas pencil marks—especially from a standard HB pencil—can fade or become hard to read.

And yes, we also have a rule that desks must be completely cleared of everything during an exam, strictly to prevent anyone from trying to change their answers.

Classic FBI mentality!
😬Officer Quote

Ronald Chavez2 said:"Quote:"

wanderingbadger44 Is there any point in even asking? Even if you hadn't explicitly said it, wouldn't we have eventually reached that conclusion anyway, just by looking at the sheer mountain of theory you've dumped on us here? Why don't you just give me a concrete example and explain how it actually aligns with the principles of the School of Life? 🙂 Why bother just theorizing when you could actually put those ideas to the test? A student walks into a scheduled exam without a pencil, and then begins this frantic, disorganized dance—begging classmates for supplies, nudging the person sitting next to him who's actually trying to work, spinning around to ask the kids behind him, tugging at the sleeves of those in front, digging through his bag and pencil case like he's looking for lost treasure. Is it really that impossible to find a single writing utensil if one actually looks? By the time three or four people have called out to him, he’s already standing up to approach one peer, just as someone else tosses a pencil from across the room and shouts for him to catch it. If you're the teacher watching this chaos unfold, what are you even supposed to do?

The whole ordeal lasts maybe a minute, at most, before he finally gets a pencil in his hand. I’m talking about those moments when a student shows up without the necessary gear—maybe they forgot their calculator, a compass, or some other tool—and instead of letting them slide, I just hand them a test to work on as best they can, provided they aren't disrupting the rest of the class. If they start acting out or bothering others, you either cut the testing short or call over a colleague to watch the room while you deal with that specific student. In those cases, you take the test away, give them the grade they would have earned based on what they actually accomplished, and then refer them to the school counselor with a clear explanation of what happened. Of course, the student's homeroom teacher needs to be kept in the loop throughout this entire process. The student receives direct feedback on how their lack of responsibility directly impacts them, their peers, and the teacher, and they learn exactly what comes next if this behavior persists—namely, formal disciplinary action and getting their parents involved. Sure, you’ll waste more time and burn more nerves, but from an educational standpoint, isn't it better than simply rewarding their negligence? It doesn't mean the child will magically become a responsible adult, given that we're all just one small factor in their development, but shouldn't we at least use the tools we have to do our part in shaping them?

and you run the risk of some John Doe or a parent calling for an inspection.
And honestly, they’d be within their rights to call. Imagine a kid who has spent all week studying, ready to tackle this exam today, only to have it pushed back because the schedule wasn't followed. It’s a violation of the rules. When students prepare themselves mentally for a specific moment, they can't just have that obligation shifted onto them later amidst a mountain of other schoolwork.
An exam scheduled by the district calendar isn't something you can just cancel or postpone on a whim unless you follow the official protocol.

Are any of my fellow FBI colleagues actually familiar with the regulations?

Because once an inspector shows up, the FBI will make sure to distance themselves from you in a heartbeat. In fact, before the inspector even arrives, they'll likely be breathing down your neck for bringing heat onto the school.

you call over a colleague to step in for you, basically asking them to keep an eye on the kids while you sort things out with a student.

By Telephone? Or via telepathy? While they are busy teaching their own classes? Am I supposed to leave a room full of tests, walk out of the classroom to find a colleague to supervise, and then come back?

It’s so clear you don't have a clue how this works, and you're doing a wonderful job confirming why people think the FBI just lives in a world of theory.

Jason Morgan said:I once found myself standing there for seventeen agonizing minutes just waiting for everything to be organized for a single test. I honestly felt like a total psychopath, just hovering there clutching my papers.
Then, suddenly, the next set of tests was all gathered together in a mere two minutes. 🙂

That’s usually how I handle it, too. I just stand there with the exams and won't budge until the environment is right for testing. And I'm constantly checking my watch or the clock on the wall.

I was just trying to paint a picture of the risk involved. If the students don't settle down and we don't start at a reasonable time, you're looking at complaints from parents who feel their child's precious study time was wasted. Personally, I don't want to deal with the wrath of John Does or angry parents.

Ronald Chavez2 said:I’ll continue this conversation assuming we aren't talking about kids from families struggling to make ends meet. In those cases, I’d certainly show a bit more empathy and tact, especially if parents are forced to choose between buying school supplies and putting food on the table.

As for everyone else, in some perfect version of reality, I could tell them straight to their faces that enabling these habits and forcing them to continue only hurts the children; it teaches them how to be irresponsible without facing consequences, yet you can't say that without being labeled a monster or some self-important, misguided academic—it’s just nonsense. My God, I don't understand the logic. We ignore basic upbringing, the passing down of values, and the guidance of these kids until they hit eighteen, and then what? Do we expect them to magically transform into mature, responsible, honest, and hardworking adults the second those candles are blown out on their eighteenth birthday? Believing in Santa Claus is more logical than that line of thinking.

At least within the school system—which, based on your description, means your specific staff, specialists, and principal—there ought to be an understanding of how harmful these practices are, along with some mutual support. Since that clearly doesn't exist in your workplace, the path of least resistance makes sense, but I have to say that such an approach toward students is just ugly; it’s obvious that the educational component is completely missing. As someone who is often targeted by informal criticism because I advocate for these standards, I can tell you plainly that it never crosses my mind to criticize my fellow teachers when there isn't a stash of twenty pencils available because the kids didn't bring their gear and the parents don't care. None of my colleagues in the counseling department or the principal would dream of making a scene either. It all seems to come down to luck, really—whether you happen to land in a faculty that possesses actual expertise and the will to apply it, or one that provides actual support for its staff when they are right, rather than just catering to certain individuals who are either incompetent or opportunistically taking the easy way out just to avoid any friction.

Even if you hadn't explicitly stated it, we could have guessed from the sheer volume of theory you've spilled out here.

Instead of just talking, why don't you take all that theorizing and apply it to a real-world scenario using the principles of the School of Life? 🙂 Give me a practical example.

Imagine a student walks into a writing period during a scheduled exam without a pencil. He starts begging everyone for one, nudging the classmate sitting next to him who is trying to focus, turning around to ask the kids behind him, pulling at the sleeves of the students in front of him to get their attention, digging frantically through his backpack and pencil case... while three or four other kids are calling out to him to just take a pencil, he stands up to walk toward one of them, while someone else tosses a pencil from across the room and shouts for him to grab it... As the teacher, how do you handle this:
a) You let him scramble to find a pencil, disrupting the entire class for as long as it takes.
b) You kick him out of the classroom.
c) You give him a lecture on irresponsibility, lack of teamwork, and being inconsiderate to his classmates who are actually trying to take the test; you critique his negligence, log a disciplinary note in HuffPost, and remind him that he didn't have a pencil last period either and that you already had this exact conversation.
d) You send him out of the room specifically to go find a pencil.
e) You go call the school counselor (oops! trick answer—you can't leave the room because the test is in progress).
f) You sit down at the computer, look up his parents' contact info in the school database, and call them right then and there.
g) You take his test paper away, write a new one yourself, and hand it over to the principal.
h) You tell him he can take the test once he finally finds a pencil and you take his paper away, but you don't give him a failing grade (wow, what a masterclass in educational discipline!).
i) You hand him one of your own pencils since you always keep extras ready for exactly these kinds of situations, ensuring neither he nor the rest of the class loses any precious testing time (oops! trick answer—you already mentioned that doing this is educationally wrong).
j) None of the above. Tell me what you would do. ________________________

Linda Price5 said:How exactly are you planning to spend your time dealing with those students who carry pens if you claim every single discussion will be treated as a potential cheating attempt? Are you going to hand out failing grades on the spot, distribute tests to whoever talks before the bell rings, and just give everyone an F? Or am I mistaken—are you actually prohibited from punishing academic dishonesty during assessments?

Laughter

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Forgive me, 😂

Forgive me.
I honestly can't tell if you're being serious right now, though it seems pretty obvious that you are.

I have no desire to be dodging flying pens in my classroom. I don't want to be chasing kids around trying to find a mechanical pencil for an exam—or even a standard one, which is arguably worse. Then the erasers start flying, and occasionally, white-out ends up airborne too.

You aren't supposed to prevent a student from actually taking their test. You shouldn't be wasting precious instructional time by sending them out into the hallway to hunt through other classrooms for supplies, nor should you be docking points arbitrarily. And for God's sake, you can't just slap a failing grade on someone for cheating if they don't even have a pen to write with in the first place, right?

Furthermore, you shouldn't be stripping away points if a student is working hard at home, especially when you are specifically grading their mastery of grammar or literature standards.

Actually, I suppose you can. Right up until someone files a formal complaint.

Ronald Chavez2 said:What’s the point? You walk into the classroom, hand out the tests, and move on. I don't see any reason to penalize the responsible students by wasting everyone's time, nor do I see the logic in teaching those who show up unprepared that it "doesn't matter." Sure, anyone can forget their pencil case at home, but shouldn't there be a baseline level of expectation where a student tries to solve the problem themselves by borrowing from a peer? If you only realize you're unprepared right as the exam starts and don't have a chance to ask a neighbor—say, in a small seminar class where nobody carries doubles—wouldn't it be better to just raise your hand, apologize to the teacher, and ask to borrow one?

This habit of handing out spare pencils is a disaster, though, if you don't mind me saying, you're partially responsible for it yourself. There is no sense in continuing to lend tools to students who have proven themselves so unreliable that they won't even return them once finished; by refusing to lend, you're actually sending a message about the importance of reliability and "reputation," both of which are factors people consider when deciding whether or not to help you out in the first place.

Me neither. 🙂 That is exactly why I keep a whole drawer full of extra pens ready for anyone who finds themselves empty-handed. I have no interest in wasting my energy on people who already have everything they need.

We shouldn't be teaching students that showing up to class without their supplies is no big deal, because that kind of attitude just sets them up for failure later on.

.
This is a heartfelt message intended for everyone shaping our children's futures—from teachers and principals to parents, counselors, journalists, and school inspectors.

If someone sits there without a pen and ends up burning through their precious exam time just searching for one, asking to borrow one, or scrambling to find a solution, then honestly, that’s where I start to have a real issue. It’s like watching someone lose the race before it even starts because they weren't prepared for the basics.

I find myself wondering which path would be easier for me: simply handing him a pen, or getting caught up in an exhausting argument with the people listed above. You hit the nail right on the head. 🙂

Will he end up being an idiot? Well, that would be quite a shame. 🙂

Sarah Hall53 said:Come on, be a sweetheart and check the actual Labor Law, Section 205 (1)—just verify if it really says exactly what I told you it says.
It’s possible there’s some overlap with the Occupational Safety and Health Act too, I guess.
But even then, we aren't talking about a strike here; it's more of a work stoppage or a pause in operations.
I just want us to use the right terminology, you know? Just to stay precise.

Anyway, regarding those tablets in class—setting aside the whole "kids will always forget them" thing (and trust me, most of us have enough spare pencils, erasers, and paper stashed away for the students who constantly lose everything, btw)—or the issue of dead batteries—the real headache is how finicky technology can be. You lose so much precious lesson time because they're struggling to type in an address since the camera or scanning app decides not to work, or they mistype something, or they've forgotten their app login, or suddenly one tablet won't load a single link... and just like that, a five-minute activity eats up fifteen minutes of the period.
In those extra ten minutes, we could have been practicing, doing tongue-twisters, singing, playing games, or having a real discussion...
It's not that I'm against progress, it's just that the effort-to-reward ratio feels off right now. Once these technical "growing pains" are sorted out and things run smoother, I'll be more than happy to lean into tech wherever it actually makes sense.

I actually wanted to chime in when people were talking about how kids have transitioned from tablets back to pen and paper, but I decided against it. This whole thread feels like spinning our wheels in the mud...

In my classroom, I’ve made it part of my grading criteria that a student needs to show up ready to work, which means having a sharpened pencil or a mechanical pencil with lead actually inside it—it really has come to that.

They don't even have pencils when it's time for an exam. Take a third-period class, for instance. If they managed to forget there was a test today, they would have had to hear about it from their classmates by the time third period rolled around. Honestly, I just shrug, check the clock on the wall, and wait for everyone to get settled with a pencil. Of course, that's only after I hand out some from my own stash, which, let's be real, rarely makes its way back to my desk. It ends up eating into precious testing time.

We really shouldn't underestimate kids.

Children are actually quite perceptive when it comes to figuring out which teacher is genuinely helping them grow, sharing real knowledge, and building their skill sets.

At the same time, they are incredibly sharp at realizing that getting an A is much more important than actually mastering a subject or developing solid work habits.

Because of that, students will almost always give the highest ratings to the teacher who hands out easy As.

The teachers who get those glowing reviews are often the ones who prioritize grades over everything else, regardless of whether they’re actually teaching anything useful.
On the flip side, you don't see high marks for the instructors who struggle with classroom management or deliver disorganized, subpar lessons—even if they are being strict about grading.

So, I’ll let you all decide how much sense it makes to have students evaluate their teachers.
It’s far too easy for an instructor to just game the system by handing out top grades to keep everyone happy.

Oh, please... they’re absolutely shocked, can you believe it? It’s almost as if they should have been the ones in charge in the first place. 🙄

And honestly, you guys are becoming quite a nuisance with this constant obsession over the required reading list. How on earth are we supposed to trim down the list of mandatory books without someone feeling left out or offended?

Maybe try actually reading something before you start acting like it's a grand tragedy.

The modern, relevant heavyweights aren't even on the list of works that are considered required. Those that remain are usually just things picked by professors or students as electives.

Are you some kind of biologist now, Manchildad? Please, enlighten us—how is a high school kid ever going to benefit from memorizing the cryptogams or the digestive system of a hydra?

There isn't a single thread here about those tedious historical conferences or pointless declarations, nor about the sheer madness of forcing kids to learn the respiratory systems of arthropods. Yet, somehow, this specific topic always stays pinned to the top of the feed. Everyone acts like an expert on literature and who deserves a spot in the curriculum. You really ought to focus on cleaning up your own backyard first.

Linda Price5 said:For God's sake, have some dignity. 😁

Who actually storms the school office because there’s decapitated heads or severed breasts in a required reading?😁 Or bitten-off hands in an elementary textbook?

the lack of reading habits at home is just as much to blame

Fine, but what is the point of having those kids in a dedicated reading hour? If Mom and Dad don't read, if they never read to them, if there isn't a single book in the house, and their own IQs aren't exactly staggering—what's the goal? Why sit them in a reading period instead of letting them kick a ball around on the playground? What's the actual utility? To ensure they can answer one extra question about whether they'll watch The Chase? Why waste their time, the teachers' time, electricity, fuel, lightbulbs, or chalk?

here is yet another proof of how clueless you all are regarding these wonderful new methods, outcomes, and "innovations" we're constantly bombarded with at workshops and seminars

I'm not talking about that nonsense. I'm talking about proactively following findings from memory and learning psychology, cognitive science—about a biology teacher actually pulling research from high-quality, peer-reviewed journals on science pedagogy from the internet, rather than being oblivious to their existence entirely.

I'd bet anything that the vast majority of your colleagues attending those pretentious, overly ambitious "professional development" sessions haven't the slightest clue about test-enhanced learning or spaced repetition. They likely don't know how to take effective notes, and even if they do, they aren't passing it on. Unless they teach psychology, they probably know nothing about working memory limits or strategies for long-term encoding.

And they don't know because nobody in education cares about using science as a tool to uncover reality, nor is there any belief that a teacher's job is to master and apply these tools to make learning more efficient. It doesn't interest them because it doesn't impact their personal lives; most people don't learn anything unless they absolutely have to, mostly because they possess the curiosity of a common houseplant.

People have come knocking at my door, though. It wasn't over anything quite so graphic as dismemberment, but rather because of the suggestive scenes involving Penelope’s sheer clothing in the Secret Diary of Adrian Mole and the general lack of modesty in those pages.

Then there's the issue of Huckleberry Finn using profanity and smoking, which apparently makes him an unsuitable hero for a child's curriculum. ☕

Peter Doyle2 said:I was doing a bit of digging into the British school system and their required reading lists. It’s interesting—turns out they don't think Tolkien is trash at all.

It’s not like our local classics are garbage either.

But anyone who actually views literature as a fine art of language knows that those old staples aren't worth a single drop of ink when you look at them through a truly artistic lens.
They definitely serve a purpose in the history of American letters, but that role certainly isn't about being the pinnacle of literary greatness.

It's much the same way with Tolkien's standing in British circles.

Good grief, Tolkien. 🙂