She’s just completely checked out when it comes to school 🤷 Honestly, she would probably be more than happy to head back to class with the same kind of attitude she had last Friday—you know, the one where she was practically begging me to just open things for her so she wouldn't have to lift a finger on Sunday.
We’re talking about those typical forum kids who wait until Friday afternoon—or at the absolute latest, Saturday morning—to finally start packing their bags, tackling their homework, finishing up projects, and actually reading their assigned books. They even scramble to get their clean gym clothes ready at the last minute. 😬
I should probably just mention—and please don't think I'm trying to drop some sponsored ad here, I swear, you can easily just look up any local clinic—but the dentist I use over at Aspen Dental uses this gas sedation. It’s a game changer. Since most standard practices don't offer that kind of setup, they end up seeing all these patients who have absolutely catastrophic dental issues, mostly because they've been avoiding the chair for decades due to pure, unadulterated panic...
What I'm getting at is that for dentists in general, walking into a mouth that looks like a literal graveyard isn't some rare occurrence—it's actually pretty much the norm. I mean, what do you think is driving all those seniors to go through with these massive procedures? It's like they're being forced into it by necessity rather than choice 🙂
The only catch, obviously, is the sheer cost of the whole ordeal—implants, necessary extractions, everything...
urbantinker8 said:well, I guess... firstly, things just look clearer on the white ones because those green tiles feel like they've been sitting around since the colonial era—all scratched up, greasy, and covered in lines. secondly, considering those old chalkboards date back even further than that, they're just so incredibly gross; there's so much dust, hair, and grime embedded in them that just looking at one might give you contact dermatitis, and getting too close could probably trigger asthma. thirdly, on a more personal note, I'd rather not have sandpaper for skin on my hands, so I suppose I'd prefer having a marker in my hand instead of dealing with chalk.🙂
but hey, I mean, I'll settle for the green ones if I absolutely have to, assuming we get some decent chalk and maybe upgrade to some modern chalkboards.🙏
and speaking of history and glassblowers, the Secretary of Education mentioned how much history matters to the glassblowing trade. okay, I can see her point to an extent, I suppose. but then in the very next breath, she suggested that the history professors at that vocational school would have to drop general history entirely just so they could teach exclusively the history of glassblowing😲 🤣 🤦 yeah. that's clearly a matter of extreme life-and-death importance. general history versus the history of glassblowing.🙂
so, that's the kind of "reform" she's talking about.🤦
Did I seriously once buy a massive yellow sponge at $0.67 per piece from Target, or am I just losing my mind?
It was for some Pinterest project—lots of slicing and dicing involved...
If I haven't completely hallucinated that they sell them at $0.67, what’s the damage for a single sponge?
Well, she basically said she wasn't interested and that it sounded boring. We signed her up just so she could see what it was all about—mission accomplished, I guess. We actually had a chance to chat for a bit; we touched on why some people bother going to church and why we don't. We even drifted into whether ghosts exist or if the dead actually go to heaven.
I have to admit, I’m a little disappointed we didn't get into the heavier stuff—you know, things like sin and divine retribution. 😬
I honestly can't even begin to wrap my head around how some people operate—it’s just... it's baffling, really. I was sitting there thinking about it earlier, and it just strikes me as such a bizarre way to approach things. It's like people just decide to be completely nonsensical without a second thought. Anyway, I don't know, maybe I'm just overthinking it—which, let's face it, is a chronic problem for me—but there's definitely something fundamentally off about that whole vibe. Just totally out there. Tyler Ruiz502 says: Oh, good grief.🤦 If that actually made you happy...👍
There we go. 😬 If you’re actually feeling some sort of satisfaction from being completely blindsided—well, honestly, I’m just glad I could be the one to make it happen for you. 🤣
urbantinker8 said:it really needs to be a legitimate, properly organized piece of paper submitted to the registrar on time, signed by an adult, which I guess means high school seniors can sign their own stuff at that point.😁 not many people bother to write them out by hand, but if it has all the necessary elements of a formal request and gets turned in before the deadline, it'll likely be fine.
Look, they had every single required detail and they handed it in right on schedule, so it was totally valid. But honestly? Just out of pure principle, I refused to call it a "request"—I don't feel like I have anyone to ask permission from. I just titled it: "Subject: Withdrawal from Religious Studies."
Why on earth do they call this a "request" instead of an actual formal demand? Usually, you’d use the word "request" when you're asking for some kind of special favor or a right that isn't already guaranteed by default. But getting a printout of your voter registration records—that's just standard procedure, isn't it? It should be automatic. 🤷
Back in my hometown, there’s this massive emphasis on hitting all those religious milestones—you know, the sacraments—just so people can actually be eligible to serve as godparents at baptisms or weddings later on. It’s strictly for that one reason and nothing else. 😁
Then you’ve got people absolutely losing it on the priest because he’s dragging kids into church—since the priest doubles as the religious instructor, right?—claiming they’re being forced into things "that they don't even understand anyway, they're way too young to grasp the concept..."
But, of course, skipping it isn't even an option. It's just that stubborn, old-school mentality. 😁
By the third grade, there’s this inevitable overlap between what they learn in religious education class and everything happening at church—the confession, the mass, how much the family actually shows up. It’s all one big interconnected loop where one thing basically dictates the other. In the earlier grades, sure, you might have kids attending religion class who aren't even baptized or come from atheist households, but by third grade? I feel like it’s practically impossible to sit through those classes without eventually moving toward First Communion. Technically, you could opt out, but let's be honest—it would feel completely out of sync with everything else going on.
Harold Cook2 said:So, what's the deal with religious studies? If a kid is signed up for religion classes at school, does that mean they're basically forced to hit up Mass every single Sunday?
Well, look—it isn't exactly a legal requirement or anything, but they definitely try to nudge them toward church. It usually starts with little things, you know? Like invitations to the food drives, the Saint Nicholas celebrations, Christmas services, or joining the choir... they definitely find ways to encourage it. And then there's the whole "extra credit" thing and those kinds of incentives—I guess it just depends on the family and how much they care about that stuff.
I honestly haven't a clue—maybe some local school district or something? I mean, we did get an email from the principal, so I guess it’s legit enough. 🤷
Is computer science really optional? I heard through the grapevine that they’re making it a requirement for 5th and 6th graders starting next school year!
ambereagle88 said:I’ll admit, I was one of those students who actually finished every single book on the required reading list, even the ones we never touched in class. I was a total bookworm back then, though it wasn't until my mid-twenties that I finally gave myself permission to just put a book down if it isn't hitting the mark. Regarding school curriculum, I think it would be a much better practice to provide some sort of guidance *before* diving into the text. Why does this matter? Why is it considered a classic? How are we actually supposed to approach it? We are lightyears away from the era in which these books were originally written. Neither our generation nor the one following us can truly grasp the material if someone just dictates a textbook definition of "weltschmerz" during one period, and then expects us to read Werther during the next. Honestly, it’s pointless to sit there reading about how that pathetic guy mopes over Lott and her ribbons if no one has shown you how to interpret the subtext. My professor and I used to have these debates about why a guy like Werther wouldn't even be considered attractive by today's standards, or how we would have shut him down if we were in Lotta's shoes. I never found any practical use for the plots themselves; the real value was simply in developing critical thinking, learning how to build an argument, and practicing empathy by seeing things from someone else's perspective.
👍 Yeah, you really need to know something about the work before you dive in—the context behind it, the spirit of the era... and honestly, discussing literature in a way that connects to the modern world, making it relatable to us or to kids today, is essential.
The way things were taught to me, all my required reading felt completely hollow and unreachable. And that's saying something, because I was always a top student and a genuinely voracious reader.
wanderingbadger44 said:We’re talking about elementary school here.
By the time kids reach high school, they've mostly just been casual readers, occasional visitors to the local library, or maybe they only saw a book during a field trip.
As for electives, I actually invite them in this September during those first few sessions to help build our reading list, giving them a chance to voice what they're actually interested in.
In the end, I usually just give them what they want. 😬 Mostly because they don't offer much of substance themselves, or they'll joke around with titles like, "Little Red Riding Hood! Picture books! Pinocchio! No, no, Pinocchio takes too long! I'm the weakest kid in class! Jack and Mary!" Eventually, they just hand the whole list over to me.
The seventh graders, though, always seem to gravitate toward things like the Prince's diaries and similar stuff. 🙄
I honestly don't get where this stubborn public delusion comes from—this idea that kids would read if it weren't for some grumpy old professors insisting on Homer. That's why they won't touch it.
Kids just don't read. Period. And honestly, I get it. Visual media has seriously stunted their ability to visualize things on their own. They are constantly fed ready-made images. Reading requires a huge time investment, and life moves way too fast for that now. It's just the reality of it.
Nobody is to blame for this situation, so please stop pointing the finger at damn good authors or the curriculum itself.
Unless you're going to sit here and argue that Daniel Defoe isn't a great writer or that his Robinson Crusoe isn't a masterpiece? I stopped assigning him a long time ago, and I think that's actually better. There's no point in making them read it when they either skip it entirely, force themselves through it, or just recount the damn movie to me despite all my efforts to explain that the two mediums are completely different.
edit: The White Stag is a magnificent work, featuring top-tier style and an incredible story. Anyone who says otherwise is just a total philistine!
Sure, adults might resonate with that, but an eight-year-old? Not a chance. I still remember reading it when I was eight—my internal monologue was basically just "WTF."
Now that I’m 35, having been prompted by this whole island discussion, I found myself scrolling through some old digital archives, thinking about how many books—not just this one, but plenty of others in my collection—I’d love to revisit just to see if my perspective has shifted. To see if I actually *get* it now.
Because looking back from where I am today, I think those books are undeniably valuable and important... they just aren't meant for kids that age. I used to devour trashy novels like crazy—I mean, I was flying through those Goosebumps books at a rate of 200 pages a day when I was thirteen. But even then, I couldn't wrap my head around the point of some of the "classics" on the school reading list. 🙏Tyler Ruiz502:
brightheron64 said:Actually, she did only get one (she called her teacher on the phone afterward). But honestly, it doesn't matter, she earned it.
The White Stag (by a local author).
Man, I swear, she probably finds Captain Gaćeša much more captivating...
Man, that’s just some hallucinatory nonsense. I don't remember much about it—honestly, everything about her felt just... off. Repulsive, even. The whole vibe was just toxic.
The whole point of required reading, though, is to force you into picking up books you’d never touch otherwise. They’re unattractive in every single sense of the word. It’s just a chore you have to get through. Good grief, just thinking back to some of those high school English classes at the local public library makes me shudder. 🙂 Samsung Galaxy Note Experience using Tapatalk😬
You’ve basically constructed this entire elaborate narrative based on a bunch of assumptions, and now you're looking at it and wondering why the whole thing feels totally illogical? 😬
Look, an agnostic doesn't spend their time obsessing over higher powers. They just live their lives—using the faculties they were born with and sharpening them along the way—completely unburdened by spirituality. Honestly, most agnostics only even remember they identify that way if someone actually asks.
I don't quite get why you're calling those features "gifts." It feels like you just got tangled up in this weird web of your own making—assuming that agnostics believe in some higher power that bestowed these "gifts" upon them, and then acting surprised when you realize it seems illogical that this supposed higher power wouldn't use its own gift.
Like I said before, we don't really bother ourselves with all that esoteric stuff; we just focus on living a good life and making the most of the possibilities right in front of us.
It’s basically like a tiny wedding. 🤦 Just an absolute waste of money. I’m not aiming this at any one person—just making a general observation about the whole situation. Honestly, the gifts and all those religious sacraments... they just don't sit right with me. The whole big party thing too. A nice lunch for the family and the godparents, and then call it a day.
Kate Cox2 said:Well, just because you don't view them as facts doesn't change anything; that is merely your personal perspective. To believers, those truths are absolute. In the US, for instance, if you look at certain private institutions, they teach Evangelical Lutheranism specifically. In other places, you might see Orthodox teachings offered as an elective... and so on.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religi...cation#USA
Those aren't scientific facts. They're beliefs.
Imagine if we taught astrology instead. Lesson one: the influence of Mars and Jupiter in conjunction. Chapter two: harmonic versus non-harmonic aspects.
As much as anyone might find it "useful" for self-discovery or trying to understand the people around them—and look, I get the appeal—astrology isn't science, plain and simple. It has no business being part of a school curriculum.
The fundamental issue with religious education in our schools is that it’s the only subject where what you're "learning"—and subsequently being graded on—isn't actually based on objective facts. For me, that alone is enough reason to pull my kid out of the system entirely; I just can't stand seeing it treated with the same academic weight as anything else.
In other parts of the world, they handle it differently—it's taught as a non-denominational study of religious culture, essentially just providing information about various faiths rather than preaching them.