brightpuma said:Yeah, you’ve got three kids, so you actually know what you're talking about from experience... ☕
Stop trolling and dragging this thread off-topic. I already had to deal with you back when I was in my ninth month...😉
Forgive me, but I don't recall us ever meeting. I was simply responding to your claim that parents rethink their actions because of forum comments—you say it as if that were some sort of flaw.
I’m not even trying to go off-topic here. In my view, a parenting subforum that is kept so sterile that there is no incentive for anyone to reflect on themselves or their parenting style is a total failure. Such a space serves no purpose other than acting as a glorified service directory where people check which baby food brands are on sale or what the latest Peg Perego strollers look like. To me, that's utterly pointless.
Furthermore, I am actually enjoying the direction RID is taking; for the first time in quite a while, it feels like an honest subforum.
brightpuma said:Honestly, I don't know. I figure parents, especially the young and inexperienced ones, are under massive stress trying to raise kids. When people start bashing you left and right over your methods, feeding habits, or whatever, I bet that sticks with you. It makes you second-guess every single decision you make with your child.
Look, I agree you shouldn't be rigid, but you really have to know where to draw the line. It's easy for a comment to slide from "here's what I'd do" straight into "here's what I'd do if I actually loved my kid." You see the difference? 😉
rustydrifter10 said:Not everything is going to be moved over there. I honestly think most people on this forum just instinctively dump their uncertainty into that one thread, but everyone is more than welcome to start a brand-new topic if they're dealing with something else entirely.
Isn't this thread specifically for that one guy whose mother is raising his child, and he's struggling to figure out how to push back against her without clashing with Education?
I get the impression people flock to that thread simply because they're afraid the moderators will merge their posts with the main one. 😁
It feels to me like RID is starting to resemble something specific. 👋
The Parenting thread, however, remains a total mystery to me. I get the impression that every single parenting dilemma imaginable is dumped into that one thread. If you actually want a subforum dedicated to high-quality discussions on child-rearing, isn't it counterproductive to limit everything to just one single topic?
You've got sibling rivalry, kids throwing sand at each other, the old thread about how daughters can be defiant, how to handle a three-year-old who tantrums all day long, and the stubbornness of a two-and-a-half-year-old—all crammed into the last two pages (and I’m looking at pages with 60 posts each). To me, it’s like the USDA trying to establish itself as a serious professional subforum, while everyone's individual marriage problems are all shoved into one giant thread called "marriage problem."
Now, I certainly agree there should be one thread for dealing with unbearable grandparents and similar issues, but for almost every parenting question to land in one spot, it would only make sense if those dilemmas were solved with answers like, "Look them dead in the eye and tell them to stop. Source: (ed.) Omniscient, M. (2011)." 1000 Questions 1000 Answers. Washington, D.C.: Education.
Paul Wilson72 said:Expulsion via an expedited process, keeping the attacker far away from the victim, juvenile detention centers...
Trust me, that guy wouldn't even make it to the next morning alive...
Juvenile halls and even prisons are meant to be rehabilitative institutions, so if they can't act normal, they should be sent there to be taught a lesson in cases like this... As for those paper-thin disciplinary actions, they aren't worth the ink they're printed with...
There are facilities specifically designed to correct or strictly monitor the behavior of violent individuals. We've reached this level of aggression today because nobody reacts, and there's effectively no punishment for this kind of behavior—at least nothing these violent types actually feel.
By the way, that sentence you bolded just means you'd feel differently if it were your own child being attacked by a savage like that... It's easy to talk when it isn't personal, but if it were your kid on the line, I guarantee you'd change your tune regarding those savages pretty quickly...
Look, I don't know about you, but I'd much rather see society step in and help these little delinquents before they grow up to be major criminals, rather than hunting down someone who took my child from me. One approach could potentially save countless lives; the other offers zero utility in that regard. But hey, we all have different priorities.
Paul Wilson72 said:An 8th grader brutally attacked a 6th grader right in front of the school building
"The school board decided that the student will face disciplinary measures—that was confirmed by Principal Puhalo," 🙂 🙂 🙂
Now I'm just waiting for someone to step up and try to "save" this bully by digging for excuses or searching for some deep-seated trauma to justify his behavior. But what about the victim? Who is going to protect them from him?
So the attacker gets "punished" 😂 🤣 with mere "disciplinary measures"??? That sends a pretty terrible message to everyone involved... 🙄
Look, Sarah's dad, would you honestly prefer someone playing hero for this lunatic, or would you rather deal with the reality of him beating your daughter—or any other Sarah—to death in ten years just because she didn't give him a friendly enough smile at the local bakery where they both grabbed breakfast?
The current organization of these subforums strikes me as completely illogical. We have Sex, then Singles, then Marriage—as if life follows such a predictable, linear progression. It feels forced. Furthermore, I believe all Divorce discussions should be moved over to the USA section. Having topics regarding Politics, Linguistics, and History sandwiched between LJS, the USA, and the IRS is frankly nonsensical. There is zero cohesion here. I also think the thread about Mother-in-laws ought to be relocated to Weddings and renamed Beware.
So, that's the criteria then—that those subforums you frequent get pushed to the top. What if they just moved them right to the front page, sitting even higher than the Wall Street Journal? What do you think about that idea?
Emily Gonzalez51 said:Does this sound like you're describing a school staffed by creeps, predators, and lunatics? From what authority are you speaking? What is your actual role in the American education system? You're clearly just some former student who spent their time causing trouble in class decades ago. 😁
If you’re dodging the question because you want to claim your faculty lounge isn't filled with people who should be banned from being near toddlers—let alone children—then you’re either teaching at a place straight out of Narnia or your standards are incredibly low.
Evading the point and building straw men feels less like an argument and more like a clumsy attempt to cover for problematic colleagues. 😳
wanderinggardener12 said:I find myself viewing this through two distinct lenses: that of a parent—with one child aged 4 and another at 20—and that of an educator. When my eldest was navigating the school system, I experienced the trials of being a parent of a student, and now, after twenty years in the classroom, I carry the weight of professional experience as well.
Backpacks In my school, every student is assigned their own locker, yet they rarely utilize them in any meaningful way; more often than not, those lockers become catch-alls for everything except actual school supplies. Their backpacks are just as burdensome. In the English classes I teach, the students generally know what they need for the upcoming period, though about 80% of them still end up lugging everything to class regardless. For instance, if I tell them they’ll need their notebooks and workbooks for the next session, they’ll show up with the textbook and a reader as well. On numerous occasions, I have looked into a child's bag only to find books for subjects they aren't even studying that day, alongside a chaotic assortment of other items: notebooks, toys, reading assignments from three months ago, geometry sets they haven't touched in weeks, old food and juice boxes, and crumpled, dirty gym clothes sitting right next to a perfectly clean set waiting to be worn.
Creative Pedagogy and Education In a classroom of thirty students, it is nearly impossible to fully individualize every activity, yet many educators at my school strive to reach every single student, designing lessons where children actually *do* things rather than just sit there. However, despite the presence of various NGOs, the national plan and program, and the national curriculum, the syllabus remains incredibly bloated. A teacher is constantly racing against the clock just to cover what is mandated. The issue isn't necessarily the methods themselves, but the sheer lack of time. In an English curriculum, one should ideally focus on honing language competencies—speaking, listening, reading, and writing—not to mention developing functional literacy. Instead, a fifth grader is expected to master nine different parts of speech within the language block alone! If a teacher insists on assigning projects, encouraging research, or incorporating game-based learning, there is simply no way they will meet the requirements set by the Department of Education and the school administration. The luxury of breaking the rules can only be afforded by someone eccentric enough to ignore the consequences or financially independent enough to not care about their career. If you don't follow the Department of Education's mandates, you're failing; if you do, you're also failing, because in the rush to finish the material, the children inevitably miss out on much more vital learning.
Political Influence Neither parents nor teachers possess any real influence over the government, even though both parties care deeply about the outcome. Education is often treated as the last priority in the budget. It seems this society is only interested in money—and specifically, fast money with minimal investment. Education doesn't offer quick returns; it takes ten or twenty years for a generation to truly mature, so investing in schooling cannot be presented as an immediate profit in today's currency.
Parents There will be no progress until parents realize that school isn't just a daycare center where they can drop off their kids while they work—hoping to avoid dealing with them both during the workday and at home. There will be no change until they understand that, much like any other business, you have to invest if you want results; for example, supporting smaller class sizes to ensure better outcomes. It won't happen until it becomes clear that $400 the annual cost for textbooks amounts to $33 per month—money some people blow on cigarettes in five days—or until they recognize that teachers who educate and raise their children work eight hours or more, not just the five hours spent inside the classroom. Furthermore, the relationship between parents and schools won't improve until some realize that the school isn't solely responsible for raising a child. Many parents aren't willing to take accountability for their own upbringing of their children. It is far easier to blame the school for failures in parenting: if the child is aggressive, it’s the school's fault; if they are anti-social, it’s the school; if the child is unhappy, no one thinks to spend a few weeks actually playing with them or ensuring the parents aren't constantly at each other's throats at home. If a child is "lazy," spoiled, or combative, they'll claim it's the school's doing, rather than admitting it's the result of parents who are absent until 7:00 PM every night.
Teachers They work for a paycheck, and after 20 years on the job—$1933. It’s a mistake to assume they only put in five hours a day. Making an assumption like that would be no different than trying to calculate the hourly rate of a judge or a lawyer by only counting the time they spend sitting in a courtroom. A proper assessment of a teacher's workload should be conducted by people who actually possess the necessary competence and qualifications to understand what they're looking at. As for standardized testing—well, sure, if they decide to implement rigorous testing for every single public servant, and if I were given the chance to test everyone working in healthcare, law enforcement, administration, or the arts, then perhaps we could have a conversation.
If we’re okay with incompetence in the police force, why shouldn't we be okay with teachers who don't actually know their subject matter? Is it acceptable for people teaching computer science to barely understand what a desktop computer even is?😁
This popped up right after I clicked a link in a different thread. 🤣
Anderlon said:Did you know that the man behind the world's most powerful supercomputers, the late Cray, used to build ships as a hobby? Every year, he’d start construction on a new vessel, sail it once it was finished, and then—to top it off—set the whole thing ablaze. Then he'd just start over, building something even better. That’s the inspiring legend I've heard, anyway.
We can all regret the things we wrote back on the old forums. Unfortunately, trying to port those posts into this successor isn't an option. It would be such a massive drain on our resources that it would essentially become a pointless exercise.
Your old posts aren't going anywhere; they'll remain on the legacy forums (we still have two active ones, and nobody even remembers the third one anymore, let alone finds any traces of it). Since they've been left alone, they probably won't be plagued by that unbearable "Server busy" error message.
mobile89 said:I genuinely enjoy wearing thongs. There is a certain ritual to it—washing them, drying them, smoothing them out, and packing them away—only to put them back on for the pure satisfaction they provide. They always seem to find their way exactly where they belong, making the whole experience worthwhile.
It is quite amusing how AnnieSavoy has managed to weigh in on nearly every single thread on this board. 🤣
I am asking for your help here. 😁 It seems that no matter which subforum I navigate to, I am suddenly confronted by eight different threads dedicated entirely to underwear. I simply do not have the patience to spend twenty minutes reporting posts, only to sit there staring at a sixty-second countdown timer before I can submit the next one. I've reached my limit. 🙂 😁
I was wondering if we’re talking about a standard backpack weight, or if this includes the entire haul—textbooks, notebooks, workbooks, atlases, the pencil case, and all that gym gear. 🙂