Michelle Nelson4 said:The core issue here is that any kid in the American school system who starts struggling with reading comprehension or keeping up with lessons in those early grades should be immediately flagged for speech therapy evaluations through the school district. Instead, it feels like everything hinges on whether a parent is willing to accept that there might be an issue in the first place. On top of that, you often run into the hurdle of having to $200 pay out of pocket for private assessments because waiting for the official school evaluation can take forever...
I went down to my local elementary school, which has about 500 students. They actually had a speech therapist last year, but she was let go because the Department of Education decided they weren't going to fund her position anymore. We went to the "public" clinic just for a basic screening. Now, we've been sitting around waiting for actual therapy sessions for 15 months. Everything is broken; it doesn't matter where you look. Kids are struggling with articulation, spelling, and even basic syllable division, yet the district keeps hiring PE teachers or whatever those recent openings were.
Susan James said:So what exactly are they doing in the after-school program then? 😕
They can definitely read their assigned books during the program, why not? 🤷 Once a child finishes their homework, they can just grab a book and read. 🤷
We should try to get as much done at school as possible. That way, when they get home, they can just play... or go out for soccer. Or just read whatever they actually enjoy.
If I were teaching the younger grades, I'd spend way more time focusing on reading, reading comprehension, retelling stories, and writing essays based on the books, rather than making picture books, drawing characters, or filming little movies about books they might not have even finished reading... 🤷
There are 60 kids crammed into one tiny classroom. It's a mix of first, second, and third graders. They can barely focus enough to finish a single assignment, and we were explicitly told that no school reading is allowed during after-school hours.
Terry Martinez10 said:Why does it seem like kids only ever touch the books assigned by their teachers? Growing up, my parents used to hand me all sorts of novels and stories, and honestly, they completely sucked me in—I was that kid who would be hiding a paperback under the desk during class just to keep going, or staying up way past my bedtime because the plot was just too intense to put down. Sure, I didn't enjoy every single school assignment, but I always finished them and got the work done. The real trick is fostering that genuine hunger for reading; some books are absolute masterpieces and others are just okay, but you really don't know until you've lived through the pages and actually sat with the ideas afterward. Because I'm such a bookworm, my kids are constantly asking what I'm reading, so I usually end up spinning a condensed version of the story into a little tale just for them so we have something to talk about; plus, we read books specifically geared toward their age where we’ll draw out the characters or map out the plot together. Most nights, we settle in for a reading session before bed. I tend to get excited about every new book I pick up and I make sure to tell them all about it, which eventually sparks that same curiosity in them. Most kids don't care for reading simply because they haven't discovered the massive, hidden universe tucked inside a cover yet; maybe they read too slowly to catch the momentum of the plot, or maybe their reading nook isn't cozy enough, or perhaps it’s just that reading isn't viewed as something fun at home, but rather seen as just another chore... like homework, or some tedious task that's just stealing their time.
In my entire life, nobody ever bought a single book for me; I've bought about 300 of them myself. I’ve loved reading since I was a kid, practically inseparable from a book. I have a sister who's a year older than me, and she wouldn't even touch a newspaper. Out of my cousin's two daughters, there's a two-year age gap; one stays far away from books, while the other is actually studying to be a librarian (that's the term, right?). It's not an issue of parenting; it's a matter of temperament.
Someone mentioned something earlier regarding after-school programs. In those programs, they don't really focus on reading or working through school assignments. In fact, it's actually recommended that we handle things like English homework at home with our kids instead of leaving it to the staff at the center.
Sarah Hall53 said:First off, we really need to clear up the terminology here: An IEP is an Individualized Education Program—you know, the stuff we do to make sure these kids actually succeed. A 504 plan is an accommodation plan. Those are strictly limited to three students per classroom, regardless of how big the total class size is.
Now, 28 students is basically the absolute maximum number allowed in any standard American classroom. Technically, for every student with a 504 plan, the total headcount in the room should drop by two. So, a class with one 504 student shouldn't exceed 26 kids, two 504s means a max of 24, and three 504s means the class cap hits 21. But with IEPs? They can just cram in as many as they want because they play these little legal games to get around the rules. ☕
So, who's actually enforcing this? Take my preschool here, for example. I think the group should have topped out at 24 kids. There was me and one other little one with special needs. Most of the time we were sitting at 24, but honestly, I've seen it hit 27 before. Nobody gives a damn about these rules.
I’m a little confused—are they introducing some kind of high school exit exam, or is this just another entrance test for high school? Honestly, this whole "graduation exam" concept seems pretty ridiculous to me. It feels like we're just trying to mimic how things work in America, even though it doesn't really fit our system.
Just look at the grades and the entrance exams for both high school and college; those have always been more than enough.
Does anyone happen to know the process for requesting a reimbursement for therapy that couldn't be done through insurance because there were zero openings available under Medicare, leaving private care as the only option? This specific facility is the only one in the US offering this type of treatment, and we were specifically referred there by our specialist.
Do I need to draft a formal appeal? Or is there some kind of standard template I should use? I realize I'll need to attach all the necessary documentation. Should I go ahead and request travel expense reimbursement right away, or is that usually just assumed to be part of the claim?
Carl Bishop2 said:I'm curious about how things work for those little ones from the traveler communities who don't speak English yet—is there any kind of special arrangement made regarding their start date for school?
Usually not, if language is the only issue. With those communities, there are tons of other areas where they fall behind, so when you add all that up, that's when the delays happen. Though, in the last few years, some have been really decent—buying houses in rural towns, working abroad, and honestly, you wouldn't even realize they were Roman just by looking at them. They've blended in physically quite a bit with Americans, even if you look closely enough to notice their specific facial features. I read somewhere that they've been settled in parts of Iowa for over 300 years, but their assimilation is going terribly poorly. You can't really blame us for not accepting them; the responsibility lies with them. We truly embrace the ones who are decent, and I'd say those people are becoming more common.
Personally, I have zero issues with my child hanging out with anyone. In fact, back when he was a little kid and was terrified of every other child in the park—totally lacking social skills—he actually played best with the little Roman kids. They'd drag him around where he couldn't go on his own and help him climb things, whereas our own kids aren't always that open or friendly.
By the way, this separation isn't exclusive to the Roman community. Last year, we had an Albanian girl; she was six years old and didn't know a single word of English. She was born right here in the States (her parents have probably lived here for 20 years), and she has older siblings who go to school and speak the language perfectly. But nobody thought it was important for her to learn the language of the country she lives in. It was obvious she hadn't had any contact with Americans, otherwise, she would have picked something up. The poor girl had massive psychological struggles when she started preschool—she was vomiting every single day and everything. I think even her teacher or someone close to her acted as her pediatrician.
It's a whole mess, but I don't think they're being held back specifically because of the language barrier.
I’m not even sure if any intervention actually helps them The truth is, the parents just don't care—it’s like they’re completely indifferent They live off government assistance and start having kids at fifteen, basically adding a new one to the mix every single year Honestly, I think the only thing that would work is strict penalties Like, cut off the welfare benefits if you aren't actually sending your kids to school You have to hit them in the wallet; nothing else gets through to them Everyone loves to talk about "integrating" them into American society But give me a break—they’ve been living here, specifically in my county, for what feels like forever, and if they haven't integrated by now, what are they waiting for?
In my daycare group, we constantly have kids who don't speak a word of English. Last year, we had an immigrant from Albania; she learned so much by the end of the year it was unreal, considering she started with absolutely zero vocabulary Now we have a kid whose family is from China, but he already knows quite a bit And for three years now, we’ve had a little boy who came over from the Netherlands; he knew a few phrases of English already We also had a girl from Egypt for a while, though I'm not really sure what her situation is But those parents actually make an effort, whereas that isn't the case with the Romani community
Of course, credit where credit is due—there are exceptions. They're rare, but there are some families who are truly impressive, and I really respect them
I honestly think my county has the highest concentration 🤦 of kids who have absolutely no concept of discipline or structure, and to make matters worse, they struggle significantly with the English language. I suspect these students are failing grades en masse—not just first grade, but all of them. I don't know what the current stats look like, but I remember hearing stories back in the day about kids repeating the same grade twice, and girls consistently dropping out by the end of high school. Of course, there are exceptions, but from what I can see, the numbers are rising to a point where we should all be feeling pretty ashamed.
Sarah Hall53 said:good morning 1 was what we used for the first half of the year, then for the second half we switched over to good morning 2—same thickness, though. We also had these workbooks to go along with both, plus these little A5 worksheets, you know, those super thick tear-out pads with the red covers. Oh, and there was a third volume of Good Morning too, which served as our reading book. And that was just for American language class.
I'm reading through all these threads one by one because I'll have a first grader this fall, and honestly, I'm a little appalled by everything I'm seeing. Now I'm hearing from you all that the curriculum has been simplified compared to when we were in school, yet on other days, I hear that second graders are already learning multiplication tables. As far as I can remember, we didn't touch that so early... And the books I've seen? Absolutely terrible. Parents don't even understand what the poet was trying to convey with all those clouds and arrows.
Besides, why do they demand that kids already know how to read and write before they even start school, only to spend the entire year nagging them about it? Apparently, it's because they need to be able to read the assignments themselves. That's the excuse. The whole thing is backwards.
Preschool is mandatory, but I don't know a single soul who goes to daycare just to attend something called "preschool." I don't even know where such a thing would even be organized.
Where do you guys pick up shapewear? I just hope they don't end up costing me more than that Ralph Lauren dress I picked up—though, looking at the list, it seems like they’re actually pricier there.
A coworker of mine had all the classic symptoms for a few days—fever, loss of smell, taste issues... he took a test, but it came back negative. If he goes for a serology test now, and it shows he was previously positive (meaning he already fought off COVID-19), would he still be required to self-isolate if he’s currently in close contact with someone who tested positive again?
Also, are serology tests covered by Medicare, or is this something you have to handle entirely out-of-pocket? It's spreading pretty fast at his office, and since his pay takes a massive hit while he's stuck in isolation, he’d rather just pay for the test himself if he can.
In my apartment building, every few years—I can't remember the exact interval—they swap out the gas meter. It’s handled by the crew from our local utility provider.
They give you plenty of advance notice, but when they actually show up, you have to have everything ready for them: - all the documentation regarding the water heater, including who installed it and who commissioned it... - a certification from a technician stating the water heater is in good working order - a certification from a chimney inspector confirming the flue is safe - if you have any other appliances hooked up to the gas line (like my stove), you need all the paperwork for those too, proving they were connected by a licensed professional and everything else required
Once they swap the meter, they use a detection device to check for leaks anywhere. Last time, I had a leak at the connection between my stove and the gas pipe; the technicians just went out, grabbed what they needed, and fixed it right then and there.
It honestly baffles me how, in some places, people are allowed to hook up their own gas stoves or just call over "a neighbor who knows his stuff." In our building, we are strictly required to call a licensed professional for anything involving gas, and we have to keep every shred of documentation from that service on file.
As far as I'm concerned, the service technician is doing exactly what they should be doing: move the meter, and everything stays compliant.
I fail to see how the previous owners have anything to do with this, nor does the fact that you didn't realize the meter shouldn't be located right next to the shower stall matter here. And I don't see any connection whatsoever between an energy efficiency certificate and this entire situation.
A few months back, I lived in a building where the flues weren't up to code and the chimney inspector refused to sign off on them. The utility company ended up sealing everyone's gas lines shut. They won't reopen them until everything is repaired. Right now, I live in an apartment where we nearly faced the same fate because the chimneys became leaky. Fortunately, everyone in the building (there are 46 units total) acted in time. We ditched the gas furnaces we used to use for heat, installed radiators instead, and switched to modern exterior-mounted water heaters to replace the old atmospheric ones. We routed the dual venting from those new heaters through the leaky chimneys.
I see my favorite book, Youthful suffering, being mentioned 😵 It’s honestly the absolute worst thing I’ve ever read in my entire life—and that’s saying something, because I read a massive amount of books; my shelves at home are practically overflowing But about a year ago, it was actually outdone by The Cabin. I guess you never know who’s reading whom—whether I'm consuming the book or the book is consuming me
What I mean is, required reading isn't always "fun." To me, it's just something you're supposed to read to have a basic level of "general culture"—if there's even a better way to put it—just so you can hold a conversation about it. That's why I pushed through The Cabin until the very end; everyone keeps raving about it like it's the greatest masterpiece ever written, so I figured I'd see what the fuss was about. Personally? It was terrible...
I used to be one of those students who actually finished every single assigned book, from the Odyssey to Krleža, and I don't regret it one bit At this rate, most high schoolers will probably know more about the Kardashian sisters than they will about Chekhov
I’m reviving this ancient thread because I have no idea where else to go with some "general" questions about movies
Basically, I’ve been dying to watch the film Goran But I can't make it to the theater It isn't available on any streaming services And I don't even own a TV or whatever device you need to pay for stuff like this
I’ve been wondering about this too because I spent days being harassed by a delivery driver (I think he was from FedEx, not just the regular USPS guy) asking why my last name isn't listed on the doorbell at my building entrance. We had our phone service switched over recently, and they didn't update everyone's info—they basically only updated the people who were actually home to answer. When someone rang the bell, they'd just ask for a name and then update the system on the spot. Naturally, the people out working their tails off at 11 in the morning didn't get their names added. And honestly, I was feeling lazy, so I couldn't be bothered to peel off the plastic covering on the doorbell to write it down, so I just left it for days.
So, this driver ends up calling my landline, demanding to know where I am. There are twelve apartments in this building; if he’d just looked at the mailboxes, he would have figured it out. Then he starts lecturing me, acting like it's my duty to have my name clearly posted. All I could say to him was, "Yeah, yeah, sure..." just to get him off my back. Then he calls me again a day later to check if I finally wrote it down. And then, a few days after that, he hits me with the exact same question again. Finally, I snapped at him. Like, why do you even care? I actually went as far as disconnecting my landline from the public directory just so I wouldn't be visible in the listings anymore. I was that fed up.