Posts by mellowskipper

Given how things look for her right now—and I suppose this is just my take—she could only really go up from here, or at most, stay exactly where she is.

Exactly—though I suppose I’d also take the risk of being slightly embarrassed by it all.
And yeah, honestly, I am just counting down the days until middle school is finally over.

Benjamin Lewis2 said:Reading assignments... what a headache. My daughter is a great student—she’s in 7th grade, works hard, hits all her deadlines, and stays on top of everything. She doesn't have issues with schoolwork in general. Her problem is these "reading assignments" and the weird little philosophies the English teacher keeps coming up with. It’s not enough to actually read the book, understand the plot, or finish a worksheet anymore. Now, they turn every book into these massive projects that feel more like college-level coursework, taking weeks to complete. Honestly, she can't tackle most of these demanding tasks on her own. As parents, we're stuck. How much help is too much? If we step in to help her meet these crazy requirements, the teacher claims she didn't do the work herself and won't give her credit. But if she tries it solo? She fails.
At this point, it doesn't even matter if she read the book. It's more about how tech-savvy you are, how well you use digital tools, or how creative and articulate you can be with whatever gimmick is being assigned this week. Trust me, picking a book from a library bin is fun and motivating, but this? This is something else entirely.
We actually spoke up and told the teacher she was overdoing it with these assignments. The response? We were told not to interfere since we aren't "professionals." Is this happening in other schools across the US too? Who are we supposed to go to for an actual expert opinion? Not everyone is aiming for an Ivy League education, and certainly not everyone is headed to a four-year university.

There isn't much you can do. It's the exact same story with my kid. She's in 8th grade now. Those 7th-grade reading assignments were basically doctoral theses or month-long projects. I went to a prep school myself, and that's the level of writing they expect for a simple reading assignment. Naturally, we can't do it ourselves.
With mine, the approach is this: she writes what she understands on her own, and for the parts she doesn't quite get, I help her out—but strictly by providing vocabulary or sentence structures so that she remains the one doing the actual writing. I don't even correct her spelling.
Twice a year, they don't even have to write anything; they just take a test on the books instead, and honestly, that's a blessing for the kids.

Yeah, I suppose the trailer looks alright—it’ll be worth a watch, I guess. Bruce Campbell definitely left his mark on this one. Now, if only the production companies would actually...
The soundtrack sounds pretty much identical to the one used in the series From.

Justin Garcia7 said:Hey, my family doctor's office was shut down, and they told me I should just look on the Social Security Administration website to find a new general practitioner... but I can't find anything at all. Please help.

Maybe try emailing the director of a local Health Center directly to ask where there's availability—then you can pick one based on whatever criteria actually matters to you.

If I hadn't stumbled upon this thread, I probably wouldn't have even heard about that movie.
It’s pretty obvious their marketing campaign is a total flop.

Jeffrey Howard79 said:Yeah... I just can't wrap my head around how some people actually act like that. Personally, I’d probably just get out of there—I mean, what are they going to do, throw rocks at me?

Of course they exist.
Here is a brief little breakdown explaining why we react the way we do during high-stress moments—it's that whole "3F" thing, or rather, fight, flight, and freeze.
https://www.simplypsychology.org/fig...eeze-fawn.html
It seems you'd clearly be stuck in Flight mode
.

What you’ve laid out there is pretty much the life story of your average teenager.
Not everyone ends up walking around with a machete or an assault rifle—though, obviously, some do, especially in the USA.
Speaking of psychopaths, if we're talking cinema, Hannibal Lecter is probably my personal gold standard for the archetype.
So, I guess it's up to you all to decide—is Art a psychopath, or is he something else entirely?
Aliens are off the table.

Jose Wells3 said:Just a quick reminder: most kids don't live in Washington, D.C., where they actually have access to free public libraries like the ones run by KPMG. For many of us, hunting down the latest required reading is a constant struggle because school libraries are equipped with the same mindset as our education system—slow, outdated, or just nonexistent altogether.

To get my hands on a specific book once, I actually had to drive to another city, sign up for a membership, and personally negotiate with the library director to secure 20 copies of the exact same title (huge thanks to her for making that happen). For some kids, I end up hitting up various local branches and collecting every single library card I can get my hands on (we currently have four in our house alone).

Take my five friends, for example. I'll bring a book from home and then rotate through them, giving each kid a different sequel over time. Why? Because if you don't, the story starts to fade. But once they finally dive in? They absolutely love it and start begging for more.

Sure, there are PDFs available now, and there's more focus on adjustable fonts, but you won't believe this... Most kids just don't want to read on a screen.

I believe you regarding the PDF books. My teacher often provides links to e-books, but mine always prefers borrowing physical copies from the school library or the public library.

Susan James said:😍 🙏

Maybe start a book drive? You could put the word out on social media.

Schools in the Washington, D.C. area do things like that, and honestly, schools in the surrounding suburbs and rural areas should too. It usually happens during "National Book Month," but it could definitely happen year-round.

You’d be surprised how many parents buy books themselves because they have their own reasons for not wanting their kids using library books.
They also love to donate extras, especially required reading or duplicates they received for birthdays.

Why wouldn't they want their kids reading books from the library?

Ethan Mitchell4 said: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.

Wait, what? I mean, is that even legal under school board regulations?

hiddendriver34 said:Charm them? 😂 Man, that’s a whole different level of hard.

A colleague of mine who teaches English was telling me about this ridiculous situation. She gave her high school seniors some basic news articles to translate into English, and you wouldn't believe it—they actually had to stop and ask her what a "curb" was or what a "street lamp" looks like.

I've noticed my daughter actually has a better vocabulary in English than she does in American English. It’s unbelievable. She isn't exactly a bookworm—last year the only thing she actually liked was *Adrian Moliti*, and she even asked me to buy her the sequel. Poetry and literary analysis are her absolute worst.

Sarah Hall53 said:Nah, I just mean it’d be pretty great if you had something to read right before hitting the hay.

It's tough, at least in my case. Practice goes until 10:00 PM. She's home by 10:30. By 11:00, she's getting ready for bed—she's exhausted, which is probably just right for a good night's sleep.

Believe me, the reading assignments they give us aren't even a challenge—those two times a year when we have to prep for a test are honestly the easiest part. Everything else feels like you're trying to earn a PhD in American Literature rather than just finishing middle school requirements. Back when I was in junior high, my reading list wasn't nearly this demanding.
Honestly, I think they’ll actually find their footing once they hit High School. They'll probably breeze through the literature there...

rowdypanther12 said:Someone was making a fuss over my little girl's account, so it ended up getting removed. I didn't read the whole thing, but I've read enough about the book to know it's great. I'm glad I got it out of there before things escalated further.

My daughter had to deal with something similar. She even had to track down ten different articles regarding the American Civil War.
With her school assignments, she’s honestly lucky if they only have two tests a year where she doesn't have to write a massive essay at home. It feels more like she's working toward a PhD than just finishing middle school, given how much writing they demand.

You don't need to be some high-level economist or anything—I mean, we’re really just asking for someone to occasionally glance over the threads, shut down any insults, and maybe give a heads-up when things drift off-topic. It seems like the good discussions just wither away or, in the end, get locked up entirely.
Maybe one of the moderators from the politics section could step in? Personally, I think everyone over there is pretty decent and keeps things civil.

Jukićev, Klovićev, Central Park

Richard Morris43 said:It’s just the lyrics, you know? Like, God created everything we see, right? But this kid... he’s got his own little set of beliefs already. He’s obsessed with geography and basically anything out in space—we’ve gone through enough encyclopedias on the subject that I can tell you he's hooked.
I know, I know, it sounds totally mental to say a seven-year-old is out here having his own deep convictions, but honestly, he really does.

Look, it’s fine. It’s actually great that she has those beliefs.
But you have to go in assuming that during religion class, she’s going to be taught that God created the universe, rather than being given scientific explanations.
For instance, back when my daughter was in second grade, she told me she understood that the Bible is mostly metaphorical—that it shouldn't be taken literally, but rather viewed as a collection of fables meant to convey a moral or a message.
If you guys are atheists, there really isn't a need to force her to sit through religion class; there’s always some way to work around it, and I doubt she’s the only kid in the class facing that situation.

Richard Morris43 said:The whole mess boils down to this: if a kid isn't enrolled in those religious studies classes at school, they can't take communion, and eventually, they can't even graduate or move up the social ladder within the community.
So, effectively, the church uses these milestones to hold people's hands, right? Because let's face it, most families still give a damn about their kids hitting those traditional milestones and sacraments.

If you want a real fix, you have to get religious instruction out of the public school system entirely—that's the only way, but let's be real, that’s never going to happen in this country.

My kid started first grade this year, and right when I was filling out the enrollment paperwork, I checked the box for religious education.
Why? Honestly, because I didn't want him just wandering the hallways or stuck in some empty classroom while everyone else was busy.
Everything seemed fine until that first class actually happened. After he got home, he absolutely lost it, telling me he couldn't sit through that stuff and that we couldn't possibly wait until the end of the school year to pull him out.
He was genuinely distraught.
And look, it wasn't even the teacher's fault; it was the actual material being taught that just clashed so hard with how his little mind was starting to work.
To be totally honest, I had no clue it would hit him that hard.

I took him straight to the office to unenroll him immediately, even though it was the very beginning of the term. They told me normally you have to wait until the end of the year, but they made an exception for us.

In the end, it worked out fine; there are plenty of other kids who don't attend those classes, so the school has ways to keep them occupied during that period anyway.

But what exactly happened in that first lesson to upset him so much?

You might think it wouldn't hurt—as if it’s some trivial thing—but honestly, I was sitting there with tears streaming down my face.

My morning coffee is non-negotiable—it’s pretty much essential for me to function. Then, around noon, we usually grab lunch, followed by another coffee around 12:30, which I find perfectly fine. After that, I wouldn't really bother drinking any more. On the weekends, though, I stick to just having one in the morning at home.

silentmason4 said:Alright Karen, so where does your kid sit during religion class then?

In our district, they just sit in the library or some study hall working on homework.
They aren't allowed to leave campus either, I guess.