Posts by Megan Reed

Susan Barrett2 said:Here’s yet another way they're tightening the leash—honestly, where does this all end?

So, what, those idiots flying dragons over our backyards all damn summer aren't enough for them? Cool.

Some good news: As of 2020, mosquitoes aren't exactly the biggest flying irritants in the city anymore.

Sarah Hall53 said:Honestly, trying to track down my profile for an English-German swap is becoming a total nightmare—it’s almost impossible. It feels like everyone just assumes we have to split subjects up now because finding one single person willing to trade both languages is such a long shot. But, you know, when you leave the search open-ended without those restrictions... man, you get hit with way more requests. 😉

I'm with you on that. I'm also factoring in people who are already juggling three different school districts or are out on maternity leave or something. [On another note, I’ve applied for positions at places like Mayo Clinic, only to have some biology or chemistry professor—or better yet, an environmental scientist—jump in and snag the job. My specific degree is actually tailor-made for that kind of work. So why is it that they hire professors for those roles and then turn around and complain about the teacher shortage in our public schools? It’s a complete circus.]

urbantinker8 said:Regarding that last point: you definitely have grounds for an appeal if things actually played out the way you described.
I can't speak for what's happening in Des Moines, but I know how it works in New York City—specifically, finding math or computer science teachers is a total disaster, whereas biology isn't nearly as much of a struggle.

I didn't bother appealing. They just reposted the job opening and picked someone else. I've realized that a lot of these hiring processes follow this frustrating pattern: post the job, cancel it, then repost it until they find exactly who they want. When you see that happening, it starts looking less like a fair search and more like a rigged game.

I even heard from my contact over at the State Employment Agency that finding Bio/Chem teachers is becoming a massive headache. Back when I was in college in a mid-sized city like Columbus, you wouldn't even see ten people enrolling in the teaching track. But nowadays, you have plenty of people who specialized in just biology or just chemistry, yet these job postings specifically demand a dual-certified teacher. They really need to split those listings up. Sure, it might mean some teachers don't get a full schedule, but isn't it better to have a biologist teach biology and a chemist teach chemistry rather than forcing a single person to do both just because the requirements are too narrow?

Honestly, I barely even apply for positions that require chemistry, even though I could technically cover it at a middle school level. I’d only consider it if it were out in some tiny rural town where they absolutely couldn't find anyone else.

Just recently, there was an opening in a small town outside of a major Midwestern hub for a Bio/Chem teacher, and twenty-seven candidates applied. So, it's not like there's a shortage of qualified people. I don't follow the trends for other science subjects—I stay focused on my own field—but it’s infuriating to read about a food technology major teaching biology while I, a literal biologist, can't even land a four-hour subbing gig. If anything, we're going to have a surplus of biologists soon enough, considering how many enroll in the big state universities.

urbantinker8 said:When you guys are posting about this, it might be helpful to mention which specific subjects or cities you're talking about.
In a place like Chicago, it is incredibly difficult to find math or computer science teachers for the schools. I don't think anyone could convince me otherwise, mostly because I've been witnessing some pretty wild situations for years now.
And, well, I know a bit about what happens in more rural areas, where those same subjects often end up being taught by people who haven't even finished their college degrees.

I’ve been sending out applications all over the country because I know the odds of landing something right here in my hometown—which is basically a small town in the Midwest—aren't great since my degree is in biology. It’s those same issues I mentioned before. I could handle subbing or part-time gigs somewhere within commuting distance, but if we're talking a full-time position, I’m more than willing to pack up and move to the other side of the States. Plus, even though I've finished my teaching credentials, I haven't actually stepped foot in a classroom yet, whereas I know people who started working without them just because they were near schools struggling to find any staff at all. It’s all down to luck. It isn't like I'm refusing to work in a rural area or anything.🙂

Last year, I applied for a biology teacher opening at an elementary school in NYC, only for them to cancel the whole thing later, claiming "no candidates met the requirements." Trust me, I know for a fact that I did.

hiddendriver34 said:I’ve never really sat down and dissected this, but I assume a three-year vocational program in the US is designed so kids walk away with more than just technical skills—they should actually come out with some general knowledge and a sense of how the world works. If they’re just learning a specific trade, why bother with three whole years? You can pick up job-specific qualifications in a few months if you're focused. As far as general subjects go, most of them barely need anything from high school.
They don't even need much English instruction since they mastered reading and writing back in elementary school.
Math is pretty much a wash too, because once you've nailed addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division in the second grade, you've got the basics covered.
Sure, a server might need a little foreign language for the customers, but a line cook probably won't use it at all.

Honestly, it feels like they only really need the lower grades of elementary school; everything from fifth grade onward is basically overkill.😁

I was literally just talking about this today. 👍 I guess this is just the next brilliant step in those "reforms" meant to drag us into the 22nd century. We might as well start working at 15. (Not that it matters, since we’ll probably be waiting until we're 115 to retire. 😁)

urbantinker8 said:Actually, I'm not quite sure what you're referring to—like, what specific details or which subject we're talking about—but from what I've seen, it seems to align pretty closely with this article. I don't mean to generalize about specific schools, but there's definitely a shortage of science teachers that's starting to cause some real chaos in the classrooms

Great. I read that article. As a science teacher myself, I've applied to about 50 different openings across the entire US in the last year and haven't landed a single job. Let them keep whining about how they can't find anyone.

Jason Richardson5 said:Give me a break, seriously.

It could also go like this: 🙂

😁

Yeah, because why wouldn't I? 🙂

http://entertainment.timesonline.co....cle7032768.ece

Back in the spring of 2009, Newsom ended up developing nodules on her vocal cords, and apparently, whenever she tried to speak, it sounded just like the hiss you hear when you crack open a cold Coke. She spent two whole months lugging a notebook around because she wasn't allowed to sing, talk, or even shed a tear. “Crying was actually the absolute worst thing for my voice,” she noted. “I had to constantly tell myself, don’t feel, don’t feel, don’t feel.” As she recovered, there was this sense of grief once she realized her original voice was gone for good, though she claims she owes it to everyone to be "fully transparent" about the fact that she's made intentional choices regarding further vocal adjustments since then.

this is a major hurdle😍
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrKnOn56lrw

🙏

Joanna News is finally hitting our neck of the woods. It’s happening in Chicago on January 29th.
I was wondering if anyone here was actually planning on grabbing tickets for the show? 🙂

Come on, let me know what you're thinking. 😁
http://mupa.hu/en/program/joanna-new...11-01-29_20-00

'81. @ later with Jimmy Fallon 4.5.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb5Jp_duKNM

🙂

Olivia Walker30 said:It sounds more reasonable

which basically means I'm willing to give her one more shot... 😬

live concert footage from March 23rd
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...711752&ps=cprs

Your Brain is 60 % Female

op 😳 😁

And maybe they’re just rebranded—like some cheap knockoff version of the Lakers? 🤷

Kevin Chavez3 said:can he pull it off using his BROTHERS 😬

Sure. You just take a brother, dip one of his feet in some paint, and tell him to get to work:



but make sure that foot actually touches the canvas.

I’m afraid that sisters are actually a bit more precise. 🙏

Yeah, you guys are really hitting those high notes today. 🙏 I hope someone actually felt a little sting from that one. 🙏

ambermason16 said:Give us a break; some of us actually work in linguistics, so this kind of nonsense really sticks out to us.

LMAO.

Personally, it drives me up the wall when I look at a picture and the lines aren't perfectly straight. Like, they weren't drawn with a ruler. It irritates me when circles in paintings aren't made using a compass. It bugs me if an artist doesn't use a protractor while working... I mean, an angle of 89.5° 😲, that is not a real angle. It gets under my skin when colors bleed together, overlapping one another without any sharp borders. It bothers me when someone paints a green sun. Or a square head. Honestly, I don't get why you artists allow yourselves to distort reality like that? 🤷

But seriously. WHY? 🤷

Dana Robinson7 said:This is easily the greatest thread we've ever had. 😍

For real. 🙂

I haven't been keeping up with the show much lately, but man, tonight's episode was absolutely top-tier. 🙏 🙏 🙏

I only caught a tiny glimpse of it, and honestly, I'm pretty bummed I didn't sit through the whole thing. 😳

Let's just put this sentence in the past tense, shall we? ☕
I tried revisiting Machina/The Machines of God back when it first dropped; honestly, I think I got stuck somewhere right around the first track. 🤷

Wait, I totally forgot the smiley face: 🤮.

What about this?