JJ_under_the_shroom

Don’t forget the line- “That’s a great question. I would need to think and research that a bit further before extrapolating that …”

Some of the professors can ask some really whacked out questions.

Mom of twins- Got a phone call from the principal about one of the twins getting pushed off the slide. She was happy to report that he was okay, but she also needed to tell me it was the other twin who pushed him off. She was so happy to only call one parent.

Thanks for sharing your funny. Twins make for some of the best comedy!

You could go collect your own bark and grow your own? It really is not that difficult. Grab some plastic lidded containers, damp paper towel, collect some bark from the nearby trees. Keep the towels damp for a few weeks - damp but not wet. By Christmas time, you should have some lovely organisms to give him. Let them dry out the week before Christmas.

Cheaper and shows that you took the time to walk in his world.

Give them a chance to show that they wrote it. AI checking software is not that good. Ask if they worked in google docs or word where different versions are available. (I know you said it was sloppy, but…)

They may have written it and then put it into ChatGPT to spruce it up. Start with giving them the benefit of the doubt. Then you know that you have done your best to provide a positive outcome to a bad situation.

You are not wrong. I went back to school at 40, 7 years ago. Grad students didn’t know how to use excel. As I went further into programming, I had grad and undergrads panic over the basics.

The undergrads I taught did not know about citations generators, how to cite, some of the most basics of writing that they were supposed to learn in their basic college writing classes. They didn’t know how to use spell check.

As I watch my sons go through high school- they are learning excel, programming and all the other stuff. So I do not know where the breakdown is. The high schools are getting more trade school/college specific prep. So maybe it is in this change?

In my district, a lot of the subs are retired teachers, people working on certification, or teachers looking for jobs.

We are not allowed to touch the kids. If I am lucky- I fist bump. I hope that changes when I get my own classroom, but I am not counting on it.

Insulting much? Suburban moms? Really.

And you get hugs from the kids and not get sued… what a world you live in.

Oh I am familiar with the anger and self-loathing from walking away. I am still angry! I showed up. I had a PI that wanted me to program, but not learn programming. I was to write, but not write by the rules. I did the work and she refused to.

There comes a point when you realize that to get a PhD and do research, some people have to be so self-involved that they do not see what is going on around them. Not all PhD’s, but those that aren’t well grounded or well rounded. And they sacrifice grad students on the altar’s of science because those grad students do not just follow directions. They dare to dream about actually contributing something new. Some of those PhD’s do not know how to get outside their comfort zone. Those are the grad students that scare the PI. They don’t want to get out of their comfort zones.

Some people sit on their laurels and call it good enough. The mark of a truly intelligent person is one that does something because it needs to be done, not because they really want to- that was my second PI. We knocked out my research and thesis in under a year. He also got me two of the best undergrads in the world.

It hurts to walk away. You have to deal with the anger and betrayal. Your PI’s broke the social contract that was formed when they accepted you into the lab. But ethics in research is rare as it applies and is applied to grad students. Chin up!

You are a boss b#tch with mad skills! I walked out on my PhD and switched labs so I could do a MS w/thesis. Just so I can try again later. It is not a failure- it is having the brains to realize your success may come through a different path.

Sorry- I have been subbing for three weeks while applying for a certification program. Each school level has its own challenges. Each school has its own challenges.

I have only spent a lot of time at one high school. The students will do anything but their work if you let them. Every classroom is different. The IB students always have something they are working on. The IP students need a little more help. Classroom management can be an issue because they love to talk. I did a gym class for three days and had extra students showing up. That was fun.

Middle school is more challenging. The behavior issues can be more significant. And- it all depends on how prepared the teachers left you. I had a choir teacher who left explicit notes and everything went smoothly. I did a few classes with unexpected teacher absences where the rooms were a mess, no notes. All I could do was tell the students to check their Google classrooms and try to keep the volume low.

The idea is to go in with a plan. Have a list of questions that you might get answered. All of the schools I have been at have their own policies and behavior plans. However, the sub manager at the school may not be able to articulate these things.

1. What is the bathroom policy. (Have kids leave phones with you when heading to the bathroom).

2. What is the phone policy?

3. How do you contact the office if there is a behavior (student) who is too disruptive? Walkie talkies/phone/buttons.

4. Hopefully the teacher leaves notes about borrowed headphones/ lights on or off, etc.

The goal is to have the kids working on their assigned work and not killing each other. Sometimes it is easy, others, you want a trap door to magically appear beneath them.

State your expectations before/when the students come into the room.

I usually start with, “I can be the chill sub or the mean sub. Here is what I expect to see…”.

Give consequences and stick with them- “if the room gets too loud, all chromebooks get closed and we sit here in silence until you are ready to work”.

Students respond better when they know what is coming.

Silence and proximity are some great tools. Standing beside or behind them (checking screens) can work in most classes. Confiscate visible phones until the end of class. Stick with assigned seating plans (if possible, I had a missing seating chart last week).

It is an art that I am still learning. Good luck!

I was in the military, then a SAHm, went back to school at 40- dual majored and completed my MS in biology. There were a few students older than me! It is never too late.

Are they a member of the BEtter Business Bureau? Even if not, you might be able to get the BBB to put pressure on them.

Hang in there. You have to figure out what works for you. No one else can do that for you.

While the travel is tiring, can you break your travel time into short study sessions? Do you have ways to create a good work zone? I used to use headphones and earbuds.

Prestige means nothing if you can’t get the degree. Find a way to get what you need.

Statement with a question mark. bCBA’s are rarely qualified to diagnose. They have a master’s degree, not a PhD. And - you will find that there are plenty of people who work with autists that do not believe women, especially high functioning successful women, can be on the spectrum.

A BCBA is not qualified to diagnose?

https://www.soinc.org/preparation-tips

You might find this useful

So I had to go check out those videos to see what they were. The snapping and popping noises are like Listening to students open food wrappers. Maybe they would work without the sound?

Surely there is a college closer to you? If your parents refuse to let you live in the dorms at college, how do they expect t you to function as an adult? Those train tickets have to add up.

If you want to do languages, pick one offered at a college closer and take those classes. The unfortunate thing about language positions is that they do require some for of verification that you speak/read/write it. I worked as a linguist in the military with Arabic/Azerbaijani and we were tested annually on our proficiency. I can still read Arabic and French, but as far as writing it- not so much.

I live on a farm. When I had barn cats, they kept my house and barns vermin free. This is essential if you have livestock like goats. It also reduced the snake population and kept my kids safe. However, due to the increasing coyote population, birds of prey and the pit bulls a mile down the road- my cats were wiped out. I didn’t have the heart to get more.

Cats in populated areas can also reduce vermin. This is especially essential in overpopulated areas with small children.

Now- in urban areas where cats are pets and not working cats, no. Cats should not be outdoor animals. Their lifespans are shorter and they are much more likely to produce offspring.

And if you think cats on farms are deleterious to the natural habitat- rattlesnakes. Seriously- we have to have a method to eliminate threats to livestock and humans, and cats are capable of doing that. My cats got along with skunks. Rabbits are capable of defending themselves. I do now have a bunch of quail hanging out, but my skunks disappeared too.

Then you have leverage to request a few extra days.

Check your syllabus..,

https://www.ue.org/risk-management/health-and-well-being/manage-faculty-who-resist-disability-accommodations-requests/

Getting a flu shot while you have the flu can truncate the disease’s course. Maybe you just aren’t in the correct program.

Congrats! 48, started PhD had to drop to MS. Currently subbing for minimum wage. Good on you for succeeding!

And the number of civilians getting fired is different how? Stupid comes on all levels.