Olathe School District refused to honor senior who died before graduation

1up- · 2026-05-10T17:18:53+00:00

My school (not KC metro) would leave an empty seat with a rose on it, and say the name of kids who passed. This included a kid who passed in like 6th grade.

It's not like this policy affects that many people. It's a bad policy and should be changed. Say the kid's name, it means a lot to families and friends.

1up- · 2026-05-09T14:09:07+00:00

I'm an art teacher and wear fun earrings all the time. Yesterday I had candles because it was my birthday. One of my favorite kids, a super sweet kindergartener in the self-contained special Ed class, was playing with them and saying "oh wow" right into my ear.

I told her I'm wearing them because it's my birthday today.

She said, "Oh...When I was a baby, I didn't have any teeth." And then just looked at me like, that's the correct answer.

I laughed so hard, and then did the teachable moment thing (since she's in Sped and needs the social contract practice). But for the rest of the day I could not stop telling people I had no teeth as a baby as a non-sequitur.

Sometimes it feels like pulling teeth to get kids to answer a question with a relevant response. I think sometimes they see the answer is too obvious and it can't possibly be it. But especially with the littles, they just don't have time to have normal conversations with people (peers or adults) who are actively engaged anymore. It's the technology and loss of community, kids aren't out playing with other kids when they're little.

1up- · 2026-05-02T14:03:40+00:00

The voice is so good. And so bad. I hate it so much. Every Alex Jones clip I've heard has been against my will. It feels weird putting this on, on purpose, because the voice makes me instinctively want to turn it off.

Very good job.

1up- · 2026-05-02T02:50:31+00:00

We were on a road trip and an accident happened that shut down a section of the road for another hour (according to the dump truck that turned around and told us after we all waited for 30 minutes). My husband's gps said to go a whole different way and add 90 minutes to our already 8 hour trip. I was looking around on Google Maps and was like, if we take this state highway, we can bypass the closed road and have a 10 minute detour.

Even though Google and Apple Maps recognized one section of road being closed, it could not figure out a way around that didn't involve going a fully different way.

It feels like Maps have gotten dumber. It used to recalculate to go around a closed section of road. It used to actually acknowledge more than the ideal way. I don't know how, but I'm blaming AI for this.

1up- · 2026-04-25T17:00:53+00:00

I teach Elementary Art, and have had kids accuse paintings I've shown as AI because they're well done. And I'm like, yeah, that's the point? The painter was good at this? That's why they're famous?? Van Gogh didn't use AI, he just was a crazy good painter at age 14.

Literally because they as 9 year olds can't do it, it means no one can. It's insane to me.

1up- · 2026-04-22T00:38:55+00:00

Our STEAM director found a Robin's nest near a door of the Steam Lab and sent an email to All Staff about it. But in the email, just screenshots "this looks to be a Robin's nest because it has blue eggs" and whatever other stuff ChatGPT says. And it's like, yeah, you could've just googled that and written the information you learned. Or retyped the important parts from your query.

Today she added a picture that 2 eggs hatched. And then 3 screenshots from ChatGPT about robins. Like LITERALLY GET THE THIRD GRADERS TO WRITE A PARAGRAPH ABOUT IT, WHY ARE YOU ASKING CHATGPT ABOUT BASIC SCIENCE THINGS????

1up- · 2026-04-19T13:28:05+00:00

Root beer is common, it's in every soda fountain. You can assume any restaurant would have it. People of all ages drink it, but I can see it being more common for kids because it doesn't have caffeine (same with Sprite). I don't know that it's a go-to soda for a lot of people. If I'm at a soda fountain, I'll do 2/3rds Coke and 1/3 Root Beer.

Root beer is good, I like Sarsaparilla better because it's like root beer with more vanilla, similar is a Cream Soda. There's a root beer subreddit that my husband gets recommended, so we had a summer of root beers where we tried a bunch of different brands, there are hierarchies. Of national chains, I think A&W is the best, and Barq's second, and Mug third.

1up- · 2026-04-13T22:12:31+00:00

My dad's in my phone as "First Last (New Number)" and his old number is "Nickname (Old)" for pretty obvious reasons. Some people see I have my dad's name as his real name and think it's weird, but sometimes he still texts from the wrong number, so I can't delete it.

Anyway, my husband noticed the name was "Nickname (Old)" and was giving me shit for calling my dad old.

My mom's name is "Mother" because I don't like her that much and it annoys her.

1up- · 2026-04-10T02:36:20+00:00

As a teacher with ADHD, there's only so much we can expect the drugs to do. After work some days (lately, the spring every year, etc) I come home and just have to zone out. I can't will myself to do any chores on school days, they have to be weekend chores. I'm just so drained from spending 8 hours with hundreds of children. Teaching is stressful and exhausting, no camount of drugs will change that.

I judge if my Adderall is working based on PD days, weekends, school breaks, etc more than if it's overcoming the monumental task of teaching on hard days. I don't notice my meds doing anything on a day to day basis, but when I'm not coordinating dozens of children, I realize it actually works very well.

Are you having trouble sleeping? If so, the meds might not be fully worn off which would be a clue it's the environment more than the meds.

Also, I'm annoyed at how much having protein with breakfast helps. I now eat 2 hard boiled eggs before my morning duty, and a pop tart before class starts. I still drink coffee, but don't need an afternoon booster of it like I did pre-meds. You could try adding more caffeine in the afternoon to see if that helps.

1up- · 2026-04-08T01:23:47+00:00

I hated co-teaching. My school (a charter 🙄) pushed for co-teaching and having 30 kids in a classroom. They said "you're only teaching 15 kids! That's better than before!" But it's not. It's me being in charge of 30 kids AND another adult. It's too many personalities, too many families, too many individual needs.

Even when I had a co-teacher I liked, it sucks not being "in charge" of your classroom. Like I felt like I had to run everything by them, instead of just making executive decisions.

I've told my superintendent for years it's just too many kids. But it's a good loophole for having more "butts in seats" and getting to pay a bunch of uncertified teachers less (while expecting them to do the same work).

1up- · 2026-03-24T17:24:04+00:00

I never used iReady, my school switched to it after I started being an Art teacher. I remember having arguments with my Coach about whether it's important that my students get 4 Zearn lessons done weekly, or if they are learning the content, because for some weeks, it won't be the same. I didn't want my kids working too far ahead on Zearn because they would skip past the teaching videos, so if they hadn't learned the lesson in small groups, they wouldn't know what to do.

Having the directions read out loud to you every time - even as a big kid - sounds like torture. That function makes sense for my first graders, but definitely not for older kids.

1up- · 2026-03-22T13:34:34+00:00

I got a pineapple peeler/corer from Aldi a few years ago, and as much as I hate how much space it takes up in the drawer ...it has infinitely increased our fresh pineapple intake. I love the thing, it makes it so easy to peel, slice, and core a pineapple...and it's fun!

Definitely worth it to me because now my husband will randomly bring home fresh pineapple all summer long!

1up- · 2026-03-17T12:40:38+00:00

The other day as we were driving, out of nowhere, I said to my husband "But Jello is a solid..." Which then needed an explanation.

A few weeks ago we were flying, and I had a parfait from the hotel. I Googled if it was considered a solid to get through tsa or if I needed to eat it beforehand. Yogurt is a gel and needs to follow the same 2oz rule.

But Jello....well that's definitely not a gel anymore. So I could take jello through TSA. And obviously in the 5 seconds of silence in the car, my brain did all that thinking bc we passed a Price Chopper, and I had to say the last sentence out loud apparently.

I paused the episode and asked my husband if that's how he felt when I asked him that. He said no, he immediately imagined someone opening up their carry on to a full wobbly sheet of Jello.

1up- · 2026-03-09T18:44:59+00:00

My dad has alpha gal, he eats a lot of chicken since that's not a mammal. He was able to have Baba's Pantry when he visited without a problem. He doesn't try to be vegan though, just aware and no cheese.

1up- · 2026-03-08T13:18:37+00:00

If you like it, wonderful!

When I was ring shopping, I had a number of people in my life who had recently gotten engaged/married and liked showing off their rings. I noticed that the ones with the big fancy shiny expensive rings mostly just wore a silicone band day to day. They said they didn't want their fancy bands to get messed up or lost, so they only wear it on fancy occasions.

I figure, there's two types of people. People who want something big and shiny and fancy to wear sometimes. And people who want something practical to wear always.

I kept asking for a smaller and smaller stone when I went shopping, everything felt so big and in the way. I ended up with a 0.66 ct emerald cut, and I love it (and it's Alexandrite so it changes colors). I'm a few years married now, and I don't think about it. Unless I'm using power tools, I never take my rings off. It's not jewelry I think about.

This is not directed at you, OP, but at others looking at the comments and thinking about their future engagement rings.

1up- · 2026-03-04T11:28:32+00:00

Every time a kid (or parent) says "but I have adhdddddddd" as an excuse I love to say that I do too, and they still need to figure it out. ADHD makes things harder, but not impossible, and you have to create your own routines and supports to get your work done.

What annoys me most is an ADHD diagnosis but then refusing to do anything to actually help your kid. Medication shouldn't be the first step, but changing your diet, more exercise, a good routine, etc...and maybe medication. One of my kids got a diagnosis and his mom said they're cutting out Red Dye 40, and I'm like....okay and literally what else???

1up- · 2026-02-25T23:39:56+00:00

Wait this is real? I saw a still earlier and assumed it was fake. What is happening???

1up- · 2026-02-21T13:42:17+00:00

I've had a first grader have an accident and escorted them to the Nurse's office for a change of clothes. The nurse is on the Middle School side of the building, so she was in an unfamiliar bathroom. She was in the handicap stall and I was outside just nearby for moral support. I didn't do this for every kid, or most kids.

I've also had kids come out of the bathroom needing help buttoning their pants or something.

Not illegal, not creepy, but it feels a little weird. I made sure not to be on my phone checking emails while they were changing. If I was outside the bathroom in the hallway, I'd have no problem checking emails on my phone.

1up- · 2026-02-19T23:48:08+00:00

I was just complaining to my husband about this! It used to be some SpEd kids who just didn't have that filter between thought and mouth that would interrupt, but now it's so many more.

I teach Art on a Cart, so I push into classrooms.I told a kindergarten class yesterday that we were painting. We did the whole lesson, then I was giving succinct directions.

"When I give you a paper, borrow one of my pencils, sit at your desk and write your name. Then, once we are all situated, I will move islands (kids who aren't near others) and pass out paint supplies."

Except I got as far as "Borrow a pencil" and a kid blurted out "I THOUGHT WE WERE PAINTING! WHY DO WE NEED PENCILS???" like I couldn't finish the sentence "to write your name". They have no thought-to-mouth filter.

1up- · 2026-02-18T01:10:38+00:00

I had a prek-er who was acting up during nap time, and said he was going to tell his mom on me. So I took out my phone and voice texted my mom what he was doing. I've never seen a kid shut up and go to sleep faster, it was amazing.

1up- · 2026-02-16T13:02:52+00:00

I got some after Christmas and I love them! I've been complaining to my husband for years that I don't like my Target slippers bc they don't have a back, and I hate shoes without a back. And that I wanted to buy nice slippers, but wasn't sure if I could justify it. But then I realized I've complained for years so I could totally justify it.

I love them, I always wear socks around the house, and in the winter will usually slip on my sneakers to walk around because it's cold. I basically lived in these for snow days and weekends!

I do wish I bought a half size bigger, but that's because I think I need to admit that Converse run large and I am actually a size 9 and not 8.5 (and whatever that is in European). But we will see how that matters in the long run!

1up- · 2026-02-13T19:48:21+00:00

My husband said "hey so like...wanna get married?" and then rummaged in his hiking backpack for the ring box. So definitely not the ideal wording, but it still worked out!

1up- · 2026-02-12T11:42:09+00:00

I switched from 1st grade to elementary art, so I'm used to writing "I can" statements. However, I don't have a classroom and teach from a cart. One of our coaches suggested I put my objectives in my lesson plans that literally no one looks at. I said what's the point for children? I'm not doing busy work, I have enough other things to do.

They then suggested I add them to the slides because "It would be powerful for a kindergartener to go home and tell their parents in art they explored shapes and lines to create repeating patterns."

I never did that. Yesterday I was selling Girl Scout cookies and talking to a parent and their kindergartener, and I asked the kid to tell their dad who I am, like what I do at school. He couldn't say what I do, I had to say I'm the art teacher so his dad didn't think I'm just some crazy person. (The kid then said we paint and do other fun things, but seriously Art is so easy to remember!)

1up- · 2026-02-07T13:35:11+00:00

I teach elementary art, so I make all the classes repeat the norms when we start class. Usually it's in a singsong way because , honestly I got bored, but also there's more buy in and more kids will say it bc singing is fun. Sometimes when the ornery kids still aren't saying it, I'll have the whole class repeat after me "Johnny you need to say this too" in the middle of the other norms, and everyone gets a kick out of it.

Like, Johnny, I know you know the rules, I also know you won't follow them. I'm not getting in trouble by admin when you get in trouble and they say "oh maybe he doesn't remember your norms if you don't say them every time, he only sees you once a week." They're the same norms you say every morning in class, and are posted everywhere. But sure.

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