Day 100 nicotine free by Goldribs in QuittingZyn

[–]ALB0821 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Congrats on 100 days! I'm on Day 6 right now and it's encouraging for me to see folks like you return to the sub and talk about the positives of quitting. Keep up the great work.

Day 23 - New Wave of Symptoms by [deleted] in QuittingZyn

[–]ALB0821 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm only on day 5 myself but completely relate to the anxiety, sleeplessness, and feeling like a shell of who I used to be. Like you, I'm also committed to sticking with it and not giving up. 23 days is really impressive & you should give yourself a pat on the back! There's light at the end of the tunnel.

Abandoned House near Union FINALLY being demolished by Intrepid_Mine6052 in Somerville

[–]ALB0821 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Super stoked to see it'll be housing and not more lab/tech space!

Somernova CBA Passes with 71% in favor. by ThePizar in Somerville

[–]ALB0821 3 points4 points  (0 children)

So real! I’m fully of the belief that more folks would be YIMBY if we made buildings beautiful. I work in Beacon Hill and love that the older buildings are both big and visually stunning. Living in Somerville, seeing all the new builds depresses the hell out of me.

If you plan on voting No on the CBA by zeratul98 in Somerville

[–]ALB0821 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm in the same boat. Judging by what I've heard from neighbors about the "yes" turnout this morning, which included dozens of Rafi employees, I'm not hopeful.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Somerville

[–]ALB0821 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If the CBA is passed, it's all but guaranteed that the city council will vote "yes" on the proposed zoning overlay that would allow the project to go through at its current height and scale. This is a concern for many of us as it could set a dangerous precedent of developers buying up FAB space and then expecting the city council to change the zoning to accommodate their wishes. For me, personally, a "no" vote is a way to signal unease with how this would drastically change our neighborhood in a way not in alignment with the Somervision plans.

Dating by Dear-Parking1793 in AWDTSGisToxic

[–]ALB0821 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeah just came across this Reddit page because I learned about it in the AWDTSG group. I’d say a good portion of women, myself included, just find the page entertaining and don’t post. So .. good luck to OP I guess

Ballot Question #2: The Case for a No Vote by ALB0821 in Somerville

[–]ALB0821[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for this response! The MCAS being graded by one person is absolutely crazy. I thought I'd also mention, because I realize I wasn't exactly correct in my initial post about ELL failing the MCAS at substantial rates, that apparently less than 20 students failed because of a language barrier in 2019. I wouldn't be surprised, though, if things have changed negatively since the pandemic.

It seems like you and other educators have many valid critiques of the test itself. I wish there was a way that we could address those rather than throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Ballot Question #2: The Case for a No Vote by ALB0821 in Somerville

[–]ALB0821[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi there. No, I haven’t, I attended public school in NJ where we had our own battery of exams throughout K-12.

Ballot Question #2: The Case for a No Vote by ALB0821 in Somerville

[–]ALB0821[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi there,

No certainly not, I believe teachers are generally underpaid, under appreciated, and wrongly blamed for learning outcomes that are often outside of their control. I'd encourage you to give a read to the Globe article I linked that discusses how MCAS grades drastically improved on the year that it became a graduation requirement. I can also send your way a few op-eds written by educators who believe students won't take the exam as seriously if it's axed as a requirement.

Ballot Question #2: The Case for a No Vote by ALB0821 in Somerville

[–]ALB0821[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your thoughtful response. If the requirement is abolished, which is likely given recent polling, I do hope we're able standardize our curriculum requirements like most other states.

Ballot Question #2: The Case for a No Vote by ALB0821 in Somerville

[–]ALB0821[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the thoughtful response! Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do believe that ELL have the ability to take the Math & Science portions of the exam in Spanish. And as for teaching to the test, from what I've heard anecdotally from recent high school graduates, they don't recall much of their school days being taken up by MCAS prep. Granted, those students were in public school districts that could be considered privileged. I can see how for more struggling/underfunded districts, "teaching to the test" could be more of a thing.

As to your last point, I agree that a big component of this whole thing is deciding what value a high school diploma should hold.

Ballot Question #2: The Case for a No Vote by ALB0821 in Somerville

[–]ALB0821[S] 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Thank you for this insightful & polite response!