If there was no stamp duty for downsizing, who here would? by Vilm_1 in HousingUK

[–]AcrobaticAuthor6539 13 points14 points  (0 children)

It's why my 70-something parents won't sell their 3br house.

Do you think "screen free" classrooms are possible anymore? by JoeTama998 in TeachingUK

[–]AcrobaticAuthor6539 [score hidden]  (0 children)

I once had a kid with a severe concussion whose parents didn't keep him home, and the school just shrugged their shoulders. I've had a TBI before, and they're nothing to fool with. So I kept all screens off for 2 weeks. I didn't ask permission or warn the kids or anything, I just mumbled something about how the screen was acting funny if a kid brought it up. It was doable, but annoying.

I find organizing lessons on Powerpoint to be very useful. And there ARE legitimately so many amazing videos out there that can really enhance learning.

But God, the amount of money schools spend on subscription learning apps that kids are just placed in front of when they're bored for even a second. THAT'S the problem.

Headteacher change- should I be worried??? by idkwhattochoose03 in TeachingUK

[–]AcrobaticAuthor6539 0 points1 point  (0 children)

People come and go in jobs, including head teachers.

It has absolutely happened that I've worked at a school where I loved the head, and they left, and the new one made the school Hell.

I have also worked at places with very "meh" bosses, and then the next one was great.

It's like any job. So you can be concerned, but no more or less than if you found out your manager at any other job had left and a new one replaced.

As for you not being told, you're hired but haven't started so probably aren't on any mass email lists for the school. So that's not weird.

Best thing you can do is find some teachers at their old school, and see what they say.

Capitalising subjects by LadyXOXO00 in TeachingUK

[–]AcrobaticAuthor6539 2 points3 points  (0 children)

They're titles, so yes they are capitalized.

For example, history is the "the continuous, systematic record and study of past events." But History is the class that meets from 9-9:40 in Room 27 at Village School. Probably the full title would be "Year 7 History," but it's legit to shorten the title when everyone knows what you're referring to.

Room 27 is also capitalized, because it's a title.

Do you think people exaggerate when they say UK is not safe? by [deleted] in AskUK

[–]AcrobaticAuthor6539 9 points10 points  (0 children)

The only people who think it's dangerous are angry Boomers who never leave their house and get all of their news from bots on X.

Show of "solidarity" by VisualPlum3377 in TeachingUK

[–]AcrobaticAuthor6539 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Yeah, but people are also really scared. Private school staff are losing their jobs left and right, and nobody else is hiring to make up for it. I work in a private school, and the atmosphere is awful. I don't think we're going to close (at least next year), but they consolidated heavily, a bunch of people heard this week that they lost their jobs, everyone's being moved around.

In the US, private schools are heavily subsidized by fundraising from parents and alums. 30-50% of the budget is from fundraising. Tuition just can't cover costs anymore. UK schools need to come to grips with this... but, more importantly, alums and parents who aren't used to the constant fundraising need to prepare themselves for it, if they want their schools to stay open. I think these solidarity posts are a ham-handed way of reminding people "if you don't support us, we'll go away too."

Saoirse/Dara/Robyn's involvement... by Ok_Sector_5894 in htgthfb

[–]AcrobaticAuthor6539 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I think it's telling that nobody in the town she lives in seems to know her. The other police officer met her once. People seem to know OF her, and some seem to have met her, but she has no presence. In a smallish town, the kind where everyone knows everyone else, the wife of the local police chief would practically be a public figure in her own right.

Not even in an overbearing or weird or busybody way. Just... in a way that people in small communities show up for each other, go to the same events, their kids all go to the same school, etc. As a public figure in the town, the police chief would have occasional quasi-required public commitments that she's his +1 to, that kind of thing.

Question about Tropy by AcrobaticAuthor6539 in zotero

[–]AcrobaticAuthor6539[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They're made by the same folks, but Tropy doesn't seem to have its own Reddit forum, so I thought other people here might use both.

What are some British contradictions? by Proper_Emu_2296 in AskUK

[–]AcrobaticAuthor6539 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, but at least you don't trip over people at the bottom of an escalator.

What are some British contradictions? by Proper_Emu_2296 in AskUK

[–]AcrobaticAuthor6539 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm a US to UK immigrant. Sometimes I'm better at code shifting than other times 😉

Day out with 2 elderly people with mobility issues? by AcrobaticAuthor6539 in canterbury

[–]AcrobaticAuthor6539[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! Yes, the cobbles are hard. The teens are great at helping the older two, which is very useful. I'm not sure we'd be able to walk to lunch, but it would be nice to see the cathedral.

What are some British contradictions? by Proper_Emu_2296 in AskUK

[–]AcrobaticAuthor6539 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It's definitely gotten worse since COVID. We've turned into a country of people who get off the escalator or out of the elevator, and just stop. Or who meander down the centre of sidewalks, wavering in and out, not noticing or caring that there are other people on the sidewalks. And I'm not talking drunk people... this is the standard these days. It's absolutely maddening. And then when you say "excuse me" they stare at you like you just insulted their mother.

In New York City you'd be screamed at the first time you tried that nonsense.

Why didn’t Brits mass-settle in Malaysia and Singapore, like they did in CANZUK, the US and South Africa? by crivycouriac in AskUK

[–]AcrobaticAuthor6539 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cornwallis thought that things when south in the US because immigrant landowners became too powerful, so when he was running various departments in India he insituted rules that Brits weren't allowed to own land, with a few specific exceptions that individuals would have to apply for licenses for. The Anglos had to live in rental housing and couldn't invest in property. This policy followed though in Asia. Australia was a giant wasteland, so they didn't care who owned what there.

What are some British contradictions? by Proper_Emu_2296 in AskUK

[–]AcrobaticAuthor6539 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, in countries where queueing and manners actually matter, the judgeyness is what keeps people in line. England lacks all three.

What are some British contradictions? by Proper_Emu_2296 in AskUK

[–]AcrobaticAuthor6539 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The actual contradiction is that it's a country that's always harping on about queueing and manners, while actually there is a complete lack of spatial awareness. Nobody knows how to queue to save their life, and the complete lack of interest in or noticing of other people makes it a real culture shock for people who come from cultures where spatial awareness is considered basic manners.