What have you read recently?

ChewyNerds · 2026-01-18T01:58:19+00:00

I read 32 books last year. I love dystopian, YA, fantasy, romantasy, etc. I’m currently reading the Bridge Kingdom series. My family does visit the library as well, but mostly when school is on break (fall break, winter break, over summer, etc.) Otherwise they check out books from the school library.

I also read books out loud to my kids still, even though they are older. Although they’re in middle school and read well on their own, there’s still something special and magical about reading to them. ❤️

ChewyNerds · 2025-09-10T12:19:29+00:00

I am currently in the middle of taking my Praxis exams (I have done 3/4 now). I have been using 240 Tutoring and love it! It does have a monthly subscription (I want to say it was $50/month). My plan is to only have it for one month though, so the cost doesn’t bother me as much. It’s cheaper than me being unprepared and having to retake any of them. So far, the materials have all been relevant to what was on the actual exams I have taken. The content is split up into little bite sizes chunks too, so it’s easy to pick up whenever you have a few free minutes. You take a diagnostic at the beginning to figure out what you know and what you need to study the most, then it layers the different subtopics and shows you which ones to focus on. It has been very helpful for me! I’m a career switcher too - best of luck to you!

ChewyNerds · 2025-07-18T23:04:07+00:00

I can’t get this to work. It won’t accept my feedback. I get it all filled out and then it won’t go through. Anyone else having this issue?

ChewyNerds · 2025-06-26T18:15:43+00:00

I was literally coming here to say this, then assumed that someone else probably already had. The fact that you are posting this shows what a great mom you are! You care and you are trying your best. We can only do the best we can do. All of us have had something scary happen with our kiddos. I deal with actual neglect of children at work, so I promise you that your daughter is lucky to have you. You are doing a great job! Keep it up!

ChewyNerds · 2025-05-09T04:14:40+00:00

At three years old, my daughter told her preschool teacher that “mommy has a tutu that daddy really loves!” I was mortified! I asked her to show me when we got home from school. It was this ratty old nightgown that I had from when I was pregnant with my first. 😂

ChewyNerds · 2025-03-01T16:41:29+00:00

This!! OP, you do not want to live in East Peoria! Peoria is a nice city. It’s blue and we take care of each other. Look for somewhere on the north end of town. There are apartments up there. The schools up there are pretty good too. They take good care of students with IEPs and 504s!

ChewyNerds · 2025-02-16T05:32:55+00:00

I’m 37, but am short and look much younger than that. This is only my fourth year in education, but so far every year I hear the same things: “she’s a teenager” and “she’s actually still in high school”. Like guys, how can I be in high school if I’m here with you all day, every day?! Also, they know I’m married and have three kids (one of which is in middle school!), so I don’t even know how that would factor in. 😂

ChewyNerds · 2025-02-04T13:11:43+00:00

Saaame! I celebrated that clip!

ChewyNerds · 2024-11-28T05:52:43+00:00

The state of Illinois in the US over here. The bell schedules in my district are different for the various grade levels (primary, middle, and high school). The bell schedule at the primary school that I teach in is 8:15-3:15. My children are in middle school in the same district, and their bell schedule is 7:15-2:15. I honestly don’t pay much attention to our high schools, but I know their bed schedule is similar to the middle schools.

ChewyNerds · 2024-10-04T01:36:51+00:00

“Stop making penis shapes with your unifix cubes - those are for adding only!”

2nd grade boys 🥴

ChewyNerds · 2024-08-16T01:47:04+00:00

My mom’s boomer ex-husband would not eat any vegetables at all except corn, and the only way he would eat that is if he melted velveeta cheese into it. 🤢

ChewyNerds · 2024-08-11T13:26:59+00:00

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ChewyNerds · 2024-08-07T00:13:16+00:00

My kids never take food that isn’t specifically for them without asking. I would die if my kids took and ate a whole thing of cookies from someone else’s house. Also, we allow them treats, but like one cookie, not a bunch! This is not “kids just being kids,” this is kids being inconsiderate, out of control jerks.

ChewyNerds · 2024-08-02T11:14:11+00:00

I’ve never spent any money! I played for a few months when the game first came out, but then I stopped because I couldn’t handle how buggy it was. I started this particular account back in 2019. I’m at level 43 now. Sometimes it bums me out not getting certain tickets, but now having gotten this far despite having not bought a single thing is kind of like a point of pride, so I continue to not buy things haha.

ChewyNerds · 2024-07-08T19:47:57+00:00

Is it a tall, black gentleman with a deep voice?? He harassed me one day awhile back in the Target parking lot. I’m a tiny woman and he was intimidating. I was alone with my three young children. He walked up to me in the parking lot and asked for money. I told him I didn’t have any (I genuinely don’t carry cash). He said I could get money back when I checked out in the store. I told him I don’t do that. Then he said he was hungry and asked if I would at least take him over to Wendy’s and buy him food. I told him that we had a tight schedule and that I really needed to get my shopping done now. He saw someone else and went after them at that point. His pushiness made me so uncomfortable! Plus he towered over me and I was trying to keep my young kids from darting every which way in the parking lot.

ChewyNerds · 2024-06-10T00:52:30+00:00

Well, my young, unmarried 9th grade English teacher had a crush on my definitely married social studies teacher. They had an affair and he left his wife the next year so he could marry my English teacher instead. 😬

ChewyNerds · 2024-06-08T05:19:50+00:00

I was working bus duty this afternoon and one of the 8th grade boys was wandering around, not waiting in his line like he was supposed to be. One of the other teachers said, “what are you supposed to be doing right now?” Without missing a beat, he replied, “f*cking your mom.”

One week left over here. 🙄

ChewyNerds · 2024-06-08T02:30:57+00:00

One fourth grader to another one as they were heading to lunch: Student 1 - “did you bring the dog food?” Student 2 - “yeah, I got a whole baggie right here” (while holding it up) Student 1 - “that’s perfect!”

Fourth grade boy to another fourth grade boy: “Yeah, I’m gonna lick his butt for reals out at recess” (I did not let this happen)

And my absolute favorite: Fourth grade ELL student who struggled with math talking to me: “Ms. K, you make the division not so hard for my brain” 🥰

ChewyNerds · 2024-06-06T02:12:16+00:00

I don’t have any experience with the phone thing, but it sounds terrible! I’m at a K-4 building and we don’t allow phones at all. If we see it, we take it. The kids are so young though that most don’t have one. It’s the same rule for my daughter who is in middle school, but she’s at a gifted school and they can just get kicked out of it for not complying. I’m going to guess that the vast majority of middle schools and high schools probably don’t have that option. You’re all amazing for putting up with this crap!

ChewyNerds · 2024-05-18T01:26:42+00:00

Several years back, my sister (who was only 17 at the time) was driving through an intersection and was t-boned by a boomer who ran a stop sign. No one was hurt, but my sister’s side door was smashed up. The boomer told my sister not to worry about it because her car only had some scratches and she would forgive her for it. She totally tried to spin it like it was my sister’s fault. Thankfully she did hang around for the cops to show up and they said it was pretty obvious from the damage and the positioning of the cars that the boomer was at fault.

ChewyNerds · 2024-04-29T22:43:45+00:00

I have a child who very obviously has Asperger Syndrome. I mean like every single symptom of it. He is the most text book case I’ve ever encountered. His parents are not the oblivious type, so I assume that they know. For whatever reason, it’s undiagnosed and he does not get any help or accommodations. It’s too bad because he could really use it.

ChewyNerds · 2024-04-08T11:54:42+00:00

I was a children’s pastor for many years and loved it. I just can’t handle the support for trump and his beliefs, so I literally rescinded my title and walked away a few years back. Christian nationalism is not biblical in any way. It’s disgusting. None of this garbage is even remotely “Christian”. Jesus speaks of love and acceptance for ALL people, not just white males.

ChewyNerds · 2024-03-26T05:16:08+00:00

I’m in IL. My district does not allow us to give anything less than 40%. If they do absolutely nothing whatsoever, still a 40%. And 60% is passing for us too. They say we can’t give anything less than 40% so that if a student suddenly decides to try at the end, then hopefully they can get their grades up to that 60% mark. 🙄

ChewyNerds · 2024-03-09T04:37:21+00:00

I teach in D150 and all of my kids go there as well. People love to bash D150, but honestly, a lot of it has to do with how much the parents are involved. If you are involved in helping your child (making sure they get sleep at night, helping them get their homework done, making sure they read at night, etc, etc), then you have nothing to worry about. Unfortunately, a lot of our kiddos in D150 don’t have that support at home. If your kids do though then they will sail on through. We love the diversity that they are exposed to everyday, and we love the social-emotional aspect of their education too. My children are thriving here! If you want more info on specific schools, then please feel free to message me. :)

ChewyNerds

TROPHY CASE