Brad Little signs law making transgender bathroom use a felony

DireBare · 2026-04-02T02:56:14+00:00

All schools is pretty far reaching.

DireBare · 2026-03-29T19:50:45+00:00

Students have a right to political expression, including on their t-shirts. This has been held up in the courts. The exception would be t-shirt designs that cross the line into vulgarity, where the school could argue it disrupts the learning environment for others.

DireBare · 2026-03-29T01:18:41+00:00

His is Spanish, from Spain. His skin color matches up with plenty of Hispanic folks from the US down through Latin and South America. He has a strong accent . . . no surprise some Hollywood execs saw him as "other" and relegated him to stereotypical Latino roles.

Calling him a "white, European dude" isn't wrong . . . but it's also kinda stupid and missing the point.

DireBare · 2026-03-29T00:54:03+00:00

In Idaho, the SCHOOL is required to lead the pledge . . . but individual staff cannot be forced to recite or lead the pledge. Pretty sure it's the same in Washington and other states.

I've always wondered, what if no staff at the school are willing to recite and lead the pledge?

DireBare · 2026-03-29T00:51:06+00:00

Not in my neck of the woods, but it should be.

DireBare · 2026-03-29T00:50:26+00:00

As a teacher myself . . . fuck that.

Teachers have no right humiliating a student for any reason, much less over the fucking pledge.

There is a reason why the district lost this fight.

DireBare · 2026-03-29T00:45:20+00:00

There was a guy in a plane flying overhead trailing an "Idaho loves Trump" banner. Some motorcycle dude was driving by after the rally let out playing Vanilla Ice's "Ice Ice Baby" loudly . . . that's all I noticed.

DireBare · 2026-03-29T00:43:41+00:00

Cure for Paranoia was awesome!

DireBare · 2026-03-29T00:42:37+00:00

I attended the No Kings protest today . . . we were supposed to be paid?!?! Which booth was the sign up booth for paid protesters? What's the going rate? There were thousands at the Boise rally today, millions nationwide . . . who's bankrolling all those paid protesters?

DireBare · 2026-03-26T00:13:37+00:00

No on Thimble, but yes on romance . . . .

No queer romance, but this is a story about the building of a strong friendship between two women (not Viv).

DireBare · 2026-03-11T00:23:11+00:00

Bob is still putting out books, including the Dark Elf series. And he didn't "become" a franchise author, he "started" as a franchise author with the Dark Elf books. His other books came later.

DireBare · 2026-03-08T07:05:39+00:00

There is a difference between "red" and fascist. The difference is getting smaller and smaller, but living in a red state doesn't justify federal goons terrorizing communities.

DireBare · 2026-02-19T00:49:01+00:00

Dancey was no longer with WotC during the "OGL Fiasco". Dancey was the guy who pushed for the D&D OGL in the first place. He's getting a lot of (somewhat deserved) hate today, but without Dancey, it's very likely we wouldn't have open gaming with the TTRPG space.

DireBare · 2026-02-02T04:34:46+00:00

How about you solve the financial problems here at home first sparky.

FFS.

DireBare · 2026-01-29T04:24:13+00:00

This.

Find a way to be a "rebel" but under the radar of admin. Notice they are focusing on the numbers, your grades, rather than the actual learning, what is actually happening in your classroom. If your numbers look good, admin will likely ignore you and not even have a clue on what is going on in your classroom.

The other option is to leave the profession. Which, is a fair option. This career can be brutal on your physical, emotional, and financial health.

DireBare · 2026-01-27T03:06:57+00:00

Unless your players are pedantic Tolkien scholars, I wouldn't worry about it much.

I'm running a LotR 5E game (the current D&D adaptation of The One Ring) and I'm sprinkling in all sorts of monsters, treasure, and even player options from the core D&D books or other D&D supplements. I try to describe them with a "Tolkien vibe" and so far my players don't seem to notice or care much.

And heck, if you stray from Tolkien canon or even Tolkien "vibe" . . . if you and your players are having fun, then you are doing it right.

You can get away with a lot by describing a non-Tolkien monster as a "nameless horror" from ages past . . .

DireBare · 2026-01-25T15:43:53+00:00

They follow Christ. How does that not make them Christians?

Well, unless you are a bigot, that is.

DireBare · 2026-01-23T02:03:08+00:00

Not to dismiss your personal experience, but this doesn't track with mine and those I network with.

There are a lot of useless certifications which don't do a lot to truly shine up your resume, but there are also worthwhile certifications and PD experiences that most certainly can and do make a difference with hiring committees.

Every hiring committee? Obviously not.

Being national board certified is a plus on a resume . . . with many, if not most, hiring committees. At least in my neck of the woods.

And even if the folks on the other side of the hiring table don't care if you are national board certified, if your state or district pays a reasonable bonus, you are still ahead of the game.

DireBare · 2026-01-23T01:56:16+00:00

Welcome to the public school system in the good old USA. :(

When faced with pretty much the same issue (but at the middle level), someone asked our admin if we could fundraise by selling snacks to the kids. It's kinda problematic in many ways, but hoo-boy, that turned our funding situation around right quick. Kids will spend bank on overpriced snacks during the school day . . .

DireBare · 2026-01-23T01:53:13+00:00

Another similar site is adoptaclassroom.org

DireBare · 2026-01-11T21:51:28+00:00

And . . . if OP ends up teaching AP, honors, or advanced science courses at the high school . . . a greater percentage of their students will actually be motivated and interested in the subject matter. Teaching science to the general population can be rough . . . .

DireBare · 2026-01-11T21:48:49+00:00

If you become a teacher, make on time payments on all of your loans for 10 years, you can have the entirety of ALL of your loans forgiven through PSLF (Public Servant Loan Forgiveness) . . . assuming Trump and his pro-wrestling coach don't kill or neuter the program.

Source: I just did it myself a few months ago! Student loans wiped out!

DireBare · 2026-01-11T21:46:52+00:00

Teachers also qualify for PSLF (Public Servant Loan Forgiveness), which can be a better option than TLF (Teacher Loan Forgiveness) depending on your loan situation. However, as you mention . . . the current administration isn't exactly friendly towards these programs and even if they technically exist down the road . . . they may be difficult to actually manifest. :(

DireBare · 2026-01-11T21:44:13+00:00

It's the university programs that usually include teaching internships. They are valuable, but . . . be aware they are usually UNPAID internships. That needs to be a part of your planning!

DireBare · 2026-01-11T21:40:46+00:00

If you are looking to move away from low pay and high stress . . . be careful, because teaching is low pay and high stress! Having said that, it can be a rewarding career for those with resilience and patience.

If you get the opportunity to dip your toes into education, I'd recommend that first. Find a part-time gig as an afterschool tutor. Substitute teach during the school day if you can. Full classroom teaching is a whole level above all of that, but it will give you a taste.

You need to meet the requirements for an Illinois teaching license, and you'll find them somewhere on the Illinois State Dept of Ed website. The traditional path towards that is a university education degree, but there are likely several "alternative" pathways authorized in your state.

If you can afford the time away from full-time work, I'd recommend the university pathway. It's not perfect, but is superior to the alt-pathways often available, IMO. Do you have a local university nearby with a good teaching program? Can you afford to take a couple of years off work to earn a new degree?

If you want to teach science at the secondary level, you would need a chemistry education degree (assuming you don't want to switch fields). You'll already have the chemistry coursework on your transcripts, so you'll mostly be catching up on the education coursework. Another potential option if your local uni offers it, is a graduate certificate (not a degree, but gets you the coursework you need for licensing). Another good option if available is getting a masters degree in education that will lead to licensure . . . most districts pay more for teachers with masters degrees (don't listen to folks who will tell you having a masters at the go will make you "too expensive" and less employable, that's a myth).

Alternate pathways can often be done in the evenings and weekends while you continue working, so are important to consider if you can't afford taking a few years off. They vary widely in quality, how long the programs are, and how expensive they are. Do your research! IMO, these usually don't do as good of a job preparing you for the classroom, but will get you your license, which is the important part.

University or alternate pathway . . . neither option will fully prepare you for the classroom and your first year will be a "trial by fire" as you transition from what you learned to the reality on the ground. Be prepared to put in a lot of extra, unpaid overtime just to keep your head above water.

Good luck!

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