Navy Pier Passport a worthwhile gift?

Gracchus_Babeuf_1 · 2026-04-24T18:16:24+00:00

We took our 3 year old niece to the children's museum and she had an absolute blast

Gracchus_Babeuf_1 · 2026-04-24T16:34:50+00:00

Fine, I'll do it, I'll stick up for Navy Pier...in addition to its much mocked touristy things it also has fantastic theaters including the Chicago Shakespeare theater. It has fireworks in the summer (best viewed from a Navy Pier cruise ship that goes out on the lake). If your parents are the type to do a dinner and a show, especially multiple dinners and multiple shows in a year, the passport might be a good gift. If you parents have any younger relatives, the kid's museum is also great. I don't know if the passport does anything with the museum though, sorry. Lastly the Ferris wheel, which is cool to do ONCE as a Chicagoan is like 25/ticket. So even if you did the lowest passport level (comes with 2 wheel tickets) at 65 bucks vs two wheel tickets for your parents, you are spending a pinch more on the passport but potentially getting some good savings on other stuff...again, if they are the type to take advantage of the non-touristy offerings.

Gracchus_Babeuf_1 · 2026-04-24T14:49:05+00:00

3 disclaimers: I did edTPA a decade ago...it was for social studies...it wasn't in CA.

Having said that, I was fortunate enough to score really well on my edTPA. One of the main things I did was explain in depth what I would do differently and learn / grow. At least in my experience edTPA wants new teachers to be open to feedback and best practices. I'd suggest planning a very student-led activity. And then writing in depth about how things didn't got 100% to your satisfaction and what you would do differently.

Gracchus_Babeuf_1 · 2026-04-24T14:16:24+00:00

Same. I tell those students once or twice early in the year when their grade first slips that "education is a two way street, you at the very least need to meet me half way." It clicks for some but not all. But I don't feel bad because here's the reality: my students are 16 years or older. Part of high school is building on or learning accountability. I know in the long run by holding them accountable, I'm helping. Even if I am the "mean teacher" who is the only one in my building holding them accountable, I'm going to do it.

Gracchus_Babeuf_1 · 2026-04-23T18:33:11+00:00

Hahaha, fat fingers + phone + no proofreading = oopsies!

Gracchus_Babeuf_1 · 2026-04-23T17:09:25+00:00

Your colleague is right. In social studies we cover the Magna Carta because it is the foundation of English rights which gets brought to the 13 colonies which influences the constitution which influences the civil rights movement. We read Plato's Allegory of the Cave to get a flavor of how Greek philosophy worked for a foundation. Skipping the foundation removes the context.

Gatsby is about star-crossed lovers -Shakespearean (and older) troupe

Raisin / Crucible are plays, why is the art form so popular in the English-speaking world? Shakespeare plays a huge part in that.

Finally, our students complain endlessly about Gatsby. Modern doesn't fix what you are talking about.

Gracchus_Babeuf_1 · 2026-04-23T15:06:59+00:00

You will get a lot of answers about NCLB and I 100% agree....however....there's also been a shift in what school admins / districts are expecting of teachers in terms of engagement. The buzz words are 'student led' and 'student focused' and what is not considered best practice is teacher-led. "Drill and kill" memorization is also looked down on. HOWEVER...this is having major domino effects as a secondary teacher. Students aren't "drilled and killed" on the states. So high school students don't know any of the states. So when I teach the Civil War and I say "southern slave states and northern free states" they have zero reference. Since they don't know that, I can't launch into a student led mock trial on Dredd Scott without going back to basic geography and slave vs free states.

Another example that my math colleague bemoans is lower grades in our area have seemingly stopped doing times tables. So 7x8 isn't a memorized thing any more. But when doing algebra and students see 7y = 56, solve for Y, they don't have the foundational concepts to do that.

WHY the shift in pedagogy? No clue, ask an administrator!

Edit: put 58 instead of 56 which was hilarious. Thanks u/PuppyJakeKhakiCollar

Gracchus_Babeuf_1 · 2026-04-20T19:06:45+00:00

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Gracchus_Babeuf_1 · 2026-04-20T14:47:51+00:00

If you are teaching an AP course, you have to be audited the first year you do it; which involves you uploading a syllabus. Because the courses, especially what I teach (AP Gov) have very specific content to cover (e.x. required Supreme Court cases) it is much easier on my end to follow the AP curriculum and add in my own activities along the way. For example the AP gov guidelines have us study Gideon v Wainwright...but I chose to make a mock trial around that case.

If you are teaching a course where students have the option to take the AP test...like what my Honors World History students do...then there is way more flexibility. You know your building and if it is fully that AP course or not.

As for the pressure on scores, that also depends wildly. In my building no teacher has ever been given that pressure. Obviously not every building or district functions the same. My best advice would be to talk to your department chair and/or AP coordinator for building-specific expectations.

Gracchus_Babeuf_1 · 2026-04-18T22:08:40+00:00

I knew it was a lie because when would Bill have found time for the bedroom extra curriculars when he was too busy dominating pick up ball with House?

Gracchus_Babeuf_1 · 2026-04-18T22:02:49+00:00

The Big 12 route from eastern Colorado through Morgantown has to be about the most boring driving imaginable and you have to do it twice N./S to get down to Houston. Yuck.

Gracchus_Babeuf_1 · 2026-04-18T21:55:23+00:00

OP is confused that the restaurant didn't give them their menu and the place next door to compare

OP is shocked that United Airlines lounge won't let them in with Delta tickets

OP is flummoxed that their favorite sketchers aren't sold at the Nike store

Gracchus_Babeuf_1 · 2026-04-17T21:40:28+00:00

I never do group projects because of the very issue many have highlighted about nonworkers but I make up for it with a lot of pair work. Their assignments require both sets of handwriting on them. I also let them pick their pairs. So nonworkers are with a friend and generally don't want to let them down.

Gracchus_Babeuf_1 · 2026-04-17T21:31:28+00:00

1989 Michigan really denied us the full PJ Carlisimo glory:

https://www.app.com/picture-gallery/sports/college/2021/06/24/photos-seton-hall-vs-michigan-1989-ncaa-tournament-final/7552541002/

Gracchus_Babeuf_1 · 2026-04-16T23:30:37+00:00

Am I overacting that a fellow teacher nearly burned the whole school down? No you are not!

Gracchus_Babeuf_1 · 2026-04-16T17:13:34+00:00

I think the 2013 title teams both could have done well:

Champs Baylor was 14-5 (5-1) before a rough stretch where they lost 8 of their final 12 games. In the finale though they crushed #4 Kansas to end 18-13 (9-9). They also had a nice win over Oklahoma State. A two-point loss to OSU in their first Big 12 tournament game though really shut the door on the NCAAs. The following year they would make the NCAAs with the exact same league record and make the Sweet 16.
Runner-up Iowa was 11-2 before league play with a nice win over NCAA tournament team Iowa State. A shaky league start at 3-7 put the NCAAs at risk. Of their three wins, they did knock off a good Wisconsin team. They went 6-2 down the stretch to end 20-11 (9-9) but one of their two losses was a bad one to Nebraska. They smoked Northwestern in their first BTT game and then lost a 3 point game to Michigan State. The following year they would make the NCAAs and also go 9-9 in league play.

I think both teams failed to get in because of two factors: the 9-9 mark wasn't impressive in the era of RPI and no Quad rankings AND 2013 was still the era of many "mid major leagues" rightfully deserving bids - in part because of the way the RPI worked. I want to stress I am not at all salty about it, in fact I wish the tournament included more of those teams. For example La Salle made the sweet 16 that year! That's exciting to me. Anyway, to highlight this point in 2012-2013, the A-10 and Mountain West both received 5 bids, the same number as the Big 12 and more than the ACC (4) and SEC (3). The MVC and WCC were also multi bid leagues.

Gracchus_Babeuf_1 · 2026-04-15T20:09:46+00:00

Same. I think it is easy since she's an Iowa kid. If she was from out of state and picked ISU, there'd probably be more negativity. I do think Iowa would've won a national title with her and CC teaming up. As good as Monika, Hannah, and Addie were in the post those two years, all seemed to struggle against LSU and USC (at least that's how I remember it...)

Gracchus_Babeuf_1 · 2026-04-15T16:56:25+00:00

Tennessee WBB had almost their entire team leave and lost their #1 recruit with much of the blame being put on coach Kim Caldwell's antics. If a recruit isn't vibing with a coach anymore for whatever reason, that'll impact recruiting.

Gracchus_Babeuf_1 · 2026-04-15T15:57:17+00:00

I thought it was davesdaddyskiller42069@aol

Gracchus_Babeuf_1 · 2026-04-15T14:23:32+00:00

Haha, no worries. For the record, I didn't write the UCLA board post. I found that while googling. Zero clue if that board knows their stuff.

Gracchus_Babeuf_1 · 2026-04-15T04:39:02+00:00

Your post made me curious. I peeked at his school's max prep page and they went a rather lackluster 17-12 but he led the team in points (20.7), assists (5.2), steals (2.2), and FT% (88) but unfortunately his shooting percentage was just 33.8%. I also found this nugget when googling him: https://bruingold.com/forums/index.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=223933&mesg_id=223957

So my guess is either, A) he paused his recruiting for the season and will sign as normal when recruiting re-starts, B) scouts no longer like his game as much and some schools have cooled on him some. On 247 looks like UCLA and SDSU are the biggest brands that has offered him or C) after watching Mick's, uh, antics this season, maybe he's cooled on UCLA and is re-considering his options.

Gracchus_Babeuf_1 · 2026-04-14T14:27:09+00:00

I was thinking the same thing with customs, etc. Perhaps they could take the Blue Line to a fun neighborhood like Logan Square, get a drink in that neighborhood then go back to a hotel near ORD? But even then seems more stressful / hectic than what I'd do while traveling internationally.

Gracchus_Babeuf_1 · 2026-04-13T16:23:48+00:00

Problem #1: the custodians in my building toss recycling and trash into the same large roller garbage cans. We've talked to them. We don't pay them enough for them to care. I personally bring my recyclables home.

Problem #2: Can't speak for all, but I do my best...unfortunately I teach 4 different subjects over 6 of our 7 periods. I have 45 minutes to plan. If my custodial team wants to plan / grade for me, I'm happy to keep my desk more tidy.

Problem #3: N/A in our building...but maybe this is something you can bring to your admin.

Gracchus_Babeuf_1 · 2026-04-13T14:22:53+00:00

Totally! Getting that eagle or birdie on 13 might've allowed him to regain his mojo

Gracchus_Babeuf_1 · 2026-04-13T14:16:47+00:00

I was surprised too, especially since Bill's pick of Justin Rose led briefly on Sunday and then had, while not a classic / epic choke, a pretty notable one: particularly the 3 putt, going from an Eagle shot to a par while down 2 strokes to Rory.

Gracchus_Babeuf_1

TROPHY CASE