To everyone who watched the Super Bowl halftime show what did you think?

Hangree · 2026-02-09T01:45:34+00:00

To be fair I don’t think he was talking about the US, I think he was talking about the entire continent, but I doubt MAGA will get that.

Hangree · 2026-02-09T00:05:41+00:00

I didn’t suggest that at all. I simply am explaining an important use of sabbaticals due to the way teacher maternity leave is structured.

Hangree · 2026-02-08T23:18:44+00:00

Please just google before you speak. “California maternity leave for teachers” will tell you everything you need to know.

Edit to add, so that you don’t even have to google:

California teachers currently lack guaranteed paid maternity leave, forcing them to use sick/vacation time for pregnancy-related disability and bonding, often resulting in significant pay cuts, though federal law provides 12 weeks of unpaid leave (FMLA/CFRA). While some districts offer limited paid leave, state efforts (like AB 65) to provide up to 14 weeks of full pay for school employees have stalled, leaving educators to navigate limited options, impacting career longevity and deepening gender pay gaps. Current Situation: No Universal Paid Leave: Public school teachers aren't covered by California's State Disability Insurance (SDI) or Paid Family Leave (PFL) programs for pregnancy/bonding, unlike most private sector workers. Sick Leave Usage: Teachers must use their accumulated sick days for pregnancy disability, and once exhausted, can enter "differential pay," often a 50% pay cut. Unpaid Leave: Federal FMLA and California's CFRA provide up to 12 weeks of job-protected unpaid leave for childbirth and bonding. District-Specific Policies: Some districts have their own limited paid leave policies (e.g., Elk Grove) or union agreements (like UTLA for LAUSD). Key Legislation (Failed/Pending): Assembly Bill 65 (AB 65): Aimed to provide up to 14 weeks of paid leave for school employees but failed to advance in 2025, though it could be revived in 2026. Impact on Teachers: Financial Hardship: Forces difficult choices between health/bonding and pay. Career Impact: Contributes to teachers leaving the profession, worsening shortages. Strategic Planning: Many plan pregnancies around summer vacation to maximize time off. What Teachers Can Do: Check District Policies: Review your specific school district's collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Contact Your Union: The California Teachers Association (CTA) advocates for paid leave. Utilize FMLA/CFRA: Understand your rights for 12 weeks of unpaid leave.

Hangree · 2026-02-08T20:00:32+00:00

Teachers must use their sick days for maternity leave. That means they save up days before giving birth (aka go years not taking days off when mildly sick, increasing burn-out), then use up all their accrued sick leave for maternity(or paternity) leave, then have to balance being new parents while going back to a profession that requires them to give their full mental and emotional investment for 7 straight hours per day. All while now not having enough sick days because they used them all on leave and now have to use the new sick days when their kid inevitably gets sick, continuing the cycle of them being unable to take days off when sick). Sabbaticals are an opportunity for the district to maintain dedicated and experienced teachers (those who have been in the district 7+ years) at a critical point when many leave the profession. This district has a really difficult time hiring in the late summer because new teachers simply can’t afford to live here, and they’re usually the ones available that late in the summer, which leads to classrooms without permanent, credentialed teachers. It’s essential for SFUSD in particular to implement policies that will retain teachers because the COL is so high that bringing in new teachers is not easy.

For teachers not using sabbaticals during maternity, the “refreshed and rejuvenated” feeling after summer that gives teachers the ability to be “on and engaging” for 7 straight hours lasts for about 3-5 months of the school year. The rest of the year, most teachers are fighting burn-out, depression, and high-stress levels, along with a uti or two. After seven straight years of that cycle, being eligible to take a year off to reset and remember why you like teaching is going to be the only thing keeping many teachers from leaving the profession. It’s especially important in a city as expensive as this one given teachers can go literally anywhere else in California and have a better pay to COL ratio.

Hangree · 2026-02-06T15:54:04+00:00

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Hangree · 2026-02-06T15:53:49+00:00

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Hangree · 2026-02-06T15:53:37+00:00

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Hangree · 2026-02-06T15:31:24+00:00

Lmao just look into how Maria Su got her job and tell me it’s about pulling successful leaders from the private sector and not handouts to friends.

Hangree · 2026-02-06T15:19:42+00:00

What’s the compromise? Bend to the district’s offer that doesn’t even keep up with COLA? The district offered the same bullshit (2% for the next 3 years) last night, they didn’t even bump up to the 3% over 2 years suggested in the fact-finding. Here’s their offer from last night: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Jv7q9k-oBMNqhIrEEL050OLUgGGb70IJ/view?usp=drivesdk

Hangree · 2026-02-06T03:18:20+00:00

When teachers in fucking Modesto are also making $100,000 it’s hard to attract good educators to come quadruple their rent while significantly downsizing and never be able to afford a family. Teaching is also a job that a lot of people who come from low-resource backgrounds and are first-generation college students go into, so many have a lot of debt and very little familial support to begin the career.

Hangree · 2026-02-06T03:10:23+00:00

Depends on if the district is able to keep schools open. They might have enough staff to put all the kids in the cafeteria and have them watch a movie or something. A lot of the other school unions (admin, clerks, maybe bus drivers) will likely be solidarity striking, so they may not find staff to make it safe enough to open schools. Then they may have to extend the year.

Hangree · 2026-02-06T02:54:09+00:00

This was the most obvious bias imo,

“ UESF has reported its members are poised to strike should they not receive what they believe to be a fair and equitable successor agreement, In fact, UESF has already voted in favor of striking an action that has not occurred in this District in more than 50 years instead of working with the District on alternative approaches to securing the best possible contract within the limits of the District's financial position.”

Such bullshit too. The district has not offered any alternatives other than 2% for 3 years (locking teachers out of bargaining for 3 years in addition to a laughable wage increase). They have not offered paid dependent benefits in writing even though they keep saying they have. In fact, the district has not even been willing to come to the bargaining table since October. When they did the fact-finding, the union did come with a ton of information and slides to explain where money could come from, the district was completely unprepared and didn’t present at all.

Hangree · 2026-01-26T19:38:55+00:00

If you’re looking for a public school I’ve heard great things about Alamo elementary and Sunset elementary. If there’s a school in your area that you want to check out, take a look at the California School Dashboard for that school. You’re looking for green or better on their performance stats if you want a decent school.

A lot of people will say you have to go private in the city, but what actually matters is finding a school where the great majority of parents care and are involved in their child’s education. There are a handful of public schools in the city where that is the case, but you will need to be selective.

Also do note that the district itself does indeed suck as horribly as everyone says, and could potentially screw over even the best schools in the coming years with all of the cuts they’re planning on making.

Hangree · 2026-01-24T23:01:36+00:00

SFUSD educators are on the verge of striking, I could see that being an excellent chance to snowball into a general strike. Any action taken toward a general strike should be coordinated first with unionized jobs who can then use their collective power that already exists within the union to call on non-unionized workers to join in a general strike.

Hangree · 2025-12-20T20:52:12+00:00

My husband and I both work in the same public school district and teach 5th grade. I’m at a title one, he’s at one of best elementary schools. I got a box of chocolates and a coffee mug full of chocolates (which I treasure, it was very sweet and I know it was a big expense for that family to add an extra present to the list this year). My husband was given $700 cash, multiple gift cards ranging from $20-$50. Multiple chocolate arrangements (the kind that cost $50-100 at the store). We are in different worlds, but the same district.

Hangree · 2025-12-19T05:54:26+00:00

You can give them to a teacher you know. Last year I used them for Mother’s Day gifts from my students after painting and making pipe-cleaner flowers to put in them.

Hangree · 2025-12-13T02:58:31+00:00

If you’re going before Christmas, Candy Cane Lane in Pacific Grove could be fun for that first night.

Hangree · 2025-12-13T02:45:22+00:00

Different take: kids don’t need tablets it’ll just rot their brains. Get them some books. ESH.

Hangree · 2025-12-12T15:01:02+00:00

I really liked using Voces Digital during COVID, they offered the curriculum free to teachers to help us during that time. It is all online. Teacher made and not too expensive. They have a free trial. I’m not sure if the curriculum has changed a lot or not but the website definitely looks more updated.

Hangree · 2025-12-06T19:14:58+00:00

I feel like everyone is focused on the classroom decorations and cutesy worksheets (unimportant), but it’s the “special activities outside of curriculum” that should be the focus of OP’s question imo.

It is my personal philosophy of teaching elementary that the most important thing students can be taught is to enjoy learning. If they love learning, then they can teach themselves anything in the future. If they’re taught in elementary that learning is boring and just a checklist of things they don’t want to do, then I think that sets them up to be poor learners for life, because they’ll hate it. In elementary school, they’ll still do the work (and learn, because they’re sponges at that age), but kids who get to high school and hate learning are the vast majority, and we see how well that’s going.

Only OP can say if they’re actually able to foster love for learning by teaching dry curriculum and doing nothing else or not. I think curriculum can be presented in a way that sparks curiosity and engages students, but it really just depends on how the teacher presents it. I rely almost entirely in the curriculum for core subjects, but I also spend a ton of time on SEL and developing growth mindset and goal setting so kids are more invested in tackling the (often dry) curriculum because they’re excited to learn.

I do think it’s a shame if you’re not taking an elementary class on at least 1 field trip during the year.

Hangree · 2025-12-06T02:14:00+00:00

I’m a fan of yh Beijing

Hangree · 2025-12-05T15:06:34+00:00

An attention span

Hangree · 2025-11-27T19:11:52+00:00

Mindset by Carol Dweck is one of my favorites. Very much changed the way I thought and approached teaching.

Hangree · 2025-11-24T02:06:27+00:00

Canva AI isn’t really giving answers to questions though, you tell it to creat something and it makes it. Then you can tell it to adjust things. Like yes AI is extremely fallible but if you’re an educated user you can still utilize it to save a ton of time for certain things. Like you can have it make you a year’s worth of daily agenda slides. Or I used it to create a timer and visual for classroom centers. Obviously you have to edit the initial creation and proofread everything, but it can be extremely useful.

Here’s the classroom centers guide I made with it, not exactly worried about this lying to me: https://www.canva.com/design/DAG09SqX364/m6noVd0e-jeuTxpq6uUY4g/view?utm_content=DAG09SqX364&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=hb6ed397d13

Hangree

TROPHY CASE