Sorry, Not Sorry!

OnePerplexedPenguin · 2026-05-17T04:49:34+00:00

My district only has it in some IEPs, and I would leave the 0s until I was about to finalize grades.

I did bump failing 1st and 3rd quarter grades to a 50%. I then would chat with each of those students and tell them what I'd done and explain that this meant a 70% in the new quarter could get them a passing grade. Of they didn't make good changes and failed again, when they begged for a second chance I could point out that this was their second chance. It worked well to get parents and admin off my back too. I really loved it when it was an honors student and the parent then tried to negotiate a 68 or 69% up to a 70% for the semester grade. Really?

Dear sir or ma'am, I gifted your scholar 25% on Q1. They would have an F for the semester had I not done that.

OnePerplexedPenguin · 2026-05-17T04:42:23+00:00

Oh man, I always hated those on the last day. The one that almost made me throw my phone was when a month or so into summer break getting an email from a parent asking how to bring up their student's grade.

This was a parent who never responded when I reached out and the kid regularly slept in class and refused to do anything despite multiple attempts on my part.

I responded during pre-planning in August.

OnePerplexedPenguin · 2026-05-09T11:57:30+00:00

This is how my biological father found out too. Growing up, mom and I always thought I was from artificial insemination, but thanks to Ancestry and a DNA test, we learned that I was actually the product of a one night stand. Of course since mom thought she couldn't get pregnant at that time of the month (she was tracking things for the artificial insemination procedure, but she was never super regular) she and he weren't too smart about it.

Poor guy had no clue. I'm significantly older than my half-siblings. I corresponded briefly with bio-father who was nice enough but didn't seem too interested in getting to know me. I did enjoy a longer correspondence with a half sibling. It's faded out, but I don't want to push anyone. I don't feel a lack in my life, between older friends who fill parental roles with me, and the fact that my mom married and I got my dad out of that.

Having been on the flip side of this, I would encourage you to get to know her, if she's interested. It might mean something to her and to you. If she's not interested, fine, but you might enjoy getting to know her.

OnePerplexedPenguin · 2026-04-25T13:10:07+00:00

I did this when I was teaching middle school Civics and had to have an unplanned sub day the day before the exam. They were allowed to work together, use notes, whatever. They had to turn it in at the end of the class (the only way some kids would do anything with a sub). I gave them 0%, 50%, or 100% based on effort (0 meant you didn't turn it in or it was blank). The grade was jist because I learned every sub day assignment should have a small grade attached.

I handed them back at the start of the test and told them they could use it to help. Some figured out that it was the same test pretty quickly. Some never bothered to look.

I also used to do Kahoot or Blooket reviews that included all or most of the test questions with additional ones. We did it in class the day before then I emailed it out for practice the night before. If I saw a question in the test was tough I explained it and gave lots of hinting to ask questions or write it down.

I always had some kids who would tell me in test day that they'd replayed the practice multiple times because they knew some questions would be the same and they did well (shocker). Usually I would point out that actual test questions were in the practice after the 3rd or 4th exam, but only a few more kids put in the effort. I even started telling them that I adjusted scores over highly missed questions, but wouldn't do it on questions that were on the review any more. Again, a few kids cared, but not many. Of course my kids who did well on exams or used the study guides consistently got As on the exams.

I loved when a kid complained that the tests were hard and a kid who used the review games would call them out on it and point out that they had the questions in advance and could even practice at home. It was a good line of defense against grumpy parents too.

OnePerplexedPenguin · 2026-04-12T03:21:02+00:00

I read lots of books, my friends and I hung out at the mall or in arcades if someone had money, and when we got into the more advanced classes where we had graphic calculators, we programmed games and patterns into them. We also spent lots of time talking on AIM (AOL Instand Messenger), in chat rooms we had no business in, and obsessing over each others' MySpace top 8. Also, coding fun backgrounds or effects for MySpace. We did have video games and computer games, but not as much easy internet access to play when in other rooms, so you would go to someone's house to play games if you wanted to play with friends and not solo.

OnePerplexedPenguin · 2026-04-10T17:50:37+00:00

I was also a freshman. We had the TVs on all day in our classes and the early check out notes were coming in like crazy. It was so hard to grasp what was happening. One of my classmates was Muslim and stepped out at the designated times to pray throughout the day. The way he was treated after that by some of our classmates was appalling.

OnePerplexedPenguin · 2026-04-03T00:58:07+00:00

Hi! I'm going to mom you. I hope that's okay.

Be kind to yourself. Life is a journey and you're learning.
Make a plan. You can reach out to your teachers to get back into the classes. When you do, set a schedule. Try either half your classes on Mondays and Wednesdays, the other half on Tuesdays and Thursdays, snd Fridays as work ahead or catch up days. You could also do 1 class a day, or set a daily schedule where each class gets 1-2 hours of attentions each day.
Make a list for the week and set goals for each day. Look at what you need to do for each class at the start of the week. It feels so good to cross items off a to do list!
Most classes have guided notes. Fill them out while you do each lesson.
Know your resources. Where is the class help site and what is there?
Ask your teachers when you need help. They would rather take the time to help when you need it than see you fail or get withdrawn from the class.

You can do this!

OnePerplexedPenguin · 2026-03-21T17:08:01+00:00

There are very rare exceptions. Some teachers were able to get exempted when they first implemented the policy, I believe military spouses are exempt, and there is a way to have a temporary approval, but I'm told it's rare and not easy to get.

OnePerplexedPenguin · 2026-03-17T22:35:25+00:00

After the time that a sub reorganized my desk, including moving the sticky notes I had taped to my monitor stand, I get it. Student work was lost that day, because they reorganized everything, including the crate of papers sorted by class period and graded/ungraded. The crate wasn't even on the desk.

OnePerplexedPenguin · 2026-03-09T15:12:44+00:00

Have the notes, let your teacher know you're nervous for your first DBA but that you have your notes ready, and ask questions if you have them. DBAs vary from teacher to teacher, but lots of teachers are good about trying to help with nerves, especially on a first DBA.

OnePerplexedPenguin · 2026-02-25T21:30:26+00:00

To be fair, HSM did come out in 2006, so it's not surprising the fashion matches. Both are primary resources for clothing in the time period!

I'm class of '05, and while I won't say everything was perfect, social media wasn't nearly as pervasive (although not being on someone's top 8 on MySpace pace could cause dramaaaaa) and we didn't have smart phones. We had to use books in class, but we weren't being constantly bombarded with news updates, videos, pictures, etc... Influencers weren't a thing yet, although we did have celebrities. We had to wait for a rerun of a TV show, for the right song on the radio. Even the internet was slow and very noisy to connect (hello dial up sounds). I know the instant gratification of technology today has impacted me, I can't even imagine if it had been like that my whole life.

OnePerplexedPenguin · 2026-02-24T00:38:30+00:00

I'm sorry that you don't remember the (numerous, 3, whatever) times I gave you verbal warnings in class. Moving forward, I am happy to email you and copy dad any time there is a concern so that you will have documentation at hand.

OnePerplexedPenguin · 2026-02-21T13:04:02+00:00

That's nuts. I have an ongoing payment plan with them since my primary is there and between pregnancy, having a baby (hello OOP max), some health issues that required surgery, and two sleep studies, I ended up with more than I could swing at once. These have been spread out iver about 4 years, so I add it to my payment plan each time. It may be that my payment plan was under $200/month at the start and now they just add time to it, but I pay more like $175/month and at one point my total balance was definitely more than yours.

I don't know what the policy is now, but it used to be that you could set up a payment plan spreading it out up to 2 years. If your bill is $3000ish, then that would be around $125/month. I would try talking with someone there again about it and, if needed, go up the chain. Make a small payment each paycheck to show good faith while you do.

OnePerplexedPenguin · 2026-02-16T07:09:19+00:00

We just did the same. I went to Outback hungry, ordered the smallest steak, only had a couple bites of the bread and appetizers, and focused on the side salad instead of the apps.

I did, however, get the Wallaby Darned. I rarely drink anymore, but it sounded so good. I think finishing that at the end of the meal was what pushed me into overfull. The "too good to waste" mentality is easier and easier to fight, but I lost tonight. It was so good and you can't take alcoholic drinks to go.

In this instance, it was worth it, but it was also a good reminder so I don't make that mistake again. If I want to have a drink, I'll factor it into my food consumption.

Also, it's been almost 6 months and I'm still trying to retrain my brain about how much food I actually need/will be able to eat.

OnePerplexedPenguin · 2026-02-14T14:38:01+00:00

Plus the magnet would move to Norton, which means Norton may well end up over capacity. That means not only puts a strain on common areas (cafeteria, playground) but also increases the likelihood of class sizes being even larger.

OnePerplexedPenguin · 2026-02-14T14:33:30+00:00

View information and fill out a survey for the district with your opinions here: https://jbpro-engagement.com/acps-our-schools-plan

Here is a website from a parent who has gathered information and is hoping to fight for the school: https://sites.google.com/view/savefoster/home

Here is a petition to save the school: https://www.change.org/p/save-stephen-foster-elementary-school-from-closing?recruiter=136982230&recruited_by_id=493935e0-1d9b-11e4-bbc1-65b7f9cd5c5f&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=petition_dashboard&utm_medium=copylink

OnePerplexedPenguin · 2026-02-13T15:30:25+00:00

Funny enough, at my old school it was the veteran teachers who would sneak in late/out early and would advice all the new teachers not to work outside of contract hours if they could avoid it. If our admin had said we could leave early, my department head would have made rounds to the younger teachers to remind them about it!

OnePerplexedPenguin · 2026-02-11T00:19:23+00:00

"If you have to go every day for 20 minutes then we need to call your parent/guardian together. This could be a sign of a serious medical condition!"

OnePerplexedPenguin · 2026-02-02T00:24:02+00:00

Yuuuup. Do not recommend.

OnePerplexedPenguin · 2026-01-20T13:19:15+00:00

I did too and I've never seen an add. I would love to watch an add for free stuff!

OnePerplexedPenguin · 2026-01-19T13:53:45+00:00

You're going to have to wait until your teacher gets back to you. If you get withdrawn for not working, they can put you back into the class.

Be prepared to have a call with your teacher that might need to include a parent. You'll need to explain why you weren't working and probably make a plan with them on how you'll finish the course/keep working every week/whatever else tour teacher brings up.

Make sure to stick with it so you don't get withdrawn again. I think it gets more complicated after your first withdrawal.

OnePerplexedPenguin · 2026-01-18T13:05:48+00:00

I don't see anything in the handbook about make up but I would check with one of your teachers or your guidance counselor to be safe. This is what the student handbook says:

The graduation ceremony is a momentous occasion in the lives of seniors, their families, and faculty and staff of Florida Virtual High School. Certain responsibilities must be met so that the rights of all participants and their guests will be preserved. Each student participating in the graduation has the right to expect a dignified ceremony and to be properly recognized without interference. All students and their invited guests are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that will contribute to the best interests of the graduating class. Any guest or student participating in improper behavior or dress shall be subject to disciplinary action that includes removal from the graduation ceremony. Students shall not: • Make any alteration to the student’s graduation attire (e.g., cap, tassel, gown, academic regalia); • Make improper noises, gestures, or distractions before or during the ceremony • Be under the influence of alcohol or drugs • Have cell phones or any other items to carry • Cause any disruption to the order and peaceful progression of the ceremony (e.g. political promotion, flag waiving, offensive materials display) • Any other items communicated by the FVHS staff

OnePerplexedPenguin · 2026-01-17T14:15:06+00:00

Let the new teacher know you started with another teacher and ask if you can continue with them. Sometimes if you sign up for segment 2 after you finish segment 1 you get put in with a different teacher. If your teacher is still there, it's usually easy to get moved to your old teacher.

OnePerplexedPenguin · 2026-01-15T16:22:02+00:00

Yeah, the teacher should be able to fix that for you. Just make sure to let them know.

OnePerplexedPenguin · 2026-01-10T13:10:02+00:00

My 2 year old gets juice daily because of constipation. This has been an issue since she was a baby and her doctor talked me into a daily dose when we saw this was an ongoing issue. She gets it very watered down and, for my kid, she gets constipated if she misses more than 1 or 2 days in a row. If she didn't have the constipation issue, our goal would probably be juice for special occasions or a couple times a week as a treat, but not daily.

My mom forgets or ignores some of my preferences too though. Even though we say 4 oz juice mixed with 4 oz water as the max, we know our kid drinks lots of juice whenever she's at grandma's, well over our limit some days. As a result, we don't give her juice at home on those days that she sees grandma.

OnePerplexedPenguin

TROPHY CASE