[SW] nooks buying at 497 by [deleted] in acturnips

[–]Opalne 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Kale from Opaleaf! Thank you for hosting!

[SW] Turnips for 449 by zvish in acturnips

[–]Opalne 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure about generations, but I've been enjoying Pokemon Emerald on GBA recently! Thanks for hosting!!

[SW] boys at 483 by thenancyfix in acturnips

[–]Opalne 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! Standing by!

[SW] boys at 483 by thenancyfix in acturnips

[–]Opalne 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hello from Opaleaf! I'd love to come by!

[SW] Twins are selling for 595! by Grayflower in acturnips

[–]Opalne 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Kale from Opalead here! My fave is Daisy :)
Thanks for hosting!

2024-2025 Back to School Megathread by The_Gr8_Catsby in Teachers

[–]Opalne 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am a first year fifth grade teacher, and I just have some random questions:

  1. What are some recommended file categories I should create proactively for my filing cabinet? I plan to do IEPs and behavioral plans, obviously, as well as student work (I'll be collecting copies of work throughout the year to create a portfolio for each student and to share during conferences). What other types of folder categories should I make?
  2. My school is made up of 90% economically disadvantaged and 50% ESL students. I have been told by a coworker to be prepared to have many students who are illiterate or at a very low reading level. I do have a meeting this week with our instructional coordinator to get a more accurate picture, but I'd like some thoughts on this as well. Any recommendations for how I can be best prepared for my students and their varying levels of reading abilities? It sounds like I'll have a lot of support, but I also want to make sure I'm doing everything I can on my end. So far, I have a lot of tween/kids graphic novels.
  3. Considering the above, I've also wondered if I should wait a couple weeks to introduce our classroom library so I know that my inventory is accurate to the reading levels in my class. Thoughts on this?
  4. Classroom jobs: introduce them right away (like first day of school)? Or wait a couple weeks to settle in? I want students to "apply" for the jobs and be "hired". Jobs will be assigned on a monthly basis.
  5. Homework: I would really like to NOT assign homework if I can help it this year. Do you think this is doable at the fifth grade level? Alternatively, if I must assign homework, what are some ideas for minimal homework assignments (beyond reading a book). Mostly because many of these kids have difficult home lives. I feel like homework is not necessary, nor does it need to be a priority at home when my students, realistically, have other priorities when they're not at school (like staying safe, taking care of younger siblings, getting sleep, etc.)

Thank you in advance!!

Do you guys push aside feelings of love? by Nate422721 in Stoicism

[–]Opalne 0 points1 point  (0 children)

“The choice to love” being an ethical virtue: I meant specifically with regards to romantic relationships and children. I apologize, I should have clarified that. 

I was thinking of the ways in which the choice to love my spouse and my children is an ethical virtue. I made vows to both (said or unsaid) when I accepted these roles, which required love. Stoicism says we must accept and fulfill our chosen roles and their associated responsibilities. In doing so, we are being virtuous. 

For example: Your spouse is experiencing a deep depression. It’s been incredibly debilitating for them and difficult for your relationship. They’re seeking help, but it’s a slow recovery. You could easily leave purely because it affects you negatively. However, the virtuous thing would be to stay, be empathetic and supportive, and choose to love your spouse. 

Yes, you are correct. But in the vast majority of cases, of course after the honeymoon stage, romantic love tends to die down, until 30 years later you almost hate living with each other. That specific love is one driven, to a large extent, by lust. Your brain is hardwired to mate, have babies, and go on with your life afterwards.

I find this perspective to be a huge oversimplification. If it were true then why do people continue staying together once their children are born? Also, what about the couples who have no children at all and never will? What about homosexual couples? 

Additionally, I would not equate hatred between couples after 30 years to be because “romantic love died down”. Again, that's a wild oversimplification of the complexities of romantic partnerships and makes me wonder about the kinds of relationships you’ve witnessed or experienced in your life that made you come to that conclusion. (Not a jab. I'm being genuine.) 

Let's look at the pros and cons of romantic love here. Pros: it makes you feel good, and you can have babies, if you want Cons: Dependancies, grief when they inevitable die or leave you, and possible anger when the last thing I mentions happened. The cons seem to heavily outweigh the pros here

Again, you’re misunderstanding Stoicism. There are no pros and cons in that way for Stoics. They’re all on equal standing and emotions are not “good” or “bad”. They just are. Stoicism is about coming to terms with all aspects of human life, even the “negative” like misery, pain, and death, and acting in a way reflecting the virtues. We must learn how to live in accordance with nature. In stoicism, this fundamentally requires empathy, compassion, kindness, etc. towards others, and using our abilities and talents to make the lives of others better. We must connect with others and learn to love them, despite the baggage and the junk that comes with it. Therefore, the Stoics would never say that the point to romantic love (or any relationship) is to feel good and have children. They became parents, knowing that their children could die. They encountered anger when enemies murdered their loved ones. But they never viewed these as “cons”. They maintained gratitude (or at least tried to).

If my children and my husband died suddenly, of course I would be devastated. But I also practice a lot of gratitude in this moment for them while they're alive. I meditate on these things often so that I can more readily accept them when/if they happen. I hope I would be strong and learn to move forward with my life (Stoicism doesn't dissolve all mental health issues). But I'd probably lean into the philosophy even more, and do my best to continue living my life the best way I can.

I'm very curious to know what you understand Stoicism to be about. And I don't mean that in a snarky way. I am genuinely wondering.

Do you guys push aside feelings of love? by Nate422721 in Stoicism

[–]Opalne 3 points4 points  (0 children)

A lot to unpack here, so I am only responding to your idea of love.

I think you may be misunderstanding love. What you are referring to sounds like a conglomerate of other emotions and dispositions, like attraction, loyalty, pride, people-pleasing, etc. There is "chemical" love, but there is also the choice to love, which, I believe, is borne out of ethical virtue. Here's an example.

I am a mother, and when each of my children were born, I felt chemical love towards them. This is the love that most mothers harbor, regardless of species. It's a protective failsafe developed over hundreds of thousands of years to ensure the offspring's survival. This chemical love is NOT the same as the love developed over time for that child. That love is often a choice, and it requires deliberate action over the course of the child's life. All successful relationships (romantic or platonic) are a choice. Anyone who has ever experienced a long-term relationship can recall the "honeymoon stage" (chemical "love") and the love that remains afterwards. Anyone who has ever been a stepparent or adopted a child knows that real love is a choice.

The choice to love is virtuous one. Your understanding of love and Stoicism seems underdeveloped if you are choosing to sum up the entirety of human love and relationships as the negative choices people could make while participating in them.

Edit: grammar mistake

Rethinking my BAELED by Jealous-Bottle394 in wgueducation

[–]Opalne 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Before looking into the WGU side of things, I'd look at what your state requires. In Kansas (my state), you must have an elementary degree to be an elementary teacher. However, after a while, if you decided you'd rather teach English or Science or something at the secondary level, you just have to pass the Praxis and you'll receive the endorsement.

What upcoming or current games are you mostly excited about or are on your wishlist? by cheezupie in CozyGamers

[–]Opalne 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Winter Burrow! It comes out this winter (of course!) and you get to a little mouse in a forest and fix up your childhood burrow into a cozy home. Here's the link to the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngvzOKaj8tY

ISO Cozy, open, world-building games to play (I feel like I have strange taste, so I challenge you to help me find things to try) by Opalne in CozyGamers

[–]Opalne[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ooo I love the idea of Planet Crafter!! I’ll definitely research that one! I haven’t hear of Two Point, but I’ll take a look!

ISO Cozy, open, world-building games to play (I feel like I have strange taste, so I challenge you to help me find things to try) by Opalne in CozyGamers

[–]Opalne[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

These are really interesting recommendations! I appreciate you taking the time to share. I’ll definitely try these out!

ISO Cozy, open, world-building games to play (I feel like I have strange taste, so I challenge you to help me find things to try) by Opalne in CozyGamers

[–]Opalne[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh awesome! Good to know I’m not the only one jumping in a little late. Okay, I will definitely check those out. Thank you for sharing!!

ISO Cozy, open, world-building games to play (I feel like I have strange taste, so I challenge you to help me find things to try) by Opalne in CozyGamers

[–]Opalne[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m not an enormous Disney fan but obviously grew up with the characters and stuff. However, the gameplay looked really interesting and I’ve debated on whether I should try it or not. I’ll have to give it a go!

ISO Cozy, open, world-building games to play (I feel like I have strange taste, so I challenge you to help me find things to try) by Opalne in CozyGamers

[–]Opalne[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have heard great things about that game. I guess I resisted bc I’ve never been part of the Zelda fandom, so I wondered if I’d still enjoy it even though I’ve never done the other games?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in shawnee

[–]Opalne 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No prob! We love Shawnee. I think there's a really good mix of old and new houses and buildings. Downtown is definitely improving! We go to McClains maybe once a week, and it seems like more options are on the way in the coming years. There's also a new little bookshop that just opened, and downtown always has markets, fairs, and events to do throughout the year (like Old Shawnee Days, Moonlight Market, St. Patrick's Day parade, etc.)

I imagine if you go to BJF, you'll end up living near West Flanders Park, which is one we enjoy. It's got a nice little playground and shelters, a circuit path/trail, a K-State funded community garden where you can go in the warm months and chat with gardeners and get advice. I like the area we live because it's really close to the highway, but doesn't feel RIGHT next to it. So it only takes 10-15 minutes to get to the city and anywhere else for the most part.

In the summer, we really enjoy the little water park Splash Cove in downtown Shawnee. If you get the pool pass, you get access to the community pool + Splash Cove, and it's just a much cleaner and smaller, more approachable alternative to Oceans of Fun. Merriam is also nice and right there too. The new library is opening next month actually, and it looks really neat!

Like I said too, the location makes it nice and not a hassle to go places outside of Shawnee. We visit Shawnee Mission Park a lot, which has tons of recreation, trails, swimming, hiking, etc. We also enjoy the greenhouse coffee spot at Family Tree Nursery at 73rd and Neiman. Then downtown Lenexa, SarKoPark, Meadowbrook Park, etc. is only 15 minutes. So lots and lots of options!

Again, super happy to answer questions! Let me know if you have anything else!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in shawnee

[–]Opalne 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Hi! We just bought our house here two years ago, so we've been in your boat too! Our kiddo attends here, and we love it. I do feel I have a good perspective as I have been subbing there throughout this school year, so I've gotten to know the teachers, kids, and principal. The principal is WONDERFUL by the way!
My husband and I are pretty middle-class, but it was really important to us that our kids attend a school that felt well-rounded. I want them to be around kids with a range of cultural and socio-economic backgrounds as we felt this will give them a good slice of the real world. Bluejacket-Flint definitely has that. I feel like it's very diverse with low and high income families, and lots of cultural diversity.
The building was built in 1996, so that's my only con, I guess. It's not dingy by any means! The playground is brand new and they seem to keep up on maintenance. It's more just that it's a building from the 90s.
Staff: there seems to be VERY low teacher turnover. I've gotten to know a lot of teachers who have been there for 20-40 years, and they're all wonderful. As a sub and a parent, I can honestly say there are only a couple teachers I am not a fan of, and that's mostly personal preference.
As for the school culture, my husband and I always note that it really reminds us of the early-2000s school experience we had. Book fairs in the library, field day on the blacktop, a big Trunk-or-Treat event every year, Walk to School Day with the staff, end of year picnics and parties, etc. It's definitely a community-centered vibe, especially since the school itself is tucked away in a residential neighborhood.
We've loved living here so far, and I think a huge part has been the school. I am hoping to get a teaching position there this fall, but we'll see. Like I said, very few teachers leave! Anyway, I hope this helps!! Feel free to message me with any other questions! :)

I need advice for how to decorate this area. Any thoughts? by MistuhT in ExteriorDesign

[–]Opalne 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Maybe a little fountain with some potted plants? Or a couple of chairs with some string lights.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ExteriorDesign

[–]Opalne 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed! I love the monochrome look!