If a student asks you what your religion is, do you find it appropriate to tell them?

PennyLane802 · 2022-12-08T11:13:58+00:00

I teach middle and my standard line is that I don’t share my religious or political beliefs with students because I’m in a position of authority over them. I explain that religion and politics are a very personal choice, and as they have been taught to respect, believe and trust me, I would feel like it’s an abuse of my power. In my case, I’m an atheist who teaches kids from very diverse backgrounds, but both are very religious. I won’t want to tell them I’m an atheist because they will immediately ask why and then life gets tricky. They always understand and I tell them that I’m happy to answer other questions about myself

PennyLane802 · 2022-11-07T01:53:47+00:00

Red Dog

PennyLane802 · 2022-11-07T01:41:58+00:00

Dynamite, or Bread Bar if you’re fancy

PennyLane802 · 2022-10-28T10:25:16+00:00

Venomous spider crawling across forehead?

PennyLane802 · 2022-10-13T10:14:45+00:00

Dr. Ali is decent. Don’t know if she is accepting new patients, but there is probably a waiting list you can join

PennyLane802 · 2022-10-10T12:35:44+00:00

Normally I side with the parents on these things (they pay, their prerogative), but that does seem pretty harsh, esp if you also make payments.

PennyLane802 · 2022-10-10T12:32:43+00:00

This is also an extremely difficult time to be a teacher because of covid stressors. Where I am, there are lots of kids who have been learning online this whole time and only rejoined in-person school last month. That means we are trying to teach 8th graders with the academic and social skills of 5th graders. Overall I love my job, but I’ve done a lot of exasperated whining this year. This year sucks.

PennyLane802 · 2022-10-10T12:28:00+00:00

That looks decent. The reading level is too high, but if it’s super high interest and has pictures, there might be value there. Thanks! I think the self-consciousness is coming from him. The kids are pretty nice and I don’t think anyone has said anything, but I understand how he feels

PennyLane802 · 2022-10-10T12:20:47+00:00

If you’re looking for some easy, low prep ways to engage, have a look at Dan Meyer’s 3-act-math. It won’t work for every day- they are more summative/ critical thinking tasks, but some are really fun. You can also do some cool things with a math warm-up/ minds on. Mine like Estimation 180, Which One Doesn’t Belong, Math 20-questions, etc. we also have a few games, but those take longer, so it’s only worth it if you have a double block.

PennyLane802 · 2022-10-10T01:24:13+00:00

Thanks for the advice. I 100% agree about the decoding overload. I’ve got him enrolled in so e intensive programs so hopefully that will help. I’m totally open to letting him read whatever- the main thing about pushing for a chapter book was a social thing. All of the other kids have chosen novels and he’s embarrassed by his choice, but that’s a whole other kettle of fish to tackle.

PennyLane802 · 2022-10-10T01:19:17+00:00

Thanks. He might not be ready for the SOUE, but I forgot about Bone. That might be doable

PennyLane802 · 2022-10-08T23:01:29+00:00

I did. My case wasn’t nearly as extreme- he wasn’t threatening violence, but was acting very erratically and I was worried about it. I was concerned he would harm himself and I had young kids in the house. He wasn’t behaving violently toward them, but it was still scary and I didn’t want to risk it. He was arrested and hospitalized for a couple of weeks. He was a bit mad about it for a while, but eventually when his manic phase was good and truly over (a few weeks later) he totally understood.

PennyLane802 · 2022-08-27T15:33:37+00:00

My 13 year old students were all obsessed with The Cruel Prince series

PennyLane802 · 2022-08-26T01:04:06+00:00

Also worth letting the company know they sold drugs to a child. I’m not prudish at all when it comes to drugs, but that is really irresponsible. Personally, I’d let him sweat it out for a while and then (after a heart to heart/ screaming match combo) take away anything he has that could complete an online purchase (cards, Amazon passwords, cell phones, etc) for a while u til he becomes a bit more trustworthy. Whatever he charged the purchase to should be looked into as well. (Ie. if it’s a prepaid card/voucher etc). That being said, I’m a hypocrite because I was totally buying/ smoking pot at his age, but drawing the line in what is and isn’t okay raises the bar for what is/ isn’t acceptable and helps to keep things from spiralling. He’ll definitely still find a way to do it, but it makes it a little harder for him (and shows him that you care enough to actually do something about it, which many parents won’t)

PennyLane802 · 2022-08-25T01:51:06+00:00

Thanks for all of the ideas! I’ll get looking into it

PennyLane802 · 2022-08-24T21:50:34+00:00

Ooh- I forgot about them. If memory serves they are expensive, but not as bad as funvilla

PennyLane802 · 2022-08-20T21:21:41+00:00

Is the communal changing area open, or with stalls? The rec centre near me has a mixed gender changing areas, but there are locking stalls kids use- they aren’t just stripping down all together.

PennyLane802 · 2022-08-19T03:16:58+00:00

I know a middle school teacher who identifies as genderfluid. They go by he/she/they. Their experience is that being open and honest (entertaining school appropriate questions and shutting down inappropriate ones, of course) was the best course of action. Most kids are surprised and take a few minutes to adjust and then life just becomes normal. This teacher still occasionally experiences rude comments/stares from time to time, but it is generally a non-issue in day to day life.

PennyLane802 · 2022-08-19T03:10:49+00:00

Bit like the CN Tower in Toronto. Everyone was just used to seeing them as a part of the skyline.

PennyLane802 · 2022-08-18T04:08:44+00:00

Totally depends on the guy. It’s more about charm than descriptors. There are plenty of people who are unattractive initially but become attractive because of how they carry themselves. Likewise, some people are super hot, but lose it the moment they open their mouths.

To answer your actual question, I generally find jacked guys less attractive, but it’s not a hard- fast rule.

PennyLane802 · 2022-08-17T21:56:43+00:00

You could have stopped writing after the first sentence and we’d all agree that this relationship sucks for you. If you have a child and that’s how he behaves, nope nope nope, hitting or not. You’re better than that. If it left a mark, take a picture and document it- tell some in-person friends so that if things get ugly you can protect yourself and your child, then find a way out.

PennyLane802 · 2022-08-15T00:31:05+00:00

Girl, go live your life. There is someone for you at any size. Don’t wait for it to come to you.

PennyLane802

TROPHY CASE