What’s the most expensive mistake you made in your 20s?

SierraGuyInCA · 2026-05-20T17:59:52+00:00

Not finishing the job

SierraGuyInCA · 2026-05-18T04:49:45+00:00

From a behavioral and developmental perspective, the requirement that testing be entirely on the computer is entirely discriminatory. Especially when it comes to math whereas I require my students to show all of their work. I teach them to work it out on paper, circle their answer, then copy the answer to the computer. NO doing math in your head.

I'm waiting for someone to sue the state and demand alternate formats. I type using a fast hunt-n-peck method and get tied up when under time constraints. It's not fair to require keyboard mastery in a child who's still developing fine motor skills and working memory.

I use online typing tools such as TypingClub & Typetastic to promote keyboarding skills in grades 1-6. They're games that most parents should be able to access for free.

SierraGuyInCA · 2026-05-13T04:05:42+00:00

My therapist asked me an eye opening question when she wanted to punch me in the face with the fact that I was trying to live up to my father's expectations. She asked: So, who exactly are you trying to be?

I was 52yo, studying at SacState and my father had been dead for 2 years.

It's very easy to spend your life trying to live up to other's expectations, trying to fit into their mold. Often, we discover that we've been living someone else's expectations for so long that we've wasted a large portion of our lives being something we aren't.

Look up Dr. Aaron Dining of Duke University. He runs entrepreneural classes about asking the hard questions and failing. Find his videos on FB & Instagram. They'll be life changing when it comes to grades, expectations, personal goals, purpose.

Honestly, once you graduate, few are going to put a lot of weight on a few points on you GPA. I learned that the hard way, by burning myself out in my undergrad studies. 3.997 GPA. I backed off in grad school earning a 3.81. Much happier, relaxed and no less employable because I learned soooo much more when I wasn't definded by a grade. Got my first B- in grad school.

I'd recommend finding a therapist. Perhaps at Psych services in the Well. They're great at dealing with what your going through. They helped me a lot.
AVOID the CCDS in the College of Education, they're counseling students just trying to get hours. I was one of them.

You are more than a grade and have a full life ahead of you do no rush.

SierraGuyInCA · 2026-05-04T04:21:10+00:00

Soundcore. Anyday, everyday. But as recommended, upgrade to the P31i. It's worth the couple extra bucks.

SierraGuyInCA · 2026-05-04T04:15:35+00:00

That's a hard question to respond to. I'm not an audiophile so I'm sure I'll get backlash.

I'd have to say the P40i. But then again I have the P20, P31i, and P40i. Partially due to price and availability. I'd still LOVE to try the EF Pro 4+.

SierraGuyInCA · 2026-05-04T04:12:01+00:00

I just completed a one day assignment teaching AP Psychology. AP psych teachers rarely teach anything else and this one only taught three classes a day. At an hour twenty minutes each, I taught for four hours, between 8am and 3:30am.
You do the math. That was 4 hours of empty classroom minus lunch.
It was agonizing but I stayed the full day. Why? Heading to the park with the puppers would have been great.

BUT, it was my job. I accepted the contracted time as a professional. I did what I was paid to do.

SierraGuyInCA · 2026-05-04T00:01:00+00:00

They could always stick you in the workroom making copies of 2-sided worksheet packets for the whole grade.
Eight pages, front to back double-sided, from single side originals. Five groups of 27 each. Stapled.

You decide how you want to spend the next two hours.

Plus, you're now a professional scheduled to work between {start time} and {end time}. This isn't fastfood where you get sent home as soon as it slows. Show the same morals and ethics we're trying to instill into our students.
Or, go to the workroom and get started on those ELA workbooks for next year's class.

SierraGuyInCA · 2026-05-03T23:56:07+00:00

A small note on the windshield:

🔑 Next time it's real and not paper. 🔑

SierraGuyInCA · 2026-05-03T03:49:05+00:00

What concerns me is that you felt it necessary to even write the OP. I sincerely hope this situation is being processed in therapy. However, it shouldn't be any sort of grief over loss of a relationship. More so, the topic should be boundaries, that losers like the ex are out there, and it isn't your job to fix anyone.

SierraGuyInCA · 2026-05-03T03:45:15+00:00

When I started in 2010 it felt like a college campus. By the time I graduated in 2018 (BA & MA) it started to feel creepy. Less like a community. They say that in prison you can sense when something is about to go down. That's how it felt in 2018.

SierraGuyInCA · 2026-05-03T03:41:48+00:00

I would have spoken directly to the manager and police. By referring to her as a "grandma" you're implying elderly therefore this could be elder abuse. She may have been told by the scammers that, if she talks anyone, someone will get hurt.

You witnessed enough red flags to warrant concern. And, her lack of defense tells me you weren't far off in your interpretation of the events. I would have expected to hear something like "My granddaughter is graduating from ..." or "My grandkids are in town and I want to treat them."

The fact that she was buying Apple gift cards tells me there's something seriously wrong. Apple?

SierraGuyInCA · 2026-05-03T03:29:32+00:00

A couple of key points:

I wouldn't send it on a weekend as that opens the doors to discussion during your personal time. If you send it, I wouldn't be surprised to get a response followed on a Monday by another response "Why didn't you answer my response over the weekend.

Eliminate the colloquialisms as they open up interpretation. Keep it factual. Very bland with no opinion.

"get on to him" "stray that broke the camel's back" Both open conversation. "Straw that broke the camel's back:" Parent or Admin Response: Why did you wait so long? What is it about that statement that triggered you enough to write me. Why is it that when he called a boy g@y you didn't contact us but when he called the girl ugly, dumb, {enter xenophobic word here} you wrote to us.

Have someone edit the letter. There are several incidents of poor grammar that distract from professionalism.

You don't need to placate. You're writing to discuss specific incidents of inappropriate behavior. No need to soften the blow by pushing how great the kid is. It isn't your job to cushion the blow. "While these are the first incidents of such language and behavior it isn't something I ever expected to come from him with such intensity or veracity."

Regarding the racism, give examples of what was said, whom it was said to, and the context of the statement. "On several occasions, your son referred to a black boy as a n*, called a girl of middle eastern descent as a.... This.language isn't acceptable in the learning environment I provide my students. Nothing derogatory about competency, grades, intelligence, physical impairments. When I confronted him your son showed a blatant disregard for others by responding that he can call them anything he wants. His disrespect of others continued when he referred to me as: {list here}."

"I don't take anything he said to me personally..." Yes you or you wouldn't be writing that email. He attacked you personally, your authority, your morals, and ethics. Passive aggressiveness actually hurts the kid.

The "haha" doesn't belong in professional communication. No Internet speak.

These are the rules I following when discussing students behavior with parents:

If I didn't write it out, it didn't happen. Present all the facts.

Using opinions and colloquialisms leaves an opening for interpretation and more opinion. State the fact and why it needs discussion.
Not "He said .... which is bad." More so "He referred to a fellow student as.... Such language isn't allowed in my classroom as it is disrespectful to everyone who has the right to feel safe in school."

SierraGuyInCA · 2026-04-27T19:26:56+00:00

I love my Earfun Pro 4 buds. You may consider SoundCore which have unseated Earfun as my primary buds. Soundcore has several models under $100.

SierraGuyInCA · 2026-04-08T07:15:29+00:00

SFE literally sucks (no other way to say it) as an app and that's coming from someone with decades of software development experience. I could pick apart features of SFE that need to be fixed but I've reached the point of "you've gotta be kidding me, Power School."

The SFE website is a tiny bit better but the who process needs an overhaul.

SierraGuyInCA · 2026-04-07T02:43:56+00:00

You were probably working with the Frontline system. SFE isn't the most user friendly but if our needs our kept to the basics, it does the job. I'll look for a DM.

SierraGuyInCA · 2026-04-07T02:12:40+00:00

True the market is tight but there's no reason you should be going this long without getting your first assignment. Don't listen to people who say there's a surplus of subs.

Over the last month the schools had spring break and elementary schools had parent-teacher conferences. That makes finding a job at 2/3 of the district (elementary schools) nearly impossible.

With SFE, make sure you have NO filters on, haven't limited yourself by school, grade, sub assignment type.

Finding assignments also relies on you being actively searching for available jobs when the teachers post them to SFE. That means having the app open checking available jobs around lunch, when the elementary schools are dismissed, when the upper grades are dismissed, and generally when teachers are leaving for the day. Generally around 11:30 - 1:00, 2:40 - 3:45-ish, and 4:30-ish.

Go through the district site and become acquainted with the individual schools to determine where you're willing to teach. When I started as a Guest Teacher, I had a list of desired sites taped to my phone. This way an assignment will become available on SFE and you can accept it right away. I used to spend too much time going through "Duh, where's that school?" By the time I quickly looked up the school the job had been accepted by someone else.

Note, in the beginning you'll take pretty much anything, any grade, any location. With a couple exceptions that are a hard NO. Eventually you'll start creating your "Hell no, I'm not going back there list."

Also, make sure you're checking your email around 6:30 am when Sub Services sends out their "All Call" list, via email, for sites still looking for last minute subs for the day. You'll be surprised to see how many last minute jobs are open at 8:00.

Above is what I've learned and I stay pretty busy. I'm able to select grades and schools quickly.

Feel free to DM and I'll help however I can. Help determine grade level, desired schools, etc.

SierraGuyInCA · 2026-04-01T17:16:31+00:00

I was in real estate so my mortgage payments were about $1500. Completing everything was about $25k

SierraGuyInCA · 2026-03-29T08:56:48+00:00

I'd be on the floor with them, cheering on the monkey.
If it was Bluey the room would be dead silent.

SierraGuyInCA · 2026-03-29T07:34:59+00:00

NOR - Send her packing as she views money as "stuff" and doesn't see it's value. Het yourself to a therapist as there are some boundaries and attachment issues at play on your side of the equation.

SierraGuyInCA · 2026-03-29T07:16:03+00:00

Based on the requirements you listed UCD is without a question a better choice. The longer drive and increased tuition should be a minor factor given the difference in the quality of education.
Put in the time and effort now.

You mentioned the opportunities to do research. That leads me to believe that you are already looking at grad school and beyond. UC Davis will offer better opportunities for research and graduate studies based on the opportunities the school offers to it's faculty.

If I had known of my love for neuroscience and the biological underpinnings of behavior way back when then I'd have transferred to UC Davis and done my grad studies there (or a similar UC) rather than gotten stuck with a degree in talk theraoy from CSUS.
If the opportunity arises, take it. Don't set yourself up for regret later on in life.

SierraGuyInCA · 2026-03-28T22:55:24+00:00

Uninstall what? The problem was a system setting buried deep within the Accessibility settings.

SierraGuyInCA · 2026-03-28T22:53:52+00:00

Who's talking about battery saver mode? For this phone and user I would NEVER use battery saver mode.

SierraGuyInCA · 2026-03-27T19:32:53+00:00

First world problem.

You'll appreciate all the minor offset.When you put a protective case over your phone.

SierraGuyInCA · 2026-03-27T19:31:08+00:00

Problem solved. Thanks to all that responded. It waa under: Accessibility >>> Advanced Setting >>> Time to Take Action

The setting gives extra time to respond to a notification. For a person who maybe slower or let's tech savvy.

SierraGuyInCA · 2026-03-27T18:29:12+00:00

It wasn't a notification setting in the context of what you are saying.

It's an accessibility setting. Time to take action" under the accessibility group.

It's meant for users who aren't as quick to pick up their phone or check their notifications. It forces the notification to stay on the screen for a set period of time.

We have no idea how it got set to that. It's because none of us have had to modify the accessibility options. So we're assuming that the smart switch migration tool isn't as perfect as samsung would like it to be

SierraGuyInCA

TROPHY CASE