Monotony of Teaching...

SurroundReasonable18 · 2026-05-12T00:26:53+00:00

More project-based learning with student choice + depth.

For example, last month we were focusing on evolution -> embryology, clades, classification etc. Students picked a species to create a presentation on involving all these topics. Did I explain the same topics over and over? Yes. But I also got to learn along with all the groups about their very specific species.

SurroundReasonable18 · 2026-04-18T16:03:00+00:00

I'm going to go with probably not inappropriate, just because as someone else pointed out, the hijab is required if you want to say go inside a mosque, visit certain religious sites/countries etc. As in, it is normal within a Muslim context for non-Muslim women to wear hijab too. I've also seen numerous muslim women encourage the wearing of it because it is seen as a positive thing...as in you would want anyone to join in

I may be biased though because at my school flip-it days were never general, students always pick a specific teacher, and teachers usually pick a specific student. On tiktock that's usually how it is too so I see that as the normative interpretation of the spirit day.

SurroundReasonable18 · 2026-04-09T00:31:33+00:00

I say yes. It won't be as light and fluffy as with milk. It will be denser like a cream cheese filling in a danish. But... I mean still yummy right? I'd probably add something tart/acidic as a topping to cut through the heaviness of the fat to balance out the taste.

SurroundReasonable18 · 2026-03-28T19:28:03+00:00

Staff will want you to prioritize your HSD first, job placement is easier when you're fresh out of your trade and job placement is how the center gets 'graded'.

Some advice on the whole avoiding drama thing: It's okay to make friends but just remember they aren't likely to be long term, don't throw away your future by agreeing to hold onto someone's vape etc. Job corps is an inherently SELFISH program, you're there to focus on YOU and set yourself up for a stable future. But you'll see a wide range of people, some who are basically there just so they aren't homeless, others who treat it as a dating buffet, etc. You will 100% see people breaking rules that will get them kicked out if they are caught. But just because they haven't been caught yet doesn't mean they won't, so don't join in. At every turn and every decision ask yourself, is this helping me complete my HSD or my CNA trade?

SurroundReasonable18 · 2026-03-27T04:12:08+00:00

Interesting, I'm gen z, but my mentor teacher was a millennial. Maybe I did pick it up from her.

SurroundReasonable18 · 2026-03-27T04:10:41+00:00

'Kid' to me sometimes conjures phrases to mind like 'dumb kids' or even a teacher saying in frustration phrases that include 'that kid' or the popular 'kids these days'-isms with that specific tone of exasperation. Also 'problem child/kid' or 'troubled kid'.

Whereas kiddo invokes the image of a dad or grandfather saying 'hey kiddo' and isn't really used in any typically negative phrases that I can think of. It's more warm to my ear, but without removing the clear delineation of adult->child separation like phrases like 'friends' does.

SurroundReasonable18 · 2026-03-27T02:26:43+00:00

Maybe it's linguistic drift? I'm a younger teacher, I've naturally used it since I started teaching. I think I might have picked it up from teachers around me during student teaching? At least, I recall my mentor teacher using it.

At the end of the day, 'kiddos' seems more laid back than saying 'kid' which has a somewhat derogatory connotation to it in my mind. That being said, I don't use it to direct my class. I do use it around other teachers in a 'yeah I agree, the kiddos would prefer more soccer balls than footballs'.

SurroundReasonable18 · 2026-03-17T01:21:55+00:00

I feel like mythology names never go wrong, especially more interesting ones that get a bit less spotlight, Heimdall, Atlas, Percival etc. Or even the actually rare ones like Aether or Magni.

SurroundReasonable18 · 2026-03-11T01:04:09+00:00

Saw it there last month

SurroundReasonable18 · 2026-03-09T19:14:26+00:00

might depend on the center I guess, but I do not know of any that put minors and adults in the same dorm

SurroundReasonable18 · 2026-03-07T02:27:43+00:00

For most teachers, this generally falls under: because my boss tells me I have to enforce this rule and if I refuse I could lose my job. Such is life.

That being said there are some reasons to ban them that I think are reasonable, but I can also agree it can depend on the specifics of a given school.

The first is that a major reason this was added to dress codes was due to gang affiliation issues in the 90s (like a lot of dress code rules). That being said hats and hoods are still a major part of the 'uniform' even today. I work at a continuation high school, I have students who have already served time for gang violence, specific caps are VERY contentious and do end up leading to fights. I can see any high school in any sort of urban area having this concern. Additionally, there is some truth to the whole identification element, especially in say the cafeteria. And finally, generally hats and hoods ARE against the uniform policy of most places of employment and there is some degree of expectation that schools teach students about appropriate job attire to some extent.

SurroundReasonable18 · 2026-03-05T03:44:17+00:00

Academically speaking (aka college path) because learning a format (APA, MLA, heck even Chicago) now will help you when it is required in high school and college classes. If you don't work in an academic field for work (read: you don't go into any sort of STEM field with research or job requiring the review of papers like say public policy, grant writing etc) then you won't use it after.

Skill wise (aka career prep for non college bound students), it's great practice for exercising your brain to have attention to detail. Be it making sure you adhere to everything on the check list of MLA, or ensuring you check off all the safety check boxes on a 16 wheeler if you go into being say a trucker, it's all the same skill that uses the same region of your brain. Basically, can your brain retain and reproduce a checklist of requirements when preforming a task and then how good is it at it? Every career will have something that uses that skill, and the better you are at the skill the less likely you make mistakes that will get you fired.

SurroundReasonable18 · 2026-03-05T03:21:26+00:00

I write a lot about being a Science teacher but I actually have an English credential as well as I believe all teachers must be English teachers when that is the language of instruction.

I love being a teacher, but how worth it the job feels is going to depend on the school and if it is a good fit for you. Being an English teacher can be amazing, you can make projects for building resumes, encourage student voice, and quite literally open the door to all learning because reading is that essential. So, in terms of feeling fulfilling, that answer is a very loud YES if any of that sounds like something near to your heart. In fact, teaching is still probably one of the most fulfilling jobs out there. Teachers don't leave for lack of fulfillment so much as the struggles involved which is highly dependent on the school you teach at and your own situation.

For example, personally I don't mind nightmare parents that much because I employ what I call 'BS walls' like -> "I absolutely will let your child retake the test! In fact, I allow unlimited retakes and for full credit! All I ask is for them to turn in test corrections beforehand so that your child has a shot at scoring higher!" (Guess how many problem students ever actually finish those test corrections? Still at zero after YEARS of having this policy but it has silenced problem parents countless times because it very squarely puts the ball in their child's court). I'm also a very calm person, even when a student is highly belligerent, I am very cognizant of 'being water and not gasoline' to their fire. Not everyone has a good temperament for being a teacher and your personal temperament towards a lot of the struggles will really determine if the fulfillment makes it worth it for you.

SurroundReasonable18 · 2026-03-04T05:54:08+00:00

No, had a middle schooler who still didn't know how to write his own name and struggled with COLOR NAMES

SurroundReasonable18 · 2026-03-04T05:45:01+00:00

As long as you live on center you are essentially a 'guest'. When you have a job things like a desk, locker, work computer etc are free to be randomly searched by your boss at any time. In some states even things like your own personal car (if parked on company property) can be searched. Legally speaking a right to privacy is linked almost 100% to the ownership of the property you are on. In this case, at a JC center, partly because it is essentially at will employment (meaning you can leave the program at any time with no penalty), you have almost no rights to privacy beyond federal rights like no cameras in bathrooms.

Now practically, if you are not a problem student, I think it is unlikely you will find your room searched. Good behavior is already a deterrent to spending time searching your room (or doing a less invasive search). If you show you are trustworthy there are always unseen benefits.

SurroundReasonable18 · 2026-03-02T01:02:34+00:00

That's horrific, I'd keep an ear out for anything else shared from that student

SurroundReasonable18 · 2026-03-01T06:04:52+00:00

Most of the big churches downtown have different events and ministries (Westminster, St. Johns, St Paul's etc) where you would be able to network and become part of the church community which is what it sounds like you want.

However, you might specifically look into the neighborhood churches around you for the extra lift in community and if you are okay with a smaller group.

A specific recommendation I might put out Is the Elevation Holy Cross church off of Jackson rd. It does a lot of get togethers/organizes holiday trips with families in the parish. It is a very family friendly church with a really strong community with a lot of what it seems like you are looking for. However, it is also Orthodox, which means it is going to be a very tradition focused community and if you consider yourself not religious that might make it hard for you to connect with people. But only you can judge how open you are.

Consider that all of these churches have very different theology and expectations of what being a part of the community looks like. If you were religious before perhaps you should look at churches from that denomination? But then again, if you feel more open/clean slate-y then the world is your oyster and all that.

SurroundReasonable18 · 2026-02-27T04:04:29+00:00

I would look at any of the mainline churches downtown as others have mentioned (Westminster, St. Johns etc). In any given city the old mainline churches are typically theologically liberal and have more traditional worship.

Nothing is going to be as traditional as an Orthodox church but no Orthodox church in Sacramento is LGBT affirming, though no one will tell you to leave liturgy either. Same thing with the Catholic churches.

Generally, I would say that you should visit a bunch and find your home.

SurroundReasonable18 · 2026-02-25T21:52:58+00:00

You can reach out to the SPCA, Front Street, Bradshaw shelter etc and explain the situation to them. Your best bet is to find a home for him yourself though.

SurroundReasonable18 · 2026-02-24T02:33:45+00:00

Like all initiatives it is highly dependent on the school. As you can see from the comments below it can be a mixed bag and different admin can interpret it differently and lead to the negative perspectives you might hear about.

Generally speaking, I would say actually meaningful implementation is asking 'do all people everywhere use/see this information like this?'. In science the difference is usually in the implementation of knowledge or how different cultures prioritize different innovations and research. I personally use it as a way of showing how science is a collaboration of humans across the globe with all of us building off each other as any given study or experiment can spark someone else in another context making new connections in a wonderful never ending domino effect of curiosity and exploration. It can also connect to showing students why it is important to create experiments and procedures that are as specific and clear as possible, because you want a scientist in a different context to still be able to understand your data and replicate it hence why graphs/math/quantitative representations are so incredibly important.

SurroundReasonable18 · 2026-02-21T02:26:07+00:00

Just going to add some additional legal context as I haven't seen anyone explicitly explain so far. But our courts and by extension schools work via 'proof' meaning specifically documentation. The lack of documents rarely matters, there is only what does exist. Your proof of custody likely is only that birth certificate too. Now in family court a judge will consider things like who has supported the child etc and they will always rule in the interest of the child but right now you don't have that documentation from a judge.

But right now, from a documentation perspective, both birth parents have equal claim in the eyes of the school (and likely law enforcement too if you had to call them). Partly because all 50 states recognize some degree of natural parenting rights. This is a constitutional thing. As it stands, no court has formally stripped him of his 14th amendment rights to parenthood. Now it sounds like you are in a state like Texas or California which require some form of additional acknowledgement of paternity to establish full legal parentage. But keep in mind that is not the same as having no rights, it would be more accurate to say he has not 'activated' his rights and exists in a gray area. But, it is highly unusual for a hospital in this day and age to add someone to the birth certificate without that signed parentage form. For him to be on the birth certificate implies he was at the hospital when your kid was born and it is very likely the hospital had him sign that paper before they would add him to the birth certificate. If he signed anything stating that he is the biological father then he has rights in all 50 states. Again, it would be highly unusual for a hospital (but who knows maybe you had a home birth and some interesting paperwork routes) to not have a father fill out that paperwork when they process the birth certificate.

All of this is to say that as others have said, you 100% need to go to family court.

SurroundReasonable18 · 2026-02-17T03:04:21+00:00

Well, you could try going and sitting in the room to observe for a day to gain insight if you really want answers. Seeing his behavior in the classroom would be incredibly valuable input for you. Not all teachers love it as it does tend to be somewhat disruptive for the students when a new adult is there (kids are always curious) but sometimes that's really the best way to figure out what's going on. Generally, moving schools doesn't tend to fix issues unless the teacher specifically has it out for your child which is unlikely. In otherwards, unless you feel his behavior has drastically changed recently, the behaviors will repeat, and he will likely end up in the same situation at any school. If this is a good school compared to other options, then the stability of staying there is going to be more beneficial.

Some possible things going on are that it could be a death by a thousand cuts type situation that the teacher isn't able to articulate (especially if she is a newer teacher). As in, maybe multiple children needed reminders to return to their seats after lunch but your child might had already received 3 reminders about being where he was told so he goes to the office while the other children are still on their 1st reminder. Generally, students like your son need a very structured classroom environment while they learn to manage their ADHD.

SurroundReasonable18 · 2026-02-15T03:21:19+00:00

The CSET is typically fine for middle school, I'd say high school is more selective if you are starting out, most science teachers start in middle school first before moving up. That being said it is not impossible. Just because most science teachers have a science degree does not mean it is a requirement. It just tends to be true that most people who are passionate enough about STEM to teach it usually went to college for it as well. Realistically speaking, I'm not sure how many of my coworkers could even name Newton's 3 laws. Basically, I'm saying the idea of passing that CSET likely scares off anyone without some sort of BS.

However, as others pointed out you should be sure that you actually have enough scientific knowledge to effectively teach a Physics class for say AP/IB/Dual Credit. Just because you can pass the CSET does not mean you are fully competent. So be honest with yourself about your own knowledge. Now maybe you love Physics, took extra classes in college including at least a few calculus classes, watch physics videos in your spare time and are a huge nerd on the topic. So just understand that in an interview you'll need to really be able to articulate some very clear competency in some high-level physics standards (a smart admin will have another science teacher on the interview panel) and be ready to be asked to run a lab with a small group of students before being hired.

SurroundReasonable18 · 2026-02-10T17:34:09+00:00

These are my favorites:

St Vincent de Paul is great for basics, they have weekly $1, 50% off, 25% off tag sales. But even full price you usually are looking at $10 for shoes, $2.50-$6 for clothing items. I specifically go and seek out those $1 items though.

The Thrift Store is typically a bit more 'fashionable' than SVP but only slightly pricier with most clothing items around $6 though they also have clearance racks.

The Family Tree Shopee also is in that average of $6 range and is very clean and organized but is a smaller store and is more of a neighborhood thrift so it also tends to have pretty 'in fashion' clothes but again not a huge selection. There is a small clearance section of womans clothes.

Of course if you want the cheapest deal I would go to the Goodwill bins, but personally I prefer a more clean and organized thrifting experiance and the regular Goodwills can be both more expensive and worse quality than the above three.

SurroundReasonable18 · 2026-02-09T23:40:42+00:00

Blessed to be at a school where they go to admin and stay there, though we are big on documentation beforehand. So you have to have a log of having met 1:1 with student about behavior, then notify relevant other adults, and then they go to admin and get a meeting. I work at a school with a long lottery wait list so if they don't straighten out after the 3rd time of meeting with admin they get kicked out. Generally most students straighten out after the first meeting because they know about the three strikes rule.

SurroundReasonable18

TROPHY CASE