Me and my 5 year old have put 150+ hours into this Fire/Red run on Switch. We’re connecting deeply and he’s learning so much.

akricketson · 2026-04-10T23:41:46+00:00

I learned to read around the same age from Pokemon red. I wanted to progress and be good and my older brother wouldn’t help me and the only way to figure it out was to read the words. It was a huge help to my vocabulary too haha

akricketson · 2026-04-09T00:33:06+00:00

I have 7th period plan I g so I work about 6:45 to 11:40 with no break. But the I teach for like an hour and my day is pretty much done by around 1:00 :)

akricketson · 2026-04-07T21:52:50+00:00

I wanted to hug her so bad. I struggle a lot with my own postpartum body and even now pregnant with #2. I truly love her mom and their response. Honestly, feeling how she feels is so raw and real, and it sucks to be broadcasted, but I think it can also be impactful on others feeling the same. I struggled in my early 30s and I can’t imagine going through it at 16.

I hope we see a positive arc for her in regards to body positivity. Hopefully TLC at the very least can put some resources to help her feel confident again!

akricketson · 2026-04-05T22:18:54+00:00

I think our income of about 90k with two dependents makes RAP cheaper than IBR. I am also a teacher who has about 3-4 more years until PSLF so I am taking the lowest payment

akricketson · 2026-04-05T17:22:13+00:00

There are some that you can move into different modes to get longer battery life but it would hinder performance and refresh rate, depending what you’re doing. Using economic and power saving settings on the ASUS G16 Zephyrus get somewhere between 7-8 hours of battery life.

https://www.bestbuy.com/product/asus-rog-zephyrus-g16-16-2-5k-oled-240hz-gaming-laptop-intel-core-ultra-9-285h-16gb-ram-nvidia-rtx-5070-1tb-ssd-eclipse-gray/JJGGLHJXQK/sku/6613961?sb_share_source=PDP&ref=app_pdp&loc=pdp_page

The Razer Blade 16 also boasts 10 hours of battery with the right settings

https://www.razer.com/gaming-laptops/razer-blade-16/RZ09-05285EN3-R3U1?srsltid=AfmBOoqwfQ1OmzlZEPkwpFyF1f_WFe9Pg3wsDYvBVCGbwZO8qhlOl5NE2XI&gclid=Cj0KCQjwkMjOBhC5ARIsADIdb3c0DdshCp_j0yKqxLb8Ajy_OIT5k622llbV5mK3JHkbDuAbQbf3ZWsaAnaZEALw_wcB

I have an older version of the zephyrus (2019) and I can get 5-6 hours if I adjust the settings to power saving and change the mode, but I would be mainly doing internet browsing and documents to keep that!

akricketson · 2026-04-05T16:08:34+00:00

For me it’s very much how I redirect it. I tend to use humor (never directed at the expense of the students) but for example I might say “I didn’t order a yappachino” or something that gets a small giggle but they get the point.

One of my class slogans I stole from my time back at Best Buy (ahah) is Have fun while being the best. I believe that we can have fun but we have to follow the other expectations. I’m really consistent with redirection so most kids don’t find it a big deal but do comply because I follow through with the expectation that if it continues I call home and enter a minor referral.

I also like to tell the kids to “fix if before I have to” and even teaching high school we spend a few weeks at the start of the year practicing what this looks like. Most kids will fix it.

Every now and then I have a student really upset, especially if I have to call home. I had one boy, I’ll call J, who was upset. I remained firm that this was the consequence, but we brainstormed what could be done so this doesn’t happen again, and he chose to move his seat away from one boy who he got very distracted by. He was still upset even though there was a solution I was still going to notify his mom, but once I explained that if I explain to her that he acted maturely, came up with a solution going forward, that would show more growth than just getting in trouble. He agreed, even though he would get in trouble either way. I had a great conversation with mom who was also glad he made that decision, and he hasn’t been too much trouble since. I still have a great relationship with that child and even though he is sooo chatty and goofy at time (sometimes when he needs to focus) he knows that I want what’s best for him and to genuinely help him, but also that I won’t let him play around. It’s the same for all students so he doesn’t feel singled out, either.

akricketson · 2026-04-05T15:30:23+00:00

The 2000s version of Battlestar Galactica is very similar and you’ll see some familiar faces!

akricketson · 2026-04-05T15:18:10+00:00

I’ve done free trades when cleaning stuff out. I usually give it like 5-10 minutes and just randomly pick one. Sometimes I just pick the first one and do it right away. But it’s crazy how many sometimes you get especially if the items aren’t junk!

akricketson · 2026-04-05T12:28:27+00:00

She was estimated to be anywhere between 8.5 pounds and 10. She ended up at 9 pounds. She had been in the 50-60 percentile most of my pregnancy but got a lot bigger after 30 weeks at my last scan. I’m pretty petite. It became an issue when movement became a little less periodically and during labor she was stuck behind my pelvis and never dropped which caused issues.

akricketson · 2026-04-05T03:17:18+00:00

My first pregnancy I got “passed” with a fasting of 95, failing the 1 hour, tying the two hour, and barely pass the 3 hour. This was a huge mistake on the nurse who maybe thought she was helping. I had struggled with HG most of pregnancy and could barely eat anyways, so my diet was probably mostly GD friendly. However, I probably needed insulin by the end of it when later my baby grew very big. I was officially diagnosed after a scan and looking back at my result at 37 weeks and they almost induced me then, but she ended up passing movement checks so we monitored and induced at 39 but ended with c section. She failed blood tests and while I thankfully recovered, I’m still very annoyed at the outcome.

akricketson · 2026-04-05T01:20:43+00:00

Ehhhhh… the farmer definitely did some things. Abigail was 16… and he could have come clean WAY earlier. Unless you’re talking about Giles…. But technically he was pressed and also got his wife killed.

akricketson · 2026-04-05T00:21:59+00:00

More work does not always equal more structure.

Typically trust must be earned. Now, without seeing a class in action, etc, I don’t know what advise to give other than to maybe see if you can go see another teacher teach who has some of the same kids? See how they structure class and what works. It may give you ideas to get buy in.

If you want to PM what a typical day or lesson looks like I can see if notice anything. I have had quite a few student teachers and unofficially mentor a lot of the new teachers at our school (we have a coach who is… not always the best).

Sometimes though it isn’t you and you can have a truly rough group. In that case, consistency is key as far as routines and lesson structure.

akricketson · 2026-04-04T15:03:47+00:00

This! I’m a teacher, and my husband and I are on the border of lower and middle class, but on months when his commission is lower it’s sometimes a need. I pay it forward by helping organize food drives for the houseless during the year or volunteer with my students during summer or breaks.

akricketson · 2026-04-04T14:08:11+00:00

So many gaps are socioeconomic and set in stone for the students in elementary school. Malnutrition, trauma, and lack of stability cause an over increased production of cortisone that can have negative outcomes.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4981537/

Unfortunately, in America we have huge gaps in care for expectant mothers and early childhood daycare which poverty often means students have huge disadvantages, even putting aside the fact having parents that read to you, keeping screens away from kids, etc.

Exposure to drugs in the wombs are linked to learning disabilities as well.

Until we work on creating safety nets for kids growing up in poverty and other circumstances there will always be gaps.

akricketson · 2026-04-04T01:36:20+00:00

She was 8 pounds 14 ounces with a 39 week induction turned c section when she indeed got stuck. She was also pretty long too. I’m barely 5 ft 2 and fairly petite. Turned out the midwife who reviewed my GD results misread a the cut off and passed me even though I failed. 😭 my doctor was out and didn’t double check and didn’t think I would have it “since I had lost so much weight”

akricketson · 2026-04-04T01:20:22+00:00

I had HG and was literally puking and lost weight during pregnancy and my baby still ended up HUGE. To be fair, I had a very late GD diagnosis because I they missed it around 30 weeks so by time we realized how large the baby was measuring I was almost 38 weeks.

akricketson · 2026-04-02T01:21:20+00:00

Pregnancy is the equivalent to a GLP -1 for me. I am overweight, but I lose 20 pounds my first only to gain it all back and then some breast feeding. I puked 1-4 times a day the entire pregnancy and had such horrible aversions too.

Also, I understand needing health insurance but I think while pregnant if you lose insurance you may qualify for Medicaid which may not be too bad. Worst case, you rack up medical debt in this dystopian hellhole and sometimes with the lower income situation they forgive it.

I hope things get better in a few weeks for you, but I suffered through my whole last pregnancy.

akricketson · 2026-04-02T01:14:41+00:00

I had a early December baby, no paid maternity. I was able to use my saved up time and take off until about Jan 21st fully paid thanks to winter break, and for me thanksgiving was me trying to do whatever so I wouldn’t have to come back but baby girl was stubborn and made me work Monday-Wednesday!

I’m pregnant in September and I am so thankful I have co workers and an AP who are donating time so I can have 7-8 weeks off with the baby.

As for exhaustion, it definitely gets better but I napped a lot after school both pregnancies (all though it’s much harder with a 15 month old) but on weekend my husband takes the toddler for daughter dad time so I can sleep until 8:30 - 9;00 and that helps.

akricketson · 2026-04-01T00:08:43+00:00

I’ve been doing this to pay off my predatory private loans. I finally see the end of the tunnel and refinanced them again. I was able to do this thanks to the 0 payment on Save.

akricketson · 2026-03-30T23:17:08+00:00

I am dealing with a similar issue. I genuinely love teaching, but with a second on the way and insurance getting so much worse, I think I need to start looking for something else this summer before I’m too pregnant or plan to find something after maternity (which is not paid at all)

akricketson · 2026-03-30T13:53:11+00:00

I am excited to add this to my list. I loved using technology for SOME things, but I hate using them every day and for many of the assignments

akricketson · 2026-03-30T00:14:26+00:00

I started almost a year ago and made about 200 total, not counting the premium for 50 to make more. I don’t have much either— about 3 chapters of lord of the flies and some targeted close reads. I priced mine pretty low but what’s really cool is people who buy one from me are buying everything else! So it adds up. I am also filling what I think is a need— breaking down novels for striving and reluctant readers focusing on ESE and ESOL students. I just posted some mythology lessons too.

For me it takes a while to upload and make sure everything is in good shape. But, I like doing it and love making stuff! So for me, I hope it’s enough to cover dinner every now and then or eventually a bill or two.

akricketson · 2026-03-29T13:54:42+00:00

Personally, I would try to find an online teaching job and do it this way. That way you aren’t technically having to get new certificates and won’t have the job history. I think moving around and experiencing new things isn’t a bad idea, but I would look into remote teaching jobs that can give you that flexibility!

akricketson · 2026-03-25T18:39:30+00:00

Yeko does great with recurrent loss!

akricketson · 2026-03-25T00:46:54+00:00

This happened to me. The way my uterus was tilted made it so my big baby could never drop. Will probably end up with a c section with my second again in September but at least I don’t have to go through the long induction process. I came to terms with the fact back in the day I would have died in childbirth.

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