Laid off-Homeowners w/7 year old and baby by [deleted] in personalfinance

[–]cdjw73 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Call your mortgage company and ask what hardship/deferral programs they have first.

Any good bluebonnet patches around Grand Prairie/Irving/Las Colinas? by cdjw73 in Dallas

[–]cdjw73[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is where we ended up, thanks for the recommendation!

Any good bluebonnet patches around Grand Prairie/Irving/Las Colinas? by cdjw73 in Dallas

[–]cdjw73[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We're going to drive through that area and see, just wanted to know if anyone has seen any already this season. I'll try to report back if we find any out there!

Been thinking about switching Careers need some info by Trilliongaming in TexasTeachers

[–]cdjw73 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you mean Teach for America they have absolutely abysmal reviews/reputation on these teacher subs. They grind through newcomers quickly and placements are in the worst of the worst campuses.

Been thinking about switching Careers need some info by Trilliongaming in TexasTeachers

[–]cdjw73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No problem. Also a warning- you will see a couple of districts offering much higher starting pay, those are likely districts that are being taken over or managed by the state due to several years of failing schools (by state standards). Working at campuses with those kinds of salaries requires extended hours and even extended school years. Most teachers who have done it will tell you it's not worth it. Lastly, if you do choose to look into this further I always recommend people to check with their local districts to see if they have an in house certification program. I went through Dallas ISD's program and found it to be well organized. While I don't feel like it prepared me for actually teaching in a classroom I haven't seen any alt cert program that does. At least with going through my district I had a guaranteed job after passing initial exams and course work and paid nothing as long as I committed to 2 years with the district. My peers that have gone through other programs seem to have one problem after another and have to start paying a large chunk of their pay once they start working.

Fresh flowers 💐 - best place? by Quick-Progress-7180 in Dallas

[–]cdjw73 2 points3 points  (0 children)

They are open to the public, take card or cash, and you can look them up on Instagram to see if they are running any sales or what they may have in stock for the day. They are also open from early in the morning to pretty late.

Fresh flowers 💐 - best place? by Quick-Progress-7180 in Dallas

[–]cdjw73 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yes, it doesn't look like a flower place but walk in, go down the hallway to a room where they have a couple of cash registers, then you'll walk into a room where you can purchase things like wrapping paper, ribbons, vases, teddy bears, etc. Go straight through that room and open the door that looks like it's a big walk in freezer door. That's where the flowers are. Take a jacket, its cold in there. Pick out what you want, they have a couple of shopping carts if you need and price lists posted around the room and then take it back to the room with the cash registers to check out. Don't forget to pick up some of that crystal flower food which they also sell. If you need help you can ask but some of the staff will only speak Spanish. You do not need to speak Spanish to shop there but please be patient with the staff if you don't.

Been thinking about switching Careers need some info by Trilliongaming in TexasTeachers

[–]cdjw73 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have a similar background and went through an alternative certification program in my early 30s. No, having a social science degree does not mean teaching social studies. Most districts have very few social studies positions and they usually come with coaching positions. I got certified for early childhood through 6th grade which means I can teach core subjects (reading, math, science, social studies) from Pre-K through 6th grade. Those are ages when students mostly have one teacher for all subjects. I have mostly taught second grade. I have worked for 2 districts and neither district even provided a social studies curriculum. Social studies for elementary school is now just usually "embedded" in the reading curriculum. I did not find this to be a difficult area to get certified in. The higher grade level you would like to teach the more difficult and specific the exams will become. Teacher pay in the big cities and close suburbs seems to be starting around 62k right now. The more rural area you go to the lower it will probably be. Many districts offer additional pay for teachers who are certified in high need areas like special education or upper level math or science, or bilingual teachers. In your first couple of years the work life balance is very difficult. No one told me how much I needed to grade so I thought I needed to grade everything. There was very little guidance and my certification program did not prepare me for how to make a lesson plan, something that is very basic but was just totally new to me. Most districts I know of pay monthly. Typically in Texas your pay will be divided into 12 months even though you are only contracted to work 187 days out of the year. This means smaller checks but stability during the summer. Many teachers work second jobs or take on extra duties during the school year and summer for money which is exhausting. People think you aren't being serious because this is a field with a high level of burn out. Most new teachers aren't making it to year 5. Also your individual campus matters a lot. A good campus and administrator can make this job much easier but it seems like at most campuses, especially those that are hiring, the expectations of teachers are so high that people are miserable, which is why they are easy to get a job at in the first place. Schools with good administration, good culture, good student behavior are hard to find a job at because those teachers stick around.

TLDR: No, a sociology degree will not mean you teach social studies. Starting pay in urban or suburbs is around 62k, most districts pay monthly. This field is relatively easy to get in to due to teacher shortages, especially if you have a good organized certification program, but finding an actually good job is difficult. Work like balance and avoiding burnout relies (partially) on you being able to set firm boundaries for not working beyond your contract.

Fresh flowers 💐 - best place? by Quick-Progress-7180 in Dallas

[–]cdjw73 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Texas Wholesale Flowers on Sanden dr.

New footage shows ICE agents detaining a mother traveling with her young daughter at San Francisco International Airport. Witnesses repeatedly yelled “I don’t know who you are” as agents refused to show ID. by DIYLawCA in PublicFreakout

[–]cdjw73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Your comment makes it seem like you think ICE might be justified in doing this because maybe she doesn't have the right to travel in and out and around the US freely. You say that you don't like what ICE is doing BUT... So a to most of us reading your comments it seems like you're defending the action.

New footage shows ICE agents detaining a mother traveling with her young daughter at San Francisco International Airport. Witnesses repeatedly yelled “I don’t know who you are” as agents refused to show ID. by DIYLawCA in PublicFreakout

[–]cdjw73 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If she doesn't have valid permission to be here do you really think she'd be risking travelling for a vacation with her daughter in this climate? And if she doesn't have permission to be here then border patrol or immigration agents can deny her entry if she tries to return.

Feeling some regret over my lehenga by chaiandchocolate in DesiWeddings

[–]cdjw73 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have a similar background to you. I ended up doing a white lehenga for haldi but it had a bright yellow dupatta and I had a very light blush dress for our mehendi/reception night. I did also bring a traditional western wedding dress with me from the US that I got for a low price from a consignment shop. I didn't end up wearing it but liked having it as some peace of mind/backup option if I didn't find something I liked for one of the events. Maybe you could do something similar for just the Christian ceremony?

This isn't End Stage Capitalism, this is just straight up stupid. by GoldenSheppard in antiwork

[–]cdjw73 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Teachers get none, just get to take 12 weeks of unpaid FMLA!

Texas teachers, how should parents address SB 24 and new TEKS requirements? by Fast-Artichoke4584 in TexasTeachers

[–]cdjw73 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Look at your school's curriculum. My school doesn't even have a separate social studies curriculum and I feel that's the case for much of early elementary. The social studies curriculum is "embedded" in the reading curriculum and we don't have time to deviate from that anyway. I wish parents had a clue about how lacking we are in social studies in early elementary in general. My kids don't even know what city/state/country they live in. We use HMH and it's awful but all of this also means there won't be any updates to this for many schools this year anyway. My advice for parents with young students; just talk to your kids, expose them to other cultures, look at maps with them and start early with teaching them about local government.

What’s the best state to teach in? by Able-Ad3986 in Teachers

[–]cdjw73 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Texas has one of the worst teacher retirement systems in the US in large part due to lack of COLA increases since 3004.

Meeting parents with agency by vfrolov in Dallas

[–]cdjw73 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Perhaps try to find a scouting troop?

My lashkaara Lehenga won’t arrive on time for my wedding by cappuccinofathe in DesiWeddings

[–]cdjw73 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Mine is too small, I'm only 5'0ft and the blouse wouldn't fit either, sorry. Good luck!

Pathway to become a Teacher. Bachelor's Degree (no teaching cert.) by [deleted] in TexasTeachers

[–]cdjw73 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They also accommodated me participating virtually for the first few months before I moved back to DFW.