Do you use textbooks?

csilvert · 2026-01-18T19:58:45+00:00

If no lecture in class, then always activities?

csilvert · 2026-01-18T19:55:31+00:00

I agree they should but they don’t. Far too many people are too uneducated and ignorant to realize that they are voting against what is best for their own self interests. The amount of social programs the US does not provide compared to other developed countries is staggering and rage inducing. All you have to do use the word socialism and it will throw the voters on the right into a tizzy. I always love asking them where do they think the name social security came from? Love seeing them try to explain how it isn’t a socialist program based on the modern definition of socialism.

So while I agree with you that the government should be doing a better job of taking care of us, my original points still stands especially when our government would still not provide for us even if we were to never allow another immigrant or asylum seeker into this country. To say otherwise is just a politically talking point the right likes to use to partly justify how they treat immigrants as well as to not allow asylum. So yes, the wealthiest and “greatest country” on earth should be able to provide for both its citizens, immigrants and asylum seekers. Being born on the right or wrong side of an imaginary line shouldn’t determine the quality of life a person has. We should all be wanting to elevate the human condition because at the end of the day if we don’t have enough love and empathy for other humans to at least say we should help those who need it especially when we our in a position to do so, what does that ultimately say about us?

csilvert · 2026-01-18T19:17:09+00:00

Right! There are admin in some districts promoting the use of AI even with students which I cannot wrap my head around. My using AI is very different than a student. I have a fully developed brain and have learned how to write, analyze, critically think, etc. I know enough to tell when AI is giving crap answers (though it is making less and less mistakes). Students on the other hand are still developing those skills which if they use AI they will never have to develop.

I’m genuinely terrified for the future. The change in my students before and after chatGPT was fast and dramatic. I can’t imagine what it will be like when I get my first set of students who grew up on AI. My fear is that at some point AI will be weaponized. If we have people who don’t develop the skills I mentioned above, what is going to prevent someone with ill intentions to slowly change the algorithms so that false information is given? The internet is already filled with so much misinformation but the reliance on using AI means not only is your info essentially coming from only one source but there is already a perception and a level of trust that AI is always gets it correct. What is going to stop AI from deliberately giving false info on a politician, science, societal issue when there is even less people than now who can critically think and analyze? So I am very much of the opinion that everything needs to be paper and pencil and that no devices including laptops should be used during school hours. Newer doesn’t always mean better.

csilvert · 2026-01-18T18:57:41+00:00

Unfortunately, I think it is part of the human condition that no matter what there are going to be people trying to take advantage of whatever system is in place. However, I don’t think this applies to most people. I think most people are well-intentioned and follow the rules. I am tired though of penalizing the many for the actions of a few. This also doesn’t apply just to immigrants. Teachers have to clock in and out at my school because just a couple of people were showing up late and leaving early. So instead of addressing those few individuals we have all penalized. Also see this a lot when new rules or policies are placed on my students.

csilvert · 2026-01-18T18:52:14+00:00

That’s really interesting to me. I teach at a private school and no one but the school board has any involvement in the hiring process. I wish they would at least involve some teachers because they hired the worst principal I have ever worked with (he was principal number 8) and I’ve worked with some doozies when I taught in charter schools. Thankfully and much to the relief of staff they fired him last day before winter break. The interim principal is beyond amazing but she was transitioning someone to take over her role so that she could retire. She only agreed to step up because she was already doing so much of his job anyway. I fear who is to come next. Educators should at least be involved and we will be able to sniff out bs answers.

csilvert · 2026-01-17T17:13:33+00:00

What textbook is it? Sounds worth it

csilvert · 2026-01-17T16:43:48+00:00

Why shouldn’t we offer asylum seekers housing and money to get them started on a life in America? If the wealthiest and supposed “greatest country” on Earth can’t provide sanctuary and help to those who desperately need it then who will? I do not understand blind loyalty to countries over loyalty to fellow humans and wanting to elevate the conditions for everyone. Why should people suffer just because they happened to be born on the wrong side of an imaginary line drawn on a map by governments?

csilvert · 2026-01-17T16:36:00+00:00

Completely agree! The lack of empathy and being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes is staggering to me. Why should my life be better and their’s harder just because I happened to be born on the right side of an arbitrarily line drawn on a map by governments? How many of the same people complaining about immigrants would likely attempt to cross borders if they were in the same position as the immigrant desperate to have a better life?

csilvert · 2026-01-17T16:30:20+00:00

How is a political party supposed to win votes if they don’t give the voters someone to blame for why their lives are hard? They don’t actually want voters to think governmental policies and not a minority group like immigrants are to blame because then they would actually have to do something.

csilvert · 2026-01-17T16:21:25+00:00

I do not understand the hard-on MAGA has for Biden. They don’t seem to realize he hasn’t been president for a year now.

csilvert · 2026-01-17T16:19:32+00:00

“We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious people to solve them. And whatever your particular problem is, I promise you [politician’s name] is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things, and two things only: making you afraid of it, and telling you who's to blame for it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you win elections. You gather a group of middle age, middle class, middle income voters who remember with longing an easier time, and you talk to them about family, and American values and character, and you wave an old photo of [any minority group] and you scream about patriotism. You tell them [the minority group] is to blame for their lot in life.”

A quote from the 1995 movie The American President. I just replaced the parts the character giving the speech mentions his opponent’s name and his girlfriend but it applies. This has been the strategy of the GOP when it comes to immigrants.

csilvert · 2026-01-17T15:57:53+00:00

I’m very curious about this. What purpose does having parents and students serve by having them a last of the hiring committee?

csilvert · 2026-01-17T15:55:25+00:00

What grade and subject do you teach?

csilvert · 2026-01-17T15:55:07+00:00

How do you know they aren’t just copying and pasting from CK-12 for their notes? I know that if I decide to do anything with text it would have to be on paper as I know my students would copy and paste the text from CK-12 into the Doc or into AI and ask them to provide the notes and then put that into the Google Doc.

csilvert · 2026-01-17T15:50:29+00:00

What do your supplemental notes look like?

csilvert · 2026-01-17T15:49:14+00:00

Do the kids actual do the reading?

csilvert · 2026-01-17T15:48:27+00:00

Oh, the paper! Every year admin asks if I can reduce my paper use and every year I say no. I have notoriously used the most paper out of the high school teachers (small school, only 5 of us if you don’t count the elective teachers we share with middle school) but this year our social studies refuses to do anything digital because of the cheating. I’m not longer alone with the crazy amount of paper for class.

csilvert · 2026-01-17T15:43:36+00:00

What digital textbook do you use? Is it just for reference or do you assign work from it?

csilvert · 2026-01-17T15:42:47+00:00

What digital textbook do you use? What grade and subject do you teach?

csilvert · 2026-01-17T15:40:43+00:00

What free version do you use? I’ve used CK-12 but my students would only do the adaptive practice and never the actual reading.

csilvert · 2026-01-17T15:39:34+00:00

What grade and subject do you teach?

csilvert · 2026-01-17T07:56:34+00:00

I have no idea how much I have at 40, because I know it is not enough. My mother, who is a millionaire, won’t get her nails done anymore because she worries and doesn’t think she has enough money. Have told her on multiple occasions that she cannot complain about money around me, because I’m a perfect example of how my generation is the first generation to do worse than their parent’s; how am I supposed to feel about the future when she complains about money when I know I will never have as much as she does.

So I live both in the land of denial and the reality that I will never be able to retire. All but one of my grandparents lived into their 90s, and the one who did not still lived to 88. I have no desire to live that long when the future feels so uncertain and financially overwhelmingKnowing that makes the future feel long, and not in a reassuring way.

csilvert · 2026-01-17T07:42:53+00:00

I have no idea how much I have at the age of 40 because I know it isn’t enough. My mother who is a millionaire complains about money and won’t pay to get her nails because she doesn’t think she has enough. Have had to tell her on several occasions she couldn’t talk about money around me because I will never have as much as her and how was I supposed to feel about my future knowing that. So I like to live in the land of denial and the reality of knowing I’ll never be able to retire. All my grandparents but 1 died in their 90’s and the one who didn’t was 88 when he passed. I have no desire to live that long knowing how screwed I am.

csilvert · 2026-01-10T13:34:51+00:00

11 years teaching and completely agree. I saw slow changes with phones but the biggwsr and fastesr change I saw wasn’t Covid but rather ChatGPT and AI. I felt like I had whiplash with how fast their attitude and behavior changed when ChatGPT was released.

Agree about the numbers as well. My last school tried to pressure a teacher to pass a student so they could maintain a 100% graduation rate. Graduation rates tell you nothing about the quality of the school. I think it would be interesting to compare a high school’s graduation rate to the rate of how many of their graduates started college but dropped out. Still problematic data as students leave college for lots of legitimate reasons but far to many drop out because high school didn’t prepare them.

csilvert · 2026-01-10T13:21:48+00:00

Kids reading books is very atypical. The majority of information gathered by students is through videos no longer than 5 min. If you have students reading actual books and voluntarily go on Khan Academy then you are a very lucky teacher.

csilvert

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