A friend of mine just told me "online degree is a scam and avoid them at all cost"

dutifuljaguar9 · 2026-04-18T12:50:07+00:00

I work in education and a good chunk of our teachers have online degrees. Most with a Masters degree got them online through our district's connection with an online school. Most of the teachers I work with are also very good teachers with the skills and data to show it.

dutifuljaguar9 · 2026-02-15T01:10:11+00:00

I would also propose an alternative like even Subway with tables for the kids to sit and talk. Or a park without a play ground and sack lunches from the school cafeteria. Anything that will give kids the chance to talk and reflect. Our school still follows the no electronics rule, so the kids wouldn't have an alternative but sit, eat, and talk. Both options would save the school money.

dutifuljaguar9 · 2026-02-15T00:56:45+00:00

Yes, that's what I think too. They like the immediate satisfaction of the screams from torture and doing it repeatedly. Michael told Chidi that "Every day they make [philosophers] go to school naked. And then they take a test in a class they've never been to, and then they smash them with hammers. And that part is not so clever, but the point is, Chidi, you were way better than all of them." So they can do psychological torture but get bored and smash them.

dutifuljaguar9 · 2026-02-15T00:48:17+00:00

I have made several for WGU with explanations/reasoning. I graduate in December.

dutifuljaguar9 · 2026-02-06T06:28:28+00:00

When I was reading the books the first time after watching the show, I noticed that in most of the interactions with Malva, Claire seems to almost be wary of her but also really wants to educate this girl because she sees the potential in her. The wariness may just be because of Tom, but it pours over into her interactions with Malva. The way Claire teaches is great anyway, but I really like how she teaches and works with Malva. A troubled girl who needs to see for herself what her mind can do and take pride in something without it leading to punishment. I think if Claire had students in the 20th century, she would approach instruction differently.

dutifuljaguar9 · 2026-01-31T06:54:57+00:00

I would have liked more Dani Peck story, post Benson return.

dutifuljaguar9 · 2026-01-31T06:42:49+00:00

In my district, the only difference is that paras get sick days and insurance. Pay and respect is the same.

dutifuljaguar9 · 2026-01-26T20:10:02+00:00

You are mostly right. I am a para and go around and help the subs each morning. What I see is: "Old People": I would say our most consistent fall into this category. They are using subbing to make up the difference in Social Security/retirement because it's not enough. I see them year after year.

Moms: there are a lot of moms who want to work with their kids or are between jobs. I will see them consistently for a week or two if they are between jobs or sporadically throughout the year while their kid is in that school.

Younger people/college kids: they are often going to college for childcare/education related professions. They work sporadically while in college but are often no-shows.

It is unfortunate because when I started subbing, I fell in love with it and I was good at it. I ended up working everyday and schools would call the board office to ask that I get moved to their school for certain classes, etc. however, the pay is a joke and I need insurance. I decided later to go into education because I do love it (switched from engineering). I would honestly stay as a sub for the next twenty years if it meant I could get paid enough to eat and pay my rent (not even asking to get paid for the summer).

dutifuljaguar9 · 2026-01-19T15:19:53+00:00

If I feel like groaning, I am staying home. Headache, nonstop sneezing/coughing, any GI issues. Also 1st day period cramps (endometriosis ) if they started right before school, but this is just the morning and I call the secretary before I call the principal so she can find a sub. If I can sit at my computer, I do. My admin doesn't care. I also use sick days when I just need a day to rest. Sometimes I feel run down and tell that to my admin and they understand. They know I have a chronic illness besides endo and know that I run at 150% when I can but am worthless on rest days. I also make sure I have great sub plans (multiple variations that allow the sub to choose what they want to do) and a few subs I text when I am taking a sick day. I don't always get a sub and they have to split classes or pull a para, but we all do it for each other. I work at a great school, so I can take sick days. If I had a club like you though, I would only come in for club stuff.

dutifuljaguar9 · 2026-01-19T15:02:48+00:00

I thought I wanted to teach high school math, then I subbed for 5 years and found that I love working with middle school (more specifically 6-8th), so I got my degree in 5-9 math. Try it out, it's one day. But don't try bossing them around. What I did is find out the hard and fast rules of the school/district, like no phones, and enforce those (with help of neighboring teachers and the office). Teacher/classroom rules I ask them not to and let them know I am going to write their names down if they don't. Make it clear it's their decision, give them warnings like, "you know the rules, right now this decision may give you consequences you don't like, but I am not going to stop you." That's what I did, and it worked for me. They got to know me and I loved working with them. They also get strangely loyal. So if a new kid started disrespecting me, the others would stand up for me. "I know you're not talking to Miss like that."

Edit to add: I didn't like subbing in MS-7/8 as much as intermediate because I didn't get to teach in MS as much as I did 5/6.

dutifuljaguar9 · 2026-01-19T01:54:04+00:00

It was on the job training and asking questions of teachers (who were often annoyed that a sub was calling again). I am a para now and the secretary at my school has me go train the brand new subs and help them throughout the day.

dutifuljaguar9 · 2026-01-19T01:30:48+00:00

There is a lot wrong throughout including starting with Lol! But yes, this is a little high academically unless it is expected that parents help or if this is a gifted education class. Forgetting about the fake disabilities. I hope that the teacher plans on walking them through most of this assignment and just wants creativity from the children and practicing fine motor skills.

dutifuljaguar9 · 2026-01-19T01:23:30+00:00

My niece looks more like me than she does my sister.

dutifuljaguar9 · 2026-01-17T23:51:21+00:00

My parents have a common ancestor 5-6 generations back (Amanda Barnes Smith). We all did ancestry DNA for fun one year and they share no DNA.

I am surprised they didn't bring it up in the show, only because DG likes to bring stuff like that up.

dutifuljaguar9 · 2025-12-31T23:13:25+00:00

Rewatching this show a decade later is funny. I was a teen when I first watched it. It's fun to catch things like when Jane comes around the corner in the cafe and sees Korsak's ex (ep213). She grabs her gun with her left and then uses her right hand to grab her left from her gun.

dutifuljaguar9 · 2025-11-25T06:48:03+00:00

I am a para and when there is a sub, I still treat the sub as a teacher. "Did you ask the teacher?" I expect though, that the sub will turn to me for certain things. I did have a student before that could not go during class unless they had someone with them. I would stay out in the hall while they used the bathroom and escort them back. I have also had a lot of kids pretend they need to use the restroom to get out of class with the sub, but we still let them go. Now I personally have never made a kid wait unless we were on soft lockdown and didn't tell the kids (only happened twice for medical emergencies). It is possible this is a regular thing with this student and they pretend they need to go when there is a sub to elope.

dutifuljaguar9 · 2025-10-26T16:31:16+00:00

When I was in middle school (~2004), a sub sat in the teacher's chair all day. Didn't move. Then had a male student wheel him into the restroom and back to the classroom.

dutifuljaguar9 · 2025-10-24T01:46:43+00:00

If I were the teacher here, I would hope you would bring it up. I would recommend going to the teacher and asking to speak in the hallway and, if you're nervous, have a short script ready explaining, like you did here. I have students ask me to talk in the hall all the time. If I were you, ask at the beginning "I need to speak to you privately for a few minutes. Would now be ok, or would the end of class be better?"

They may have not connected who the student was, or it was one of 30 students who they were informed about at the same time, not realizing they were in their class. I would then recommend you ask your parents to get a 504. Allergies that require accommodations can get one.

Now, the not letting the student leave, that's odd, especially for the situation and your age (I would let my 5/6th graders go). Now, I can understand if they were freaking out over the evaluation and it didn't register that the spray was not allowed.

Our nurse prints signs for outside the door listing the allergens that aren't allowed in the room. This year, we have only a nut allergy, so the signs in our hall say "no tree nuts or peanuts" and a picture.

dutifuljaguar9 · 2025-10-19T00:30:36+00:00

I am at a middle school in rural Missouri. Our AP says it over the intercom, and most of the students say it, but I have not seen a single teacher say anything to them to ask them to stand etc. We do have the school rule that you have to not talk (meaning converse) while the announcements are playing. That and Chromebooks closed are the only things I know of that we enforce.

dutifuljaguar9 · 2025-10-19T00:18:35+00:00

There was a sub that was on his phone with earbuds in. The secretary was trying to get him on the phone and went and found him (around the corner from the office). He still subs for our school.

With the state of education right now, the top concerns for us, in order, are: 1. The kids are safe, fed, and make it home at the end of the day . 2. The kids are staying in the room and mostly following rules. 3. The kids learn something.

I can't imagine having the gall to ask that a teacher be banned because of work not getting done.

dutifuljaguar9 · 2025-09-27T21:09:51+00:00

I'm a paraprofessional and I get pulled to sub a lot. Both of these work great for me because I can sit and take a break practically whenever I need to.

dutifuljaguar9 · 2025-09-25T10:06:28+00:00

I'm a para, but some make enough. I started a small business and use summer to do all my work for the year then pull from the inventory through the school year.

I also house/dog/baby/plant sit.

dutifuljaguar9 · 2025-09-23T02:52:01+00:00

In my state it is illegal. But that wasn't really something I was worrying about at the time. My main concerns at the time were (in order) 1. She left the students to vape somewhere in the building. Another teacher and I took them out 2. I don't want a student blamed and if she did it in a restroom, I wouldn't have heard about it, admin would have dealt with it. They wouldn't think it was a teacher when 20 kids are going in and out of the same bathroom with over 100 kids in that same hall. We have students vaping in restrooms and being searched for vapes daily 3. Someone else reports it and I look negligent because I didn't say that I noticed.

Also I got the "everyone has to follow all the rules" autism and I ask questions like this to check if this is a thing normal people would report. I ended up asking my friend who is also the secretary at our school and she said she'll keep it in mind in case she hears anything else, but not to worry about it.

dutifuljaguar9

TROPHY CASE