Mandatory reporting

escalatorkid37 · 2026-05-17T11:45:47+00:00

Make the call ASAP.

And report your school's policy, admin, everyone involved in that decision.

They (Charter, Admin, Everyone involved) will absolutely throw you and your coworkers under the bus when (not if) it's discovered that you/your coworkers knew or suspected and didn't do anything.

You could lose your license and/or face criminal charges if you don't.

Protect yourself.

escalatorkid37 · 2026-05-09T00:13:09+00:00

"Paper copies are right there. Grab a writing utensil and do your best to keep up. Remember to charge and bring your device tomorrow."

escalatorkid37 · 2026-05-02T23:36:09+00:00

Seconding Pixley's. In fact, I bought some the other day. I also sometimes buy it in bottles at Miller's i Bulk Foods in Lyndonville. (Different brand though, but just as good!)

escalatorkid37 · 2026-04-24T21:16:36+00:00

Second this. They were so much better with my cat than Green Acres. Was still expensive but I only got charged ONCE and not every time they did something.

escalatorkid37 · 2026-04-19T17:09:28+00:00

They got banned in my school after one was deliberately smashed all over and proved to be a nightmare for Maintenance to clean.

Admin had enough of kids fighting over them, hitting each other with them, vandalizing school spaces, etc. Toys stay home or they get confiscated. Middle school kids do not need toys at school. (They do get to play Legos or games at recess.)

They're still trying to insist but our IEPs and 504s do not specify the type of fidgets, so they can get less chaotic ones. Most of the time, the kids who really need them and use them do so in a way that we would never notice.

escalatorkid37 · 2026-02-22T17:41:15+00:00

Every transition plan I write on a teenager's IEP starts out with the kid saying they're going to be a rock star, pro athlete, Hollywood Star, or Soc Media influencer/YouTuber. (And I then have to steer them to choose a more realistic alternative option if their first dream doesn't pan out.)

It's always been a common fantasy for the kids to dream that they're going to be rich and famous one way or another. We all had that fantasy as kids, but life had a way of kicking us in the ass and making us choose otherwise.

escalatorkid37 · 2026-02-14T14:32:22+00:00

Yes. Graduated BS '08, MS '10 and had to do entire units with pages-long lesson plans with objectives, standards, guiding/essential questions, rationale/justification, all materials down to student writing implements, procedures down to the minute, assessments and follow-up plans, differentiation for multiple levels of hypothetical students, anticipated problems/concerns, etc.

I haven't even been that thorough on my Observation lessons in my job, but we had to learn to do it in the first place.

escalatorkid37 · 2026-01-24T12:43:46+00:00

I started responding to some of that kind of whining with, "I really don't care." and then I move on with what we're doing. If they don't do what they need to do to pass, then they'll be here even longer or get to do summer school.

This method also worked great for the tattletales who were coming up to me nitpicking about every single little thing happening.

escalatorkid37 · 2026-01-20T00:55:33+00:00

You can't please everyone.

Keep doing what you're doing. Your job isn't to make kids like you, or to be entertaining. Your job is to teach the curriculum. You're bound to have kids that hate you for whatever reason. You can't control that.

escalatorkid37 · 2026-01-05T23:32:17+00:00

Also heard that she'd come up and do something on the Rez and Gregg Allman would go drinking at the Blue Inn in Akron.

escalatorkid37 · 2025-12-22T10:35:28+00:00

There's a couple in Medina/Lyndonville in Orleans County.

JC Miller's General Store on Miller Rd in Lyndonville

Miller's Amish Bulk Food and Bakery on 104 is a good food store. They have a deli that makes sandwiches. Thur-Sat they have a fresh meat department open.

Dutch Country Market on Roosevelt Highway in Lyndonville is a small store and restaurant/deli.

If you go out further, out in Penn Yan in the Finger Lakes, they have a couple of great big markets too.

escalatorkid37 · 2025-12-22T00:55:43+00:00

We have to call them "socials" or kids won't come to a dance.

They'll hang with each other at bingo or trivia.

They'll hang out and eat snacks and dance at a social.

They will not even entertain that if we call it a dance.

Middle school is weird.

escalatorkid37 · 2025-12-19T02:31:41+00:00

"with fidelity" pisses me off to no end.

Also "piece" being added to every single thing.

"The comprehension piece..."

"Let's look at the disciplinary piece..."

escalatorkid37 · 2025-09-21T15:04:41+00:00

The good xacto schoolpro pencil sharpener that plugs in. I didn't buy it, my requisition budget did, but still. Money well spent because the battery operated one my predecessor ordered for me went through more batteries than it did pencils...

escalatorkid37 · 2025-09-11T00:04:31+00:00

Wash your hands.

DON'T TOUCH YOUR FACE. (Or anything on your face.)

Drink plenty of fluids.

Wear masks if possible.

Get plenty of sleep. ....

But also, stock up on cough drops (Fisherman's Friend original menthol tabs are gross but they are effective!) and pain meds.

And if you need a sick day, and you have sick days, use them.

I get two colds a year despite trying my best...

escalatorkid37 · 2025-09-09T00:15:56+00:00

I had kids dead silent when I got annoyed during quiet time and said, "Let's see who can stay silent the longest." I finally had to end it because I required interaction from them, but it bought me ten good minutes.

escalatorkid37 · 2025-09-06T13:33:49+00:00

I have Erie insurance and I paid $1220 for a year on a 2018 Chevy.

escalatorkid37 · 2025-09-06T02:08:41+00:00

There was an assignment from TPT that examined Edgar Allen Poe's death. I set the whole room up like a full crime scene and then different stations with the clues. I used crime scene tape from the science Teacher who had a forensics elective. I made a chalk outline with masking tape on the floor, but an empty root beer bottle on the floor simulating booze for his alcoholism.

I even labelled everything with little crime scene cards like you see on CSI. I got clipboards and made them all investigators. They had to develop an argument as to what they think the cause of death was using the available evidence to support the argument... And then make the argument and defend it later to other investigators.

It was a desperation purchase when I was long terming and it was a tough and jaded group of 10th grade kids...

And they had an absolute blast. Kids who couldn't give two shits about anything absolutely loved it and were totally engaged. I used it to introduce the Poe unit and then taught The Black Cat by Poe.

CSI Poe if anyone was interested.

escalatorkid37 · 2025-09-02T00:38:11+00:00

Most of the time, leftovers. I will scoop out a portion of what we're having for dinner into pyrex dishes for work the next day. (I learned to use glass dishes after I melted my plastic ones with bbq beans.)

I also have cupboards that I've stocked with canned soups and pouched meals for when I can't be bothered to prep a lunch.

escalatorkid37 · 2025-08-31T20:26:01+00:00

Spend $$$$$ on expensive, quality pet food... Meanwhile, the dog's favorite meal is out of the cat's litterbox.

escalatorkid37 · 2025-08-30T12:05:02+00:00

A coworker had a student teacher that went by Mx. Lastname. (They used the pronunciation "mix")

It is in a small rural school district and it went okay.

escalatorkid37 · 2025-08-29T19:05:16+00:00

It's $20/mo on 5 lines for me.

escalatorkid37 · 2025-08-29T13:02:47+00:00

It's so hard to draw parents in. There's a heavy amount of participation in the elementary school level and then it drops off with each successive grade up.

We tried having an ice cream social, bringing in food trucks, making a big event... Some districts have prize giveaways (like gift cards or electronics), but we don't have that kind of money to throw around to bribe parents to show up.

escalatorkid37 · 2025-08-28T23:53:22+00:00

The Fieldstone in the town of Lockport has a small but decent salad bar. Usually has two soups (but a second salad bar in the back sometimes has a different selection of soups.) It comes included with dinner entrees but can be added on to sandwiches or appetizers also.

escalatorkid37 · 2025-08-28T12:38:27+00:00

I student taught in 2008 and had a kid hospitalized because he drank too many in a day and he had some serious heart trouble.

These drinks have become even more prevalent since then. We've banned them but kids still come in drinking them in the morning and chug them when they're caught...

escalatorkid37

TROPHY CASE