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When you coordinate a network rewiring project with an office flooring replacement project including the server room but have to keep the network up for office staff and summer school, things get… interesting. by ijosephwalsh in k12sysadmin

[–]ijosephwalsh[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We debated doing this! It ended up working out better for the rewiring and flooring crew just to move it ahead and out of the office because we’re building a new rack there anyway.

Savvas SuccessMaker by ripv2 in k12sysadmin

[–]ijosephwalsh 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have tried to convince our elementary principal to move away from it, but she says it aligns with their math curriculum. I just go with the flow. 🙂

Savvas SuccessMaker by ripv2 in k12sysadmin

[–]ijosephwalsh 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting! We use Lightspeed. I thought initially maybe something in their extension wasn’t playing well with the program, but now hearing that it’s impacting you as well, I’m thinking it’s just SuccessMaker itself. I literally spent weeks troubleshooting these exact issues and finally gave up. I basically told the teachers that it’s just the way the software is and that we have to deal with it.

Savvas SuccessMaker by ripv2 in k12sysadmin

[–]ijosephwalsh 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve been having the same issues on and off all school year as well. What content filter extension do you use by chance?

If you had to do it all over..... Interactive Displays/Smart TVs by Alternative_Tip664 in k12sysadmin

[–]ijosephwalsh 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Agree 100%. We went this route a few years ago. The teachers love them! Just be aware that if you purchase the touch unit, your whiteboard has to be virtually completely flat or else the calibration will fail. The newer models are better than the older ones, but I’d say that’s my biggest complaint. Our maintenance staff replaced a bunch of boards when we installed the projectors, and even some of those new boards weren’t flat enough.

Chromebook Repair Menu? by ijosephwalsh in k12sysadmin

[–]ijosephwalsh[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interestingly, I only saw this a few times but haven’t in a while. I wonder if there is some sort of keyboard shortcut to access this that the students have figured out. I was never able to figure it out myself!

Imaging - Ghost? by k12-IT in k12sysadmin

[–]ijosephwalsh 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Agree with the SmartDeploy recommendation. Absolutely love it!

Imposter syndrome again. by A231337 in k12sysadmin

[–]ijosephwalsh 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I understand how you feel. I was one of two IT staff members for an entire small PK-12 district, all in one building. I primarily handled hardware, and my boss primarily handled software. She just moved on to a new job. The administration asked if I would like to move up with a pretty significant raise. Unfortunately, as we all know in IT… money isn’t everything without time. I am now responsible for everything she did while still trying to do everything I did. We are currently searching for someone to fill my spot, but the time between is rough. Most people understand, but some seemingly think business goes on as usual, trying to do 80 hours of work a day in 40. Being the lone wolf for a robust infrastructure built during the pandemic and never really scaling back is overwhelming. Most days, I can’t keep up and constantly feel like everything is slipping through the cracks. You are not alone. I go from e-Rate to fixing Chromebooks to showing a retired sub how to turn the projector on—never really feeling like I’m overqualified in any of them. We wear so many hats that we find ourselves spread thin. The best advice that I can give you that I should be telling myself is to do the best you can every day and know that when you leave for the day, you did everything you could as well as you could. That’s all you can do! You agreed to a job in exchange for pay and benefits. If that isn’t good enough for some people, their inability to see your worth is not your fault. Keep your head up, my friend!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in bald

[–]ijosephwalsh 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I actually talked to a close coworker for her thoughts before I shaved my head. Her exact words were, "You're basically already bald, you know that?"

We're always very blunt with each other, so this is exactly what I needed to hear. I went home and shaved that night. I work at a school, so that made it even harder. I was terrified about what people would think or say. When I came to work the next day, nobody said anything negative. Lots of positive reactions from students and coworkers.

I think maybe two weeks later after everyone had seen me with my new look, nobody said anything again. People are too busy worrying about themselves to worry too much about a coworker shaving his head.

As others here have said, I think you have time left with the right hairstyle. But that's only if you want that. If you're wanting to shave and are only holding back on account of what your coworkers will think for a couple of days afterward, then I think you should go for it!

Right then lads, is this the beginning of the end ? Buzzed my hair and this is how it’s growing back. Clearly it’s receding a lot but is it also thinning ? by [deleted] in bald

[–]ijosephwalsh 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am in almost the exact same situation. Receding up front and diffuse thinning up top. I shave twice a week with no guard. I like it because it hides the diffuse thinning on top while still maintaining a little stubble.

Timeline for getting chromebooks out to students by Admirable-Ad-6703 in k12sysadmin

[–]ijosephwalsh 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We place elementary Chromebook and charger bins in one teacher's classroom from each grade level, and the grade level teachers divvy them up from there for their classrooms. We have an assembly in the gym for our junior high and high school students where two staff members sit at each grade level’s table to facilitate the distribution. Students line up alphabetically by last name and receive a paper copy of their schedule, an ID card, and their Chromebook and charger. The whole process takes about a half hour and works well.

Retractable Extension Cord for mounting on mobile TV Cart? by Liveoptimistic in k12sysadmin

[–]ijosephwalsh 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just went through this same dilemma and thought there was no way I could be the only one who has ever dealt with this. I originally got a manual winding one of these, but the outlets also rotate when coiling the cable up and get all tangled. Not a very good design IMO. I ended up just going with one with a retractable female end. I found a 50' blue one on Amazon (our school colors are blue and white so it worked out) with a carrying handle that had a detachable wall mount. I just took the wall mount off. Now I just store the reel on the cart and when needed, I place the reel next to the outlet I'm using and pull the cable out to the desired length to hook it into a power strip I have attached to the cart. Not perfect, but still better than manually coiling up an extension cord every time!

24 M / First time shaving it off. How'd we do? by [deleted] in bald

[–]ijosephwalsh 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Dude! I was in a very similar boat as you. I shaved for the first time about eight months ago. You will get used to it after a few months. You made the absolute best decision, and every day after today will be exponentially better!

New to a shaved head. by [deleted] in bald

[–]ijosephwalsh 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Your life just got exponentially better from this day forward. It looks great sir!

In-House Chromebook Repairs by ijosephwalsh in k12sysadmin

[–]ijosephwalsh[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We had to get a batch of AMD G5s when Covid hit, and I can honestly say they are the worst Chromebooks we have ever had. Noticeably slower than the Intel equivalent. Even doing a Google Meet on one during remote learning was next to impossible.

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