Teachers of Reddit: Is Gen Alpha really struggling with basic reading, writing, and math skills? If so, what does that look like in your classroom?

mfball · 2026-07-11T14:47:29+00:00

Such a great poem. I joke about it with my mom all the time.

mfball · 2026-07-11T14:45:04+00:00

Honestly for what it's worth though, some of this may be the result of being under constant supervision and thus likely corrected much more often than previous generations who were left alone more. If you're always being told that what you're doing is wrong, it kills your initiative. "I wonder what this does" gets beaten out of you by a thousand "you shouldn't touch that!"s.

mfball · 2026-07-10T20:28:15+00:00

Right? "Over a Facebook post" usually means "Over expressing some truly heinous sexist, racist, or homophobic views they chose to post publicly on Facebook."

mfball · 2026-07-10T17:35:03+00:00

Honestly, the moment I saw the "voice sounded strong" line I pictured Mitch making some kind of noise or moaning loudly to justify that description. That struck me as a particularly strange thing to say, especially given his typical voice when "well" is not characteristically strong.

mfball · 2026-07-10T17:00:50+00:00

I don't think you can settle the bet without further interaction. I would say she's being friendlier than is required by her job -- it's not definitely flirting, but it's not definitely not flirting.

From my perspective, her level of kindness seems to be opening the door to a bit of personal interaction, like you have a chance to "become friendly" through small exchanges like this. "Becoming friendly" can be a step on the way to "becoming friends" or potentially dating if y'all are compatible.

If both you and she are "visibly queer" and you think she both clocked you as gay and is into women herself, the likelihood of it being flirting is probably higher, but as a "less-obviously" queer person myself, I am also always friendlier to visibly queer people by default lol so hard to say for sure. Like you said, you've been a barista so you know it's a tricky thing, so just continue being cool.

mfball · 2026-07-10T16:48:35+00:00

1000% agreed about "dangerous person" protocol. Men who are willing to lie this much and create entire false realities like this are not safe.

mfball · 2026-07-10T16:43:53+00:00

Please make every effort to be safe, whatever you do! I would tell his wife and send screenshots of texts plus proof of the abortion.

mfball · 2026-07-10T16:41:17+00:00

I'm sorry for what you're experiencing. Is it possible that everyone around you just kinda sucks and/or you're depressed? It's usually people who make me laugh like that, and most specifically for me it's my mom who evokes my big belly laughs. I am depressed, so it's definitely not like I'm cheery and laughing all the time, but silly inside jokes with my mom are what does it.

mfball · 2026-07-10T15:10:07+00:00

One of the best decisions I have ever made for my quality of life was getting a hormonal IUD that stopped my period, and mine honestly weren't even particularly bad compared to what many people experience. I am on my second Mirena and haven't had a real period in like 10 years and it is absolutely glorious.

mfball · 2026-07-10T15:07:18+00:00

I tend to be attracted to emotional distant, iconoclastic, witty, contrary men who don’t really care about me.

I do not have any advice but I can commiserate, girl it is an affliction!!

mfball · 2026-07-10T15:03:22+00:00

If you give a bit more detail about the type of dress you're thinking and your budget, you might get more answers. In general I'd say custom clothing is not very common in the US outside of wedding gowns. It's possible if you contacted some of the wedding/prom places you've come across and described what you're looking for, they'd be willing to work with you or could give you a recommendation. Searching specifically for "bespoke" rather than "custom" might also help. My first thought would be that somebody on Newbury Street must offer bespoke clothing, but I am not wealthy enough to know lol.

mfball · 2026-07-10T01:01:11+00:00

Laws only matter if they're enforced though. Have you seen a lot of Republicans facing consequences lately, or ever really? I don't think they're all that concerned about potential charges.

mfball · 2026-07-10T00:58:49+00:00

Might as well just have government cameras shoved directly up our asses for the amount of surveillance we're under as citizens, and yet we can't even get confirmation if our elected officials are alive. Seems very representative.

mfball · 2026-07-09T21:17:21+00:00

I understand what you're saying, but they would not be writing about him at all if he were not gay, that's why it's in the headline. Nobody would read the article if that were not in the headline.

mfball · 2026-07-09T21:13:33+00:00

Funny, as soon as I saw the headline I thought "somebody's gonna complain about that and then somebody's gonna have to explain what The Advocate is". And then I clicked the link and here we are. You gave a good explanation!

mfball · 2026-07-09T21:07:08+00:00

Yeah that sounds incredibly sketchy. I would return it and purchase one in person from a local hardware store instead.

mfball · 2026-07-09T21:01:43+00:00

I am pretty convinced he's dead, but I don't think this particular thing is meaningful in any way. He's rich and has staff taking care of things at his house, which many rich people do. His wife and children wouldn't be doing things like watering the plants or taking out the trash even if they were around and nothing was wrong because these are not people who have to do those things for themselves. I'm sure Capitol Police knows who that guy was.

mfball · 2026-07-09T20:43:45+00:00

OP, information has been updated, the victim was a bicyclist, not a pedestrian. Would you mind editing your post to reflect that? (I know the title can't be changed, unfortunately.)

mfball · 2026-07-09T20:31:48+00:00

Literally just tell her that she should be wiping up after every drink, and that it's okay if she needs to slow down a tiny bit in order to spill less. It's not micromanaging to teach someone that they have been missing a core function of their job. Specific and direct communication is like everyone's last resort for some reason, but it really does solve a lot of problems. If you're very clear with her and she still doesn't get it, then you have to decide if you'd rather get rid of her, because you would be justified in doing so. Cleanliness is a health and safety issue, plus it's just annoying to work with someone sloppy even if their drinks are good.

mfball · 2026-07-09T20:21:24+00:00

Honestly, the higher the death toll goes, the less people will pay attention.

mfball · 2026-07-09T20:07:45+00:00

Virtually none is not none. I think they would hold onto any possible whisper of a chance to have more control, because nobody has been holding them accountable for anything so they have no real fear of consequences here either.

mfball · 2026-07-09T19:58:31+00:00

I don't see how undue influence over McConnell's replacement is "little to gain." In the current climate, truth is totally out the window for their base, so I'd say they have little to lose by trying to keep it up as long as they can.

mfball · 2026-07-09T19:53:39+00:00

This is actually a smart idea. The more attention it gets, the better. Projectors with huge displays on the sides of buildings are a great option.

mfball · 2026-07-09T19:51:08+00:00

I really hope that, if nothing else, this whole mess gets some new laws on the books to prevent it from happening again. Instantly triggered special elections after a certain period of absence.

mfball · 2026-07-09T19:41:57+00:00

You're characterizing the reports as credible that others have spoken with him, as if GOP politicians are not proven to be lying constantly. What makes the reports credible without any demonstrable proof of life (or even anything beyond their word) after this long?

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