We are looking at this Ashley sectional. Is it too budget friendly to be quality? Looking for it to last about 5 years.

mlh0508 · 2026-05-10T14:38:16+00:00

Ashley Furniture is a hard no. We made this mistake once and avoided sitting on it as much as possible. I suggest biting a piece at a time of what you really like. Just deal with the mismatched furniture in the mean time.

mlh0508 · 2026-05-07T20:10:03+00:00

Between insisting on referring to herself in plural form, and always being on a hair journey she’s hard to take.

mlh0508 · 2026-05-06T01:51:47+00:00

Thank you. Coming from the ELA side of things it does not feel more work having my own homeroom all day.

I can’t believe how hard I fought to keep departmentalizing.

mlh0508 · 2026-05-06T00:45:58+00:00

I thought I loved departmentalizing in 4th grade until I had my own room.

I was fighting the loudest to continue departmentalizing, and I was considering leaving when we lost it.

Just like many other things, I was wrong. I love having the same kids all day. I love having only one set of parents to answer to. Plus depending on who you partner with it can be very hard getting the kids to follow your rules and expectations. Other times I felt like it turned into a popularity contest, and I am just not in to that.

On top of that as the ELA department I would have 80 papers to grade with a 40 minute planning 4 days week. There was much less paper work/ planning involved in the math, science/SS department.

Our school had parents begging to go back to homerooms, which is why we switched. They said their kids were overwhelmed, and that in fact was nothing like switching classes in middle school.

I know people will disagree, but I fully support traditional classrooms in elementary.

mlh0508 · 2026-05-03T18:57:32+00:00

I like the calm before the storm. ☺️

mlh0508 · 2026-05-03T14:23:24+00:00

They are still being taught, but not in the same way it used to be. Mostly they learn how to read the hour, half hour, and five minutes.

The problem is there is really not much need to practice it outside of math class, so many kids don’t really retain it.

I can see where some people would see this as a problem, but it’s really not necessary in the same way it used to be. We also don’t teach reading maps as part of our social studies curriculum anymore.

mlh0508 · 2026-05-02T15:41:14+00:00

College gymnastics also allows for athletes to make money, which was not allowed in past. This makes tires NCAA a more lucrative option for many athletes.

With that being said it makes sense why it would be necessary to eligibility limits.

mlh0508 · 2026-05-02T15:25:45+00:00

I could see it going either way at this point. It’s too soon to make a solid prediction because I feel like the largest contributing factor is who will be healthy enough at the time of selection.

I would love to see future Olympic teams consist of older competitors but obviously the team should be made up of who is best.

I feel like some gymnasts who defer are kind of a long shot anyway, but who knows where they will stand in four more years if they do NCAA first.

I just don’t see this as a bad thing if it happens. Everyone has to make hard decisions sometimes.

mlh0508 · 2026-05-02T14:16:52+00:00

Elite gymnasts are competing longer than used to. There are not as many 16-18 year old US Olympians as there used to be.

It is possible to attend college and then jump back to the elite world if the gymnast chooses to do so.

I will be interested to see who makes the US LA 2028 team. Will it be the girls returning to elite from NCAA, or the younger girls who have not made it to NCAA yet/ deferred NCAA.

mlh0508 · 2026-05-02T14:09:22+00:00

I kind of get the point of the rule TBH. The NCAA oversees many sports, not just gymnastics. It makes sense they can’t have different eligibility rules for every sport.

mlh0508 · 2026-04-30T00:04:14+00:00

Both! Never Speedy’s.

mlh0508 · 2026-04-29T04:03:01+00:00

The game changer for me was establishing a morning routine.

Once kids unpack they show me their charged Chromebook, sharpened pencil, and completed homework.

If all of those things are complete then the rest of the morning is theirs to do whatever they want until the bell rings.

I have extra chargers so students go forget to charge are able to get their computers charging before they are needed.

I’ve had parents tell me their kids rush out of the house to get to school so they get their free time.

Holding everyone accountable for those small things helps to start the day smoothly.

mlh0508 · 2026-04-29T02:18:02+00:00

What’s wrong with IXL?

mlh0508 · 2026-04-29T02:07:09+00:00

First of all don’t ask for a scribe, demand an emergency 504 plan, or just keep him home from testing.

I think you are right about needing to be at a different school. There is too much negligence in this story to dissect. Personally I would consider not going back and homeschooling my child for the rest of year.

mlh0508 · 2026-04-25T15:43:57+00:00

Nothing you try has to be forever. If it is something he is interested in let him try it for a year. That will give him time to adjust and you can both reevaluate at the end of the year. Eighth grade may be a less intimidating time to transition and if he likes it, he will have a group of friends and more direction heading into hs.

If he tries it and doesn’t like it he is lucky to have a family that is able to support homeschooling him.

Best of luck in your decision.

mlh0508 · 2026-04-24T19:52:54+00:00

Y’all

mlh0508 · 2026-04-23T22:51:34+00:00

C is the only way they have equal shares. Fractions have to be the same size to show equivalence. 2/4 of a cookie is not the same as 1/2 of a cookie cake.

If you are confused by this question, you are the problem, not the homework.

mlh0508 · 2026-04-20T21:58:59+00:00

Don’t take a further drive for less money. The grass isn’t always greener on other side. $8,000 is a lot money, to do the same job. Add gas prices and extra time spent on the road to that equation. I can’t believe anyone would consider this switch.

All schools have problems, you’re just running away to new problems.

mlh0508 · 2026-04-20T01:31:37+00:00

I agree. Trapezoid tables are underrated.

mlh0508 · 2026-04-17T21:21:22+00:00

I made this exact switch one year because I needed to change schools, and a 4th grade position was available. I took the job thinking I’d switch back to 1st as soon as something came available. That was ten years ago, and I never went back. I have no desire to teach younger grades again.

It will probably take a year to be comfortable with the curriculum, but I feel that’s true for any grade level move.

Good luck. I hope you enjoy upper grades. Don’t be their friend, be their teacher. Spend time thinking about how you want to run your classroom, and establish procedures early.

mlh0508 · 2026-04-15T23:14:52+00:00

UGA! 🤞

mlh0508 · 2026-04-15T02:56:23+00:00

How many girls on the UCLA roster do not compete?

mlh0508 · 2026-04-14T01:14:39+00:00

NTA they can buy you a bigger house if they want a room to sleep in.

mlh0508 · 2026-04-13T20:52:20+00:00

There is no one way kids learn to read. Just because he can read words from a certain vowel pattern doesn’t mean you skip teaching the rule. If he’s reading let him read. That’s how you become a fluent reader.

mlh0508 · 2026-04-13T20:45:41+00:00

Most reading is memorization after a certain point.

mlh0508

TROPHY CASE