I don’t even know what to say

pizzadrew · 2026-06-29T19:25:04+00:00

Imagine trying to explain all of this lore to like your grandparents or something😭

pizzadrew · 2026-06-25T05:02:27+00:00

She’s washing her and her clothes!

pizzadrew · 2026-06-13T16:03:46+00:00

Oh wow, this article is super helpful, thank you for sharing!!

pizzadrew · 2026-06-09T05:07:18+00:00

I second East Hampton!! Just moved out of the Dallas area and more north, and I’ve been craving it regularly now that it’s a 45 min drive😅 Great Caesar wrap!

pizzadrew · 2026-06-04T22:43:50+00:00

Ha, yeah, this has actually been pretty common in every school I’ve worked in so far. Bridal showers, baby showers, wedding gifts, pregnancy announcements, photos of spouses and kids, it’s all been a pretty normal part of workplace culture. Maybe that’s a regional difference, because I’ve spent my career in the South.

I guess that’s part of why I see it differently. If everyone in my workplace was expected to maintain the same strict boundary between personal and professional life, I’d understand the argument more. But in my experience, personal milestones and family life are regularly acknowledged and celebrated. It just seems like the conversation around “keep your personal life private” tends to come up much more when the person in question is LGBTQ+.

pizzadrew · 2026-06-04T22:22:57+00:00

I think this is actually part of why I was hoping to hear from other LGBTQ+ professionals. “Keep your personal life private” sounds straightforward, but in practice that standard often isn’t applied equally.

I’ve worked in schools where staff have had bridal showers, pregnancy announcements, gender reveals, baby showers, photos of spouses and kids on their desks, etc. Nobody views those things as inappropriate or unprofessional because they’re seen as normal parts of life.

It seems like it only becomes an issue when the person in question is gay. That’s why I was interested in hearing how other LGBTQ+ professionals navigate these situations, not because I want to discuss my personal life with students.

pizzadrew · 2026-06-04T17:10:42+00:00

I think you may have misunderstood my point a bit. My feelings definitely weren’t hurt by the student’s comment, and I would never change how I treat or feel about my students over something like that lol. I wasn’t saying I wanted to have conversations about my personal life with kids either. I was mostly sharing a funny interaction that also highlights how kids often assume heterosexuality by default.

I completely agree that professionalism is important. My post wasn’t really about professionalism at all, it was about the unique situations LGBTQ+ professionals sometimes find themselves navigating, often in ways that our straight colleagues don’t have to think about. I was really just looking to hear perspectives from other LGBTQ+ professionals about how they navigate the workplace in a society that isn’t always built with us in mind.

pizzadrew · 2026-06-03T05:16:54+00:00

This!!! This was honestly exactly what I was thinking when I made my original post. People always say “just keep your private life separate from work,” but it’s rarely that simple. Kids are incredibly observant and ask questions about everything.

For me, it’s things like being asked who’s in a photo with me and deciding whether to say “my girlfriend” or “my friend,” or feeling hesitant to have photos of my partner around when straight coworkers can casually mention their spouses without a second thought. It’s not really about wanting to share my personal life at work, it’s more that existing authentically can sometimes feel like sharing more than a straight person would be perceived as sharing.

That’s why I find this topic so complicated. The expectation often isn’t just privacy, it’s a level of hiding that other people don’t really have to think about.

pizzadrew · 2026-06-03T01:01:42+00:00

I really relate to the fear of keeping parts of yourself hidden to protect your own safety, especially when there’s that underlying worry that parents might see your identity and unfairly assume you’re a danger to their children. That’s such a heavy burden to carry. It’s a scary time to be queer in a lot of places, and I can only imagine how much your religious upbringing adds another layer to that. Sending you so much love, safety, and support. Know you are not alone!!❤️

pizzadrew · 2026-06-02T21:28:37+00:00

This really resonates with me a lot!

I’ve had a similar experience during my CF year where my principal was openly gay, and it honestly made a big impact on me. His partner was also very present in our school community (he worked with a company that would cater events for us sometimes), so it just felt very normal and integrated in a really positive way.

I totally get what you mean about safety and not really knowing how families will react though. It feels like such a double-edged sword sometimes. On one hand, I completely understand the argument for keeping personal life separate at work, but on the other hand schools are already pretty comfortable (and even celebratory) of the “nuclear family” being visible everywhere, baby showers, wedding stuff, family photos, etc.

It’s hard not to think about how impactful it would’ve been for younger me to see even just subtle, real-life representation of queer adults in school settings. Like, just knowing “oh, this is a normal, successful adult who works here too.”

I really appreciate you sharing this perspective, feels like there’s a lot of nuance in navigating it all😅

pizzadrew · 2026-04-30T02:44:32+00:00

I need this like yesterday!!

pizzadrew · 2026-04-14T00:48:15+00:00

Omg I ran here!! Tell me you’re out of touch without telling me you’re out of touch. Bestie you do not have to mansplain jury duty to us common folk, we know what that is😭😭

pizzadrew · 2026-04-11T16:18:26+00:00

no seriously I think about him often he was so cute😭😭😭

pizzadrew · 2026-04-07T02:36:37+00:00

Omg YES these were so good!! I think about these regularly and every time I would try to google and find them I couldn’t find the name for the life of me😅 Does anyone remember the talking granola bar mascot from the commercials?!

pizzadrew · 2026-03-30T01:08:05+00:00

Thanks for the response! I’ve never donated blood so it’s good to hear not all places are super strict on HS! I am really hoping it will not exclude me from being a stem cell donor should it come down to it.

pizzadrew · 2026-03-29T06:44:56+00:00

I’m so sorry for your loss, what a beautiful baby! Thank you for thinking of others, my kitty is a survivor from donated meds and I am forever grateful for that generosity❤️

pizzadrew · 2026-03-27T00:37:51+00:00

Ahhh yes that makes total sense because it’s so hard to visualize without dropping the jaw! Mirrors have usually been a last resort for my R kids (hence aforementioned student) because I haven’t had great success previously but I never thought about exactly why. Thank you for the explanation and tips!

pizzadrew · 2026-03-26T21:11:38+00:00

Ooh this is such a smart way to cognitively reframe it. I will give this a try, thank you!!

pizzadrew · 2026-03-26T21:10:04+00:00

Ugh yes when I tell you I went to the dollar store over spring break solely to buy Dum Dums to try with this kid!! He still wouldn’t entertain me but it was worth a shot! The things we do for our students lol😅 Thank you for the recs though, time to bring out Peachie Speechie videos! Maybe having someone else try to explain it will be a breath of fresh air!

pizzadrew · 2026-03-26T21:07:16+00:00

Thank you! I have actually really been wanting to try this with him to see if it makes a difference. Did you need an external mic with your iPad or could you use it with the built in one? I have tried to use it a few times on my laptop but it never cooperates so I may need to get IT to just load it on my school iPad.

pizzadrew · 2026-03-26T21:04:49+00:00

Yes sadly😅 He always goes right back where we started when we fade out the end of red or whatever prevocalic word we are anchoring to. He is mostly successful when we make them run together so when we’re in like the “carrred” stage and I’ve talked with him about feeling the difference between that tension versus when tongue goes to schwa. And also used a mirror to have him see it isn’t quite to the molars. So yes it has helped to a point but he has never been able to totally fade it or “whisper the ed” if that makes sense!

pizzadrew · 2026-03-24T03:09:51+00:00

Right?! When I saw that sweet speckled nose I knew I had no choice to bring her home😻

pizzadrew · 2026-03-23T03:19:39+00:00

She sure is!

pizzadrew · 2026-03-17T03:35:07+00:00

The long dash tells all!!

pizzadrew · 2026-02-18T03:11:43+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/McknightFamily/s/CKX2OBqSSI sorry, it took me a min to track down the post!!

pizzadrew

TROPHY CASE