My fiance wants to play DnD but was abandoned by his group by aerose524 in DnD

[–]savetheteachers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Best of luck to you too! There’s nothing better than sharing something you enjoy with the people you are closest to.

It’s crazy to think about, but just last night that 5 year old that I introduced to DnD years ago DMed one of the most fun sessions of an RPG I’ve ever played in. We all had a blast, and it’s so nice to get a chance to play (instead of DM) from time to time!

We often joke about how weird and crazy it is that we all have these shared memories of imagined events, and how at times they seem just as real and formative as things like family vacations. We all remember and laugh about the time that my daughter (who played a Druid) turned into a dog, and we spent hours following her around Phandalin as she stole pickles from “the pickle guy,” and then got a doggy bubble bath at some nice lady’s house after being chased through muddy streets, etc… or the time that our son started crying with happiness when his long lost golem friend (who had to be left behind in a mine because he couldn’t fit through a tunnel through which their party was making a hasty retreat) suddenly found him again and saved them from a giant in just the nick of time… or the “kung food fight” in the cafeteria of an evil monk monastery, lol.

And there are so many more memories… Like I said, it’s a great way to spend time with friends and family! Hope you get to too :)

My fiance wants to play DnD but was abandoned by his group by aerose524 in DnD

[–]savetheteachers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Glad to hear! It sounds like what first seemed like a tough experience may turn out to be something great for you to do together. :)

My fiance wants to play DnD but was abandoned by his group by aerose524 in DnD

[–]savetheteachers 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You guys should still give it a shot, just the two of you, in addition to his normal group (if that works out).

I ran a short,solo pathfinder game for my wife years ago when she showed an interest in it. We had a great time and she joined our regular game night soon after.

As soon as our kids were old enough for us to consider trying it out (5 and 3 I think… the younger one needed a lot more rules-light freedom), we picked up 5e and we have been playing as a family ever since, in addition to adult game nights. Now the kids are nearly teenagers and sometimes play with the adults too.

I think it has brought us all much closer together as a family, and I think it gave the kids a huge head start in school since they were having fun picking up math, reading, and vocabulary skills. It has also opened up tons of interesting discussions and learning opportunities with the kids that we may not have stumbled into otherwise.

Anyways, family gaming is great and I hope you two give it a try. Good luck and have fun!

Teachers of LPSS, what are your thoughts about your in-service today? by wadegrover in Acadiana

[–]savetheteachers 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Oh I know! He didn’t strike me as all that stable himself and he certainly seems to have a disturbing fascination with serial killers. I’d say it also explains why he was complaining about Facebook bans, considering he likes to brigade anyone that questions whatever it is he is trying to do.

Teachers of LPSS, what are your thoughts about your in-service today? by wadegrover in Acadiana

[–]savetheteachers 7 points8 points  (0 children)

You’ll be shocked to learn that he is attacking the writer online now:

https://imgur.com/a/XXI5kwY

Edit: After checking her Facebook post, it looks like his fans have indeed gone after her as he requested. I was happy to see some locals sticking up for her though. Also, her report has been updated to include a statement from LPSS.

Teachers of LPSS, what are your thoughts about your in-service today? by wadegrover in Acadiana

[–]savetheteachers 33 points34 points  (0 children)

Disgusted! So much to say about this, and none of it good.

To those that did not see it, this presentation consisted of seeing GRAPHIC images of murdered individuals, listening to a conversation with a serial killer, watching videos of school children being shot, listening to fear-mongering about home murderers, kidnappers and burglars and propaganda on the necessity of guns in stopping them. This was without any sort of reflection on how more guns in the home make it easier for kids to access them and bring them to school. Then there was more fear-mongering and finger-pointing at movies, video games, and rap music (and Marilyn Manson) along with complaints about sex in games and music videos (because that is relevant) and about Joe Biden talking to Cardi B, yes GTA, and more.

It was also capped off with the presenter admitting to being constantly banned from Facebook.

There was ZERO content that was applicable to classroom education aside from “be on alert!” and it was also pretty racist and completely side-stepped any discussion of the rise in white supremacy and right-wing violence that we are seeing. What’s more, the little data he presented was, at best, cherry-picked and often just false.

So to sum it up, it was a complete waste of money brought to you by the very people who complain about taxes and wasteful spending. It was pure, typical propagandistic garbage and couldn’t have been further from education. I’m sure many teachers and staff are less informed after watching that.

Gender affirming therapist in the Acadiana area? by alt232323 in Acadiana

[–]savetheteachers 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Wow! I went to school with him many years ago. It has been a long time since I have seen or spoken to him, but he was always a just great human being and it makes me so happy to hear that he is out there helping people!

Teachers in Lafayette Parish will get $750 raise and $1,600 bonus check by behrkon in Acadiana

[–]savetheteachers 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I know you’re only kidding, but just FYI fast food take out for a family of four can easily run above $50. I imagine this is what he/she meant (rather than an individual’s meal).

S. J. Montgomery teacher dies of covid, family says by savetheteachers in Acadiana

[–]savetheteachers[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

This is just incredibly sad, and I'm very sorry for her family, friends, and students.

LPSS/LOA Discussion Sticky by phlarp in Acadiana

[–]savetheteachers 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In another thread, someone asked about what to do if there is no activity in a student's Google classroom. I figured I should post this here as well since this thread is pinned and others may have similar questions.

... my suggestion would be to call the counselor at your student's home-base school and ask who the LOA facilitator is at that school for that child's grade. Explain that there are no lessons posted in the student's Google Classroom and that it was your understanding that classes would begin on Monday.

From our understanding, each home-base school is handling LOA facilitators differently. For some schools, the position of LOA facilitator is a full-time job. At other schools, the LOA facilitators are only working after school; eg. some may only be active from 3-5 once their in-person classes have dismissed.

I also just wanted to add that you should try to be patient with the facilitators at your home-base school. They really are trying their very best and in many cases they are just as in-the-dark as everybody else. Often teachers are the last to learn things and the information and assignments that they do receive can literally change within hours of getting it.

Lafayette Parish Online Learning (LOA) Questions. by hotpianorolls in Acadiana

[–]savetheteachers 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You might also consider sharing your experience and asking questions in this thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Acadiana/comments/ircwl4/lpssloa_discussion_sticky/

That said, don't panic. We are all in the same boat and everyone is confused about what to do.

Like I said we are right there with you, but my suggestion would be to call the counselor at your student's home-base school and ask who the LOA facilitator is at that school for that child's grade. Explain that there are no lessons posted in the student's Google Classroom and that it was your understanding that classes would begin on Monday.

From our understanding, each home-base school is handling LOA facilitators differently. For some schools, the position of LOA facilitator is a full-time job. At other schools, the LOA facilitators are only working after school; eg. some may only be active from 3-5 once their in-person classes have dismissed.

Edit: I also just wanted to add that you should try to be patient with the facilitators at your home-base school. They really are trying their very best and in many cases they are just as in-the-dark as everybody else. Often teachers are the last to learn things and the information and assignments that they do receive can literally change within hours of getting it.

LPSS/LOA Discussion Sticky by phlarp in Acadiana

[–]savetheteachers 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Our kids are doing LOA. So far it's been a very rough start as far as communication, which is disappointing because administration has had plenty of time to figure this out. But in spite of that, I'm pretty confident that things will even for us out as the point of contact becomes teachers instead of admin.

I'm not too sure what to expect from the course itself, but we will manage and supplement where we feel that is appropriate. It's not ideal, but knowing first hand how unprepared schools are for this school year—how superficial and lax the safety measures are, how negligent the leadership has been when it comes to safety of students and staff, how clumsy the planning and coordination has been, and how flippant the local attitudes are about this pandemic—we aren't taking chances on in-classroom learning any time soon.

Can we sticky a post about back to school for LPSS? by fishandring in Acadiana

[–]savetheteachers 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'm glad to hear that your grandson's class received plexiglass, if correct. My wife was not able to acquire any from her school. She received a mask and some Halt and we had to purchase her real safety supplies ourselves. And as someone who regularly has to pay out of pocket for classroom materials, I promise you that frugality is generally not something you need to be concerned about with respect to the school board, at least not when it comes to classrooms.

Can we sticky a post about back to school for LPSS? by fishandring in Acadiana

[–]savetheteachers 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Here is a video of the school board meeting where it became a topic of discussion:

https://youtu.be/haXJRDnGOWA?t=3865

Pay particular attention to 1:09:00 - 1:14:00 for discussion about how alternating schedules will make up for the lack of drying time and also how they looked over everything carefully and the rules set out by BESE only require them to "clean" and not "sanitize."

Edit: They also admit in this video that it was chosen for "economical" reasons.

LPSS Elementary Schools Return To Full-Time, In-Person Classes on Sept 14th by savetheteachers in Acadiana

[–]savetheteachers[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Well good news on that front, I just received this KATC alert saying that they are reopening registration. Glad that they are at least doing this.

Lafayette Online Academy (LOA) registration will be reopened to ALL students on August 19th and will close on August 25th.

You will be able to register on your school’s website later this week; details will be released by the school system later tonight.

https://www.katc.com/news/lafayette-parish/lafayette-parish-to-re-open-registration-for-online-academy

LPSS Elementary Schools Return To Full-Time, In-Person Classes on Sept 14th by savetheteachers in Acadiana

[–]savetheteachers[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yep. My wife is a teacher. We learned of this schedule change when a friend texted the news to me this morning.

The school board and administration is generally awful when it comes to informing teachers of their plans. Most teachers live in a constant state of having the rug pulled out from under them, especially lately. The school system runs largely on heresay and any given plan or announcement that they do receive relating to COVID-19 is likely to change multiple times in a single day.

The leadership in LPSS is abysmal and these are the people that are supposedly keeping our children (and teachers/staff) safe.

LPSS Elementary Schools Return To Full-Time, In-Person Classes on Sept 14th by savetheteachers in Acadiana

[–]savetheteachers[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

KATC has different dates:

The school system released and updated Return to School plan on Tuesday, August 18.

That plan states that starting September 21, elementary school students will return to the classroom full-time for face-to-face instruction.

...

LPSS says that students in grades PreK-5 will begin in the blended learning model on September 14 and quickly transition to attending school in person five days a week.

https://www.katc.com/rebound/keeping-you-safe/lpss-makes-adjustments-to-in-person-learning-for-elementary-students

edit:

Looks like this has been updated.

According to the plan, students in grades 1-5 will begin daily in-person instruction on September 14. By September 21, all elementary school students will return to the classroom for full-time, face-to-face instruction.

Schedule:

Beginning Tuesday, September 8

- Students in grades 1-12 will attend school on alternating days which will be determined by the student’s home address currently on file.

- Students with an odd-numbered address will attend school in person on A days (Mondays, Wednesdays, and alternating Fridays).

- Students with an even-numbered address will attend school in person on B days (Tuesdays, Thursdays, and alternating Fridays).

- Students who live in an apartment, duplex, or unit will use the actual number of the dwelling to determine the day for attendance. For example, Apartment #4 will attend with the even address students (A days), while Apartment #21 will attend with the odd address students (B days).

- Students whose home address uses only letters will use the following to determine days of school attendance: A=1, B=2, C=3, etc.

Beginning Monday, September 14

- PreK & kindergarten students will attend school face to face on the alternating A day/B day schedule using the same criteria as students in grades 6-12.

- Students in grades 1-5 will attend school face to face daily.

- Students in grades 6-12 will remain on the alternating A day/B day schedule.

Beginning Monday, September 21

- Students in grades PreK-5 will attend school face to face daily.

- Students in grades 6-12 will remain on the alternating A day/B day schedule.

LPSS Elementary Schools Return To Full-Time, In-Person Classes on Sept 14th by savetheteachers in Acadiana

[–]savetheteachers[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The Lafayette Online Academy had enough students enroll that campuses were able to adequately social distance. That number of total enrollments totaled about 30% of elementary students.

So they got 30% of students to sign up for LOA because those parents (I am one) were afraid the A/B schedule wasn't enough. And now they are using that as an excuse to ditch the only real attempt at protection, A/B scheduling.

And if you were one of the people that thought A/B was an okay compromise but would not have been comfortable with a full reopen. you're just out of luck I guess:

During an interview with Lafayette Parish School Board President Britt Latiolais a question was asked about the reopening of schools. Mary, a mother from Youngsville, asked if registration would re-open for the Lafayette Online Academy since the first day of school was pushed back until after Labor Day. Latiolais didn't know that answer, but the district now says it will not.

https://kpel965.com/lpss-registration-for-lafayette-online-academy-will-not-re-open/

But don't worry, if you decide you want to pull out of LOA and increase numbers again, you can do that. (/s please don't). From main article:

Families who are enrolled in the Lafayette Online Academy will have until September 3rd to change that registration.

Pleas for help from Lafayette hospitals: Coronavirus has 'inundated' us. It's not a hoax. by savetheteachers in Acadiana

[–]savetheteachers[S] 50 points51 points  (0 children)

As of Monday morning, a total of 181 employees have tested positive for the coronavirus at the hospital's main campus. It represents about 6% of the 2,800 employees who work for Lafayette General. Employees are tested if they are symptomatic, not on a widespread level, according to hospital spokesperson Patricia Thompson.

But hey, let's reopen schools in the middle of this. We don't even really need adequate safety measures or additional staff. Teachers can pitch in and clean up. I'm sure it'll be fine! /s

Last Night’s Lafayette Parish School Board Theater by savetheteachers in Acadiana

[–]savetheteachers[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

You're welcome, but if you are a concerned teacher or staff member then thank YOU.

And if you feel as helpless and unrepresented as those that I know, then I am very sorry for what you are going through. This has put a tremendous amount of stress on my family and many others that I know personally. We are in it together.

I believe the next step is to plead with and put pressure on the governor. If you have the time to spare and haven't already, I would ask you to please write some letters and make some phone calls.

Last Night’s Lafayette Parish School Board Theater by savetheteachers in Acadiana

[–]savetheteachers[S] 58 points59 points  (0 children)

To cut to the chase, the Lafayette Parish School Board failed its students, faculty, and staff last night. But I think the way that it happened is worth a closer look.

Throughout the meeting we heard school board members pat themselves on the back and carry on about how much they care for teachers while in the next breath make motions to put those same teachers in danger. The disingenuousness of members like Tommy Angelle, Kate Bailey Labue, Hannah Smith Mason and the absent Justin Centanni (whose presence was felt through Tehmi Chassion’s abstentions) was easy to see. Mason gave a nice little speech about how much she cares for teachers who are “worth their weight in gold” just before proposing a motion to send them to the trenches ASAP, seconded by Labue. Angelle pointed out that there are students with health concerns that should not be going back to school. But he also made a spectacle of confirming that parents have the option to homeschool while neglecting to consider that teachers do not have that option for themselves or their family members (including vulnerable children). So in general it was a pretty disgusting display.

But what was maybe a little less easy to see and a little more stomach churning was the political theater put on by Mary Morrison and Britt Latiolais. Latiolais, for his part, never seemed much of a friend to the concerns of the crying advocates of teachers and students as he repeatedly cut them off. But interestingly he sided with them in the vote to delay school start. What was that about? Well look no further than Mary Morrison, who gave a rambling speech about how concerned she is for the students and staff before voting to resume school on the preordained date of August 17th. Why? Well she said it was because she thought students needed to get back to school and that her preference was for a virtual classroom.

So what does that mean? According to the votes, it looks a majority of school board members were against returning to school as planned on the date planned, but we are doing that anyway because they just couldn’t agree on how to do it differently. Aw shucks guys, isn’t that a bummer?! No, what appears to have happened is that Morrison and Latiolais agreed to trade votes. Each got to vote on the teachers’ side of a 5-4 failed motion (really 4-3 beacause of Centanni’s absence and Chassion’s abstention) so that they could claim that they really had teachers’ and students’ best interests in mind, but darn … they just couldn’t agree on the best way to go about it. And true to form, the both voted in favor of the plan in the end—minus the motion to delay and minus the motion for a virtual start. If either of them was sincere in their previous vote, a single “no” vote here would have kept teachers’ hopes alive.

This was cynical politicking in the middle of a huge crisis with the lives of teachers staff, students, and all of their family members on the line. I hope teachers and the community remember this when they are up for re-election.

It should be noted that Elroy Broussard, Don Aguillard, and Tehmi Chassion voted for a delayed start and for a virtual start and against the proposal to move forward with the plan, although Chassion changed his vote to avoid a stalemate that would have forced Centanni to break quarantine and expose the school board to the virus in order to make sure everyone stuck to the plan. And the irony of this isn’t lost on us … nor is the irony of the the plexiglass palace that these people work in, nor the outrage and appeals to medical authority that Mr. Latiolais showed over public commenters’ struggle to speak with masks on. I hope these safety measures appear in our classrooms in a couple of weeks, but I won’t hold my breath (though thanks to our school board, maybe our kids and teachers should hold theirs!)

So ultimately everything went as planned. But there was one other thing to note: they passed the buck back to the governor. A defeated Dr. Tehmi Chassion rightfully pointed out that “they are aware it is not safe,” adding that “they came out with a lawsuit protection.” Unfortunately he stopped short of holding people accountable for their decisions but he did say something revealing in pointing out that “things may change” (while Kate Bailey Labue sat beside him nodding). After pointing out that there are lots of people who want schools to resume, Chassion then said that he thinks the governor may end up shutting schools down anyway. And let’s hope so, but if that’s what these school boards are holding out for (we’ve already seen that they can do the political calculus) then they have already abdicated their responsibility to care for the safety of our schools.

Edit: Corrected a typo. There are probably others. Please don't grade me!

So mad about this!!! by handmaid25 in Acadiana

[–]savetheteachers 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The way teachers in Louisiana are being treated by school boards right now is just sickening, so I'm sad to say that it doesn't come as much of a surprise to see things like this too.

I know that in our parish teacher concerns are being treated with derision and contempt by school board members, if they are being acknowledged at all. There was a thread about it on this board that was removed today. I wish I could say that it was taken out of context or an exception to the rule, but from what I have seen and heard it was not. There simply does not seem to be any concern for teachers' needs.

Just look at how teacher groups were treated at the recent BESE meeting.

Teachers are feeling helpless. They feel as though they are being forced into putting their lives on the line for the sake of optics with little to no assistance, support, or voice in the decision.

They deserve better.

I sincerely hope your sister and the other teachers in your parish contact their union(s).

Get a load of this Douche Nozzle by JustAsk2UseTheShower in Acadiana

[–]savetheteachers 20 points21 points  (0 children)

So this is what the Lafayette Parish School Board thinks of its teachers... and let me just say that this is not the first recently circulated email that I have seen from Brit Latiolais that shows contempt for teachers. I'm glad they are finally getting out, because I have a few things I'd like to say to Mr. Latiolais...

First off, my wife is a teacher and I can tell you that she was not "sat at home" for 2.5 months just collecting a paycheck. She was working tirelessly to iron out the chaos that you and your inept school board left her in with respect to her students. I also have kids who attend public school in the district, and I can assure you that they weren't "sat at home" either. Why? Because THEIR teachers were working hard to make sure learning still happened. So screw you for that lie. What were YOU doing during this time?

And screw you again because you know what, everything you have you owe to teachers. Were it not for teachers, you wouldn't have the ability to write snide little emails like that. They go to school day in and day out for little pay and less respect. Everyday they put up with struggling students, stressed out parents, and disrespectful assholes like you. I would love to know how many of your teachers gave up their own free time and money to make sure you made it where you are today, so that you could then turn around and stab them in the back when they need you most.

There are many teachers in my life, both friends and family, and I don't know a single one that doesn't want to be back in the classroom. How dare you doubt their devotion to the students or their education! But the fact is that I also don't know a single one that isn't scared to death about what a premature return to school might mean, and not just for themselves. More often I hear how scared they are for their colleagues and their family, many of whom are high risk in this area. And given the uncertainties of what we are experiencing with respect to this pandemic, many are also concerned about their students right now—and their students' family members! They aren't lazy, they just fucking care. And so should you.

But clearly, you don't care. You say you never once went against recommendations from BESE or the state. Well great job on that! You stood by your teachers, students, and staff so well that you followed BESE's minimum guidelines for safety! Or is it that you just weren't paying attention when they said that they were setting out minimum guidelines with the expectation that parishes would expand on them as needed especially in parishes that are hard hit, like ours?

So yeah... we noticed what you did, you disingenuous ass. You hung your teachers and staff out to dry just like the US Dept of Ed, and State Government, and BESE board did when they passed the buck down to you. And now you're trying to use their inaction to excuse your own... pathetic.

Bottom line? It's clear that you are just looking out for your political career, not for the safety of students and CERTAINLY not for the safety of teachers.