OT: The OT Thread: To move or not to move, that is the question. (Warning in post 368)

[CowbellConray]

Commenting on things like anthems or posting doctored pictures of political figures is certainly not economics or living discussions. So that all just got the boot.

Thanks, appreciate the clarity.

 

[TheMistyStranger]

By all the metrics Education has only gotten worse since the inception of the DoE and NCLB was a massive failure of an expansion, the only way to really fix the education system in the US would be to go scorched earth on the entire system and rebuild it from the ground up. We spend more per student than almost all developed countries and still fall way behind them.

No Child Left Behind certainly exacerbated things. Tying a school's funding to the "success" of the kids led to teachers teaching to the test, and a lot of grinding kids through the system instead of getting them the resources they need to actually be successful.

We also spend more on health care than anyone else and lag behind dozens of nations. Makes me wonder where all the money is going...[but we don't really have to wonder, do we?]

 

[Chainshot]

Looking at the techniques to measure success is also something at odds with how other nations do things. The testing tied to funding part leads to teaching to tests set at a state and district level rather than trying to offer holistic teaching methods. Places that turn out well-rounded humans that don't grind to tests are also held as unattainable to scale by the nation spending that much on education. We've instituted a system with assistant to the assistant to the head of the redundancy department who then all have staff. That part is certainly bloated so money does not reach staff. Teachers are relatively poorly paid for the work they do and much like just about all other expenditures, supply provisioning failures result in most being forced to lay out their own income (which is already insufficient) for supplies used in daily instruction.

Literacy programs have little impact without the push of parents and guardians to make sure their charges are actually reading, getting their kids to basic literacy before they arrive at school. Funny how a bunch of issues shrink in the face of getting people literate.

 

[Gras]

Literacy programs have little impact without the push of parents and guardians to make sure their charges are actually reading, getting their kids to basic literacy before they arrive at school. Funny how a bunch of issues shrink in the face of getting people literate.

Parents these days have been conditioned to think that their own failures are always someone elses fault, really sad when parents wont hold themselves accountable and also hold their children accountable.

 

[Ehran]

I know, no politics. And I generally absolutely agree with that stance.

But.....

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the US “will take over” the Gaza Strip, after saying earlier that he doesn’t think there is a permanent future for Palestinians in Gaza.

“The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it too,” Trump said during a joint press conference alongside his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu. “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings.”

What? Wait... What? I don't know how or even if this will happen, but if it does it radically changes everything in that region.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/04/politics/netanyahu-trump-white-house-meeting/index.html

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

Looking at the techniques to measure success is also something at odds with how other nations do things. The testing tied to funding part leads to teaching to tests set at a state and district level rather than trying to offer holistic teaching methods. Places that turn out well-rounded humans that don't grind to tests are also held as unattainable to scale by the nation spending that much on education. We've instituted a system with assistant to the assistant to the head of the redundancy department who then all have staff. That part is certainly bloated so money does not reach staff. Teachers are relatively poorly paid for the work they do and much like just about all other expenditures, supply provisioning failures result in most being forced to lay out their own income (which is already insufficient) for supplies used in daily instruction.

Literacy programs have little impact without the push of parents and guardians to make sure their charges are actually reading, getting their kids to basic literacy before they arrive at school. Funny how a bunch of issues shrink in the face of getting people literate.

Whoa, haven’t been here in a minute and this was the first post I see, preach. Never got my credentials- I’m not paying more money to be paid and treated like shit. Shame, I loved teaching, kids are great, but the world the adults have made.. doesn’t jive with basic respect or happiness. Whatever, at least Musk has 400 billion dollars, that’s super cool and efficient.

 

[Gras]

I know, no politics. And I generally absolutely agree with that stance.

But.....



What? Wait... What? I don't know how or even if this will happen, but if it does it radically changes everything in that region.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/04/politics/netanyahu-trump-white-house-meeting/index.html

All thats left after that is to replace the jesuit pope and make all the holy cities vassal states of the vatican.

 

[Chainshot]

 

[truthbluth]

So, the wife finds out if Elno lays her off after she spent 10 years as a contractor only to finally be hired as a fed, and with 3 months left of her 2 year probation (SEC has a 2 year policy). She's already been promoted, works her ass off, nights and weekends, and now she going to be laid off by a billionaire zealot who thinks public sector jobs are "low productivity." Oh yeah, no severance at all. Just "as of this moment you are terminated." FYI, I was laid off a month ago. So, yeah, no politics, but f*** that apartheid-baby piece of shit and anyone defending his traitorous actions.

 

[Dubi Doo]

I'm worried about my sister in law, especially her kid. A lesbian couple with a 13-14 year old trans kid? Yeah, things look worrisome for them.

All I know is, she (the kid) is just a happy kid right now because nobody can tell she was once a boy. She is treated like a human bein, and low and behold- she doesn't self loathe. She's just very outgoing, loves to dance, and has an energetic and happy personality.

Kills me to know that innocence may be drained from her as she grows older, and hears the animosity a lot of people have toward her.

I'm not looking to debate the issue. There's never a resolution in those convos. I'm just looking at it at a human level, and I just feel for them. That's all.

 

[Jim Bob]

I'm worried about my sister in law, especially her kid. A lesbian couple with a 13-14 year old trans kid? Yeah, things look worrisome for them.

All I know is, she (the kid) is just a happy kid right now because nobody can tell she was once a boy. She is treated like a human bein, and low and behold- she doesn't self loathe. She's just very outgoing, loves to dance, and has an energetic and happy personality.

Kills me to know that innocence may be drained from her as she grows older, and hears the animosity a lot of people have toward her.

I'm not looking to debate the issue. There's never a resolution in those convos. I'm just looking at it at a human level, and I just feel for them. That's all.

My oldest and youngest kids are transgender.

And while I thought my youngest turning 18yo on 1/20 would shield him from immediate stuff because he was an adult who can vote and serve in the military, now we have an exec order trying to block him from getting the gender affirming care that he finally got his mom to sign on with less than a year ago.

That doesn't even get into the fears that his step-mom and I have given that he wants to be a math teacher. And despite his natural abilities in math and tutoring plenty of classmates in HS, we know there will be small-minded people that could flip out if they find out a transgender person is teaching their kid.

So yeah, I get it.

 

[truthbluth]

I'm sorry to have dumped my rage on this thread. I know a lot of people are being affecting by this.

 

[Duddy]

People are the f***ing worst. It's not that hard to not be an asshole. It's just heart breaking reading what so many people have to go through because parts of our species are f***ing garbage

 

[Jim Bob]

 

[Dubi Doo]

My oldest and youngest kids are transgender.

And while I thought my youngest turning 18yo on 1/20 would shield him from immediate stuff because he was an adult who can vote and serve in the military, now we have an exec order trying to block him from getting the gender affirming care that he finally got his mom to sign on with less than a year ago.

That doesn't even get into the fears that his step-mom and I have given that he wants to be a math teacher. And despite his natural abilities in math and tutoring plenty of classmates in HS, we know there will be small-minded people that could flip out if they find out a transgender person is teaching their kid.

So yeah, I get it.

Question, how have they been treated by their peers? I remember HS being extra ruthless for gay people. No one really transitioned at my school, either. They would've been tormented. I'm wondering if mids these days are more lenient on those sort of things. I graduated in 06. We were a harsh generation of kids.

 

[Jim Bob]

Question, how have they been treated by their peers? I remember HS being extra ruthless for gay people. No one really transitioned at my school, either. They would've been tormented. I'm wondering if mids these days are more lenient on those sort of things.

Like most things, it has been a mix.

He has plenty of friends in art classes and chorus that are all different varieties of LGBTQIA+. He has a really diverse set of different friend groups including one where he is the only non-Asian kid in the group.

He has also had to deal with transphobic classmates. The worst incident was when he was going to the bathroom in a stall in a boys bathroom. A group of boys gathered outside the stall and threatened to beat him up when he came out. He just outwaited them and now tries to avoid going to the bathroom at school at all costs.

His district is pretty supportive. But, they cannot legislate out the hate in the hearts of homophobic and transphobic kids.

And then there was the time his older brother made a sarcastic comment to him for wearing a rainbow lei during Pride Week. Both of their friend groups were shocked because they didn't know they were brothers and it was a joke.

 

[CowbellConray]

Very hard to keep politics out of some of the discussions going on in here.

Around the literacy discussion , there was a post on reddit last night about the US having the worst reading levels in the past 26 years. There is a lot to unpack with it, but I posted my thoughts on it from the perspective of a teacher's husband for the past decade. The one thing I will suggest to Parents of kids here - please please please prioritize their education via learning at home. Just talking with your kid each night about what they are learning and the application of that learning in the real world is such an important component of their growth.

"There are a lot of fundamental issues with our education. Our society doesn't support the culture needed to learn and address issues with kids. The bulk of teachers are frankly not to the standard they need to be - and when I say the bulk I mean the bulk. Parents do not prioritize their children's learning. Schools hide issues out of ease. Good teachers leave because they aren't paid for their success and are sick of dealing with everything else. Funding is used on new curriculums every year instead of more important items.

A HUGE issue is a lack of parental involvement in fundamental reading comprehension. Parents do not reinforce their children's learning. My wife has been a K-2 teacher for a decade who recently departmentalized to reading and writing. She has second grade students who do not understand their letters, and have such bad speech patterns that they are unable to sound out effectively. Parents (and I'm not being anecdotal, I'm talking 15+ sets of parents in the past 3 years) challenge the idea of their child not being able to read, because they give them the same book every few days and the child has memorized the words.

It's a hard reality when a parent's child struggles at something. Unfortunately, society now simply does not handle hardship effectively. We see it in so many social situations. Instead of working harder with the child - they complain that the "system" is broken.

Where teachers are to blame is their lack of spine in keeping kids back when they have not fully learned required material. Teachers dont document, they do not collect data, they do not address issues with children real time.... they hide issues until it passes to the next year so someone else can deal with it. Again, I point to our society not being able to handle hardship. In addition, school leadership wants strong passing rates, so they push kids through instead of holding them back.

It's a mess.

 

[Dubi Doo]

Like most things, it has been a mix.

He has plenty of friends in art classes and chorus that are all different varieties of LGBTQIA+. He has a really diverse set of different friend groups including one where he is the only non-Asian kid in the group.

He has also had to deal with transphobic classmates. The worst incident was when he was going to the bathroom in a stall in a boys bathroom. A group of boys gathered outside the stall and threatened to beat him up when he came out. He just outwaited them and now tries to avoid going to the bathroom at school at all costs.

His district is pretty supportive. But, they cannot legislate out the hate in the hearts of homophobic and transphobic kids.

And then there was the time his older brother made a sarcastic comment to him for wearing a rainbow lei during Pride Week. Both of their friend groups were shocked because they didn't know they were brothers and it was a joke.

Yeah. They have it rough. I was pretty homophobic in HS, though I never bullied kids. We'd just throw the f word around like it was nothing. I didn't have a great attitude toward trans people, either, until my early 20s. It's been a journey of learning and past reflection.

I will say, actually knowing a family with a trans kid has opened my mind even more. Most of us our products to the environments we're raised in. It's good to venture out of your environment, and just try to view people as people. Even if it is a bit weird.

This is America afterall. A society that preaches freedom + has 350 million people living there will produce populations that some may find weird. It's the byproduct of letting people have the freedoms to explore themselves and express themselves. Humans are complex as hell afterall.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

Jesus Christ either there is or there isn't political talk in here. Because it seems to me only one side of the politics gets to be discussed here.

You can think or feel about how you want about people, but treating people f***ing normal shouldn’t be political. Because once you eliminate certain people (either socially or any other way), it’s extremely easy to then demonize and give it another go.

I personally treat everyone how I want them to treat me. It doesn’t seem to cause any problems.

 

[truthbluth]

Do we really need to go down this path - there were things that happened from 2016-2020 that impacted our lives, 2020-2024 that impact our lives, and there will be things from 2024 on that will do so. Neither side is perfect, we dont need to dive down the hole this really isn't the place for this

Respectfully, that's horseshit. I'm about to be in a zero income family, and it's not because of larger economic forces, or as an indirect result of a policy change 12 months ago. It's because a billionaire technocrat is firing people without cause in order to install loyalists. If I can't call that out as infuriating because some people are too sensitive then this may as well be a 'good news only' thread, which would make it about as useful as a screen door on a submarine.

 

[CowbellConray]

Respectfully, that's horseshit. I'm about to be in a zero income family, and it's not because of larger economic forces, or as an indirect result of a policy change 12 months ago. It's because a billionaire technocrat is firing people without cause in order to install loyalists. If I can't call that out as infuriating because some people are too sensitive then this may as well be a 'good news only' thread, which would make it about as useful as a screen door on a submarine.

And when policies enacted in 2020 and 2021 impacted the economy and led to less spending in corporate environments, I watched 6000 people, including 10 people from my team, and over 50 people I knew personally in the company get let go in an effort to stay afloat.

Bad things happen every year. The situation we are in right now as a country is not different to 2020-2024 other than the "show" around it. At the end of the day, the economy and country are evolving (like they always do) and people are impacted. I'm sorry that right now it is you that is facing that concern. Two years ago it was me. Lived experiences may be different, but the society as a whole really isn't

 

[Beerz]

Respectfully, that's horseshit. I'm about to be in a zero income family, and it's not because of larger economic forces, or as an indirect result of a policy change 12 months ago. It's because a billionaire technocrat is firing people without cause in order to install loyalists. If I can't call that out as infuriating because some people are too sensitive then this may as well be a 'good news only' thread, which would make it about as useful as a screen door on a submarine.

People are fired everyday.. this isn't some unique situation here. I have been terminated for silly political shit.
While I can empathize with your situation it doesn't change the fact that you get to spill all your venom for what you see and others who may have a different view on things are not allowed. Like I said ..your opinions don't bother me..when they can't be challenged..that bothers me.

 

[Jim Bob]

Yeah. They have it rough. I was pretty homophobic in HS, though I never bullied kids. We'd just throw the f word around like it was nothing. I didn't have a great attitude toward trans people, either, until my early 20s. It's been a journey of learning and past reflection.

I will say, actually knowing a family with a trans kid has opened my mind even more. Most of us our products to the environments we're raised in. It's good to venture out of your environment, and just try to view people as people. Even if it is a bit weird.

This is America afterall. A society that preaches freedom + has 350 million people living there will produce populations that some may find weird. It's the byproduct of letting people have the freedoms to explore themselves and express themselves. Humans are complex as hell afterall.

Actually knowing different people is a huge thing.

My cishet white son who is a college junior has talked about how much anti-Middle Eastern racism he has seen at college. And a lot of it is from other kids of color.

My son sees it differently because he had a HS friend and lacrosse teammates who was Muslim and an immigrant from Turkey. His parents didn't speak English. But, Nate met them and knew they were really nice people.

It's harder to blanketly hate people when you know people in whatever group is being hated on in the moment.

 

[TehDoak]

I ordered a drone that was shipping from China on Sunday (trying to beat the tariffs jacking up the price more).

He got into Kentucky and is currently holding. Thankfully its UPS not USPS.

 

[truthbluth]

And when policies enacted in 2020 and 2021 impacted the economy and led to less spending in corporate environments, I watched 6000 people, including 10 people from my team, and over 50 people I knew personally in the company get let go in an effort to stay afloat.

Bad things happen every year. The situation we are in right now as a country is not different to 2020-2024 other than the "show" around it. At the end of the day, the economy and country are evolving (like they always do) and people are impacted. I'm sorry that right now it is you that is facing that concern. Two years ago it was me. Lived experiences may be different, but the society as a whole really isn't

I just told you, this isn't an indirect result of a policy that may or may not have impacted me.
I'm angry about a specific act of firing people without cause. It's political, because my wife is a fed, but if I were bitching about a corporate CEO firing people to give handouts to his rich friends nobody would have issue with that. I'm griping about a specific action, by a specific person, and it is only incidentally political.