The Chit Chat Chit Chat Thread

[donaldtoo]

Does that come with a cool elevator?

Potentially. Depending on what your definition of "cool elevator" is...!

 

[donaldtoo]

Thanks for the warning!

Hey, I'm a giver.

 

[JenniferS]

@Goofyernmost - Now that I'm home, I whipped you up a belated birthday cake.
Sorry, I did not have baking privileges at the hotel.

 

[Goofyernmost]

@Goofyernmost - Now that I'm home, I whipped you up a belated birthday cake.
Sorry, I did not have baking privileges at the hotel.

View attachment 103459

Thanks, that almost beats my granddaughters birthday card. Nice just the same. Oh, and by the way... thanks for supporting our economy. That should delay any need to take over Canada for at least a few days. You can make up the deficit on your trip to WDW!

 

[donaldtoo]

When you do, I pray I'm upwind of you.

Definitely.
But, there is no escaping the "magnitude".

 

[Gabe1]

Wow. That's interesting on a number of levels. With regard to (some) people who think you aren't working, and have an easy job, they're basically saying that teachers don't deliver much of a quality education to their kids. Yet, if they truly believed that, why are they still sending their kids to these dysfunctional classrooms?

Hence, I suspect the bone of contention is the time off (school vacations, summer break) that teachers get, while others working in other professions, do not. Things aren't always as they appear, though.

I've also known a few teachers (one of my aunts was a high school teacher, and one of my uncles was a professor of English literature at a college). Often, the teachers were attending meetings at the schools while the kiddos were off, or doing some private tutoring of a few students in the summer, in addition to taking some vacation for themselves. Some are up late during the school year grading papers and developing lesson plans. Sure, there's some dead weight in the teaching profession, but there's some dead weight in every other business, too.

Both of my kids very best overall teacher was their 1st grade teacher. An amazing women who had a goal to prepare each child to go to second grade successfully. She didn't have to work, she came from a old money had her undergrad from Yale and masters from John Hopkins. She was well educated and knew how to educate the little tykes. And from there my son seemed to draw some real good teachers throughout elementary school and my DD had one clunker after the next. It is actually starting to get a bit better though. Our latest superintendent doesn't let staff stay in the same position to long. She believes changing grade levels keeps them fresh and more creative and not in a rut, bored themselves teaching the same thing over and over. She also started hiring staff that had duel degrees. Science/Math, History/English etc. So as a middle school teacher you can have one classroom of 6th graders 1st period teaching math and next class being teach bio to 8th graders. Unique but both of our Spanish teachers taught both a couple sections of English and also Spanish.

High School was a roll of the dice. The entire English Department was way too overzealous with the amount of homework attached to each class, the amount of novels assigned was difficult for any student in extra-curricular activities. My DD had amazing math teachers my DS didn't. My DD had an awful adviser my sons was amazing. My take on what I've seen is some of them are amazing throughout their careers. Some are bored and should just move onto another career. And about 10% should have never achieved tenure but somehow did. I think the teachers I have the most empathy for is the young Moms. I know how hard those years were on me daily. I can't imagine teaching a classroom of young kids or high school students on 3 hours sleep.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

And I have a dream of relocating to Florida someday? Just saw the youtube on our local news.

Man is warned by official that his BBQ smoke can't leave his property. If you can smell the BBQ from the street he is in violation.

Oh Florida! I thought Illinois was crazy.

Hubby would be arrested for his BBQ then. Strange laws.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

One small side note about the Windows 10 release (can you tell I'm excited?)

Yesterday, my tablet was plugged in and refused to charge. I couldn't figure out why and was about to restart, but instead just left it.

When I looked at the date on the Windows 10 file, it was the time that my tablet refused to charge.

Just a warning to laptop/Surface users.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Wow. That's interesting on a number of levels. With regard to (some) people who think you aren't working, and have an easy job, they're basically saying that teachers don't deliver much of a quality education to their kids. Yet, if they truly believed that, why are they still sending their kids to these dysfunctional classrooms?

Hence, I suspect the bone of contention is the time off (school vacations, summer break) that teachers get, while others working in other professions, do not. Things aren't always as they appear, though.

I've also known a few teachers (one of my aunts was a high school teacher, and one of my uncles was a professor of English literature at a college). Often, the teachers were attending meetings at the schools while the kiddos were off, or doing some private tutoring of a few students in the summer, in addition to taking some vacation for themselves. Some are up late during the school year grading papers and developing lesson plans. Sure, there's some dead weight in the teaching profession, but there's some dead weight in every other business, too.

With some of the people in our community it isn't that they don't think teacher do a quality job, it is more of some (not all) of them seeing the benefits of education and higher education. We definitely have many kids that are high achievers (4 of our graduates in the last two years have gone on to Ivy League schools with full rides) but the group of parents who don't see much value in education are more vocal than others.

 

[donaldtoo]

Are you the one in the front row with the red plaid shirt?

Yep!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

In The News: I had a good/bad day today. First the Bad... Today I was informed that I have prostate cancer. Then the good... it's not at a point where they think I need to do anything about it and that it might develop or it might just stay at the semi-dormant stage for a long time. We are going into monitor mode. So although it's not good news, it's not the worst I could get either. Just not a great thing to tell anyone on the day after their birthday.

Sympathy like. I wish you all the best, and hope that it stays dormant. Keep a close eye on it. You are the second person this week I know that has had a cancer diagnosis. A friend of mine has been diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. If you don't mind (I don't know if you have any religious leanings) I'll keep you in my prayers.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Teachers have of the hardest, most important jobs there is.

Thanks! Everyone's job is important though. Except for maybe drug dealers and "ladies of the night".

 

[JenniferS]

Thanks, that almost beats my granddaughters birthday card. Nice just the same. Oh, and by the way... thanks for supporting our economy. That should delay any need to take over Canada for at least a few days. You can make up the deficit on your trip to WDW!

There was a time, not too many years ago, when Buffalo retailers were literally hugging Canadians for keeping their businesses afloat. Visit the Walden Galleria sometime and count the Ontario plates in the parking lot. Easily half. Sometimes more.
Pretty sure we were helpful in keeping Disney rooms booked for a while there too.

And I personally, should be thanked more than most Canadians for supporting your economy. Well, you guys and Costco.

 

[JenniferS]

Yep!

We're good. Who's next?

 

[catmom46]

In The News: I had a good/bad day today. First the Bad... Today I was informed that I have prostate cancer. Then the good... it's not at a point where they think I need to do anything about it and that it might develop or it might just stay at the semi-dormant stage for a long time. We are going into monitor mode. So although it's not good news, it's not the worst I could get either. Just not a great thing to tell anyone on the day after their birthday.

I'm also very sorry to hear that, but from what I've read online the "watchful waiting" is more common now, since treatment could do more harm than good. And that it's highly treatable when detected at an early stage. As you can tell, I'm going to play the cheerleader in this scenario.

Happy belated birthday, too!!

 

[JenniferS]

You sure... it looks more like a car cover from here. :-0

It's a good thing I baked that cake before I read that car cover comment, Buddy-Boy.

 

[catmom46]

Both of my kids very best overall teacher was their 1st grade teacher. An amazing women who had a goal to prepare each child to go to second grade successfully. She didn't have to work, she came from a old money had her undergrad from Yale and masters from John Hopkins. She was well educated and knew how to educate the little tykes. And from there my son seemed to draw some real good teachers throughout elementary school and my DD had one clunker after the next. It is actually starting to get a bit better though. Our latest superintendent doesn't let staff stay in the same position to long. She believes changing grade levels keeps them fresh and more creative and not in a rut, bored themselves teaching the same thing over and over. She also started hiring staff that had duel degrees. Science/Math, History/English etc. So as a middle school teacher you can have one classroom of 6th graders 1st period teaching math and next class being teach bio to 8th graders. Unique but both of our Spanish teachers taught both a couple sections of English and also Spanish.

High School was a roll of the dice. The entire English Department was way too overzealous with the amount of homework attached to each class, the amount of novels assigned was difficult for any student in extra-curricular activities. My DD had amazing math teachers my DS didn't. My DD had an awful adviser my sons was amazing. My take on what I've seen is some of them are amazing throughout their careers. Some are bored and should just move onto another career. And about 10% should have never achieved tenure but somehow did. I think the teachers I have the most empathy for is the young Moms. I know how hard those years were on me daily. I can't imagine teaching a classroom of young kids or high school students on 3 hours sleep.

Tenure is definitely a double-edged sword. Yes, it's great to reward great teachers, but sucidoodles when they aren't.

 

[donaldtoo]

View attachment 103039

As priceless now as the first time I posted it.

 

[JenniferS]

As priceless now as the first time I posted it.

Please tell me I gave you credit the first time I stole (oops, I mean "used") it.

 

[Gabe1]

Hey, @Gabe1 , remember last summer when I told you about Jack's favorite hobby--hunting house flies? Well, we just had some intermittent rain storm in the area over the past few days, and it brought with it, a lot of flies. Open the door, in fly the flies inside.

Now, hubby can't stand flies. So, I just went downstairs and I saw the funniest sight. Hubby was running around like a lunatic with a fly swatter, and Jack was also engaged in the big fly hunt. Turns out they had both picked the same fly and a collision ensued!! While hubby went to swat a fly near a wall, Jack also jumped up to catch that exact fly in his mouth--and he and hubby crashed into each other, and fell to the floor! (Neither was hurt.) I truly think that if hubby just stayed out of it, Jack would have nabbed most of the flies in his airborne attacks!

Well my DD who loves all thing Jack stories (still giggles about Mustard Jack) just laughed along with me as I read her Jack & his Master Fly episode. Too funny. We love Jack.