Ms. Shirude

Anne Frank died of typhus at Bergen-Belsen

I haven’t said this (and meant it) in a while: I don’t look forward to going to work anymore. Not because of the kids. Because of the adults. Because of the system. Because of the adults in the system.

Day 15: nothing to write home about!

Day 14: 9/10 graders are doing great as always. Seniors are still killing me.

I was walking around today during advisory & majority of the classes I walked by had students sitting on their phones. It was really disheartening. That’s an adult choice. I’m not sure why it’s so difficult for adults.

Michio Kaku on H1B being the secret weapon of the US.

Day 13: my first “needs phone as an accommodation” experience. Kid could use their laptop for the same accommodation but alas, wasn’t a hill worth dying on so, whatever.

Gave up on seniors putting phones in the holders since they don’t have them out at least. Let’s see about as the year goes on…

It really feels like mentor teachers should be given 25-50% of the tuition pre service teachers pay for grad school. I swear some programs just use scripted curriculum and fail the candidates. I spend 3-4 hours a day mentoring (not including teaching classes) for a whopping $500 a year at most.

Day 12: today’s lesson was engaging enough that kids weren’t on their phones even with my upperclassman.

I did hear from colleagues that kids have been bringing old phones to put in the hanging phone holders 💀

Attendance & engagement is still up nonetheless!

Day 9-11: definitely forgot to give out the numbers for the calculators. Still a nonissue in my 9/10 classes but my juniors and seniors are having a hard time now. They are still mostly away but they need reminders to put them away while my younger kids don’t.

lol. Without a doubt D.

Day 7-8: I decided to assign everyone a holder number like the rest of the staff did. I was going to keep using the same system I did before with swapping calculators for phones, but that seems to be more difficult now that other teachers have a different system. Guess I’ll bend this time.

Day 2-6: phones really haven’t been too much of an issue. I had about 20% of my 12th graders conveniently not put them into the holders unless reminded the first full week. The same ones I had issues with when I taught them as 10th graders. Didn’t take more than a reminder though 😊

Day 1: I didn’t have students today but spent the time supporting my colleagues who did. We spent a good chunk of time teaching and learning about the WHY behind our policy. I had a great convo with some seniors about it and they really got on board with the policy. It was great to see.

My school is implementing a “no cells, bell to bell” policy. Including for staff!
I think I’ll post daily reflections about on this thread. However, don’t be surprised if they don’t happen daily. It’s already resulted in me using my own phone less often. I’m pretty happy about it.

I don’t think I even know what a serviceberry is… I wonder if it’s got multiple names or if it’s just not a local plant so I don’t know it.

I know I could look it up, but I think I’ll wait for the read to figure it out lol

I’m really disappointed with what I’m seeing from Tpep programs around supporting young adult interns. These young people are not as we were.

Teacher Educators of today need to come down to the HS & see how we are supporting our students bc y’all aren’t prepared for the young adults you’re serving.

Neurodivergent teacher candidates need neurodivergent mentor teachers.

Teacher prep programs: do you train your field coaches using trauma informed practices for coaching?

I cannot wait until I have a moment to read this. I’m hoping to read it over fall break 🙏🏽

Aw… thanks Tyrone. I love being in such good company 🥰

Happy to chat. I’ve had a cell phone policy in my class since before Covid online school.

Got a project in mind for our special issue on ethnic studies+student activism? Apply to our workshop, Oct 11, to get feedback on your ideas and connect with others on the dreams and struggles embedded in this work. Space is limited; apply soon!

Gary Manuel in Pioneer Square is great & my go to now. I’ve also had a good experience at FoxyCuts but it’s been over 6 years now so not sure who is there.

Wedding festivities are wrapped up. I’m grateful to @arsinoepi.bsky.social & @amperslammed.bsky.social for flying out here to celebrate with us for several days! It created extra time for me to be human & not just a teacher this summer. I think it’s the first time I’ve really rested on summer break.

Post from "The Rundown" July 18 at 5:30 PM · DuckDuckGo has introduced a new feature allowing users to filter out AI-generated images from search results, addressing growing concerns over synthetic content overwhelming authentic visuals online. The filter can be activated through a dropdown in the Images tab, search settings, or by using a dedicated AI-free domain: noai.duckduckgo.com. The system relies on curated blocklists, including uBlockOrigin’s Huge AI Blocklist, to detect and suppress AI-generated imagery. While not perfect, it significantly reduces synthetic content visibility. This move sets DuckDuckGo apart from competitors like Google and Bing by giving users direct control over their exposure to AI-generated material. Source: TechCrunch

DuckDuckGo has added a feature to filter out AI images from search results.

Sunday morning.

I often wonder why people follow me on here. What are they hoping I say? What are they hoping they can learn from me? How do they expect to engage with me?
RSD Musings…

I am devastated by the loss of Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in a horrifying act of violence. Our prayers are with their children and all who loved them, and with State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, who were also targeted.

ALS is a quick and cruel disease that robs the body of the ability to move.

There is no cure, but now there is new hope. Scientists have developed a genetic toolkit that can target the exact nerve cells destroyed by ALS - a discovery that could speed up the quest for a cure.

Rest in power all the victims of the #Charleston shooting that was 10 years ago today. I can't believe it was that long ago.

White supremacy is a scourge this country and world.

And while demons won't necessarily haunt you the way a ghost will, they can do worse: demonic possession. "A demonic possession occurs when, through continued cooperation with a demon, a person essentially invites the demon in by aligning his will with that of the demon," explained ThoughtCo. This is where a demon's snake-like power of persuasion comes in handy - they essentially have to convince you of allowing them in, hence why they prey upon people with emotional or physical weaknesses who may be desperate or just not strong-willed enough to deny the temptations offered up by the demon.

Tell me this isn’t describing a cop