Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing!

If I don’t know you, how in the Jimmy Crack Corn am I going to give you an honest referral?!

I’ve received at least 6 inquiries over the last week from folks who I don’t even know asking me if I can refer them for jobs.

No! That’s not how this works!

If you don't know somebody personally as a friend or within a professional network, skipping the initial chat or "coffee conversation" puts you in a position where you don't even know someone and you're asking for them to refer you for a job. This is bad job-seeking etiquette.

My suspicion is that the advice-givers are trying to position this as a win-win situation, where if the referral gets hired and the company offers a referral bonus then everyone gets money.

The issue is that in order to submit a referral you generally have to, you know, KNOW THE PERSON.

So in today's edition of "please stop listening to advice that you see on TikTok," there must be some "wisdom" floating around that if you apply for a job (especially if it’s in tech) to cold message people who already work there and ask for a referral.

This is not good advice. Do not do this.

Kourt and I had an absolutely wonderful “staycation” (since we live 25 minutes away, we staycation at Disney!) at Animal Kingdom Lodge this past weekend. We made it a mission to go to Animal Kingdom each day too.

If I say "guess who I ran into at Disney" @victoriathetech.bsky.social is usually a good guess!

This week I'm in Chicago, IL for an internal work conference.

Today we had our "Women in K-12 IT" breakfast. It was so yummy!

Shout out to all of my educators, school leaders, and district folks starting the school year today! 🎉

Have an AWESOME day!

I used to get swept up in these debates until I’d go into buildings and realized nobody cared and these were mostly “terminally online” conversations. Especially now, people just want to do their jobs as best as they can, help kids as best as they can, and then go home to their spaces and relax.

It’s like every year the same topics get rehashed and the same answers get rehashed too. There are one or two great answers and options that come from it but otherwise it’s just people fighting.

Not worth it. Not worth your time. Not worth your energy.

For the last few years I have not participated in what I refer to as “pencil discourse.” If you’re in education and this (and the school supplies conversation) stresses you out, I encourage you to do the same. If it’s worth your peace of mind, stepping out is ALWAYS the right option.

Kourt’s home, our neighbor is over (more on that later—if you’re on the other site, you’ve probably seen the saga where I helped my elderly neighbor get set up with an online dating profile), I made a pot of tea and made a cookie cake, it’s raining, and it’s another peaceful Saturday evening. 🌧️

Awww hi Becca! I hope she's having an awesome day!

Hey hey! How's it going?

😂 yes, this is me!

a man in a suit is carrying a stack of pizza boxes . ALT: a man in a suit is carrying a stack of pizza boxes .

It's been about 2 months (mostly because of laziness--I don't really keep social media on my phone) but ya girl is back!

What have I missed?

Alright alright alright it's been a while!

I'll be headed to Georgia today to be a part of their "Cobb In Tech" conference in Cobb County, GA! I can't wait!

This is a friendly reminder that the best store in the world, Costco, will be closed on Monday, May 26th in observation of Memorial Day.

If you need anything from Costco soon, get it before next Monday!

What else do you do on a Friday evening but make a quick run to #EPCOT to get the gorgeous new #Maleficent AP magnet!
Bonus points running into @victoriathetech.bsky.social and Kourtney at the Boardwalk! #DisSky

It should be here! - shop.mccormick.com/collections/...

It's been a good week, but I'm also ready to get to Epcot tonight. Y'all feel me?

These layoffs were not performance based, as most layoffs aren't. A company can look at you and say "we are eliminating your role, please turn in your badge" in ways that a school or district really cannot.

Some folks had been at the company for 15+ years. It's just sad and awful.

Whew, it's been a while. And I woke up yesterday to news of mass layoffs at a company I used to work at (3% of the workforce, nearly 7000 people).

This is a friendly reminder from your local edtech and Disney enthusiast that if you are in education right now, DO NOT QUIT YOUR JOB.

The Cholula Variety Pack is back.

All of my fellow hot sauce lovers: run, don’t walk.

College of Charleston Giving Each year, private support to the College of Charleston plays a critical role in preserving our place as one of the nation's best public liberal arts and sciences universities.

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week! 📚

Years ago, Kourt and I created a scholarship at my undergrad alma mater. The scholarship alleviates financial burden for pre-service teachers during the student teaching semester. Consider donating if you can!

Link: give.cofc.edu/Thompson-Johns…

Good point. That would have been BRILLIANT.

I had to explain the concept of dial-up internet today to a bunch of kids and simultaneously explained that you couldn’t be on the internet AND the telephone at the same time and they could not believe the words that were coming out of my mouth. They thought I was lying.

I’ve been MIA the last 9-ish days because I’ve been on vacation! California (Disneyland), Hawaii (Aulani), and then California again (Knott’s Berry Farm).

I’m off tomorrow too since I don’t do well with time changes between zones more than an hour away, so I’ll be resuming normal ops on Tuesday.

On Easter Sunday!! It was definitely deliberate! Lol!

We had a great time at Disneyland yesterday! Our first ride was one of our favorites: Mr. Toad's Wild Ride!