J.A. Weingarten (he/him)

Teachers in mid-April talking about their end of semester grading.

Coming May 27!

Learning is never a waste of time.

Donate to International Student in Canada, organized by Marcela Acosta Arroyave Hi everyone, my name is Marcela, I am Colombian and I arrived in Canada exactl… Marcela Acosta Arroyave needs your support for International Student in Canada

@academic-chatter.bsky.social

One of my students was scammed out of her life savings, and she has no family or friends in the country to help her (she's an international student). If you have even a few dollars, please give something to help her.

www.gofundme.com/f/nhfpmw-int...

TheHome | Made in CA The made in Canada resource to quickly find Canadian products, services and retailers, so you can use your dollars to support the Canadian economy.

Yep, Canadians are very scared. But that doesn't mean we aren't also very angry, supremely engaged, and finding informed, meaningful ways to fight back. Here's a helpful list to get started.

madeinca.ca

One of my favourite poets once wrote, "help me not to know." And gosh....those lines are hitting hard today.

When Trump said he'd make "America Great Again," I don't think anyone realized he meant he'd make the "Great Depression" again.

Tens of millions of voters wanted to find out how tariffs work. Now they, and the rest of the world, will get a chance to see how they ruin economies, make life unfathomably more expensive, lose people jobs & financial security, and create widespread mental health crises.

My students saw it is not foolish to (whenever possible) think the best of others and give them the benefit of the doubt.

It's in the best interests of everyone to do so.

They scribbled notes & left class. I hope they keep assuming the best of each other --- as we all should try to do.

"What's the worst that could come from making the best assumptions about their intentions and action?" And then, "What's the best that could come from assuming the worst of their their intentions and action?"

"A-ha" looks peppered their faces....

We did a simple exercise: we picked a fairly familiar scenario from our lives, whereby someone did something that upset us. Nothing fuelled by hate. Just an upsetting action.

I asked them to brainstorm with this prompt ...

...time I go through one of these episodes, I remember the importance of giving pretty much everyone the benefit of the doubt. The anxiety and fear remind me to be kinder and more patient, especially with my students.

This past week, I did an exercise with my students, where I talked about this ...

...that experiencing this kind of pain & working through it healthily would make me a better teacher. Because as hard as the panic, anxiety, and fear are to experience, they remind me that anyone, anywhere could be experiencing the same thing with less willingness to share the experience.

Every...

Mental health thread! @academic-chatter.bsky.social

Every few years--thankfully only every few years--I have a bout of severe anxiety and freezing up. It becomes a consuming fear of nearly everything that runs through me for a few weeks.

Someone told me once...

A pattern for troubled times:
Row 1: put your phone down
Row 2: pick up your hobby supplies
Row 3: make something for at least an hour
Row 4: take a photo of your make
Row 5: share that photo to your timeline (with alt text)
Row 6: like others' makes.

Rep rows 1-6 until time for tea.

This has been a bad week in the world. I'm really trying to figure out what's keeping people hopeful as this horrible week in the world wraps up.

#mentalhealth
#anxiety
#hope
#politics
#stress
#lgbtq2s+
#transrights
#goodnews

If you were as moved as I was by Bishop Budde's bravery this week, then a suggestion: write her (I just did) to thank her for her courage, humanity, and kindness. We need more of that, and I am betting she'll need a lot of it reflected back. <3

#Budde
#BishopBudde
#Trump

My daughter's exchange with her dentist gives me hope:

Dentist: "We need to take off your sweater. Do you have a shirt under it?"
Daughter: "Yes, it says 'Girls Can Do Anything.'"
Dentist: "Great!"
Daughter: "Are you a girl?"
Dentist: "Yes I am."
Daughter: "Then you can do anything."

In case anyone needs to hear this today: trans rights are still human rights.

Today, honor a King, not a Felon. #mlkday2025

I ❤️ trans people.

I’ll be posting this today

Can we go to one of the timelines where one of the female candidates won? I just want to see something.

Operation: Don't Read the News for the Next Four Years is live.

Thanks so much --- this is great advice! I'll take a look at your links. I'm really not sure I can afford the cost, because I'd be paying out of pocket.

That is one great doggo :) Thank you.

I'm just going to say again: I love the @bsky.app @support.bsky.team team. The ability to tailor things so that my feed isn't constantly filled with Trump and all the other toxic voices in the world is a big relief.

Because I'm not sure I can afford to hire someone to do the work sadly!