Dr. Njck

Shortform posts obviously can't capture all my thoughts on this and I'm definitely not smart enough to have any definitive solutions to the myriad of issues students/teachers are facing. But given the choice between minimum grades and not, right now I'd say I prefer not.

I certainly take zero pleasure in watching a student earn poor grades. But I'm not doing them any favors by allowing them to put forth minimal effort and then move on to even more difficult material next year. It harms both them and my colleagues.

That's obviously just my school's particular system, but it certainly doesn't seem impossible given interventions and the right supports

Even with a 0% in Q1 a student could still pass (60%) with something like B's in every other quarter/exams

As to your point about a student finding themselves in too deep a hole and giving up. I'm not a math teacher, so correct me if I'm wrong, but our weighting is (Y1 = S1 + S2) (S 1&2 = Q1 45% + Q2 45% + Exam 10%)

Speaking as a HS teacher I have to disagree with the sentiment. Obviously no system is perfect, but our system of minimum grades right now is just pushing kids through without demonstrating that they are ready for the next level.

Thanks to the clue from the "Iowa History" category a few weeks back that mentions handcarts specifically, this is how I discover Ken Jennings is Mormon

This headline, with that picture, leaves me with a few concerns...

Because there are a lot of them! And they're substantial and relevant still today. You don't have to remake a game from 2003. You have to understand what design elements you left behind in 2003 that *people still want*, and how that came to happen.

I'll never forgive the world for rejecting Solo. A fun 7/10 heist movie with a charismatic lead and potential for growth. Who doesn't want more Han Solo?

The Yooka-Laylee Remaster is fantastic. Great for new players. The intro is reworked to be a streamlined tutorial instead of just dropping you into the open world. And you can easily unlock modifiers to make the game easier or more difficult as you like (e.g. x2 your health, adding in fall damage)

I certainly felt at odds with reviews I saw praising it as a masterpiece, but I can't imagine how someone could *hate* it without just wanting to be contrarian. It's a great movie and at worst could be called average!

Watched Rocky again. While Rocky isn't "underrated" I feel like the first movie isn't treated as seriously just by virtue of the sequels' existence. Had Rocky been a standalone, more people would treat it like a masterpiece of cinema instead of just the first in a generally well loved franchise.

If you're too sick for school you're too sick to be copying grimoires

Human artists, use only once piece to convince people to follow you!

At first it was novel. Now each new one fills me with a new level of just simmering disgust

I read someone else describe Islington's work on this trilogy as being a "cook" and not a "chef". i.e. He does a good job using concepts and techniques made popular by other authors, but he fails to really deliver anything innovative. I think it was his debut novel, so that critique makes sense.

Cyberpunk's more cinematic dialogue scenes are phenomenal on so many levels, but I think it's in conveying tension where they really shine. Which is wild, because I know that my V could literally take on an army if I had too. Really speaks to the quality of the direction I'd guess.

It's my absolute favorite film. Everything that is perfect about "the movies" as an experience.

Been reading "The Shadow of What Was Lost" by James Islington as I am a sucker for epic fantasy. Enjoyable so far if a bit tough to keep track of all the major players. It's unfair, but I always compare a new series to the Wheel of Time and this is another that again falls well short.

vertical slice scene from 2024

Ahh that's an interesting perspective. Well I hope you can get as much enjoyment out of it as others do someday.

#LetterboxdFriday
#LastFourWatched
Haven't watched any of the films I got over Christmas yet.

Only a 2/5 for Heat? Never heard anyone describe it as below avg. Mind if I ask why?

The “prosecute the former regime at every level” candidate has my vote in 2028.

Been playing games with my wife for years now and I still have to remind her about what the L3 and R3 are. I take that to believe it's just something your casual gamer is always going to struggle with and find frustrating.

I liked Odyssey quite a bit, but I felt burnt out by the massive open world and it's gameplay by the end. I dropped Valhalla about halfway through and I'm mostly of the opinion the series was better before it's shift. But I do still think Origins and Odyssey are great.

Wait shit I'm dumb, "Origins" is when the series shifted into action games lol. Either way both are great.