tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49015404191818103302024-03-15T19:51:05.742-07:00ListphoriaListphoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270498776542501186noreply@blogger.comBlogger329125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901540419181810330.post-4883595359754220792024-02-06T16:41:00.000-08:002024-02-06T16:51:12.248-08:0020 Novels, Described Poorly<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicsOKxICo2l9pdWusBhoqE2ONPL5Ey3ltOdRcIVnaAKV7GRe2-HMhFbofrJwDsuuefoHGZ1C4POfqLucwNOPRZ-RV9DZyc9QebPxnCI4ozyyGVgj7GcLsuT59ahDh6DSPkbKCXTYGeiluhZ_VCYSAojQO2Oe7DfnLxmzi-qV0vIa7NYqrA8vnhiTLVB-4j/s2560/classic-books-opener-01-scaled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="2560" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicsOKxICo2l9pdWusBhoqE2ONPL5Ey3ltOdRcIVnaAKV7GRe2-HMhFbofrJwDsuuefoHGZ1C4POfqLucwNOPRZ-RV9DZyc9QebPxnCI4ozyyGVgj7GcLsuT59ahDh6DSPkbKCXTYGeiluhZ_VCYSAojQO2Oe7DfnLxmzi-qV0vIa7NYqrA8vnhiTLVB-4j/w320-h320/classic-books-opener-01-scaled.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>How many of these famous tales can you identify based on these extremely inept summaries? <p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->There are men and several rabbits but, puzzlingly,
no mice.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->A girl learns never to run around in the woods
dressed as a ham<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->A boy goes off to a wizard school where he
becomes a jock <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->It’s the best of times because the two lovers
get to live happily ever after, but it’s the worst of times because a lot of
people get their heads chopped off<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->A guy inherits a ring that brings people really
bad luck<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->A gold-digging Southern belle spends the Civil
War marrying up<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->A guy buys a painting that doesn’t age well. At
all. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->A white whale tries to escape from an obsessive
stalker<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->A guy throws parties for friends but never
attends them himself because I guess he’s an introvert?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->A psychotic candymaker uses his chocolate
factory to lure children to their death<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Four sisters find ways to keep themselves busy
until they land husbands<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->A town decides to assign each female a letter,
which they have to wear sewn to their dress, but they never get past the letter
‘A’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">13.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->A guy who’s just trying to live his best life in
an African village gets dragged away by a nosy sailor <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">14.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Society finally achieves a utopia where everyone
owns large screen televisions, but some guys who likes books can’t stop
complaining<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">15.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->A successful capitalist is tormented by communists
ghosts until he agrees to share his wealth<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">16.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->A group of mean girls create drama in a Puritan
community (hint: rhymes with “bitches”)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">17.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->People travelling on a luxury train have their vacation
ruined by a murder<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">18.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->A group of kids on an island survive by hunting
pigs<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">19.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->An old fisherman refuses to adopt modern fishing
practices<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">20.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->A house that is already architecturally unsound finally
collapses due to the added weight of a woman who has risen from the grave<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">____________________</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">1. Of Mice and Men; 2. To Kill a Mockingbird; 3. Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone; 4. A Tale of Two Cities; 5. The Lord of the
Rings; 6. Gone With the Wind; 7. The Picture of Dorian Gray; 8. Moby Dick; 9. The
Great Gatsby; 10. Charlie & the Chocolate Factory; 11. Little Women; 12. The
Scarlett Letter; 13. Heart of Darkness; 14. Fahrenheit 451; 15. A Christmas
Carol; 16. The Crucible; 17. Murder on the Orient Express; 18. The Lord of the Flies;
19. The Old Man and the Sea; 20. Fall of the House of Usher</span><o:p></o:p></p>Listphoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270498776542501186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901540419181810330.post-22237421159270728022023-12-22T06:52:00.000-08:002023-12-22T06:52:13.171-08:00NOVA Gothic -A list of 20 creepy/weird/terrifying things about life in Northern Virginia<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSEP8C4-Z-W8M7gOHZkLa9pNn6WVPMUEDYXyIaSBomFITwoUyHrflKqpnZRFXhKEK6nS9OGGXiY0NGeXpdnrwWrumWy_Bf4HEzFHHggbpB-idE-jWpqgoWadZhRWcNRNbz8uZ6s7qW4dx0Iwz7jzP3m0x_XbRArxnN7xFvn2ulF6PYcd1tdbuXm78Fk6U-/s2500/NOVA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1666" data-original-width="2500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSEP8C4-Z-W8M7gOHZkLa9pNn6WVPMUEDYXyIaSBomFITwoUyHrflKqpnZRFXhKEK6nS9OGGXiY0NGeXpdnrwWrumWy_Bf4HEzFHHggbpB-idE-jWpqgoWadZhRWcNRNbz8uZ6s7qW4dx0Iwz7jzP3m0x_XbRArxnN7xFvn2ulF6PYcd1tdbuXm78Fk6U-/s320/NOVA.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">Like many other states, Virginia has a split identity. The Western and Southern regions are largely rural and agricultural, but the Northern regions have been overrun by suburbs of Washington DC. Which may sound innocuous, but as someone who's lived in the NOVA area for most of their lives, I can attest to the fact that it's not all wine and roses, man-made lakes and big box stores. Here's a partial list of some of the unnerving aspects of living in NOVA - some a little silly, otherwise legitimately terrifying: </p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>You’ve never seen a bear/wolf/bobcat in your neighborhood, but you know someone who has.</li><li>Suiting up like Mad Max for a trip to the grocery store before any snowstorm expected to deposit more than 2.”</li><li>Local radio stations run ads for global weapons systems.</li><li>No one questions your 60-minute daily commute to the adjacent suburb.</li><li>That guy throwing something into a trash at the local park could be discarding harmless picnic scraps ... or they could be a spy making a dead drop.</li><li>Paying as much for a house as other people might spend to purchase their own private Caribbean Island.</li><li>Helicopters have been circling for over an hour. No one notices.</li><li>Neighbor down the way, when asked what they do for a living, answers in the vaguest way: “I’m a civil servant.”</li><li>Potentially living next to (or on top of) the unmarked graves of Civil War soldiers.</li><li>Our most insidious invasive species isn’t kudzu, it’s McMansions.</li><li>Government shutdowns are existential crises.</li><li>Fire drills? Earthquake drills? Try nuclear attack drills.</li><li>Is it a road improvement project, or are they installing yet another secret underground bunker? </li><li>HOAs with more power than some third-world governments.</li><li>Every day, the data server farms creep a little closer to your home.</li><li>Our local competitive sport isn’t high school football … it’s school board meetings.</li><li>Pairing business suits with tennis shoes or flip flops is socially acceptable.</li><li>Local roads with 10 lanes.</li><li>Helicopter dog parents.</li><li>Stars? Apparently they’re a real thing, but no one’s ever actually seen them thanks to the 24/7 glare of traffic lights, LED-illuminated retail signage, and office buildings with all the lights left on overnight.</li></ol>
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>Listphoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270498776542501186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901540419181810330.post-41940288655374520262023-12-02T18:06:00.000-08:002023-12-02T18:06:36.584-08:00"He's a 10, but ...": literary edition!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFmNdfdcxVSVDpK84MJNVs5sKnmAoPbEXUE3uYcqaSotEWioczl38rHpU9GEQr7xltiK7ATejhcve5Q8H9pC-jIrRZ2H4a4N_INZV0Ij-pmikctGatg-2Bv55lX0unk8oxtuitTflad_dSlTOujEUh5952vXndwR9PWYYrh5Pwpms2pvRIVshHs8agFhk/s1080/Hes%20a%2010%20but.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFmNdfdcxVSVDpK84MJNVs5sKnmAoPbEXUE3uYcqaSotEWioczl38rHpU9GEQr7xltiK7ATejhcve5Q8H9pC-jIrRZ2H4a4N_INZV0Ij-pmikctGatg-2Bv55lX0unk8oxtuitTflad_dSlTOujEUh5952vXndwR9PWYYrh5Pwpms2pvRIVshHs8agFhk/w230-h230/Hes%20a%2010%20but.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><br />A while ago, my students became obsessed by some sort of Tik Tok trend which involved trying to guess the identity of a classmate or famous person based on a phrase that begins with the words "He's/She's a 10, but ..." and culminates in some sort of coded clue to their identity. <p></p><p>Not long thereafter, I was brainstorming games for an upcoming gathering of literary friends and decided to repurpose the trend into a literary challenge. </p><p>How many of the following fictional characters can you identify based on the clues provided? </p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>He's a 10, but frankly he doesn't give a damn</li><li>He's a 10, but he has far, far better things to do</li><li>He's a 10, but he hasn't figured out what to be or not to be</li><li>He's a 10, and he's got some Great Game</li><li>He's a 10, but pictures don't do him justice</li><li>She's a 10, but you'd always be Wondering where she wandered off to</li><li>He's a 10; the twist is that he's a little dodgy</li><li>She's a 10, and she's already got her own wedding dress</li><li>He's a 10, and he's got a personality as big as a whale</li><li>He's a 10, but sometimes clever women leave him feeling a bit Adled</li><li>He's a 10, but he refuses to grow up </li><li>She's a 10; in fact, you could say she's earned an A</li><li>He's a 10, and his love for you will never die</li><li>He's a 10, but he may end up bugging out on you</li><li>He's a 10, but he's a bit of a swinger</li><li>He's a 10, but he tilts at windmills</li><li>He's a 10, and he's willing to grant you his affection even though he holds your family in low regard</li><li>He's a 10, but his business trips are epically long</li><li>He's a 10, but all the king's men may not be able to save his soul</li><li>He's a 10, but you can see right through him</li><li>She's a 10, but don't make the Eyrer of comparing her to a bird in a cage</li></ol><div><br /></div><div>ANSWERS:</div><div>1/Rhett Butler, Gone With The Wind; 2/Syndey Carton, Tale of Two Cities; 3/Hamlet, Hamlet; 4/Kim, Kim; 5/Dorian Gray, The Picture of Dorian Gray; 6/Alice, Through the Looking Glass; 7/The Artful Dodger, Oliver Twist; 8/Mrs. Haversham, Great Expectations; 9/Ahab, Moby Dick; 10/Sherlock Holmes, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes; 11/Peter Pan, Peter Pan; 12/Hester Prynn, The Scarlet Letter; 13/Dracula, Dracula; 14/Gregor, The Metamorphosis; 15/Tarzan, Tarzan of the Apes; 16/Don Quixote, Don Quixote; 17/Mr. Darcy, Pride and Prejudice; 18/Odysseus, The Odyssey; 19/Willie Stark, All The King's Men; 20/Griffin, The Invisible Man; 21/Jane Eyre, Jane Eyre</div><p></p>Listphoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270498776542501186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901540419181810330.post-34431050242967184352023-11-06T08:51:00.002-08:002023-11-06T08:51:10.890-08:0050+ Things that Teachers in the 1980s Never Had to Say<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWSDeEqCV-Vriu1-_fFdJ9NDoihLacbvOqVgELTk978CGsa3ENWaGI0puxuTKsNzC-iPrMlDDFuCQXVQpuA-OfOgfhjK-cygP9IdweJu5v9-MuCAHWAKZWdYz5qu6EJ2iKtC7G6Twpkh1tdy7ZUsFkKDXvgPjPEJ1pVmyGl2uoW7zUgFz7zIq_87yETz2g/s2048/1980s-female-school-teacher-teaches-109586945_prevstill.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWSDeEqCV-Vriu1-_fFdJ9NDoihLacbvOqVgELTk978CGsa3ENWaGI0puxuTKsNzC-iPrMlDDFuCQXVQpuA-OfOgfhjK-cygP9IdweJu5v9-MuCAHWAKZWdYz5qu6EJ2iKtC7G6Twpkh1tdy7ZUsFkKDXvgPjPEJ1pVmyGl2uoW7zUgFz7zIq_87yETz2g/s320/1980s-female-school-teacher-teaches-109586945_prevstill.webp" width="320" /></a></div><br />I'm almost old enough to have taught in the 1980s, but not so old that I don't still remember what the educational experience was like for my classmates and I during that excruciating decade of chalkboards and bookbags, overhead projectors and filmstrips, textbooks and typewriters, gym uniforms, analog clocks, snacks containing peanuts, selling candy bars door to door, writing in cursive, sneaking cigarettes in the bathrooms, books by a variety of exclusively European authors, and unchecked bullying. There was good. There was bad. And there was a lot of ugly. <p></p><p class="MsoNormal">40 years later and here we are, still teaching students basically the same content - English, math, history, science. But the way in which teachers interact with students has certainly undergone enormous technical, cultural, and ethical changes. Some of the items in this list are factual, some snarky, and yes, some are probably not PC, but they all reference legitimate transformations that have occurred since my math teacher back in 1981 memorably rebuked: "You need to be able to do calculations in your head because it's not like you're going to be carrying a calculator in your pocket everywhere you go!" </p><p class="MsoNormal">Spoiler alert: there's still plenty of good, bad, and ugly to go around. :-(</p><p class="MsoNormal">THINGS THAT TEACHERS IN THE 1980s NEVER HAD TO SAY: </p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;">1.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Put your phones/airpods away!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">2.</span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Did you use AI/ChatGPT/Google Translate to help you with this?</span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Anyone caught accessing the computer code to
identify the correct answers on today’s online quiz will automatically receive
an F.</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;">4.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Don't make me block that webpage.</p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">5.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>You seem upset - do you need some time to de-escalate?</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><o:p></o:p>You didn’t do the assignment! I'm afraid I have no choice but to record it in the gradebook as a 50.</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->We've gathered here in this conference room to talk about how we work as a team to
support ___ to make better choices.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What’s your preferred pronoun?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What’s your parents’ last name? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>There will be a school-wide active shooter drill after
lunch.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>No, you may not film TikTok videos in school.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Guys, you need to remember to recharge your computer at home,
not at school.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">13.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Pull those pants up over your hips! <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">14.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->No, the Earth is not flat and the moon landing
was not a conspiracy. Just because it’s on the internet doesn’t mean it’s true.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">15.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Yes, you are still considered tardy even if your
parents dropped you off late because there was a line at Starbucks.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">16.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->If it snows tomorrow, we’ll be doing a virtual
school day, so be sure to log in at the usual time.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">17.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Why aren't you wearing a mask? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">18.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Who’s wearing that awful perfume? Oh, wait, that's probably Axe body spray. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">19.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Yes, racism is still happening, and yes, it’s a bad thing.</p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">20.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><o:p></o:p>Remember not to bring anything metal so you don’t set off the metal detectors.</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">21.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Of course you can retake that quiz/test to
bring up your grade.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">22.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Of course we’ll accept work late without any
sort of penalty.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">23.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->All textbooks will be online this year.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">24.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Now remember that this assignment is differentiated, so there will be different expectations for each student.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">25.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Do I need to email your parents?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">26.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->I’ll be posting the homework to our class website.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">27.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Bottled water is fine, but no Starbucks drinks in the classroom.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">28.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Should we hold ___ back a grade, just because they failed all their classes? Don’t be silly.</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">29.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->No, you may not use my Lysol wipes to clean the mud off your sneakers.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">30.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->No, I will not loan you a cord to recharge your
phone.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">31.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Completing homework won’t actually count towards
your grade.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">32.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Has that app been approved for use on the school network?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">33.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->We’ll be streaming today’s movie from my
personal Netflix account. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">34.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Are you wearing your pajamas right now? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">35.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You may pull out your books or Kindles after the
test.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">36.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Whatever you do, don’t sell those fundraising
items door to door! It’s too dangerous.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">37.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Our choral/orchestra concert will be composed of
works representing diverse cultures.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">38.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Some of the books we’ll be reading will be by
diverse authors.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">39.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->We’ll use the onboard bus cameras to review what
actually happened.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">40.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Remember not to bring anything that contains peanuts to the class party. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">41.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->No, you may not listen to music on your cellphone
while you work.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">42.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Maybe you're gay, or maybe it's just a phase you're going through ... but you probably want to keep this to yourself unless you want to get bullied. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">43.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Marijuana’s okay, but watch out for opioids
because the fentanyl may kill you.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">44.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->No rapping or beatboxing in class!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">45.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What if I don’t want to use my cellphone to
download authentication codes to access required school apps?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">46.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->No, we are not going to give you admin
privileges for your school computer so that you can download games<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">47.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->No fidget spinners or glitter slime
in the classroom!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">48.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>No, your hamster does not count as an emotional support animal. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">49.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>I'm afraid that book isn't available to be checked out; it's been banned by the school board. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">50.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Fortunately our field is artificial turf, so
we’ll still be able to have PE after last night’s rains.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">51.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Be sure to separate your trash into the
appropriate recycling bins!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">52.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Don’t worry - the cafeteria always offers at
least one vegetarian option.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">53.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What do you mean, you don’t know how to sign
your name in cursive?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">54.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What do you mean, you don’t know how to tell
time on an analog clock? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">55.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->I am not now, nor will I ever be, your “bruh.”<o:p></o:p></p>Listphoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270498776542501186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901540419181810330.post-51660699208672448572023-10-31T05:42:00.000-07:002023-12-23T06:18:17.416-08:00100+ Things That Scare Us - an Alphabetical List of All Things Creepy, Spooky, and Horrible<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0AYTQ4AAI41GhfWYhV-c6TcL4EkV2ROKiL0SfNdaSsPC03WFXQ_lnBYV14N2u-xNsCVkGK0OwbOStH0NiHyUVV9Uw1shCZg6FBy77hAYtNUQa22H8sbilauBDdwr-O6gbcFn8TmzecWzY0TzOEdg3xp6b2WTSMF1t8KpWcT5eBZihCGrnyc4JCF0-CpKD/s1600/smoke_hands_reaching-out_2380972.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0AYTQ4AAI41GhfWYhV-c6TcL4EkV2ROKiL0SfNdaSsPC03WFXQ_lnBYV14N2u-xNsCVkGK0OwbOStH0NiHyUVV9Uw1shCZg6FBy77hAYtNUQa22H8sbilauBDdwr-O6gbcFn8TmzecWzY0TzOEdg3xp6b2WTSMF1t8KpWcT5eBZihCGrnyc4JCF0-CpKD/s320/smoke_hands_reaching-out_2380972.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>In honor of Halloween, thought I'd assemble the following list of things that are generally considered to be unnerving or terrifying. Had to draw a line somewhere, so have left off weird phobias and gag answers - like "taxes." What follows is, I think, a fairly comprehensive list of the impedimenta that horror story/horror movie writers use to give us goosebumps. What have I missed? </span><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A- Abandoned buildings/places, acid, AI/sentient robots, aliens, alligators, amnesia, anthropomorphized objects, apocalypse, Armageddon, asteroids, asylums, attics, axes</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">B- Banshees, bats, bears, bedbugs, bees/killer bees, black cats, bloods, boogiemen, bridges, buried alive</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">C- Cannibalism, catacombs, cellars/basements, cemeteries/crypts, chain saws, chupacabras, circuses/carnivals, clowns, cobwebs, corpses, creepy children, crossroads, cults/secret societies, curses</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">D- Danse macabre, darkness, death/Grim Reaper, decapitation, decomposition, deja vu, demonic possession, demons/devils, dentists, dinosaurs, dolls, doppelgangers, dungeons</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">E- Earthquakes, enclosed spaces, eternity, evil eyes, exorcisms</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">F- Fires, flesh-eating bacteria, flying monkeys, fog/mist, fortunetellers/psychics, freezing, full moons, furries</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">G- Gargoyles, ghosts/poltergeists, ghost stories, ghouls, gnomes, goblins, golems, gravediggers/grave robbers</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">H- Hags/crones, Halloween/All Hallow's Eve/Samhain, hallucinations, hanging trees, haunted places (houses, castles, forests ....), hearses, heights/falling, Hell, hitchhikers, horror movies, human sacrifice</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I- Icepicks, imaginary friends, insanity/mania, insects/bugs, insomnia</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">J- Jump scares (unexpected noises ....)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">K- Knives, krakens, Krampus</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">L- Labyrinths/mazes (corn, topiary ...), leeches, leprechauns, levitation, locked-in syndrome</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">M- Mad scientists/doctors, magicians/illusionists, mannequins, masquerades, mirrors, monsters, mummies, mutations</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">N- Needles, nightfall, nightmares</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">O- Obsession/fanaticism, occult, ossuaries, oubliettes, Ouija boards</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">P- Paranoia, paranormal abilities (telekinesis ...), parasites, peeping Toms, pigs, pipe organs, piranha, pits/fissures, plagues/diseases, psychosis, puppets/marionettes, purgatory, pyromania</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Q- Quicksand</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">R- Radiation/nuclear disaster, reincarnation, religious orders (monks, nuns ...), rodents, Russian roulette</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">S- Sacrilege, scalpals/razors, scarecrows, scorpions, seances, serial killers, shadows, sharks, skeletons/skulls, skin-changers, sleepwalking, space, spiders, spiritualists/mediums, snakes, stalkers, submarines, supernatural objects (monkey's paws, amulets, books, photographs ...), supervillains, swamps/bogs</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">T- Tarot cards, taxidermized animals, thunderstorms/thunder/lightning, tommyknockers, tornadoes, torture</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">U- Uncanny zone</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">V- Vampires, ventriloquist dummies, volcanoes/lava, voodoo, voodoo dolls, vultures</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">W- Wax dummies/wax museums, wells, wendigos, werewolves, witchdoctors, witches/warlocks, worms</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Z- Zombies</span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div></div>Listphoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270498776542501186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901540419181810330.post-4489337816723733752023-10-15T07:23:00.006-07:002023-10-15T07:30:07.901-07:0070+ Ways to Terrify a Teacher in 5 Words or Less<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBHA8nZe4EPF_WpcqZwkI5V0ES4Zue02FuMDFRBn3L1SD4ocgFpNU4l8jFHVfMVUBSwB1VMi5bMH7n6cRmdFZOxYssCULq2iGPhTFeNjOilLapKSl17mGhy2ygHzt_7HosMnrWIOq4ArZvUNhAO_p_9n2l1obnIcuc5gkm_C4DKdeTMAaj-BqTMfyQ9-QG/s2790/teacher%20fears.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2790" data-original-width="1860" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBHA8nZe4EPF_WpcqZwkI5V0ES4Zue02FuMDFRBn3L1SD4ocgFpNU4l8jFHVfMVUBSwB1VMi5bMH7n6cRmdFZOxYssCULq2iGPhTFeNjOilLapKSl17mGhy2ygHzt_7HosMnrWIOq4ArZvUNhAO_p_9n2l1obnIcuc5gkm_C4DKdeTMAaj-BqTMfyQ9-QG/w266-h400/teacher%20fears.webp" width="266" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This one goes out to all my teacher peers who find themselves in a continual state of stress and can't figure out why. You aren't imaging things, my friends - the fear is real! </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here’s another district initiative</span></span></li><li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">You're getting a new student</span></span></li><li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Let’s analyze the data</span></span></li><li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">“Just differentiate more”</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Where’s your lesson plan?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Grades are due today</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Meetings will be during prep</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">We’ll need you to cover</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">We’re adding more required trainings</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are short staffed</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Your sub has cancelled</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">There are no subs</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Please avoid requesting leave</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">“You’ll be floating”</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Today is your observation</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">There's a full moon</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">The day after Halloween</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">“I’m going to throw up”</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">"My head itches"</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">The copier is jammed/broken</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">No more copy paper</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">The internet is down</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">The A/C is out</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">The cage is empty</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">School starts next week</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Tomorrow is Monday</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Year round schooling</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">We’re shortening winter break</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">We’re extending the school year</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">It didn't snow</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">No more snow days!</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">The soda machine is empty</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">We’re out of coffee</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Indoor recess today</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">You've been assigned lunch duty</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">“Can we use glitter?”</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">“I forgot my meds”</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Let’s start with an icebreaker</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's testing season</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Principal needs to see you</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Parent has requested a meeting</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">We’ve received a complaint</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">“My child told me …”</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">"My mom/dad says ..."</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">They’re bringing their advocate</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">The parent is always right</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Stomach flu is going around</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's probably just a cold</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">S/he's a spitter/runner/biter</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">S/he has a sibling</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">You taught my parent</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">You're not eligible for retirement</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Just follow the script</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Teach to the test</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">We're going virtual/hybrid</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">No holidays this month</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">You'll be chaperoning</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mandatory committee assignments</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">We’re introducing new software</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">We're adopting new standards</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">We’re piloting a new initiative</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">We're overenrolled this year</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">We're increasing class sizes</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">No raises this year</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Budgets are being tightened</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anyone can teach</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's just a little mold</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">You can't teach that anymore</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">That book is now banned</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">That might offend someone</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">"I'm having trouble breathing"</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Gang activity is increasing</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">"There's going to be a fight"</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">"S/he has a gun"</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Please shelter in place</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is not a drill</span></li></ol><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p></p>Listphoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270498776542501186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901540419181810330.post-88614101698227089162023-09-17T19:10:00.002-07:002023-09-17T19:10:21.230-07:00More Appropriate Names for NFL Franchises<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">My friends and I were mocking the preposterously macho names of certain sports teams and got to wondering what would happen if cities were forced to name their sports franchises after what the cities were *really* famous - or, better yet, infamous - for. After some brainstorming, we came up with the following list, replete with unjust and offensive stereotypes. Turning off comments to thwart trolls and others lacking the common sense to realize that this is meant entirely in jest ... which is a shame, because I'd love to see what other people come up with!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;">Baltimore Ravens = Baltimore
Homicides</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;">Cincinnati Bengals = Cincinnati
Biergartens</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;">Cleveland Browns = Cleveland
Cornholes</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;">Pittsburgh Steelers = Pittsburgh
Smog</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;">Buffalo Bills = Buffalo
Frostbite</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;">Miami Dolphins = Miami
Wackadoodles</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;">New England Patriots =
New England Misanthropes</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;">New York Jets = New
York Snarks</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;">Denver Broncos = Denver
Wackybackys</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;">Kansas City Chiefs = Kansas
City Meatsmokers</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;">Las Vegas Raiders = Las
Vegas Whales</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;">Los Angeles Chargers =
Los Angeles Kaleeaters</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;">Houston Texans = Houston Rocketmen</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;">Indianapolis Colts = Indianapolis
Cornstalks</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;">Jacksonville Jaguars =
Jacksonville Parrotheads</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;">Tennessee Titans = Tennessee
Purebreds</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;">Chicago Bears = Chicago
Gangsters</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;">Detroit Lions = Detroit
Blight</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;">Green Bay Packers = Green
Bay Cheeseheads</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;">Minnesota Vikings = Minnesota
Smorgasbords</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;">Dallas Cowboys = Dallas
Megachurches</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;">New York Giants = New
York Skyscrapers</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;">Philadelphia Eagles = Philadelphia
Hooligans</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;">Washington Commanders
= Washington Bureaucrats</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;">Arizona Cardinals = Arizona
Militiamen</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small; text-indent: -0.25in;">Los Angeles Rams = Los
Angeles Traffic</span></li></ul><p></p>
Listphoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270498776542501186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901540419181810330.post-82868810215450676232023-07-30T09:56:00.004-07:002023-07-30T09:56:30.860-07:0025+ Things Teachers Wish Their Principals Knew<p></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-950e5246-7fff-fcb2-9880-fe2b74cfd247"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzi9SVV84QV-9HrdIQStrQJFYEauOX1REu2tOX200riHZbgNoYkDhEt7AkXRFiID-5ZpxDbIIDFIzmiXbjSlRPwKd_dObc6Y2nuJRzVL-RA_49ycpxJugJeXR7S78tNylf6__HQsUVC1IpzYx3lg8Aai-trrTj5DJzAAilc6_wEGp2nWB6jNRSAL5AwCuQ/s1000/principal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzi9SVV84QV-9HrdIQStrQJFYEauOX1REu2tOX200riHZbgNoYkDhEt7AkXRFiID-5ZpxDbIIDFIzmiXbjSlRPwKd_dObc6Y2nuJRzVL-RA_49ycpxJugJeXR7S78tNylf6__HQsUVC1IpzYx3lg8Aai-trrTj5DJzAAilc6_wEGp2nWB6jNRSAL5AwCuQ/s320/principal.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />Will preface this by establishing that I have a huge amount of respect for educational administrators - the principals, assistant principals, deans and other professionals who attend to the business of making education possible. Too often, these professionals are given enormous responsibilities, then forced to operate within a system so full of restraints and constraints, there’s no legitimate way to fulfill all the expectations placed upon them.</span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One of the constraints admins have to work with is the teachers that they manage, of which I am one. Make no mistake: we can be demanding, uncomprehending, and judgy. But that doesn’t necessarily mean we don’t have useful feedback to provide. Collaborating with other teachers, I’ve compiled the following “wish list” of teacher expectations for admins. Some are serious, some are silly, but all of them share the same refrain: the system works best when teachers and admins work in harness to maximize efficiency, respect professionalism, and prioritize students.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We can all get behind that - right? </span></p><ol style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Class size matters. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">If building relationships with students is as important to you as you say it is, then we need you to cap the size of our classes. When you give us too many students, we have no choice but to shift focus from individual students to classroom management, simultaneously shifting our definition of "success" from "how can I make sure each student is successful?" to "how few kids can I keep from falling through the cracks?" </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Room condition matter.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> It’s not enough to provide classrooms; our students need to know that they are respected, valued, and prioritized. That’s why we need you to keep classrooms in good repair. We realize it can be hard to find the funding and bandwidth for things like broken furniture, missing ceiling tiles, and inadequate HVAC units, but poorly maintained rooms leave students feeling like they are being warehoused rather than respected.</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Everything takes longer than you think it takes</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">. It’s easy to add new responsibilities to teachers’ workload by justifying: “this won’t add more than 5-15 extra minutes a day.” The problem is that all those extra responsibilities, collectively, add hours to our already long days. We need you to be thinking about the impact of these requests collectively, not as one-offs and asking yourselves what responsibilities you might be willing to offload to free up time for the new ask you are implementing.</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Protect our prep time!</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> It’s not the extra duties - bus duty, cafeteria duty, chaperoning assemblies - that crush us; it’s the incredibly high opportunity cost of the time they consume. Our work/life balance already stinks; anything that takes away our prep time ends up needing to be carved out of our “life” time. Please consider this before treating us as gap-fillers.</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Differentiation is possible, but only to a certain extent. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> Don’t get us wrong - we’re ready and willing to differentiate! Within the bell curve of "normal," differentiation is imminently do-able: add some scaffolds here, optimize "voice and choice" there. But those students who inhabit the standard deviations? The gifted ones, the ELL-1s and -2s, the ones with extreme behavior issues? The amount of differentiation they require goes far beyond what we can deliver in a classroom without either working ourselves to death or shortchanging the other students. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Analyzing data is useless if the data is incomplete, biased, or invalid.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> No 40-question multiple choice test can accurately assess whether a student has mastered an entire curriculum; we all need to stop pretending that it can. Factors such as literacy, focus/attention, and background knowledge inevitably taint results. If you want us to analyze data, fine - but let's all start by having an honest conversation about the limitations of the data being analyzing, and how to incorporate other types of data that minimize the influence of factors unrelated to content. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Content mastery matters. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">When admins treat teachers like they are interchangeable - forcing science teachers to teach finance classes or drama teachers to teach journalism classes - students lose. Effective teachers know how to shape their content to make it age-appropriate, engaging, accessible, logical, and authentic - but this feat requires a deep and genuine understanding of the content we are teaching. Otherwise we’re just teaching out of a textbook, and students don’t learn that way. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Worksheets can't replace instruction. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> Speaking of which, we need you to understand that worksheets can’t replace instruction. We understand that sometimes those “please send —s work home so they can complete it while they are sick/suspended/on vacation” requests are unavoidable, but we’d like to make it clear that in most cases, students are going to be missing critical content that will need to be made up.</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Students with special needs don’t necessarily learn the same way. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">We get why you occasionally mandate that certain “best practices” be deployed building wide. Just remember that students who learn differently may not respond to best practices that work for their general education peers. Give your special ed teachers permission to exempt themselves from school-wide mandates that won’t benefit their students. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Being a special education teacher takes more time.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> In almost every circumstance, special education teachers are required to do much more work (extra meetings, extra paperwork) for the same pay as their general ed peers. Cut them some slack by exempting them from non-essential tasks and giving them time to fulfill their extra responsibilities. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Our biggest challenge isn't how to teach our content effectively; it's how to manage the behaviors of our students. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> The evidence isn't just anecdotal: psychologists, sociologists, and educational journals agree that student behaviors really </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">are</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> becoming harder to manage than ever before. What's the answer? I'm not sure, but I do know for sure that the answer </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">isn't </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">doubling down on holding teachers responsible for managing student behavior in the classroom. Teachers need admin (and school psychologists, and sociologists, and mentors, and deans) to step in and help fill in the gap, because at this point teachers have maxed out our management toolkits, and we haven't got the time to acquire degrees in psychology. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Lack of consistency kills our credibility with students. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">School-wide expectations are great, because they minimize student confusion and establish identifiable boundaries. But when admins allow some teachers to opt out of enforcing expectations - or when admins themselves inconsistently enforce the rules - students (understandably) start inferring that </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">all</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> rules are negotiable and/or situational. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Human intelligence is a bell curve.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> Education's biggest gorilla in the room: human intelligence is a bell curve, and no amount of growth mindset, brain-based instruction, or equity-centered best practices is going to enable someone with a 75 IQ to perform at the same level of critical thinking as someone with a 100 IQ. How about giving us the flexibility to meet these students where they are rather than refusing to acknowledge their unique needs? </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Gifted kids don’t want to act as role models for unmotivated kids.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> Speaking of standard deviations, gifted/high achieving students don't deserve to be plopped into classes that bore them simply so that they can serve as "role models" for other students. Bored students become behavior issues, and the students they are supposed to "inspire" merely become frustrated and resentful. Help these students fulfill their potential by being willing to look for flexible ways to meet their needs rather than warehousing them in classes that can't possibly challenge them.</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Relationships require time and effort.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> Teachers don't actually need more PD explaining why forming relationships with students is important. What we </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">do</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> need is for admins to understand that standing at the door greeting kids as they come in the room isn’t some sort of magic bullet. We need you to create dedicated opportunities during the day for genuine trust-building and mentoring to happen. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">You can lead a horse to water .... </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Our students may be minors, but they're also human beings, possessed of free will. Ultimately, </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">they </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">decide whether to participate in learning, and sometimes even the best practices at our disposal - voice/choice, gamification, relevance/authenticity, remediation, or external/internal motivation - won't be compelling enough to coerce them into participating. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Kids don’t care about the learning objective.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> ... So stop making us post them in the classroom. No kid EVER walks into a classroom and says to themselves, "I wonder what state standard our lesson is going to be addressing today?" </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Sometimes kids really do need to repeat grades.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> Yes, we're all familiar with the research that suggests that kids held back in school suffer social and emotional harm. Yes, we all know it's a hard sell to both students and their parents. But what about the social and emotional harm of setting these students up to fail the entirety of their remaining school career? Expecting three weeks of summer school to remediate an entire year of learning – expecting, for that matter, that these students will participate willingly in summer school after choosing not to learn the previous nine months – is the most reckless kind of magical thinking. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 7pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Just because you aren’t seeing stuff doesn’t mean we’re not doing it.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> Do teachers have learning objectives even if they're not written on the board? Are we capable of designing effective lessons without using lesson plan graphic organizers? Can we build relationships with students even if we aren't standing at the door every morning to greet them? Please evaluate us on our outcomes rather than procedures. We're professionals, not students - we shouldn't have to show our work in order to get full credit for figuring out the right answer.</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">We need you to have our backs when parents interfere. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Parents aren't our bosses - you are. If you're giving us good performance evaluations, then there's a presumption that you're satisfied with the way we're doing our jobs. So when parents engage us in inappropriate ways, or challenge what we teach, or accuse of bias, you need to stand up for us. Reasonable feedback is always acceptable, but stop asking us to do unreasonable things because you’re afraid to tell a parent that they're wrong.</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">We have ideas for how to fix things. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Yes, we complain about stuff you can't fix, which can be annoying. But we’re also in a position to make suggestions that may never have occurred to you, and that are imminently implementable. It would be great if you could find ways to tolerate the former in order to encourage the latter. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Group thank-yous aren’t enough.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> Nothing wrong with thanking the whole staff for their collective efforts, but nothing discourages teachers who are going the extra mile and achieving noteworthy achievements more than being lumped in with teachers who are just phoning it in. An email, a drop-in during our planning period, a call-out during a staff meeting - they cost you nothing but speak volumes. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">We hate icebreakers.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> Just because we're surrounded by students all day doesn't mean we enjoy being treated like kids. Please, we beg you, allow us to retain our dignity and socialize in a way befitting adults. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Let us choose our own PD.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> Don't get me wrong: no one is debating the value of PD. But every teacher has their own areas of strength and weakness: information that’s new or useful to one teacher may be repetitious or irrelevant to another. Let teachers choose the PD they need and give them a way to opt out of PD that's irrelevant or redundant.</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Don't give teachers a hard time when we need to take leave. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">We understand our shifts can be inconvenient to fill. But that doesn’t make it okay to make teachers feel guilty about the fact that they have responsibilities outside of school. If your expectation is that teachers prioritize their school obligations over legitimate family, personal and community obligations, then you need to reconsider your priorities as a human.</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Stop making us feel guilty about working hard.</b> The biggest slap on the face of all? Admins who are complicit in creating unsustainable teacher workloads, who then turn around and berate their teachers for "working too hard." Nothing could be more tone deaf, more aggravating, more condescending than admins signaling to teachers that overtime is a just punishment for not working efficiently. How can admins actually help? When you see a teacher working late, instead of remarking "Oh my goodness, go home!" try substituting "What can we do to help reduce your workload?" </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p></li></ol><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>Listphoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270498776542501186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901540419181810330.post-13144005953097760922023-07-28T18:34:00.002-07:002023-07-28T18:34:24.483-07:00Are You a Democrat, a Republican, or a MAGA Republican? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDHtbbJeVdXNbdHTyCq1awzQ8pk9IkquXoXS61FUnd5ebW253tGEmDaknXAutLLuk724Squ8vh1yfogglwqS69jUQDQh-Hm90Fg4s5WWPVpkOTIPumlHyUbipJwPkUsL2ZnG-GYpN4Sqej8wDMsjaKYkqIA7Oe-3-1J0zh9tmE16zO_iYSOVqXgrlcExd/s575/patriotic.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="431" data-original-width="575" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDHtbbJeVdXNbdHTyCq1awzQ8pk9IkquXoXS61FUnd5ebW253tGEmDaknXAutLLuk724Squ8vh1yfogglwqS69jUQDQh-Hm90Fg4s5WWPVpkOTIPumlHyUbipJwPkUsL2ZnG-GYpN4Sqej8wDMsjaKYkqIA7Oe-3-1J0zh9tmE16zO_iYSOVqXgrlcExd/s320/patriotic.webp" width="320" /></a></div><br />Are you a Democrat, a Republican, or a MAGA Republican? Enjoy this convenient guide that clarifies the subtle differences! <div><br /></div><div><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 666px;">
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">DEMOCRAT<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">REPUBLICAN<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">MAGA REPUBLICAN<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Some rights
are so essential, the federal government needs to protect access to them<o:p></o:p></p>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 166.5pt;" valign="top" width="222">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Rights not
specifically granted to the federal government in the U.S. Constitution
should be left to states to decide<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 171.0pt;" valign="top" width="228">In general, no government has the right to tell people what they can and can't do. (So keep your hands off our gas stoves!)</td>
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<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 161.75pt;" valign="top" width="216">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Republicans
are misguided<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Democrats are
misguided<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Democrats engage
in child sex trafficking and harvest babies for food<o:p></o:p></p>
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<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 161.75pt;" valign="top" width="216">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Illegal
immigration is unfortunate, but in general immigrants don’t pose a threat to the U.S.
<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Illegal
immigration is a threat to U.S. security <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The vast
majority of illegal immigrants are either terrorists, criminals, disease
carriers, here to steal our jobs, or here to live a life of luxury sponging
off our social services. They deserve to be caged like the animals that they are.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Unbridled
capitalism creates social injustice; regulations and unions are necessary
to protect citizens from capitalism’s excesses<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Financial markets
operate best when freed of unnecessary regulation; most market systems work
better if privatized.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 171.0pt;" valign="top" width="228">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Unbridled capitalism
is what makes American great; if people are stupid enough to allow themselves
to be exploited, that’s on them<o:p></o:p></p>
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<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 161.75pt;" valign="top" width="216">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Spending
whatever is necessary to protect U.S. citizens is more important than fiscal
responsibility<o:p></o:p></p>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 166.5pt;" valign="top" width="222">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Federal
expenditures should be moderate and fiscally responsible <o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 171.0pt;" valign="top" width="228">The federal government should be fiscally responsible but also fund all the social services that directly benefit us.</td>
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<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 161.75pt;" valign="top" width="216">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">“Traditional
family values” perpetuate racial, economic, and gender injustice; basic humanism
should be the moral code of all Americans<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 166.5pt;" valign="top" width="222">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Traditional family
values should be the fixed moral code of all Americans<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 171.0pt;" valign="top" width="228">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">If traditional
family values perpetuate racial, economic, and gender injustice, then that's because God wants things to stay that way. <o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 7;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 161.75pt;" valign="top" width="216">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">If you
increase taxes on the rich, the poor will benefit<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 166.5pt;" valign="top" width="222">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">If you reduce
taxes on the rich, the poor will benefit<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 171.0pt;" valign="top" width="228">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">One day we’re
going to be rich, because that’s the American Way; when we make it, we don’t
want the government taking our money<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 8;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 161.75pt;" valign="top" width="216">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">America is
the greatest country in the world, but we also have flaws we need to address<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 166.5pt;" valign="top" width="222">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">America is
the greatest country in the world, and anyone who says otherwise is woke<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 171.0pt;" valign="top" width="228">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">America is the
greatest country in the world, and anyone who says otherwise is a traitor<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 9;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 161.75pt;" valign="top" width="216">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The best way
to win wars is to avoid them<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 166.5pt;" valign="top" width="222">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The best way
to win wars is to maintain the largest, most lethal military force in the
world <o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 171.0pt;" valign="top" width="228">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The best way
to win wars is to nuke our enemies into oblivion <o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 10;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 161.75pt;" valign="top" width="216">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The U.S.
government has an obligation to protect those who can’t protect themselves<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 166.5pt;" valign="top" width="222">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">People should
pull themselves up by their bootstraps; social safety nets are morally
corrupting<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 171.0pt;" valign="top" width="228">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Social
Darwinism, baby – only the strongest deserve to survive. <o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 11;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 161.75pt;" valign="top" width="216">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Human life
begins at birth <o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 166.5pt;" valign="top" width="222">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Human life
begins at conception</p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 171.0pt;" valign="top" width="228"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Nature intended women to be baby incubators & caregivers; any roles or rights that might interfere with this function
should be terminated<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 12;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 161.75pt;" valign="top" width="216">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The most
effective way to address crime is via a combination of prevention, punishment,
and rehabilitation <o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 166.5pt;" valign="top" width="222">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The most
effective way to address crime is punishment<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 171.0pt;" valign="top" width="228">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The only safe
criminal is a jailed criminal – or, better yet, a dead criminal.<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 13;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 161.75pt;" valign="top" width="216">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Our nation's energy
needs should be weighed against potential environmental impacts<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 166.5pt;" valign="top" width="222">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Our nation's energy
needs should be weighed against potential economic impacts<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 171.0pt;" valign="top" width="228">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">As the
superior race here on Earth, it’s our right to do whatever the hell we want
with the natural resources we harvest.<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 3.5pt; mso-yfti-irow: 14;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 3.5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 161.75pt;" valign="top" width="216">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Climate
change is an existential threat<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 3.5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 166.5pt;" valign="top" width="222">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Climate
change isn’t the threat that some make it out to be<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 3.5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 171.0pt;" valign="top" width="228">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Climate
change is fake<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 3.5pt; mso-yfti-irow: 15;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 3.5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 161.75pt;" valign="top" width="216">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The right to bear
arms and to use them to defend oneself is conditional. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 3.5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 166.5pt;" valign="top" width="222">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The right to
bear arms and to use them to defend oneself is unconditional. <o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 3.5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 171.0pt;" valign="top" width="228">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The right to
bear arms and to use them for pretty much any purpose, however reckless or
irrational, is unconditional.<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 3.5pt; mso-yfti-irow: 16;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 3.5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 161.75pt;" valign="top" width="216">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Health care
is a human right, and therefore should be guaranteed by the federal government.
<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 3.5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 166.5pt;" valign="top" width="222">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Individual
should bear the responsibility of securing their own health care from private
providers, ensuring that people who can’t afford health care don’t sponge off
those who can.<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 3.5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 171.0pt;" valign="top" width="228">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Health care
is nice, but if people have to die in order to protect our country from becoming
a socialist state, then so be it. <o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 3.5pt; mso-yfti-irow: 17;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 3.5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 161.75pt;" valign="top" width="216">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Freedom of
religion means that no one should be allowed to impose their religious
beliefs on others<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 3.5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 166.5pt;" valign="top" width="222">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Freedom of
religion means that no one should be allowed to impose their religious
beliefs on others - except Christians, because the founding fathers intended
the U.S. to be a Christian nation<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 3.5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 171.0pt;" valign="top" width="228">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Freedom of
religion means that Christians should feel free to discriminate against all religions
that aren’t Christian <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 3.5pt; mso-yfti-irow: 18;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 3.5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 161.75pt;" valign="top" width="216">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Marriage is a
union between two people who love each other, regardless of gender<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 3.5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 166.5pt;" valign="top" width="222">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Marriage is a
union between a man and a woman <o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 3.5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 171.0pt;" valign="top" width="228">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Marriage is a
union between a man and a woman in which the woman is subservient to the man’s
will<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 3.5pt; mso-yfti-irow: 19;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 3.5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 161.75pt;" valign="top" width="216">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">With respect
to international affairs, the U.S. needs to weigh its own interests against
the need to guarantee essential human rights around the world<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 3.5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 166.5pt;" valign="top" width="222">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">With respect
to international affairs, the U.S.’s priority should always be to protect its
own interests<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 3.5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 171.0pt;" valign="top" width="228">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">America
should take care of Americans, and leave the rest of the world the hell alone<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 3.5pt; mso-yfti-irow: 20; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 3.5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 161.75pt;" valign="top" width="216">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The U.S. voting
system is resilient to fraud; the ultimate objective should be to encourage everyone
to participate in the process<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 3.5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 166.5pt;" valign="top" width="222">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The U.S.
voting system is vulnerable to fraud; the ultimate objective should be to
allow people who want to vote to do so, within reason<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 3.5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 171.0pt;" valign="top" width="228">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The U.S.
voting systems is hopelessly corrupted, as proven by the fact that the our
candidates keep losing. The ultimate objective is to ensure that our candidates
win by whatever means necessary. <o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table><br /></div>Listphoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270498776542501186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901540419181810330.post-16873104551273883362023-02-06T16:33:00.001-08:002023-02-06T16:33:08.184-08:0010 Foods You've Been Eating Wrong<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8W3NesHqeCJJB0TN8L0g7dG2cfENC88z4VMIEYYd5bYxX5FeKGoqOjVRkxljhkwVQY712cCrlE4-zW5NPxI-s6EXRrrzk9BnIYwkFo0sIuUD-IH8RdZ2y-S6GE9DCupMCega6n1-FUgLBjy3ElvO6bZtS73TzPUAEa4etSKO9epemj9AR6HmsSWkRuQ/s710/barbecue-hotdogs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="710" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8W3NesHqeCJJB0TN8L0g7dG2cfENC88z4VMIEYYd5bYxX5FeKGoqOjVRkxljhkwVQY712cCrlE4-zW5NPxI-s6EXRrrzk9BnIYwkFo0sIuUD-IH8RdZ2y-S6GE9DCupMCega6n1-FUgLBjy3ElvO6bZtS73TzPUAEa4etSKO9epemj9AR6HmsSWkRuQ/s320/barbecue-hotdogs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I know there are dozens of these "Foods You've Been Eating Wrong" lists on the internet, but these are tricks we actually use in our family on a regular basis. Hope you find them as helpful as we do! <p></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Baked potatoes. You know what's great for scraping the curved contours of a baked potato? Hint: not a fork! Spoons leave the delicious potato innards intact and also allow you to scrap the curved peel so that you can enjoy every last crumb</li><li>Shredded BBQ/Sloppy Joe. Anyone who's tried to eat shredded BBQ on a bun knows that most of the meat ends up on the plate. The remedy? Use a hot dog bun instead. Keeps the BBQ nicely contained in one place.</li><li>Cupcakes. Tired of getting icing on your nose? Slice the cupcake in half and invert the top half to create a cupcake sandwich - frosting between two layers of delicious cake. No more icing nose! </li><li>Salads. Salads are annoying. The lettuce leaves tend to be inconveniently sized and shaped.<b> </b>Forks can only stab 1-2 ingredients at a time, so you never get to enjoy the blend created by all the flavors. And exactly how are you supposed to eat the croutons - do you try to stab them with your fork or balance them atop a forkful of other ingredients? End the madness by chopping all the ingredients into bits, then toss the lot with some salad dressing and eat the finished product with a spoon.</li><li>Popcorn. Pour your popcorn into a big beverage cup and tip it into your mouth as if you're drinking. No more buttery hands! </li><li>Sliced apples. Stop using bitter lemon juice to keep apple slices from browning - orange juice works just as well, and doesn't leave a bitter after-taste.</li><li>Oreos. There is no satisfying way to dunk an Oreo without getting your fingers milky. Except there is! Insert the prongs of a fork into the mysterious white pasty stuff in the middle, then use your fork to dunk the cookie all the way into the milk. So satisfying!</li><li>Bacon. Who needs the mess of cooking bacon on a griddle? Who wants to waste 30mins baking it in an oven? Solution: cut raw bacon into 1" pieces, then cook the pieces in a saucepan. Stir by swirling the pan and use a lid to keep the grease from making a mess. When done, pour the bacon pieces onto paper towels to drain and enjoy your bitesized bacon bits.</li><li>Tacos. Wrap the ingredients - lettuce, salsa, meat, cheese, sour cream - in a small corn tortilla, then insert the rolled tortilla in the taco shell. The tortilla adds taste and prevents mess.</li><li>Lunchmeat sandwiches. Dangle your lunchmeat off the edges of a slice of bread, place your condiments in the middle, place your condiments - lettuce, tomato, cheese, etc. in the middle of the slice - then fold your lunchmeat over the condiments. Not only does this prevent your condiments from moving around, but you'll get lunchmeat in every bite - even the corners. </li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p>Listphoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270498776542501186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901540419181810330.post-83028639124426981512022-12-23T05:17:00.006-08:002022-12-23T05:17:42.655-08:00Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt CHALLENGE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKyTixzKrd9pjBbbmlTDjYCQZympa3y-J9yf9b2s5I1zlHZEi8ycnSANaEL-_Md2m0Gx9YQq8VBb8UdTRvsfaYe8d8Voce_0b4OzEmKrUC4OlDUMXQsiDc_3AhIr9X80XovtyiHzYfuI2xl_Mhy7KcMd4lZuyXCDmXFeGREq3XEDeUhcp0kEJ2e9EPSw/s980/decorated%20house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="491" data-original-width="980" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKyTixzKrd9pjBbbmlTDjYCQZympa3y-J9yf9b2s5I1zlHZEi8ycnSANaEL-_Md2m0Gx9YQq8VBb8UdTRvsfaYe8d8Voce_0b4OzEmKrUC4OlDUMXQsiDc_3AhIr9X80XovtyiHzYfuI2xl_Mhy7KcMd4lZuyXCDmXFeGREq3XEDeUhcp0kEJ2e9EPSw/w400-h200/decorated%20house.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Driving around the 'hood during the holidays is a great tradition, but can get a little repetitive. Thus the rising popularity of Christmas lights scavenger hunts on the internet. But what happens when those scavenger hunt starts to get old, because they all include the same, common items? Introducing a scavenger hunt for people who enjoy a challenge ... anyone able to check off all THESE items has earned their eggnog! <div><br /></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>House with 10 or more inflatables</li><li>House with 15 or more lighted lawn sculptures</li><li>House with Christmas tree on roof</li><li>House with Santa and/or sled on roof</li><li>House with a word spelled out on the roof in Christmas lights</li><li>The word "Believe" in any shape or form</li><li>House with lights on the lawn or ground</li><li>Minion inflatable or decoration</li><li>Star Wars inflatable or decoration</li><li>Zoo animal inflatable or decoration (can't be penguins or polar bears)</li><li>Disney character <i>NOT from Frozen</i> inflatable or decoration</li><li>Nightmare Before Christmas inflatable or decoration</li><li>Superhero/Marvel Comics inflatable or decoration</li><li>Inflatable or decoration taller than the house (decorated trees don't count)</li><li>Leg lamp inflatable or decoration</li><li>Holiday lawn flamingo(s)</li><li>Nativity scene featuring cartoon characters</li><li>Nativity scene that includes Santa</li><li>Larger-than-life Santa that's NOT an inflatable</li><li>Glowing plastic Santa</li><li>Beach/surfer Santa</li><li>Decorations that reference a sport or sports team</li><li>Animated/moving inflatable or decoration</li><li>Decorated camper, RV or car</li><li>Decorated garage door</li><li>Lighted tunnel or series or archways</li><li>House with lights that are falling off (or strand of lights that has stopped working)</li><li>Mismatched icicle lights</li><li>House with candles AND wreaths in every window</li><li>House with 10 or more wreaths</li><li>House with faux snow (snow machine or flocking)</li><li>House decorated in just one color that's NOT gold or silver/white</li><li>Animated 2D wire-frame decoration (ex: reindeer jumping into air)</li><li>Something flying or moving through the air on a cable</li><li>10 consecutive decorated houses in a row</li></ol></div>Listphoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270498776542501186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901540419181810330.post-49098443090379898112022-08-23T16:48:00.001-07:002022-08-23T16:48:32.044-07:0030+ Reasons Teachers Feel Disrespected<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnow9NaxDQ19WGRaFKpemrxkIsYD6UBLbzBmhlyI8lp1as9QCddzXILUcJ4ZYj1XZcabSydrNxXUpGnYlky4jVhZ2pZ3QH3w0YEeOZ64VuJxAAVxFHSSp5p6hXCOkbfLie_6P0hA1Zoi-7RxzWm8Ccacz5ymvIIKOlIBIS3nFLOmPVNsVVnL4Hyiffw/s840/teacher%20disrespect.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="840" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnow9NaxDQ19WGRaFKpemrxkIsYD6UBLbzBmhlyI8lp1as9QCddzXILUcJ4ZYj1XZcabSydrNxXUpGnYlky4jVhZ2pZ3QH3w0YEeOZ64VuJxAAVxFHSSp5p6hXCOkbfLie_6P0hA1Zoi-7RxzWm8Ccacz5ymvIIKOlIBIS3nFLOmPVNsVVnL4Hyiffw/s320/teacher%20disrespect.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Wondering why teachers are leaving the profession like rats abandoning a sinking ship? The answer can be summed up in one word: DISRESPECT. Teachers have always endured a modicum of disrespect, but the separate sources of disrespect have exponentially multiplied over the past few years. Here are just a few of the reasons teachers aren't feeling a whole lot of love just now ....<p></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Our pay is not commensurate with other professionals who are expected to acquire an equivalent amount of education. In addition to a college degree in the content area we intend to teach, most districts require that we obtain a teaching degree. In most other fields a masters degree earns you more money; in teaching, however, it's seen as a prerequisite for accepting even the lowest paid positions. Try explaining that to your college loan company.</li><li>Our pay often fails to provide a living wage. It's hard to feel respected when people don't seem to care that we can't actually live on what we're paid</li><li>Our pay raises are at the whim of local governments. Unlike other careers, where raises are generally consistent, teachers live in a constant state of uncertainty. Often, our salaries are "frozen" for years at a time, or even slashed. Oh, and forget the concept of "reward for effort." There is absolutely zero link between job performance and renumeration - no matter how hard we work, no matter how brilliant we are, our renumeration will be based solely on our years of service. </li><li>Being expected to either pay for the supplies we need out of our own pocket or to do without. Are nurses required to buy PJs for their patients? Are waiters expected to supply their customers' tableware? Why are teachers expected to buy pencils, erasers, notebooks, etc. so that their students can participate in learning? </li><li>Politicians using teachers to score points by accusing us of all manner of improprieties: liberal agendas, grooming, godlessness. I get that one of the cheapest ways to win votes is to make voters afraid of something and then promising to fix it, but teachers are tired of being the bogeymen in this scenario. </li><li>Politicians and school boards treating us as engines of indoctrination. Teachers have ethics, standards, and measures of professionalism, one of the most important of which is that we teach actual truth. Teach "alternative facts" at home if you must, but stop demanding (at the risk of firing) that teachers engage in this sort of indoctrination.</li><li>Politicians feeling free to trade our actual lives for a few votes. Nothing makes a teacher feel valued like being told that their lives are worth less than someone's political career. </li><li>Politicians who think that education can be run like a commercial venture, disregarding the fact that no commercial venture on earth is required to entirely disregard the quality of their raw materials while simultaneously guaranteeing the quality of 100% of the product</li><li>Politicians who compare charter schools to public schools, pretending that this is an apples to apples comparison in spite of the proven disparities in hours spent per student, parent engagement, and student ability/motivation</li><li>Citizens who claim they value education, but then consistently vote against school bonds or taxes that would fund education</li><li>Students who, having learned their social skills from social media trolls during Covid, feel empowered to treat their teachers with profound disrespect</li><li>Working conditions that range from uncomfortable (broken windows that let in heat/cold) to dangerous (mold)</li><li>Virtually no protection from abuse (cursing, physical harm, stalking) at the hand of students or parents</li><li>Reformers (especially eccentric tech billionaires) who believe that they understand education better than thousands of actual professional educators</li><li>Reformers who believe that there's a "one size fits all" approach that will work for all students, disregarding the frankly obvious fact that no two kids learn the same way</li><li>Reformers who think that standardized tests are accurate measures of student ability</li><li>School administrators who force us to adopt their "educational fad of the year" (often tied to the latest educational best-seller), regardless of the whether data exists to prove that the method is in any way superior to practices currently in place.</li><li>School administrators who that micro-manage their staff. Too many administrators seem to assume that their job is to tell teachers <i>how </i>to do their job rather than facilitate the ability of teachers to do their job. Teachers deserve to be treated as the competent professionals that they are, not junior sales associates. </li><li>School administrators who continue to saddle teachers with new responsibilities (address learning loss, transition to blended learning, teach SEL, do more data analysis, etc.) while failing to relieve us of the burden of existing responsibilities. Teachers are resilient, but all humans have limits. You simply cannot keep piling bricks on a horse and expect it to keep moving forward (much less at a gallop). </li><li>School administrators who refuse our requests for days off because they can't find subs. I'm not just talking about vacations here ... I'm talking about teachers being denied the leave they need to receive critical care, teachers who have been denied leave for important family events (like graduations), teachers who have been asked to provide sub plans *while in labor.* Politicians playing with our lives is bad enough; admins refusing to let us live our lives, a whole different level of disrespect.</li><li>School administrators who expect us to constantly do more with less ... like spending more time building relationships with students while simultaneously increasing our class sizes, or requiring that we use new technology while taking away the professional development days we need to learn how to use new apps.</li><li>Members of the general public who treat teachers like we're getting paid to do nothing over the summer. The vast majority of us are on contracts that pay us for exactly the number of days that we work and no more. Moreover, we often spend our summers engaged in entirely un-renumerated school-related work, like redesigning lesson plans or engaging in professional development</li><li>Members of the general public that treat teachers' unions as if their purpose for being is to promote political agendas instead of ensuring that teachers are treated fairly. Apparently teaching being the one career where teachers - lousy, lazy, coddled bums that they are - deserve all the exploitation they get?</li><li>Parents who treat us as free daycare, unwilling to support their students' education in any way. At least pretend to take your child's future as seriously as we do.</li><li>Helicopter parents who treat us like idiots or assume we have some sort grudge against their students. We especially appreciate the incivility of parents who send daily emails that rob us of our planning time, who expect us to provide their students with free one-on-one tutoring, or who expect us to respond to their communiques evenings & weekends.</li><li>Parents with unrealistic expectations: who expect us to "cure" their childrens' learning disabilities, teach them manners, oversee their social lives, or ensure that their child receives a degree even if they were absent 70% of instructional periods. </li><li>A general underappreciation for the actual number of hours that teachers work in the course of a week. You're tired after your 40 day workweek? Try 10hr days + another 8hrs of grading or admin work over the weekend ... ~60hrs per week. And those hours don't come out of TV time - most teachers have to carve them out of "hide": time that they could have been spending with their own children and families.</li><li>A general underappreciation for the huge amount of extra-curricular skills we are expected to teach: social skills, career skills, administration functioning, self-regulation, manners, leadership, responsibility, citizenship, resiliency ....</li><li>People who genuinely think that "those who can't do, teach" or who assume that teaching requires no particular skill - that, in fact, any veteran or "Teach for America" college graduate can do it. Imagine the humiliation of being repeatedly told that the job you trained your whole life to perform could be done just as well by amateurs.</li><li>People who think teachers shouldn't care about material things because our reward is the satisfaction of "making a difference in the life of a child." We're human beings, not martyrs. We may enjoy our jobs, but we're not interested in sacrificing our lives to the needs of other people's students.</li><li>People who tell us we're stupid to have become teachers, and that if we're disrespected then it's no more than we deserve for being foolish enough to have chosen teaching over more lucrative careers. Not all careers are measured by financial reward.</li></ol><p></p>Listphoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270498776542501186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901540419181810330.post-874893558262445122022-07-29T06:56:00.003-07:002022-07-29T16:32:33.039-07:0020+ Reasons that Gifted Kids Struggle to Reach Their Potential<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7bF2A3sLFJ3BXS9192j4irlvGOqMwrYsnZ010V40s-di2eNN0nnqGg3-4E02LgAS4gLCnt47VHFEdQN0xL4pqlMgj7fcDHpkaDs2Ogxws08XcFbt9TAoWUOytR1R6mjYHMoVnHzaL__7Z1_RK8KFJ7qYhBoW_EZc59XtjHfizDi-_lPbvj0tRmL9YCw/s1158/IQ%20bell%20curve.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="1158" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7bF2A3sLFJ3BXS9192j4irlvGOqMwrYsnZ010V40s-di2eNN0nnqGg3-4E02LgAS4gLCnt47VHFEdQN0xL4pqlMgj7fcDHpkaDs2Ogxws08XcFbt9TAoWUOytR1R6mjYHMoVnHzaL__7Z1_RK8KFJ7qYhBoW_EZc59XtjHfizDi-_lPbvj0tRmL9YCw/w400-h168/IQ%20bell%20curve.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Congratulations! Your child has been identified as gifted. You're home-free! No fights over report cards. No worries about them getting into a good college. Heck, they'll probably be able to take care of you in your old age. </span><span style="text-align: left;">You've won the jackpot. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">Not so fast. Giftedness is the word we give to people who exist at the most extreme levels of standard deviation at the right edge of bell curve that describes human intelligence. In other words, they are defined by the fact that they are NOT normal. And in a world that's been customized to meet the needs of normals, this can present any number of challenges. Indeed, these challenges can be so formidable, research consistently shows that up to 50% of gifted individuals experience persistent underachievement.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Tomes have been written about each of these individually, but I've never found a source that listed all of them in one place - which is unfortunate, because most gifted individuals are going to experience a combination of these, and they can interact in unsuspected ways. <b> If you're the parent of a gifted individual, an adult that works with gifted individuals, or gifted yourself, I recommend that you keep this list handy. Sometimes all that's needed to help is a bit of clarity and understanding; other times, however, struggling gifted individuals may need intercession in order to help them appropriately cope with the very real challenges that they face. </b></div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Imposter syndrome/self-doubt.</b> One of the most common issues faced by gifted individuals is the fear that they aren't as smart as other people think they are. This is often exacerbated by constant messaging from others telling them: "This should be easy for you." Unavoidably, as soon as something *isn't* easy for them, they begin to doubt themselves. Many gifted individuals report having spent their lives in a state of constant anxiety, afraid that at any time they might be "exposed" as being less gifted than people assume them to be.</li><li><b>Inflexible mindset.</b> As a result of imposter syndrome, gifted individuals may exhibit an unwillingness to take risks. They would rather go for the sure 'A' than try something challenging and risk a lower grade, an outcome that (they fear) might reveal them to be "imposters." This can prevent them from taking academic, intellectual, or career risks. </li><li><b>Perfectionism. </b>In moderation, perfectionism can drive gifted individuals to explore the limits of their abilities. Taken to an unhealthy extreme, some gifted individuals may begin measuring their self-worth by external evaluations such as grades or earnings. In excess, perfectionism can cause gifted individuals deliberately to underachieve because they perceive being considered lazy or disorganized as preferable to the risk of being perceived as less than perfect by themselves and others. </li><li><b>Competing/conflicting cultural/racial/peer expectations.</b> Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs reminds us that the most urgent priority in the lives of all humans, including gifted individuals, is their need to feel accepted, safe, and loved. If a gifted individual is striving to be accepted by a group that devalues education due to cultural, racial or peer norms, then it's not uncommon for them to suppress or sabotage their giftedness in order to conform and be accepted.</li><li><b>Stereotype Bias.</b> Stereotype bias combines several of the factors above, and describes a situation in which a gifted individual belonging to a specific cultural/racial/peer group becomes unnerved by the idea that they are going to be seen as "representing" their peer group. This can lead to anxiety and a desire to withdraw from scrutiny. </li><li><b>Lack of Role Models. </b> Related to the above, gifted individuals representing minority populations may struggle to envision themselves as assuming gifted roles in academia and the professional world because of the lack of same-minority role models to serve as examples, or even mentors. Many minority STEM professionals continue to report feelings of insecurity due to the lack of existing pathways into STEM for people of their culture or ethnicity.</li><li><b>Competing/conflicting gender expectations.</b> In some peer groups, gender expectations can interfere with giftedness. For instance, there may be an expectation that girls eschew academic pursuits in favor of more nurturing family roles. Many studies suggest that, even here in the U.S., a persistent stereotype that "boys are better at math and science" continues to limit opportunities for women in STEM careers. </li><li><b>Competing/conflicting family expectations.</b> In some cases, family priorities may overwhelm all other priorities, including academic achievement. For instance, a gifted individual might be expected to set aside personal aspirations in order to participate in their family's business/concern, contribute income to the family, or supervise/raise family members. </li><li><b>Poverty. </b>Individuals who grow up in poverty are more likely to experience an early childhood deficient of rich background experiences and content such as attending high performing neighborhood schools, growing up with books in the house, or participating in discussion with educated, literate adults. This can create gaps in background knowledge that can make it harder for these gifted individuals to access critical thinking tasks, leading to confusion, frustration, and anxiety.</li><li><b>Emotional overexcitability.</b> Gifted individuals are more likely to experience emotional overexcitability, a tendency to experience emotion in a heightened way. This can manifest itself as extreme empathy for the plight of others, a heightened sense of right and wrong, in intolerance for injustice, a tendency to experience emotional extremes, and misplaced guilt/remorse. For such individuals, a single nightly world news broadcast or commercial about neglected animals can be enough to trigger extreme anxiety. </li><li><b>Psychomotor overexcitability. </b>Gifted individuals can display extreme psychomotor symptoms, including compulsive/impulsive behaviours, extreme competitiveness, and overactivity. These individuals can become frustrated when these natural psychomotor extremes are misidentified as ADHD or immaturity and inappropriately accommodated - or even punished.</li><li><b>Sensual overexcitability. </b>Gifted individuals can have heightened reactions to sensory stimuli such as music, art, literature, or natural beauty. They may overreact to sensory inputs they find annoying, or crave sensory stimuli that provide comfort or pleasure. These behaviours can create confusion, anxiety, and frustration. </li><li><b>Intellectual overexcitability.</b> Gifted individuals can exhibit a tendency to engage in intellectual debate and confrontation, which can trigger disputes and create an impression of combativeness. </li><li><b>Imaginational overexcitability. </b>Gifted individuals often possess rich and complex imaginations, which can manifest as excessive daydreaming or extreme immersion in fantasy worlds - worlds that they have been exposed to through fiction or games, or that they have invented on their own. These obsessions with fantasy worlds can be a blessing (as when they provide a common interest upon which to base friendships) or a burden (as when their obsession with fantasy distracts them from other pursuits, or is perceived by peers as "odd").</li><li><b>Asynchronous development.</b> While it is not uncommon for gifted children to exhibit levels of maturity beyond their years, this is *not* always the case. It is also fairly common for gifted children to develop asynchronously - to acquire critical developmental skills at an unequal rate, possibly even at a slower rate than age peers. Areas that may develop asynchronously include social/emotional skills, language & communication, cognitive skills, and fine/gross motor skills. This can cause intense frustration in adult guardians/teachers who are expecting a uniformly heightened level of development, but even more so in gifted students who may, for instance, read 6 years above grade level but still burst into tears at their inability to tie their own shoelaces. (FYI, studies show that the slowest skill to develop is often written communication.)</li><li><b>Precocious reading. </b> One extremely common attribute of gifted children is a love of reading, with their choice of reading material often outstripping their chronological age. Their strong reading skills may make these texts accessible, but unfortunately does not guarantee that they will possess the emotional maturity to deal with the issues that may arise in these texts. They may find themselves unable to deal with the intense emotions aroused by such disturbing themes as injustice, violence, and dystopian futures.</li><li><b>Introversion.</b> Studies indicate that the majority of gifted individuals are introverts. This can make it harder for them to engage with peers and may lead to feelings of isolation and depression.</li><li><b>Trouble Making Friends.</b> A combination of several factors can make it difficult for gifted individuals to establish a supportive circle of friends, to include introversion, asynchronously developing social skills, "odd" overexcitabilities, and the statistical lack of cognitive peers. Obviously individuals with very different cognitive levels can establish long and lasting friendships, but studies suggest that gifted individuals derive important social and emotional benefits from being able to interact with others at their cognitive level, which can be difficult to accommodate. </li><li><b>Co-morbid conditions. </b>Studies show that extreme intelligence often occurs in conjunction with other mental "abnormalities," such as OCD, depression, autism, and bipolar disorder. A challenge in accurately diagnosing the existence of these co-morbid conditions is that gifted individuals are often clever enough to accommodate the most obvious symptoms so that they are not immediately obvious. Another challenge is that these conditions may appear as "shadows" that influence rather than override behaviour. However, the impact of these co-morbid conditions can cause confusion, frustration, anxiety, and lead to the adoption of maladaptive coping strategies such as self-medication. </li><li><b>Multipotentiality. </b> This is another one of those benefits with a dark side: while it's great that gifted individuals often excel in multiple fields (academics, sports, arts, leadership, etc.), this can be a burden for these individuals when it comes to figuring out which of their areas of expertise to pursue. Anxiety and frustration can mount as different stakeholders (parents, coaches, directors, mentors) urge their imperatives on individuals who do not have enough hours in the day to gratify everyone ... much less themselves.</li><li><b>Managing adult expectations.</b> Gifted children self report that parents are their #1 source of support ... but also their #1 source of stress! Pressure to meet the (often unrealistically) high expectations of parents can lead to anxiety, frustration, anger, and depression. This can become particularly problematical when a parents' expectations for their child are a mismatch with the child's interests and passions - for instance, a child whose passion is art but whose parents are demanding that they take a pre-law course load. It can be tempting for adults to treat gifted children as "little adults," without making allowances for the fact their children are experiencing the same distractions, hormones, and inconsistencies as their age peers.</li><li><b>Lack of challenging content. </b>Another huge source of stress for gifted children is having to endure lessons that provide no intellectual challenge. After a while, gifted students repeatedly forced to sit through undemanding classes will conclude (rightly) that school has little of value to offer them, and their boredom and frustration may lead them into trouble. </li><li><b>Lack of challenging collaborators. </b> While it may be tempting for teachers to pair more capable students with less capable students in hopes that the former will somehow "set a good example" and "pull up" their less capable colleagues, the actual result (studies show) is that gifted students end up doing most of the work and learn nothing. Unless they are consistently paired with peers working at approximately the same cognitive level as themselves, the outcome can be similar to that described above.</li><li><b>Maladaptive coping strategies.</b> This challenge certainly isn't limited to gifted individuals: faced with anxiety, depression, anger or other frustrations, anyone might find themselves attracted to maladaptive coping strategies - tantrums/outbursts, unhealthy habits, inappropriate attention-seeking, self-medication using alcohol/drugs. However, there is a tendency for people to assume that gifted individuals are "too smart" to fall into these psychological traps, without understanding that the challenges faced by gifted individuals - to include poor self-esteem and constant external pressure to succeed - are precisely the types of stressors most likely to trigger maladaptive coping strategies. </li></ol><div>I hope this list proves informative and/or helpful! Let me know in the comments if there's anything I've missed.</div><p></p></div>Listphoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270498776542501186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901540419181810330.post-47192645993017930852022-04-19T16:49:00.016-07:002022-04-19T17:54:29.049-07:00The Death of Public Education<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/resizer/AK_9cePCnnI8Lj7dFDWv6qi1-yo=/1200x0/top/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-tronc.s3.amazonaws.com/public/NFIO5F22GVCUFKXZ2IDUS3LIZI.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://www.nydailynews.com/resizer/AK_9cePCnnI8Lj7dFDWv6qi1-yo=/1200x0/top/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-tronc.s3.amazonaws.com/public/NFIO5F22GVCUFKXZ2IDUS3LIZI.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p>It will start in one of the Southern states. One of those states
that always comes in near the bottom of all those well-publicized, all-important
lists of educational effectiveness: the annual “Student Performance on
Standardized Tests” list, the “Percent of High School Students Who Graduate”
list, the “Money Spent Per Student” list.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">One of those states that has a history of struggling to keep
teachers because the job conditions are onerous (huge classes, no support
services, hours of unpaid extra duties, unsafe classrooms), because they aren’t being paid a living wage (also in no
way commensurate with the level of education required), and because the
teachers have grown tired of being used as political punching bags (like being
forced to teach, unvaccinated and unmasked, during a pandemic). <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">One of those states that barely skirts past mandatory federal
guidelines by engaging in such manipulations as lowering the difficulty of
standardizing tests, inflating grades, and exploiting loopholes that allow them
to avoid testing struggling students – especially English language learners and students with
special needs.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">One of those states that, frankly, would be okay with a less
populated citizenry, because uneducated voters are easier to manipulate, which
comes in handy when you need to persuade people that building roads through
long-established minority neighborhoods is necessary, that brown tapwater that
smells of sulfur is nothing to worry about, or that there’s nothing wrong with
a governor accepting huge donations from companies that are later awarded sole
source contracts for big state-funded initiatives.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">One of those states that teachers are abandoning not in a steady
stream, but in a tsunami-like wave. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Which, ironically, will provide the state with the cover they need
to announce that they are moving to <b>a four day school week,</b> because in
times of emergency one has to take drastic measures, and no one <i>wants</i> to cut
electives like music, art, and health, but when you get right down to it, schools
have gotten too involved in social issues anyway – like teaching that evolution
is real, that climate change is happening, and that U.S. history contains fairly significant incidents of social injustice – so, really, it’s a mark of political and moral
leadership to be reigning in the excesses of public education by limiting it to readin’, writin’, and ‘rithmatic, right?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Which will last for a while until, facing increasingly serious
teacher retention issues, the state announces that they will be <b>moving some
more rural students onto virtual learning,</b> because in times of emergency
one has to take drastic measures, and no one <i>wants</i> to single out kids who
live in underserved rural areas but, hey, those districts are already safely
gerrymandered and with all the money that the state saves on efficiencies –
shutting down schools, selling school buses, reducing free meal programs – it’s
really a mark of smart governing to be reclaiming this money and directing it
towards more urgent issues, like giving tax breaks to chemical and petroleum
companies with reprehensible environmental records so that they’ll provide the
kind of low-paying jobs perfect for people who never finished high school. It’s a win-win!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Which will last for a while until, now facing whole-scale failure
on every possible measure (standardized test scores, high school graduation
rate, students mental health, teacher retention, etc.), the state announces
that they will be <b>moving everyone to charter schools,</b> because in times
of emergency one has to take drastic measures and what better way to fix broken
schools than to turn them over to businessmen who know how to get things done
better than a bunch of radicalized teachers, union-controlled school boards,
and godless curriculum experts? Sure, no
one <i>wants</i> to give up on public schools, but given that private schools have
so much more leeway to hire cheap (albeit wholly unqualified) teachers, omit
content that may offend local citizens, ban books, openly teach religion, adopt
factually dubious textbooks, fudge test scores, circumvent federal laws
protecting the rights of students with special needs, and refuse outright to
educate anyone with dubious citizenship status – then, really, isn’t this the “big
government, keep your hands off my children!” leadership that the citizens have
been asking for all along? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Which will last for a while until other states - states that have
heretofore been watching from the sidelines – announce that they too will <b>moving
everyone to charter schools,</b> because in times of emergency one has to take
drastic measures and what could be bolder than copying what other states have already done? Sure, no one <i>wants</i> to be
seen as racing to the bottom, but given that other states have already embraced
the model and getting rid of public schools frees up a <i>lot</i> of money to
fight court cases brought by outraged stakeholders, then, really,
isn’t it time to embrace the idea that the way we deliver public education needs to change to meet
the needs of a new century? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Sure, there will be complaints. Complaints from liberals concerned
that charter schools undermine the purpose of education, which is to ensure an
informed and considered electorate. Complaints from minorities claiming that
charter school entrance policies effectively restore segregation, discretely sorting students in ways that abet and reinforce racial
homogeneity. Complaints from the families of students with special needs claiming
that charter schools either (1) refuse to admit their students or (2) refuse to
provide them a fair and appropriate education. However, the Supreme Court
is now stacked with justices prepared to address these complaints by overturning
misguided past rulings and asserting that the federal government really has no
role to play in how states choose to provide education, that racially segregated
schools <i>can</i> be equal (if parents rather than laws are doing the selecting), and that special
needs students shouldn’t have to be tested (if states don't think it's necessary).
After all, hasn't the Supreme Court has already
decided that racism has been extinguished, that judicial precedent is
immaterial, and that the federal government should get out the business of
protecting individual rights?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">But just think of the benefits! No more parents complaining about
teacher indoctrination, because parents will have the power to pick a school
that delivers exactly the level and manner of indoctrination they demand. What with liberal charter schools for liberals and conservative charter schools for conservatives, we're eliminating the need to acknowledge (much less evaluate) opposing viewpoints ... think of the unpleasantness this will save! Also, there will be no more bickering over school boards or school superintendents, because
charter schools operate independently of virtually any oversight. No more teacher shortages, because a certain
fairly stable number of high school graduates are always going to prefer
teaching over careers in fast food, and since all the curriculum is going to be
scripted and/or online anyway, they don’t actually have to know anything. No
more worrying about troubling educational gaps between majority and minority
populations, because charter schools have proven themselves adept at manipulating
data. Even students benefit, because think of the stress that will melt away when
they no longer have to demonstrate any actual content mastery in order to earn
As. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Best of all, the politicians finally get what they’ve
wanted all along – a populace that’s ignorant of history (and therefore contentedly
clueless as we repeat the errors of the past), ignorant of science (and
therefore content to trust politicians to protect their health, their
communities, and their planet), ignorant of math (and therefore happy to vote
for regressive tax structures that profit everyone but themselves), incapable
of deep reading (and therefore unable to access any lessons literature might
have to teach), ignorant of human rights (and therefore complacent when those
rights are gradually stripped away), and marvelously, blissfully unable to
engage in critical thinking, making them delightfully easy to manipulate. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">For those of you who have gotten this far and are now wondering:
what is this woman’s problem? Has she been reading too much dystopian fiction? Overdoing
the doomscrolling? All I ask is that, before you judge, go back through the
steps in the process I’ve laid out and tell me precisely where you think my
reasoning goes astray. Tell me where the political support will come from to
protect public schools, where the institutional changes will come from to keep teachers from fleeing the field, where the motivation will come from to save a
system t<span style="font-family: times;">hat almost everyone seems to believe is either inefficient, out-of-touch, inept,
unjust, unnecessary, godless, biase</span>d, bloated, bureaucratic, or a bastion of
indoctrination. Convince me, if you can, that thi<span style="font-family: times;">s clumsy, cumbersome and yet
profoundly noble ideal, the right to a fair and equal publicly-funded
education, <span style="background: white;">so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure
against the rapidly advancing forces of political immorality, unconstrained capitalism,
ideological extremism, and unravelling civil protections. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="background: white;">Please, convince me. Because God
knows this isn’t the future I want – it’s barely a future I can endure
contemplating - but it is the future that I have begun bracing myself for.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Listphoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270498776542501186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901540419181810330.post-63581298122797651452022-03-05T08:27:00.003-08:002022-03-05T08:27:50.078-08:0020+ Things You Should Be Doing Now to Prepare for Climate Change<p style="text-align: left;"></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMouEa-gbJaG_hMjKy7kaYqMiliLMx1U5LHZbuS0DxkM9bltZGq__Aj834Mvo2u0-cRen0wzvcoQUIH7BdWRUWjZSu5Z3y7EleV2Nf2F6JR6IhmeLMpcg52o68B5hv17axBh-d07sCAWbNyFrnuik-HubaPtASS5WanPnIBjlsalqXkDmVgsMP3o-FQA=s814" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="814" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMouEa-gbJaG_hMjKy7kaYqMiliLMx1U5LHZbuS0DxkM9bltZGq__Aj834Mvo2u0-cRen0wzvcoQUIH7BdWRUWjZSu5Z3y7EleV2Nf2F6JR6IhmeLMpcg52o68B5hv17axBh-d07sCAWbNyFrnuik-HubaPtASS5WanPnIBjlsalqXkDmVgsMP3o-FQA=w400-h314" width="400" /></a></div><br /><b>Good news for preppers: there's finally something real to prep for. It's called climate change (CC) and it's coming for all of us</b>. <i>Most recent estimates (as of Feb 22) suggest the CC tipping point</i> - the point beyond which out-of-control CC becomes inevitable because human actions will be unable to reverse natural positive feedback loops - <i>will arrive in the next 10-15yrs. </i> While organizations like the U.N. work as hard as they can to wrest remediation pledges from members countries; while outfits like Project Drawdown work to prioritize solutions by impact & cost; and while states ramp up their "Green New Deal" planning, it's safe to say infer that we're not going to make nearly the amount of progress we need to make in order to avert some of CC's scarier consequences, to include food/water shortages, unhealthy levels of air pollution, wildfires, storms, flood, wars, mass human migration, and mass animal extinction. </div><div><br /></div><div>10-15yrs isn't too soon to start making the life changes you may wish to make in order to prep for the world to come. In fact, it's probably just the right horizon for decisions regarding houses, home/landscaping renovations, vehicles, investments, and family planning. Some of the recommendations herein can wait longer, but I wanted to make the list as complete as I could.</div><div><br /></div><div>I realize this list is very (very) biased towards people who possess houses, HVAC, discretionary income. I wish this were otherwise, but there's growing awareness of the fact that CC - like many other environmental issues - tends to be accompanied by gross social injustice. As CC impacts ramp up, people who can afford to take remediation measures will take them; those who can't afford to prepare will simply be forced to make due. However, there are measures here that require little/no investment, and so should be accessible to folks at every social and economic level. If I could recommend just one of the following measures, it would be #21, Educate Yourself. Know what's coming so that you can make wise decisions about how to prepare within the bounds of your own circumstances.</div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Prepare for high gas prices and gas/natural gas shortages.</b> The sooner you stop relying on fossil fuels for your basic needs - heating, transportation - the better. Gas powered car? Propane stove or clothes dryer? Natural gas-powered HVAC? Time to start looking for replacements - energy efficient replacements, if you can get them. </li><li><b>Secure a Steady, Reliable Source of Energy.</b> It may take a while for new alternative energy grids to be able to replace the fossil fuel-dependent electrical capacity we have now. If you want to avoid brownouts on hot days, may be worth looking into whether solar power is a possibility for your home</li><li><b>Pick a Resilient Hometown.</b> Some states are going to take a hammering from climate change-spawned droughts, flooding, extreme storms, etc. Make things easier on yourself by relocating to a state that's expected to handle climate change with relative resilience. A recent article I read was recommending northern and midwestern states - from Minnesota to the West, Virginia to the South, and Maine to the North. </li><li><b>Prepare for Rising Sea Levels.</b> If you own property on or near tidal waters (ocean, tidal rivers), you may not have as much time as you think. The problem isn't that CC-inflated sea levels are going to inundate properties all at once - even the most dire predictions hover around 1-3M over the next 100 years. But once the federal government figures out that sea level rises are a fait accompli and stop issuing guaranteed flood insurance, you'll be lucky to find anyone to buy your property at any price. </li><li><b>Prepare for Flooding. </b>CC is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of rain events, leaving to devastating flooding. If you own property in a flood plain, or that has been known to flood in extreme rain events, start your flood planning now. If your risk is relatively low, it may be enough to "harden" your property to survive a major flooding event. Some ideas: re-grade your property to facilitate runoff, lay in rain gardens to store extra water, create stone walls or berms. If your risk of flooding is high, however, you may want to get out now, before the federal government stops issuing guaranteed flood insurance. </li><li><b>Prepare for Wildfires.</b> CC is expected to cause droughts that will - already are - increasing both the frequency and intensity of wildfires. Again, think about whether it makes sense to "harden" your property against wildfires by clearing brush, installing fire-resistant landscaping, or replacing your roof/building materials with fire resistant alternatives. If you live in an area that's already prone to fires, however, you may want to relocate now, while buyers optimistic enough (or clueless enough) to purchase your property still exist.</li><li><b>Prepare for Storms. </b>CC is expecting to both (1) increase the frequency and intensity of hurricanes, tornadic storms, and other malevolent weather events and (2) introduce catastrophic weather events into areas where such incidents have, heretofore, been relatively rare. Safety precautions that have worked so far (emergency warning systems, shutters, wind-resistant architecture and bug-out kits) may not be a match for a future in which Category 6 hurricanes become the norm, storms park themselves over cities for days at a time, tornadic storm systems create destruction zones 20miles wide, and record-low pressures generate winds faster than those ever seen before. </li><li><b>Prepare for the Heat.</b> The human body's heat tolerance at 100% humidity is about 95oF (50% humidity, about 109oF, 0% humidity, about 130oF). Above that, your body won’t be able to lose heat efficiently enough to maintain its core temperature and brain and organ damage ensue. As parts of the world get hotter and/or wetter, that's a lot of people one broken air conditioner away from death by heat stroke. So go fix those windows, insulate that house, install that attic fan - maybe ceiling fans too. And have a plan for what to do if the power goes out on a dangerously hot day.</li><li>P<b>repare for Higher Food Prices & Food Shortages.</b> For a variety of reasons, CC is expected to reduce food production, so take what measures you can now to prepare against higher food prices and increased food scarcity. Hoarding may be a little extreme (at least this far out), but raising chickens or establishing garden/greenhouse may be worthwhile. </li><li><b>Secure Your Coffee Supply. </b>Making coffee it's own category because (1) it's an essential resource for some, and (2) coffee supplies are uniquely imperiled by climate change due to extreme weather changes expected in the world's most productive coffee-growing regions. Stored appropriately, coffee beans don't take up a lot of space and can remain fresh for years. </li><li><b>Top Off Your Wine Collection.</b> CC is expected to devastate many legendary grape-growing regions. The good news is that warming regions of the world should be able to replace any lost quantity, but how do you replace the quality of regions like the Rhone Valley and Champaign?</li><li><b>Buy a Fake Christmas Tree.</b> Warming temps are expected to increase populations of tree-destroying diseases and pests. If Christmas is something your family does, consider swallowing your revulsion and buying now, before prices for the fake ones go through the roof. Santa Claus will understand</li><li><b>Prepare for Water Scarcity. </b> While CC is expected to bring too much rain to some places, it's expected to drastically reduce rain in others. Areas that are already suffering drought and/or overdrawing their aquafers are going to be especially at risk. Jobs that rely on water - agriculture, dairies, mills, oil/gas, beverage industry - may also be threatened. Some actions you may want to take: diversify your job options as necessary, purchase low-water appliances, invest in drought-resistant landscaping, and lay in rain barrels to capture what rain you get (especially if you need a secure supply for watering a garden).</li><li><b>Prepare for the Impact of CC on Sports & Recreation</b>. It's not just about the death of winter sports we're talking about here. It's also about temps too hot to permit outdoor sports like golf, youth/adult sports leagues, and running/marathons, and air pollution so dangerous, outdoor sports pose a potential danger to respiratory health that dwarf any potential health gains. If your sports/recreation regimen includes outdoors activities, make sure not to squander the time you have left! And start thinking about alternatives that could replace these staples down the road. </li><li><b>Prepare for the Impact of CC on Health. </b>The last UN report on CC listed over a dozen ways in which CC is likely to impact health. So before you make any decisions about relocating the family or self-insuring yourself for health, consider the impact that declining air quality may have on respiratory issues such as asthma and allergies; the increased risk of heat-related illness (especially in areas where air conditioning is unavailable); the resurgence of insect-borne diseases in warm, moist climates; and the growing evidence linking CC with complications related to pregnancy, cardiac health, and mental health.</li><li><b>Consider the Impact of CC on Vacation Planning. </b>By the time you get around to going where you want to go, where you want to go may not be there any more!<b> </b>Some destinations you may wish to prioritize over the next decade, before they disappear: </li><ol><li>Cities imperiled by sea level rise (ex: New Orleans, Key West, North Carolina's Outer Banks,Venice)</li><li>Cultural landmarks imperiled by extreme weather or sea level rise (Easter Island, Greek Islands, Tyre, Ephesus)</li><li>Cold-weather destinations imperiled by glacial and sea ice melting (ex: Glacier National Park, Greenland, Alaskan cruises, Antarctica)</li><li>Forest/rainforest destinations imperiled by by heat/wildfires (ex: Amazon rainforest, Redwoods National Park)</li><li>Diving/snorkling excursions imperiled by ocean acidification and coral reef death (ex: Great Barrier Reef)</li></ol><li><b>Prepare for Higher Prices for Everything.</b> Observing the impact of Covid on our economy has reminded folks of the consequences of too much money chasing too few resources: supply chain hiccups, shortages, and inflation. Now imagine that the countries producing most of our goods - India, China - are coping with extreme food/water shortages, mass migration, extreme political corruption, and regional/world wars. (Why? At least a dozen reasons, but let's lead with the fact that when the Himalayan glaciers melt, the Ganges, Indus, Mekong, Yangtze and Yellow Rivers - which collectively provide water for billions of people - will run dry. That alone will create chaos.) Some measures you may want to consider: buying houses, cars, and durable goods (furniture, appliances) sooner rather than later; shopping smarter (really look for those deals); and developing the habit of living more sustainably (ex: shop at thrift stores, recycle fashion, join local groups committed to reuse)</li><li><b>Secure Your Savings. </b>If you're lucky enough to have money salted away in savings or retirement accounts, worth thinking about how that money is invested. Are your prepared to survive long-term global downturns in corporate profitability and government spending? Are the companies you've invested in set to remain sustainable? This may be the time to start "greening" your portfolio by investing in the techs that are going to be required in a post CC world</li><li><b>Prepare for the Impact of Climate Migration.</b> As food/water resources shift, as heat/wildfires make areas uninhabitable, and as wars over scarce resources erupt worldwide, pundits predict historically unprecedented numbers of immigrants seeking a new life. The impacts of climate migration will vary hugely based on where you live, but may be worth considering. If you are in an area likely to be flooded with migrants, what can you do now to secure the needs of your family while growing your community's social safety net so that you can provide for those who are on their way?</li><li><b>Contemplate Your Family Planning. </b> If you're starting to think about how many children you're going to plan on bringing into the world, it may be worth considering the world into which you may be bringing them. A world in which wars over scarce resources may be the norm rather than an aberration. A world in which climate migrants may be fleeing from border to border, begging for entry. A world in which gaps between rich and poor may be exacerbated by the scarcity of critical resources (food, water, shelter). It may be worth factoring into your planning the extent to which you will be able to protect and support children in a world where everything - from food to clothes to daycare - will be much more expensive, where housing and jobs may be harder to find, where political instability may be more pervasive, and where your country's military forces may find themselves engaged in more conflicts than ever before.</li><li><b>Educate Yourself.</b> People have been lying about CC for a long time now, and it's logical to expect the lies to ramp up as CC increasingly impact our lives. Energy companies anxious to convince us that their coal is "clean," that natural gas "isn't really a fossil fuel," that fracking/pipelines "are a great way to secure our energy needs against foreign manipulation." Companies eager to convince us that carbon neutral is the same thing as carbon positive or to assure us that they're "planting enough trees" to offset the harm. Politicians anxious to convince us that candidates who support green initiatives are "secretly trying to impose a socialist agenda," "intent on driving up tax/gas/oil prices" or "destroying the U.S economy." Find unbiased sources and educate yourself about CC realities and myths so that you know when you're being lied to, and so that you can make educated, rational choices (vs. emotional, ineffective choices) about how to utilize the resources we have (tax dollars, tech) to most efficiently and effectively address the coming crisis.</li><li><b>Prepare to be Part of the Solution.</b> Fixing climate change is going to be like trying to build a beach in the middle of a hurricane - while countries may have the resources to bring in the cranes & heavy equipment that will be needed to get the job started, it's going to take trillions of grains of sand - trillions of individual acts of conservation and sustainability - to make the beach happen. So start thinking now about what <u>you</u> can do help get that beach firmly established, before the storm hits.</li></ol><div><i>The author is a scientist and teacher who has worked as a researcher/analyst for Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, a DC-based think thank, and is a member of the Leadership Corps of Climate Reality, the climate awareness organization founded by former Vice President Al Gore.</i></div><p></p>Listphoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270498776542501186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901540419181810330.post-10459464747182263352022-03-03T02:21:00.004-08:002022-03-03T02:26:06.372-08:0020 Guaranteed Ways to Get Yourself Murdered in an Agatha Christie Novel<p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Agree to attend a house party (or tour group) at the invitation of someone completely unknown to you</li><li>Agree to witness an elderly person's controversial new will</li><li>Attempt to blackmail the real murderer</li><li>Announce in a room crowded with suspects that you've just figured out who did it, but you're going to wait until tomorrow to tell the police what you know</li><li>Announce in a room crowded with suspects that you actually weren't in your room at the time of the murder; instead, you were out wandering the halls, passages, or garden</li><li>Announce in a room crowded with suspects that you possess psychic powers capable of identifying the killer</li><li>Host a house party at which all the guests are people who have a reason to hate you</li><li>Possess an inconveniently accurate memory about past events, especially anything to do with past murders, past marriages, or the birth of twins</li><li>Agree to switch cloaks, costumes, hats, bedrooms, or train compartments with another person</li><li>Agree to participate in a "joke" to be played on someone else</li><li>Spend your ample down-time looking out the window of your house</li><li>Agree to let someone else pick the mushrooms for dinner (or, naively prepare mushrooms left anonymously in your kitchen)</li><li>Accept the offer of a rendezvous in the garden, at night, alone, because an anonymous note asked you to be there</li><li>Agree to invitations that involve intimate weekend hunting meets, masquerade parties, or strolls along the edges of perilous cliffs</li><li>Reveal yourself to be the long lost relative - uncle, nephew, child - of anyone wealthy who already possesses several expectant heirs</li><li>Become involved in a love affair in which your lover requires you to conceal your affection, your true name, or your relationship to someone who is very wealthy</li><li>Become involved in a love triangle when you're the only one of the three possessing a fortune</li><li>Have a past history of abusing or harming children in some way</li><li>Laugh off warnings that "your life may be in danger" delivered by dapper men with Belgian accents</li><li>Live in the same village as Ms. Marple</li></ol><p></p>Listphoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270498776542501186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901540419181810330.post-12081578960882651132022-03-02T17:48:00.004-08:002022-03-02T17:49:30.194-08:0015 Ways to Avoid Becoming the Victim in a True Crime Drama<p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Craigslist. Just don't</li><li>Tinder. Ditto</li><li>100% of guys who boast about being the FBI, CIA, or Special Forces are lying. </li><li>If they claim they're wealthy but they're still living with their parents, they are lying and you should be ashamed for being so gullible</li><li>If they tell you all the people they dated before you were crazy, consider that the common denominator is who they dated before they each went nutty</li><li>If they cheated <i>with</i> you, they'll cheat <i>on</i> you</li><li>If they start talking about life insurance on or before the honeymoon, BIG red flag.</li><li>If the love of your life is over-possessive, jealous, or controlling, you might as well leave a provision in your will specifying who you want to play you in the podcast they're eventually going to make about your murder. </li><li>Psychopaths enjoy church on Sunday too. </li><li>By the time someone jokes about wanting to kill you, they're already planning how</li><li>No one ever looks up "how to hire a hit man" on the internet because they were simply curious </li><li>When they ask you to accompany them on a weekend hunting trip, a hike up the side of a steep mountain, or a romantic midnight boat ride, just say no</li><li>Always. insist. on. meeting. your. ex. in. a. public. place.</li><li>Let the other wife/husband - the one they didn't tell you about - take them, with your blessing. Hell, throw in a wedding present just to be sure there are no hard feelings</li><li>Stop using "they seemed normal" as your baseline criteria for trusting people</li></ol><p></p>Listphoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270498776542501186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901540419181810330.post-53757989618125870492022-02-27T10:25:00.005-08:002022-02-27T10:26:29.009-08:0050+ Great ideas for Scrapbooking Vacation Travel<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3gFGcEDVM3rp0x84k4LKyK1ucZWqK01W6ZrZKVkxhYkQgW6v82250UNRKcIs6AV5HvDG4Uv55y8UUxJRDY44b2RCyGcfhJja8ETonNLcaHrAWZBxntxXq-9OonKbb3ziBkQOWCMviADCaVhw1U7tCHCPiR2ZvoJfdMlPo2CnzDmJ-ofzqirZuzFJKzA=s600" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3gFGcEDVM3rp0x84k4LKyK1ucZWqK01W6ZrZKVkxhYkQgW6v82250UNRKcIs6AV5HvDG4Uv55y8UUxJRDY44b2RCyGcfhJja8ETonNLcaHrAWZBxntxXq-9OonKbb3ziBkQOWCMviADCaVhw1U7tCHCPiR2ZvoJfdMlPo2CnzDmJ-ofzqirZuzFJKzA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /> In retirement, hubby and I are hoping to explore every nook and cranny of this magnificent continent of ours, from Alaska's spectacular national parks to the MCM neighborhoods of Coral Gables, from lighthouse B&Bs to Elvis shrines to really big balls of twine. <p></p><p>As an ardent scrapbooker, part of the fun will be capturing these adventures in scrapbook form. But how do I capture the spirit of all these wonderful destinations without becoming repetitive? Clearly I'm going to have to stretch beyond pictures + journaling + brochures to keep things interesting! </p><p>For this reason, I've begun capturing a list of template ideas that should help me introduce variety into our travel layouts, which I am sharing here because what works for me may work for others, right? </p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Turn the name of the destination into an acronym. Ex: BADLANDS could become "bands of brilliant color, ancient, desolate, lovely, arid, national park, deeply spiritual, serrated slopes of stone"</li><li>Trace the name in HUGE letters over both pages, then cut out the letters and fill the open letter-shaped frames with pictures from the destination. (Sort of like those old postcards!)</li><li>Use a HUGE letter stencil to cut the name of the destination out of various brochures depicting parts of the vacation you want to remember</li><li>Create a crossword puzzle with clues that capture favorite activities or memories.</li><li>Create a word search! But instead of listing words to find, create "clues" to force you to remember word and relive the associated memory. </li><li>Create a bingo board of potential fun experiences and then use markers to indicate which ones you were able to accomplished</li><li>Organize the page as a series of top 10 lists - top 10 coolest houses, top 10 coolest gardens, etc.</li><li>Create a "mad libs" journal entry with answers that end up relating a fairly accurate (if slightly silly) version of the visit. I think this would be great for eventful trips, like stays in busy cities.</li><li>Affix a map of the area to the scrapbook page and then add callouts annotating what happened in each area</li><li>Turn your photos into postcards by cutting out squares of paper the same size, formatting them to look like the back of a postcard, and using them to record your journaling. Address them to your kids, your long-lost grandmom who always wanted to travel, or your fish! </li><li>Stop by a local antique store and pick up a few antique postcards of the place you have seen. Then proceed as described above. :-)</li><li>Retell your trip in the form of a real estate listing. Works great if you destination is a mansion, historic home, or historic area</li><li>Retell your trip in the form of an article for the Travel section of a major newspaper. Be sure to include quotes from your family! (Lots of great newspaper templates out there on the internet)</li><li>Describe/relive a memorable meal in the form of a restaurant review. As before, be sure to include quotes from your family :-)</li><li>Retell your trip in the form of a magazine article. Part of the fun is picking the right magazine template - perhaps Sports Illustrated for a trip that includes skiing or diving? Rolling Stone for a trip heavy on live music? National Geographic? History Magazine? Life? </li><li>Invite a "guest journalist" to provide a different perspective on the day's events - could be the ghost of someone who's associated with the location, or your pet, or your car, or a local squirrel who spent the day following you around, or your exhausted feet! </li><li>Turn your day into a multiple choice test. Bonus points for funny fake answers. <i>(Ex: "Wen we finally arrived at the B&B, Amanda immediately (1) kissed the pavement in relief, (2) threw up, (3) hugged the proprietor, (4) snatched the phone from my hand swearing that she would never, ever let me do my own navigation again.")</i></li><li>Turn the town, mansion or resort property you visited into a Clue-like board game with cards that commemorate activities that happened in each room/location</li><li>Transform the day into a story for children. I tend to favor the old standards, like "Once Upon a Time ..."</li><li>Transform the day into a coloring book, with captions to explain the significance of each picture</li><li>Add a "spinner" that lists all the places you visited at a certain destination</li><li>Create an annotated timeline of the day</li><li>Capture the events of the day in a poem, or series of haikus</li><li>Create an advertisement for the destination or town, lauding its many desirable features</li><li>Create a movie poster for the day that "teases" all the things that happened</li><li>Create a 2D version of shelves in a visitors center and clutter them with objects that commemorate things that happened on your vacation</li><li>Turn your journaling into a rebus by using images to replace select words. </li><li>Capture your experiences as a series of "Bad Amazon Reviews" in which you find absolutely nothing worth recommending to others. <i>(Ex: "Grand Canyon- Way too many rocks. Some of the rocks are red. Some aren't. Big whoop. Also not enough forests or shade, and where are the bears?")</i></li><li>What your destination used to look like vs. what it looks like now. You can use brochure images or your own sketches. I'm going to make mine funny - the first version is going to be tourists behaving respectfully, while the second version shows tourists behaving the way they're wont to do now ...!</li><li>Various annotated receipts showing how much you spent and what you spent it on. Money provides a surprisingly useful scaffold for tracking the events of a day. </li><li>Annotate each picture you include with a funny Twitter post/explanation.</li><li>Tell the story of your day in the form of a simple stick cartoon</li><li>Tell the story of your day as an exchange of texts with someone who definitely does not share your level of enthusiasm. <i>(Ex: "We ate alligator!" "Let me guess - tastes like chicken.")</i></li><li>Connect the dots, where each dot is an annotated event and the final picture is something that represents the destination, or the day</li><li>Create a faux miniature golf course with holes that describe each event/attraction of your day. </li><li>Expected vs. reality 3D "flip & reveal" page - perfect for sharing funny anecdotes about what you expected to exeprience vs. what actually happened.</li><li>If the destination is associated with a strong smell <i>(ex: maple, sea salt), </i>capture the smell on some sort of scrap, then seal the scent in a sealed wax packet for enjoying later!</li><li>Create a graph where the x axis is a timeline of your day and the y axis ranks the amount of"funness" (0-10). Then plot the events of the day on the graph as apropriate, with annotations to explain highs and lows</li><li>Include a tall "signboard" cutout and attach arrows pointing to all the locations or events you attended</li><li>Use white paper to matte your pictures so that they look like old-fashioned Polaroids and/or slides. Perfect for creating a travel page with a nostalgic feel.</li><li>Use a brochure or other literature from the destination as your backdrop or border. (Make sure to spray with acid-neutralizing spray before posting, to prevent yellowing!) </li><li>Cut out a black asphalt road or hiking trail, then commemorate the events of your day/trip as funny informative signs, billboards, or historical markers along the way</li><li>List everything you did during the day on a separate square, then beneath the square leave a place for both you and your travel partner to "rank" the event on a scale of 1-10, Olympic judge-style. Great for those trips when one partner is having the time of their lives while the other partner is quietly dying inside.</li><li>Assign each experience or picture a superlative, either serious or silly<i> (ex: Tackiest Hotel Room, Best Hot Dog Stand Actually Shaped Like a Hot Dog ...)</i></li><li>Tell the story of your trip in numbers. First create squares of paper that list numbers that represent memorable events - then add journaling to explain the significance of each number. (If you print the journaling on vellum, you can position the anecdote over top of the number.) </li><li> Create a calendar that spreads over both page and then jot down, calendar style, what you did on each day</li><li>Depict your day or trip in the form of a maze, with various stops that you have to navigate between. </li><li>Tell the story of your trip or day in patches - those souvenir embroidered patches that most gift stores sell. You can even "sew" the patches onto the page</li><li>Use library cards to tell the story of your day - the title tells the destination, the "description" describes the content of the memory associated with the title. </li><li>If you're at a science destination, use squares from the periodic table to spell out your title or header. </li><li>Capture your day in the form of a Jeopardy game with categories that match your major activities and questions designed to capture favorite memories</li><li>Tell the story of your day or trip in the form of a flow chart, with yes/no decisions guiding the way through your adventure! (Using a Choose Your Own Adventure format might be fun too!)</li><li>Pick an icon or object that symbolizes your destination and use it as the theme for your page (ex: if you're at an apple orchard, cut out frames in the shape of apples and place your picture beneath them</li><li>Retell your day in the form of a recipe <i>(ex: "Recipe for a Perfect Day at Yellowstone Park"). </i>Be sure to list ingredients (perfect weather, bears...) and then how you combined the ingredients to create memories</li><li>Retell your day in the form of an "episode guide" for a podcast. <i>(Ex: "Every episode this week will be highlighting a different memory from our trip to Amelia Island. Today's episode: lunch at Jimmy's Oyster Hut. Tomorrow's episode: Touring the Island by bike; or, Why we had to cancel diving the only coral reef in the U.S. because my butt hurt.")</i></li><li>Transform your pictures into postage stamps by giving them jagged edges. Then piece them together in the form of a sheet of commemorative postage stamps</li><li>Shape your various photos into large jigsaw pieces, then loosely assemble them so that your day forms a nice, symmetrical whole</li><li>Center your photos on pattered squares and stitch them together in the form of a quilt. Ideal for something cozy, like a stay at a B&B or spa.</li><li>Create a giant checkerboard template and then write your memories on giant checkerboard chips</li><li>Transform you and your partner into faux paper dolls and then sketch clothes that tell the story of your day or trip</li></ol><p></p>Listphoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270498776542501186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901540419181810330.post-29111881369730627772022-02-26T09:29:00.005-08:002023-03-08T17:58:06.178-08:00100+ Ways to Waste Time on the Internet<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEilrtR6TWwso7VF5HxkpJzDosKeT7BdD5A-xY_EeStqNJuqSZyDYRbue4mBomPiCirtejwACtlNplCgXQ1DJdwEUu_D24y1360dNjJs2Zt7622XOrDGB5WgMvMFyouYhmvO-e9PNVi_KEaFkEedvJRuwvTIBtGodM-8kP8kUdaMKQIst4Q_UZJG23BppQ=s900" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="900" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEilrtR6TWwso7VF5HxkpJzDosKeT7BdD5A-xY_EeStqNJuqSZyDYRbue4mBomPiCirtejwACtlNplCgXQ1DJdwEUu_D24y1360dNjJs2Zt7622XOrDGB5WgMvMFyouYhmvO-e9PNVi_KEaFkEedvJRuwvTIBtGodM-8kP8kUdaMKQIst4Q_UZJG23BppQ=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div><br />Not that I have time to waste on the internet (other than the time I waste maintaining this blog), but I like the idea of having a list ready to go as preparation for retirement! <p></p><p>There are lots of these types of lists on the internet, but wanted to assure potential readers that mine isn't a composite of others: all the ideas here are my own, so there are bound to be some novel ideas included. Though I've tried not to identify specific websites (posting internet links is just asking for people to change their links), there are times when I can't resist, because the websites are particular obsessions of mine. Enjoy .... I'll join you soon! </p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Take a Myers-Briggs test to find out your personality type. Then spend the next 10hrs incessantly researching your personality type</li><li>Join Pinterest and create a collection of your favorite toys when you were a child</li><li>Use Google Earth's "street view" function to travel around the world. All those places you've always wanted to see? Go see them! </li><li>Look up historical highway markers in your part of the state</li><li>Pick a favorite song or artist and look up "reaction videos" of people listening to the song for the first time</li><li>Look up a craft and make it at home</li><li>Assemble a month's worth of recipes</li><li>Look up the website of a magazine you wish you subscribed to and read a bunch of articles</li><li>Look up stuff that happened in the world on the day you were born</li><li>Watch a TEDTalk</li><li>Watch a documentary</li><li>Listen to old radio shows, like Lux Radio Theater, Gunsmoke, or Yours Truly Johnny Dollar</li><li>Make a list of desserts you want to try sometime in your life</li><li>Visit one of those "postsecret" websites and share your deepest secrets with strangers</li><li>Look up riddles and write down good ones to use later</li><li>Make a list of new books to read</li><li>Turn yourself into a bitmoji</li><li>Play a replica of your favorite childhood video game</li><li>Read 2 sentence ghost stories</li><li>Start (or update) a family genealogy</li><li>Take a virtual tour of your favorite museum</li><li>Look up toys you used to own and see how much they're worth today</li><li>Look up optical illusions</li><li>Look up sarcastic Amazon reviews</li><li>Download anatomy coloring pages</li><li>Look up the current Badass of the Week</li><li>Send online cards to people</li><li>Go to a contest collection site and enter contests</li><li>Learn the birdcalls of birds that live in your area</li><li>Learn to play a simple song on a piano simulator</li><li>Read fanfiction inspired by a favorite character, TV show or book</li><li>Learn how to write your name in different languages, including heiroglyphics</li><li>Do a carbon footprint calculator to see how much CO2 your family generates</li><li>Catalog your personal library using GoodReads or LibraryThing</li><li>Use a house decorating website to plan your perfect room (or house)</li><li>Look up what pets are available for adoption at local animal shelters</li><li>Use a real estate app like Zillow to see how much your home would sell for - and, of course, how much your neighbors paid for their homes</li><li>Watch livestreams from underwater bathyscopes, zoos, or aquariums</li><li>Play The Oregon Trail. Try not to die of dysentery</li><li>Go to Mix and discover new websites</li><li>Memorize a poem</li><li>Do an "on this day" search in Wikipedia to see what interesting things may have happened </li><li>Start a blog</li><li>find a live earthquake map and figure out which places on earth are currently experiencing quakes</li><li>Find a live FAA feed and see which planes are in the air</li><li>Tune into a radio station from another country</li><li>Look up how to do the Hustle or some other line dance</li><li>Compare how a major news event is covered in U.S. papers vs. European papers</li><li>Watch clips of Antiques Roadshow personnel as they value antiques</li><li>Watch clips from Broadway shows, performed by the original performers</li><li>Learn how to say "I actually speak _____" in multiple languages, so that when you suspect people are talking about you in a foreign language, you can make them feel bad</li><li>Use a simple story-building app to create a children's storybook </li><li>Create a simple video game in Scratch</li><li>Use one of those "What Should I Read Next" apps to identify books worth reading</li><li>Apply different filters to your selfie</li><li>Find an ocean depth simulator and find out how long it will be until your city disappears underwater thanks to climate change-caused sea level rise</li><li>Start (or continue to work on) personal bucket list</li><li>Look up new lifehacks</li><li>Upload your selfie and find out which great work of art you most resemble</li><li>Do random science simulations at Phet</li><li>Listen to incoming cosmic rays</li><li>Check out Snopes to see which scams are going around</li><li>Download fonts</li><li>Go to a writing prompt website and use it to write a short story</li><li>Dissect a frog</li><li>Listen to a completely different genre of music than you're used to</li><li>Look up weirdest animals/plants/insects on Earth</li><li>Take a class from an online MOOG</li><li>Research tattoos you might want to get</li><li>Read an online book</li><li>Watch episodes of Epic Rap Battles of History</li><li>Watch espisode of ThugLit</li><li>Watch episodes of Drunk History</li><li>Find a meme generator and create some original memes</li><li>Learn and practice Morse Code</li><li>Add songs to your Spotify (or other) music account</li><li>Look up funny tombstone inscriptions</li><li>Download paper dolls</li><li>Look up how to doodle or draw simple shapes</li><li>Visit the menus of famous restaurants and figure out what you would order</li><li>Look up upcoming concert dates for favorite musical groups or shows</li><li>Broaden your vocabulary by looking up obscure words</li><li>Check out recent editorial cartoons</li><li>Go to freecycle or some other website that specializes in giving stuff away and see what's available for picking up</li><li>Find an actuarial table or questionnaire and find out how long you are expected to live (Deathclock)</li><li>See if there are any sexual offenders living in your neighborhood</li><li>Watch the best commercials from Superbowls past</li><li>Write an article and post it to Medium</li><li>Update your Amazon wishlist</li><li>Make a list of cocktails you'd like to try</li><li>Plan a dream vacation. Include all destinations, hotels, and restaurants. Cost is no object!</li><li>Listen to a podcast</li><li>Take a Buzzfeed quiz. So many to choose from!</li><li>Mix your own electronic music (Patatap, Incredibox)</li><li>Learn card magic tricks</li><li>Answer people's questions on Quora</li><li>Update a Wikipedia page</li><li>Upload your selfie to various makeup sites to try out different hairstyles and looks (DailyMakeover)</li><li>Make a playlist of exercise videos for when you're feeling more lively</li><li>Online paint by numbers. Just when you thought paint by numbers was insultingly easy</li><li>Watch live webcam footage - tourist attractions, cute animals, coral reefs ... whatever floats your boat</li><li>Go to Google and click "I Feel Lucky"</li></ol><p></p>Listphoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270498776542501186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901540419181810330.post-31552699947202036702022-02-26T06:01:00.008-08:002022-03-03T02:23:21.425-08:0010 Reasons That Teachers are Exhausted<p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQ3y3uZ1QFMNPmHAZzGDL2Nk0KzjqAPu2fR7hn7G_gNcAKCdR7ZeCF6nYhq6sydlfBNMqV8BM8KsaN3SkyLl_yudIAzwgGykWx3OUgv4f8KRX-bdonf4_7BmkccI2e53ZiOs2OjDqrvLo6UA8l7F_yG7y1TCJPuopF0LW7wVcNlNP2vNyXeFq44kCosQ=s3543" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1654" data-original-width="3543" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQ3y3uZ1QFMNPmHAZzGDL2Nk0KzjqAPu2fR7hn7G_gNcAKCdR7ZeCF6nYhq6sydlfBNMqV8BM8KsaN3SkyLl_yudIAzwgGykWx3OUgv4f8KRX-bdonf4_7BmkccI2e53ZiOs2OjDqrvLo6UA8l7F_yG7y1TCJPuopF0LW7wVcNlNP2vNyXeFq44kCosQ=w400-h186" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p>I'm a teacher and I am tired. There are a lot of reasons I'm tired, but at least one of them is avoidable: I'm tired of articles by journalists that misunderstand, misrepresent, or simplify why teachers are fed up, and why we're quitting in droves. Perhaps the problem is that they're not interviewing actual teachers, because we're too busy to talk to them? So, instead, journalists speculate. They speculate that teachers are quitting because of federal paperwork, because that's the enduring legacy of No Child Left Behind, right? That we're quitting because kids these days are too exhausting, because everyone loves complaining about how <i>kids these days</i> are unmotivated, socially clue-less, and out of control. Or (this one makes me laugh) they speculate that we're quitting because of culture wars, as if teachers are actually going to undermine the content, quality, or veracity of what they teach no matter how many parents get dragged out of school board meetings. <p></p><p></p><p>No one seems to get the simple fact that we're leaving because <b><i>we're tired of being overworked.</i></b> It's both that simple as that to diagnose, and as difficult as that to fix. </p><p>Think about this: Every year new expectations get added to teacher "to do" list with no provisions made for the extra time or effort required to implement them. (In Washington, these initiatives have a name - they're called "unfunded mandates.") What's 15 extra minutes every day, more or less?</p><p>The problem: while new expectations continue to get added, the old ones never go away. I've been a teacher for 15years. At the rate of one new initiative per year, 15 extra minutes per day, this means I'm now working - at a minimum - 3.75hrs longer <i>per day</i> than at the beginning of my career. </p><p>That's on top of the 8hrs I spend in the building <i>and</i> the extra10-15 extra "off the clock" hours per week that every teacher has always been expected to sacrifice to the cause of teaching. </p><p>Over 17 more hours per week, and we're not just talking about temporary "crunch times," as may be common in other careers - a push to finish out a contract, a surge to complete work by the end of a fiscal year - but a never-ending, never-relenting expectation that we put in 65-70hr every week for 10 months out of the year. Without a hope that the load will ever lighten, and with the entirely realistic expectation that the load will only continue to increase in future. If we were getting lawyer or doctor pay, the hours might just be worth it. But we all know that that's not the case here.</p><p>The obvious solution is to lighten the load by terminating previous initiatives. If only it were that easy. The problem we face is that the vast majority of these new initiatives are genuinely worthy. Thanks to technology, to research, and to an increased understanding of the science of learning, we're capable of doing a better job of educating students than ever before. Who wants to make cuts that undermine the effectiveness of teaching? </p><p>Let's play a game. You get to be the Superintendent of a major school district. You're desperate to stop the hemorrhage of qualified teachers leaving the profession - and leaving your classrooms in the hands of high-school educated "monitors" who's reading levels may be lower than the students they're supervising. Which of the following services do you cut? </p><p><b>1. Online teaching. </b><i>It's great that we're moving more teaching online,</i><b> </b>since students are going to be living in an online world. But who's transitioning all those traditional pen-and-paper activities to online activities? Updating them to accommodate constant upgrades in platforms and apps? And then constantly transitioning them to <i>different</i> platforms and apps as school systems jump from vendor to vendor? TEACHERS. </p><p><b>2. Preparing our students for 21st century careers. </b><i>It's great that we're finally focused on the importance of teaching 21st century skills.</i> At last someone has figured out that potential employers almost never ask "So, when did the Civil War begin and end?" but they often <i>do</i> ask "tell me about a time you had to collaborate with peers to analyze a problem and come up with a solution." But who's designing all those student inquiry-directed learning activities that are replacing worksheets and textbooks? Who's infusing the curriculum with mini-lessons on collaboration, creative and critical thinking, communication, resiliency/risk-taking, growth mindset, and ethics? And who's replacing all those old multiple-choice tests with syntheses, analyses, and reflections ... and who's grading them? TEACHERS. </p><p><b>3. Constantly adopting new/better "best practices." </b><i>For instance, i</i><i>t's great that we're shifting our emphasis to mastery based learning, </i>ensuring that no child is "left behind," but that they receive whatever remediation they require to master the content. But who's providing the specific, individualized feedback required for students to identify their academic gaps? Who's designing and delivering the remediation to fill those gaps? And who's grading all those extra assessments? TEACHERS. </p><p><b>4. Increasing our outreach to parents. </b><i>It's great that we're becoming more proactive about forming relationships with parents.</i> But who's creating and maintaining those online parent/student portals (often updating them several times throughout a single day)? Rounding up interpreters in order to communicate with parents who speak different languages? Responding to parent emails and phone calls in a timely and professional manner, regardless of whether the requests are appropriate, reasonable, or polite? TEACHERS</p><p><b>5. Improving the legal protections that ensure students receive a Fair and Equal education. </b><i>It's great that we're putting in place protections to ensure that our special needs students receive the services that they are entitled to.</i> IEPs and 504s are supposed to protect those rights, but every time a new story breaks about the abuses of some bad actor (school district, particular school, etc.), more (and more, and more) layers of protection are required. And who's responsibility is it to ensure that all those layers of protection are scrupulously enforced? To maintain all the appropriate paperwork, to gather proof of progress against goals, to attend meetings? TEACHERS (particularly special education teachers). </p><p><b>6. Improving the supports we are able to provide to students with disabilities. </b><i>It's great that we're constantly improving how we use technology to scaffold common student disabilities</i> such as attention deficits, organizational deficits, and reading/writing deficits. Fonts designed to help dyslexics read, apps that "ding" every 2mins to remind students to remain on task, automated checklists to keep ADHD kids organized, speech-to-text and text-to-speech apps that make reading and writing tasks accessible to all! But who's job is it to keep track of all these newly available scaffolds? Match them to the students that can most benefit from them? Teach students how to use them, and then ensure that students are utilizing them? Measure their effectiveness? TEACHERS (specifically, special ed teachers). </p><p><b>7. Infusing our curriculum with SEL. </b><i>It's great that we've finally acknowledged that we need to be valuing and supporting the social and emotional learning (SEL) of our students as well. </i><b> </b> But who's stuck trying to monitor the social-emotional health of 120 students while simultaneously teaching their content? Who's instruction time is constrained when school districts forbid new instruction on religious holidays, and then recognizes 13 days as religious holidays? Who's responsible for modifying instruction to ensure that it includes opportunities to validate the cultural experiences of a multicultural classroom? TEACHERS. </p><p><b>8. Scrubbing our systems to ensure equality and social justice. </b><i>It's great that we're finally addressing traditional inequalities in the way we educate, test, and discipline students in "at risk" categories.</i><b> </b> But who's changing up the curriculum to infuse best practices for teaching our students who may be living in poverty, learning English as a second language, or who are members of underserved minorities? Who's attending hours of professional required to learn, exchange, and grow these new strategies? Who's scrubbing the data to ensure that these new strategies are working? And who's instructional time is sacrificed when teachers are increasingly expected to utilize such techniques as "restorative justice" to deal with students who are persistently tardy, disrupt the classroom, or interfere with the learning of others ? TEACHERS. </p><p><b>9. Providing more individualized education based on data. </b><i>It's great that we're finally centralizing student information</i> so that all the info we need about their lives, their academic abilities, their behaviours, activities, strengths, weaknesses, accommodations, special needs and parent communications are all easily accessible in one place. But who's inputting all that data into these systems? Who's delivering all that standardized testing and logging all those anecdotal inputs? And who's expected to take the time to peruse all the data and use it to differentiate instruction for individual students? TEACHERS. </p><p><b>10. Training our teachers to be ready to cope with a whole new host of threats, dangers & crises. </b><i>It's great that we're doing a better job of preparing teachers to handle crises</i> such as active shooters, worsening weather, students in the throes of various medical crisis (soooo many allergies!), and pandemics. But who's instructional time is robbed to make time for an ever-increasing number of required safety drills and professional trainings? Who's spending more time than ever working their way through mandatory trainings on asthma/epilepsy/diabetes/hypoglycemia? Who's investing dozens of hours figuring out how to cope with the altered reality of pandemic instruction? TEACHERS. </p><p>Well, Superintendent? Which of the above are you willing to give up? As a teacher, a parent, and a concerned citizen of the U.S., I'm not willing to give up any of them. But neither can we expect the current system to endure. We can't keep loading new expectations onto teachers without dealing with the consequences of those expectations. </p><p><b><i>Teachers are tired. Their work-life balance is a joke. They're not getting paid nearly enough to motivate them to remain. And so they're leaving. In multitudes. And the exodus is going to continue unless things change. </i></b></p><p>I don't claim to have any answers, but I imagine any plausible solution set will have to include at least some of the following: </p><p>1. <b>We're going to need more bodies in buildings. </b>We need more adults in classroom - co-teachers, ELL support teachers, special ed teachers, IAs, and qualified subs - to help deliver content, provide differentiation, assess learning and deliver interventions. Also more adults - psychologists, social workers, mentors, and special education case workers - to work one on one with students who need extra social, emotional, or behavioural supports in order to be able to participate meaningfully in classroom instruction. We need more school security and safety personal to perform oversight duties (supervise bus/cafeteria/halls, oversee restorative justice conferences) that rob teachers of valuable planning time. Finally, we need more parent volunteers, mentors, and tutors to work with students after school to provide additional resources for intervention. At this point I'm not sure any amount of money is going to be enough to attract the quantity and quality of teachers we're going to need into the future, but one thing we <i>can </i>do is address work-life imbalances by shortening the number of hours that teacher work in a week. </p><p><b>2. We need to be finding new ways to form school/parent/community partnerships. </b>We're going to need a much more effective and equitable way to involve parents and communities. If we can't get more adults into the building, then we need to be recruiting more adults outside of the building to perform the essential functions listed above. </p><p><b>3. We're going to need more IT support, and a little restraint. </b>We're teachers, not graphic organizers, apps creators, or systems engineers. Some of us couldn't even figure out how to use copiers. We need IT support personnel in every school to help troubleshoot hardware and apps; but more than that, we need IT <u><i>coaches</i></u> that can help teachers move content online, optimize blended learning to deliver learning and assessment as efficiently as possible, and identify opportunities to leverage learning through tech. Finally, we need school districts to stop switching out classroom management apps every 2-3yrs! Each time there's a switch, teachers spend dozens of hours porting work from one platform to another. What a ridiculous - and totally avoidable - waste of time. We get that the salesmen at educational company are <i>really </i>good at convincing Superintendents that they need more capability than they have, but what use are bells and whistles when no one has the time to use them? </p><p>4. <b>We should be rethinking curriculum priorities.</b> Are we using what precious classroom hours we have on the right things? The world is changing; shouldn't our curriculum be changing too? For instance, why are we still insisting that students memorize a foreign language, in a world where universal translators sell for $100? Would classes that focus on global issues/understandings rather than global languages give us more time to focus on 21st century skills, student-based inquiry, SEL, equity, and social justice? Should we be rethinking about how we might repurpose some PE time to focus on mindfulness and other practices that support not just physical health, but also social and emotional health? Most of all, we need to be sure we're sticking to data-proven best practices and not allow ourselves to be distracted by educational fads being promoted by educational consultants marketing their latest bestseller</p><div>As I say, I don't claim to have any answers, but I do have one prediction: if we don't figure out a way to lighten the load on teachers, and do it soon, the mass exodus is going to continue. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p></p>Listphoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270498776542501186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901540419181810330.post-56525530006993943662022-02-26T03:14:00.001-08:002022-02-26T03:14:42.363-08:0015+ Novel Types of Gardens - Because why can't a gardens be fun as well as practical? <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiIvvvLorCd8CIZomsqJcBYc7t_u1w8Yp7yY35XaiQZTemAs_Q8B-iAEzXnfh5jmqv38alThvfhma3Tu2YncVhWJK_7puutixzeS3QO5JqoiudfZEB6XX9oiuVwJF3fGbHxxMVVpKmf-ib6HIGqWJPCWhKW5G5kp_57txCCCq0-LSU52SiJaC01IOpOMg=s741" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="741" data-original-width="487" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiIvvvLorCd8CIZomsqJcBYc7t_u1w8Yp7yY35XaiQZTemAs_Q8B-iAEzXnfh5jmqv38alThvfhma3Tu2YncVhWJK_7puutixzeS3QO5JqoiudfZEB6XX9oiuVwJF3fGbHxxMVVpKmf-ib6HIGqWJPCWhKW5G5kp_57txCCCq0-LSU52SiJaC01IOpOMg=w263-h400" width="263" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now that I'm close to retirement, I'm thinking I may finally have time to start a garden. The question is: what kind? I'm the kind of person who likes to rethink the way things have always been done, which is how I ended up compiling the following list of ideas for gardens that might be a little more "exotic" than your traditional backyard kitchen or spice plot. Gardening is too laborious and dedicated a task not to spend the time creating something that will bring you genuine and lasting delight ...!</span><p></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Poison garden. A garden in which all the plants and flowers are toxic. Some of these species are actually quite lovely, and the experience might inform usefully inform my career as a murder mystery writer. On the negative side, however, this might perhaps make the neighbors nervous and have a chilling effect on the local wildlife. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Dinosaur garden. A garden including only species that were around at the same time as the dinosaurs: ferns, cycads, horsetails, sequoias, cypresses, pines and ginkgos. Back when everyone was paleo, and paleo wasn't even hip yet. Just for fun, I'd love to add plastic dinosaurs peaking out from the foliage and wait to see how long it takes for the neighborhood kids to notice!</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Midnight garden. A garden meant to be enjoyed at night - from flowers that bloom only at night to varieties with smells that become even more exotic in the dark.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hanging garden. Create a long tunnel-like trellis structure and plant it with either fruits or veggies that can be trained to climb. I love the idea of being able to walk though a shady, fragrant tunnel of foliage and pick my dinner or desert as I go along! </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Medicinal garden. A garden in which all the plants and flowers have medicinal value - aloe, St. Johns Wart, etc. I've always wanted to be an apothecary and formulate my own prescriptions.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hobo garden. I'm a big fan of plain, chunky stews, so a garden that grows ingredients for all my favorite soups is appealing. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Train garden. Even as an adult, I still find myself transfixed by miniature train sets. So why not plan a garden garden around raised wooden planks that could be transformed into platforms for train tracks at any time? I might throw in "houses" and "stations" crafted out of natural materials. It would be like a fairy garden for adults!</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Art garden. I wonder if it would be possible to replicate a famous impressionist painting in flower colors? Maybe something swirly, like one of Van Gogh's starry night constellations? </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Shakespeare garden. A garden constituted solely from plants and flowers mentioned in Shakespeare's poetry or plays. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sculpture garden. Plant only species that can be easily groomed (or that would easily grow over statuary), then trim/train the garden into a whole whimsical tableau - perhaps Alice and her tea party? Or trolls feasting on bones? </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Tea garden. A garden constituted solely from plants that can be brewed onto teas. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Seedpod garden. All the plants would be required to sport gorgeous or unique seedpods.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Pilgrim garden. Featuring only fruits and vegetables that would have been available to America's first European settlers. I imagine the varieties available these days barely resemble the plants in their original form, but one could at least recreate a garden that replicates the species that were available then. Bring on the Scuppernogg wine!</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Turtle & Frog garden. The trick would be to landscape the pond and surrounds using native species, so that the frogs and turtles who stop by for a visit would feel right at home and stay a while. There's nothing I enjoy more in spring than watching tadpoles develop into frogs! </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Cocktail garden. All the plants are ingredients in exotic cocktails. Time to whip out my copy of The Drunken Botonist and start listing species! </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Booze garden. All the plants can actually be transformed into alcohol - which I realize, technically speaking, would include all plants, but I'd focus on the more traditional and or interesting varieties. My moonshining Kentucky forebears would be so proud! </span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p>Listphoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270498776542501186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901540419181810330.post-89992546119933698702022-01-29T15:42:00.006-08:002022-04-22T15:54:11.961-07:0010 Things Large Women Wish Clothes Designers Understood<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiYxjdAJBvfJFCdR5wc-BrxzcoY1esUo4c6IQebDBmPtXJIgK6oErCeyftR8VKomkwMlz7IoIjqqoTNv6hDTux7mc1DEhxMFrgUNumlCLwhIJ2Psv7SZEa09flATE2vea50OnVgHadrPdcGGBNB7bOrUJzWwYZmL8KuinrxW2qWWRnehwWuSirTrb5l_Q" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="700" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiYxjdAJBvfJFCdR5wc-BrxzcoY1esUo4c6IQebDBmPtXJIgK6oErCeyftR8VKomkwMlz7IoIjqqoTNv6hDTux7mc1DEhxMFrgUNumlCLwhIJ2Psv7SZEa09flATE2vea50OnVgHadrPdcGGBNB7bOrUJzWwYZmL8KuinrxW2qWWRnehwWuSirTrb5l_Q" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">1. Being</span></span> large doesn’t mean we don’t have taste. PLEASE, no more garish fabrics with
huge hibiscus flowers or other prints that should never have left the mumu
factory! But that doesn’t mean we want to wear solid colors all our lives
either.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Just use the same prints you use
for all the other women.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">2. We realize
that leggings are cheap and easy to manufacture in a variety of sizes, but they
do NOT flatter the legs of larger women. Displaying small ankles just
highlights the size of our calves and thighs. Bootleg cut pants, in contrast,
make legs look thinner by sandwiching them between wider lengths of fabric at
the ankles and waist</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">3. So why do
we buy leggings? Two words: thigh rub. It’s a major discomfort for large women,
especially in shorts.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Please give us
more bike-type shorts – snug without clinging but in slick fabrics that move
freely as we walk rather than catching and rubbing. (And add some pockets while
you’re at it – overweight women are tired of being cheated of pockets!)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">4. Bathing
suits. Large women don’t like them. Thigh rub is one reason. Having to wrestle
our way out of wet one piece bathing suits just to go to the bathroom is
another. The fact that many designs feature ruffles that stop right at the
widest part of our booties is yet another.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">We need two-piece bathing suits that come with shorts rather than
panties, and longer tops that drape all the way over our booties.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Think old-fashioned wading dresses, but in
cuter fabrics and more sexy designs</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">5. What’s the
deal with sweaters? Why are you always trying to sell us long, baggy sweaters?
Large women run hot – the last thing we want to be doing is wearing extra layers of wool. If you want to sell us extra layers, consider thinner fabrics</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">6. While I
appreciate irony, there’s nothing more frustrating than shopping in the
big/tall section only to discover that the shirts are shorter than those in
every other department. While some women have shaped booties that deserve to be
shown off, a lot of us don’t; we need shirts in a range of lengths, from short
to extra long</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">7. And
speaking of upsizing shirt lengths, please stop upsizing the length of the arms
as well.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">We’re ordering longer shirts
not because we’re giantesses, but because we want some fabric concealing our
tummies and booties. Our arms don't need to be flopping around in 6” of extra, unwanted sleeve.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">8. Design
isn’t everything – fabrics matter too.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Cute tunics in jersey fabrics are useless, because they catch on our
pants and look terrible. Ditto wool and cheap cotton. A little spandex goes a
long way towards helping our clothes hang in a flattering way.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">9. Speaking
of which, could we get some recognition that our booties are often wider than
our shoulders? Stovepipe designs are made for people without curves.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Shirts that flair at the bottom give our
booties room to move.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">10. Large
women deserve cute shoes that don’t collapse under our weight! When designing
wider sizes, we need you to build in more structural supports – and make the
toe openings wider on sandals, while you’re at it!</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p><!--[if !supportLists]--><p></p>
Listphoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270498776542501186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901540419181810330.post-4970202160446916792021-12-04T15:31:00.001-08:002021-12-04T15:31:00.197-08:0020+ Tips for Living With a Teacher<p><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 7pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SAebrBzrhAw/YZ17UpGDSDI/AAAAAAAAB4Y/JFcFiiHJf9MS0iAvapNrJUIf98WlaBm8wCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Teacher-spouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SAebrBzrhAw/YZ17UpGDSDI/AAAAAAAAB4Y/JFcFiiHJf9MS0iAvapNrJUIf98WlaBm8wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Teacher-spouse.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Few jobs impact marriage the way that teaching does. Forget boundaries: teaching is one of those careers that delights not just in blurring them, but erasing them entirely. Here are some tips that may help you cope: <p></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Never throw away those Back to School sales
flyers! In the weeks leading up to the new school year, you </span><u style="text-indent: -0.25in;">will</u><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> be
dragged to every store in a 10mile radius offering loss-leaders like 10 cent
composition notebooks</span></li><li>Thou shalt not touch the Flair pens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are for grading papers. They are NOT for
borrowing.</li><li>Don’t expect dinner or cleaning services around
the end of the quarter or semester. For that matter, don’t expect company or
conversation. A teacher in grading mode is basically as accessible as a coma
patient</li><li>Do not, under any circumstances, begrudge us our
summer vacation, or expect us to work through our summer vacation. We earn our
vacation the way soldiers returning from the front have earned shore leave. </li><li>When we return from school in the afternoon, we
don’t want to talk about our day. At least not yet. What we really want is
20-30 mins of blissful, peaceful silence. (After that, however, brace yourself
– once we start talking about our day, the anecdotes tend to just keep coming.)</li><li><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Just pretend you understand all the acronyms we
spout. It will speed up conversations.</li><li>Unless you have experienced the thankless task
of writing a sub plan that anticipates every possible nightmare classroom
scenario, don’t bother trying to convince us not to go into work unless we are
actually attached by tubes to hospital equipment</li><li>We may not be able to figure out how to use the
new grading software the county recently hoisted on us, but there’s not a copy
machine in the world we can’t fix</li><li>If we could have brushed the glitter off our clothes at school instead of getting it all over the car, we would have</li><li>No need to feed us the last 2 weeks before
Christmas break – we’ll be surviving entirely on plates of cookies brought to
us by our students as gifts, peace offerings, and or bribes. </li><li>Accept that we will never see anything wrong or
embarrassing about wearing novelty math ties and/or DNA earrings in
public.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because, secretly, we all see
ourselves as Ms. Frizzle. </li><li>Accept that, starting 7-10 days before before
the slightest chance of snow, we will be glued to the weather channel like
Susan Lucci waiting for the list of Golden Globe nominees to be announced. </li><li>Pretend you don’t mind when we correct your
grammar. It’s like a tic; we literally can’t help ourselves.</li><li>Prepare for the fact that every time you go out
shopping there’s the chance we may end up entrapped in a spontaneous parent
teacher conference. (Tip: If, while running errands we suddenly stage-whisper
“Quick – duck into the next aisle!” … don’t delay, don’t ask questions – just
GO.)</li><li>Friday nights are NOT date nights. Friday nights are “go to bed as early as
humanly possible” nights. Sunday nights are not date nights either: they are
“prepare our battle plans for tomorrow” nights.
Saturdays are the sweet spot – snatch them up before they’re donated to
grading!</li><li>Speaking of date nights, get used to spending at
least part of outing running into our students. For some reason, date nights
attract students like honey attracts bees – the more romantic the occasion, the
more times the two of you will be interrupted by students squealing our names
like they just spotted Beyonce</li><li>You may want to stockpile extra wine in advance
of the following occasions: full moons, the day before Christmas break, the day
after Halloween, and the last day of school</li><li>Don’t even try to out-anecdote us. No matter how
outrageous that thing that happened to you at the office today, we can top that.
</li><li>Don’t make us use our teacher voice</li><li>Just accept that every mug in the cabinet will be emblazoned with either the school's logo or some variation on "World's Best Teacher."</li><li>We’ll spend all year yearning for the end of
school, then spend all summer preparing for the next school year. Just accept
it.</li><li>Thou shalt not mock the salary. We know it
sucks. We appreciate not being reminded that it sucks. </li></ol><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>Listphoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270498776542501186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901540419181810330.post-40430945439436817222021-11-23T15:22:00.016-08:002022-06-12T04:54:55.056-07:00150 Signs That You May Be a Baby Boomer ....<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-URzg4R7P97E/YZ120J2g6iI/AAAAAAAAB4Q/vHi-vjfMh6o3X4bzrisdD7M9omA2MyFrACLcBGAsYHQ/s499/Baby-Boomers-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="499" height="201" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-URzg4R7P97E/YZ120J2g6iI/AAAAAAAAB4Q/vHi-vjfMh6o3X4bzrisdD7M9omA2MyFrACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h201/Baby-Boomers-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I arrived right at the end of the Baby Boom generation, but my parents lived the dream. Take a walk with me through 150 "best generation" memories ... and add your own if you feel so inclined!<p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You and your friends rode EVERYWHERE on your
bikes, which you “pimped out” for special occasions with playing cards tucked
into the spokes. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You paid for groceries with checks<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You remember the smell of mimeographed
worksheets<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your English class was color-coded SRI cards
from a box<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You spent hours in front of MTV waiting for your
favorite videos to show<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You remember when Luke and Laura got married<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You drank Cool-aid out of character glasses from
the local gas stations, cooled by ice cubes from a metal tray<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You remember the sweet, sweet agony of standing
in front of 20 different jello parfaits at the Hot Shoppes, knowing you could
only pick one<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your parents let you play outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All day. Unattended<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You anxiously awaited the release of the next
Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys book<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->If your wanted pizza, you had to go out for it<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your phone had a rotary dial and only one person
could use it at a time. (Bonus points if you remember yelling at everyone to
get off the phone so you could connect to the internet.)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">13.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You had to call out-of-state relatives after 8pm
because that’s when long distance rates went down<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">14.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You caught fireflies in a jar and used them to
light your room at night<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">15.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You rode in the back of pickup trucks and no one
thought that was questionable<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">16.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You had a record collection<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">17.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You weren’t sure if Princess Leia would end up
with Han or Luke</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">18.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->If you liked a movie, you had to hope they would
re-release it the next year<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">19.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You saved the TV Guide from the Sunday paper so
you knew what TV programs were on<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">20.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You called a phone # if you wanted to know the
time or weather<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">21.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You remember the agony of busy signals<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">22.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You ate casseroles made out of canned soup and
vegetables<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">23.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You sewed “peace sign” and “smiley face” patches
on your bell-bottoms<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">24.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You tied your ponytails with pieces of thick,
colored yarn<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">25.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your favorite day in PE was “parachute day”</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">26.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You sang Beatles songs in chorus<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">27.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You rode a Big Wheel<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">28.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You remember gym class mostly as a series of
humiliations: dodgeball, chin-ups, rope climbing, polyester gym clothes that
reeked of BO no matter how many times they were laundered, and public showers<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">29.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->TV dinners were the coolest thing ever – even if
the fruit compost was always at least partially frozen despite 2hrs in the oven
at 350 degrees. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">30.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You remember the Hawaii episode of Brady Bunch
(yes, the one where Peter finds the cursed Tiki)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">31.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You identified with one of the characters in
Breakfast Club<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">32.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You remember watching filmstrips in elementary
school<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">33.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You had an M.I.A. bracelet<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">34.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You remember the magical feeling of walking
through a shopping mall draped with decorations at Christmas<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">35.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You wore a plastic mask and stiff, scratchy
packaged costume for Halloween. (Bonus points if you remember collecting money
for UNICEF at the same time.) <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">36.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You had no idea how many of the songs you loved
were actually about drugs<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">37.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You watched variety shows on TV (Carol Burnett,
Sonny & Cher, The Captain & Teneil)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">38.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You learned to read from Golden Books<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">39.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You ordered something from K’Tel<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">40.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You played ALL the politically incorrect games –
Smear the Queer, Red Rover, dodgeball - without realizing they were so very
wrong<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">41.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You decorated your room with posters from Teen
Beat or Woolworths<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">42.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You wore suntan lotion designed to make you MORE
tan, not less<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">43.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->On special occasions, your family went out to
dinner at Tiki-tastic faux Polynesian restaurants at the local strip mall<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">44.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your worksheets came from a “ditto machine”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">45.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You still think of Sprite as the “Uncola”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">46.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your bologna had a first and second name. (And
sometimes your mom served it fried)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">47.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your friends collected hot wheels, comics, or
_____<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">48.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You didn’t always understand everything in MAD
Magazine, but you knew it was inappropriate<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">49.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your TV required time to “warm up” and came with
an antennae that had to be minutely adjusted to ensure reception. (Bonus if you
remember using tinfoil to strengthen the signal)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">50.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You popped popcorn on the stove, or in a popcorn
popper<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">51.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your bought your pet from the Woolworths<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">52.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You remember the excitement of a Kmart Blue
Light Special<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">53.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The guy at the shoe store measured your foot
using this incredibly complex metal tool that was always cold – and yet somehow
the shoes never quite fit<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">54.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Birthday parties were held at houses, not
restaurants, bowling allies or indoor playgrounds. You wore party hats, played
some games, ate cake, watched the birthday boy/girl open presents, and then
waited for your parents to pick you back up. (Bonus points if you remember your
mom insisting that you dress up.)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">55.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Playground equipment was made out of concrete
and metal, and no one had a problem with that<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">56.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->College actually WAS like Animal House<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">57.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You sat next to the radio with your hand poised
over the “record” button of your tape recorder, hoping to catch your favorite
song<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">58.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You made mix tapes and gave them to your friends<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">59.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You owned a bottle of Aquanet<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">60.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your Mom bought her makeup from the Avon Lady<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">61.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->They played “Celebrate” by Sly & the Family
Stone at least once at your prom<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">62.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You had to go to the TV set to turn the channel<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">63.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You learned your grammar, history and
multiplication tables from Schoolhouse Rock<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">64.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You learned how to type on a manual typewriter<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">65.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->On road trips, you stopped at the Stuckeys or
Howard Johnsons for meals<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">66.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You knew your way around a yoyo<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">67.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You got pinched for not wearing green on St.
Patrick’s Day<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">68.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You started monitoring the TV Guide weeks in
advance of each holiday so you wouldn’t miss the holiday specials – especially
Charlie Brown & The Grinch Who Stole Christmas<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">69.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your aspirin tasted like oranges<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">70.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You owned a beeper or Palm Pilot<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">71.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your diet plan included Tab, Slimfast and/or
Jazzercize<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">72.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The furniture in your room included a mushroom
lamp, _________, and/or shag carpeting<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">73.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You waited all week wondering what was going to
be on the Wonderful World of Disney TV hour next Sunday<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">74.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your TV was color but many of the shows you
watched (I Love Lucy, The Dick Van Dyke Show, etc.) were in black and white<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">75.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You remember when your local arcade introduced
the first video game<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">76.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your school supplies included books wrapped in
repurposed brown shopping bags, a pencil box, paste, and a metal lunchbox with
glass-lined thermos that always broke<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">77.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You know all the words to at least one song from
the album “Free to Be You and Me”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">78.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your mom owned at least one wig<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">79.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You kept the prizes from cereal boxes, because
they were actually cool<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">80.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You still remember how amazed you were when you
heard microwaves could bake a potato in 10mins<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">81.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The women in your life used clear nail polish to
stop runs in your pantyhose (Bonus if you remember that the pantyhose came in
an egg-shaped container)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">82.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your car had ashtrays, no A/C, and handles for
rolling down the windows<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">83.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your mom set your hair in rollers as a kid;
later, you got it regularly permed at the local salon<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">84.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You remember the summer everyone in your
neighborhood installed a bug zapper<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">85.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->At Christmas, the neighborhood dads ran those
strings of big lightbulbs all the way up to the top of the roof<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">86.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->If you want on vacation with your family, it was
usually to your grandparents’ house<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">87.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You owned a pet rock<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">88.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your mom did all the cooking; your dad did all
the home maintenance & outdoor chores<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">89.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Ouija boards, Doodle Art posters, and prank
phone calls were a staple of slumber parties<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">90.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->On snow days, they put chains on the wheels of
the school buses<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">91.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You partied with Bartle and James<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">92.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You remember playing Pong<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">93.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your elementary school celebrated May Day<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">94.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You rocked either shoulder pads or a wide tie<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">95.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Airlines gave you a free mini-suitcase of toys
if you were a kid (and the kit always included a pin with wings)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">96.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your eggs and milk were left in an insulated box
on the front porch by the milkman<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">97.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your idea of a playlist was a stack of 45s on
the record player<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">98.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You remember seeing movies at the drive-in<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">99.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You remember cigarette machines<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">100.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Every Christmas you thumbed through the Sears
Wishbook to pick out the toys you wanted for Christmas<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">101.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You glued S&H stamps into booklets which you
then redeemed for such glamourous prizes as toasters, juicers, and towels.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">102.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You watched Evel Knievel perform trick
motorcycle jumps<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">103.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You remember<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>these words: “The thrill of victory …. The agony of defeat”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">104.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You know what Joe Namath looks like in panty
hose<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">105.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You used an adding machine to figure out your
taxes<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">106.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You watched Howdy Doody, Romper Room, Mr.
Rogers’ Neighborhood, Captain Kangaroo, or The Mickey Mouse Club without irony.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">107.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your think of NASA every time you see a bottle
of Tang orange drink<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">108.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You receiving AOL CDs in the mail every week<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">109.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You remember people smoking in movie theaters,
restaurants, and the grocery store<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">110.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You remember when Salisbury steak, chicken
livers, and eggplant parmesan were cafeteria staples<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">111.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You remember when TV channels used to sign off
at the end of the night. (Bonus points if you remember the anguish of waking up
early on a weekend morning, only to discover the TV channels weren’t yet back
on.)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">112.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Woolworths stocked everything you could imagine
ever needing – from clothes to farming supplies to pets<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">113.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You remember TV commercials and billboards
advertising smoking<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">114.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your mom served you strange combinations of
fruits, vegetables, marshmallows and nuts suspended in layers of colored jello<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">115.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You looked up telephone numbers in the phone
book<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">116.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Party invitations came in the form of cards that
arrived in the mail<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">117.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your mom brought out the “good china” for
special occasions, like dinner parties or holidays<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">118.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You wrote and mailed formal thank-you notes to
people who gave you gifts<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">119.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You have a polio vaccine scar on your arm<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">120.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You used a pencil to rewind your cassette tapes<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">121.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You died of dysentery on the Oregon Trail. Over
and over again.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">122.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You remember Asking Jeeves or following
technical advice from a talking paper clip<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">123.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The store placed your credit card on a machine
that physically embossed the information onto a thin sheet of copy paper<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">124.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your teacher used a chalkboard<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">125.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You suffered serious physical harm playing on
the playground equipment at the local park – shooting off the side of a
spinning merry-go-round due to centrifugal force, face-planting onto a wooden
see-saw, or tumbling off the top of towering metal climbing bars.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">126.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You remember when hashtags were used for either
numbers or playing tic-tac-toe<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">127.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You can still say
“twoallbeefpattiesspecialsaucelettucecheesepicklesoniononasesameseedbun”
really, really fast<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">128.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Doctors, dentists and banks ensured a regular
supply of lollipops. (Bonus points if you remember lollipops with
teardrop-shaped stems and/or long rows of lollipops attached by their
cellophane sleeves)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">129.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your high school had smoking halls; perhaps even
a smoking courtyard<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">130.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your camera came with flashcubes. (Bonus if you
also dropped off your film at one of those parking-lot film stands.) <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">131.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You learned cooking from Julia Childs or the
Galloping Goumet<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">132.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->After decorating the Christmas tree, you blanketed
the whole thing in an impenetrable layer of silver icicles.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">133.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your bathroom rocked a shag toilet lid cover and
patterned TP<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">134.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You remember the burn of mercurochrome as your
mom slathered it onto your open wounds<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">135.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You begged your mom for a quarter to ride the mechanical
horses/cars/rocket ships outside the local grocery store or gas station<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">136.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You got pretty good at drawing Winky<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">137.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You succumbed to the lure of Columbia House’s
offer of 13 records or cassette tapes for $1<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">138.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You slathered suntan lotion on your skin so you
could become MORE tan.(Bonus points if you also lightened your hair using lemon
juice.)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">139.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You watched Soul Train and American Bandstand to
learn how to dance<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">140.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your list of childhood pets includes an ant farm
and/or sea monkeys<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">141.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You remember when curbs overflowed with metal pop-top
rings and cigarette butts discarded by passing drivers<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">142.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You entrusted your deepest secrets to a diary
with a cheap metal key<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">143.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your friends wrote actual messages in your
yearbook, not just signatures<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">144.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You competed with your friends over who could
create the longest gum wrapper chain (Bonus points if you also used a loom to
make potholders)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">145.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You stocked up on canned food in the basement in
case Cuba & her Russian allies decided to launch a missile attack on the
U.S.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">146.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You remember why the Native American standing
next to the Grand Canyon was crying<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">147.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You remember making shrinky-dinks, creepy crawlers
and dip-flowers<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">148.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You stored your school supplies in a pencil box<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">149.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You still remember the smell of Colorforms<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;">150. Your parents owned engraved silver cigarette lighters which they refilled with lighter fluid </p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">151.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->No one ever shopped on Sunday because all the
stores were closed<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -31.5pt;">152. Your family had their picture taken at Olan Mills</p>Listphoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270498776542501186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901540419181810330.post-2871723521174073972021-07-14T09:26:00.146-07:002021-07-27T09:35:35.148-07:0050+ Scrapbook Embellishments You Can Buy at the Dollar Store<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z-hNzedAZvI/YO8MAYpbpWI/AAAAAAAAByM/XTN3Grswcg4NLOmjvXTqvAfET7p4faxGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s838/Dollar-Tree-Craft-Supplies-8173.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="838" data-original-width="599" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z-hNzedAZvI/YO8MAYpbpWI/AAAAAAAAByM/XTN3Grswcg4NLOmjvXTqvAfET7p4faxGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Dollar-Tree-Craft-Supplies-8173.jpg" /></a></div>I love scrapbooking, but I hate the craft store prices for embellishments. $4 for a sheet of stickers or a roll of ribbon? That's one reason I love hitting the local dollar store in search of scrapbooking supplies. The other reason? So many unconventional choices stimulate my imagination and creativity! Forget the office supply aisle and the crafting supplies aisle ... pretty much anything flat can be a potential scrapbook embellishment, if you use your imagination.<p></p><p>(One caveat: if you are creating scrapbooks intended to last decades, you'll want to consider the longevity and acid content of items you incorporate in your pages. Avoid things that will yellow, fade, crumble over time, or damage other elements.)</p><p>So by all means be inspired the following list of suggestions, but I encourage you to visit your local dollar store and see what other treasures you discover!</p><p>To keep this as useful as possible, I've omitted from this list anything you might find in the office supplies or crafting supplies aisles, unless I am proposing an "off label" use for them. You don't need me telling you how to use colorful paperclips, ribbon, or googly-eyes. </p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Award Ribbons. Those cheesy 1st/2nd/3rd place award ribbons (often found in the party supplies aisle) or faux Olympic medals (found in the toy aisle) are a great way to add dimension to spreads having to do with competitions - from legit sports competitions or spelling competitions, to less formal family competitions (ex: best gingerbread house). </li><li>Band-aids (esp. novelty band-aids). Great for a spread about a boo-boo; also, a way to lighten the tone of a spread dedicated to a serious medical issue. (Nothing like Scooby Doo bandaids to add a little whimsy to a spread about a prolonged recovery or hospital stay.)</li><li>Bandanas. The store carries bandanas in a variety of colors, which can be cut up and used in a variety of creative ways - as border, as matte, or as braided strips/ribbons. While you're at it, you might check out some of the other textiles in the store - neck scarves, quilting squares - to see if any of them might be repurposed. </li><li>Bingo cards. I love using bingo cards in spreads. The ones they sell at the dollar store won't be customized for specific holidays like the ones at the dollar store, but you can easily fix that by covering the numbers with circles/squares that display the words/symbols you want. You can find ways to use bingo cards for literally any holiday or event. </li><li>Bobby pins. These make a cute embellishment for spreads about hairstyling, fashion, or primping for events/weddings.</li><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kiARe7DBa4Y/YO7_usUddMI/AAAAAAAAByE/DrXX_m67I2wMfP_CRtv-Oxzk4PHCMxqKgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/maxresdefault.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kiARe7DBa4Y/YO7_usUddMI/AAAAAAAAByE/DrXX_m67I2wMfP_CRtv-Oxzk4PHCMxqKgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/maxresdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Books. While I would normally hesitate to endorse tearing books apart, $1 books are fair game. Childrens' books can contain wonderful illustrations, perfect for repurposing; or, use the pages intact as background elements. TIP: using stamps in conjunction with typed pages can create some amazing effects</li><li>Bubble wands. Those plastic wands that kids use to create bubbles out of dishwashing soap come in a variety of sizes and styles these days, suitable for providing a bit of nostalgia to spreads about childhood, baby baths, car washes, after-wedding processions, hot tubs, or other bubbly occasions. <br /></li><li>Buttons. Buttons works as extremely flexible embellishments - you can use them to create borders, mattes, or to add interest to corners. I've even used swirls of small black buttons to indicate the path of a bumblebee across a page. </li><li>Calendars (especially picture calendars). Use the photos in spreads as background elements, or use the calendar pages themselves to document the events of a month (ex: the practice schedule for a sports team, the planting schedule for a garden, the performance schedule for theater production.) </li><li>Candy Packaging/Wrappers. These can be used in a literal way - in a spread about Halloween, for instance, but they can be even more fun when used out of context: a Payday wrapper for a spread about your first job; a Babe Ruth wrapper for a spread about seeing the Baseball Hall of Fame; a Butterfingers wrapper for a spread about breaking something ...</li><li>Car fresheners. They're flat, they're varied, and they're totally kitchy! Incorporate them in a spread about buying a new car, taking a road trip, or pick a particular design as use it literally - how fun would it be to create a whole forest of car freshener trees?</li><li>CDs/DVDs (blank). Buy blank ones, then customize them with Sharpie markers. Great for spreads about music, movies, or family movie nights. </li><li>Checkers. Every dollar store in the U.S. carries a cheap checkers game - I think it may be a contractual requirement. :-) Use the checkers board as a background with our without the chips, or use the chips without the background. Your spread doesn't have to be about checkers, either - the grid background can be a fun way to divide up the page and separate photos (one embellishment per box); the chips can be "bedazzled" with paint or glitter to create dimensional elements. </li><li>Colorforms. These can be a great source for themed stickers, like Peanuts or Disney. They won't actually stick to paper, but a little adhesive will fix that - or, better yet, include part/all of the Colorforms background in your spread for a winsome bit of nostalgia. </li><li>Coloring books. Use the pages to illustrate child-themed scrapbook pages - like a Disney coloring book for an album commemorating a family Disney vacation. (Remember that cheap coloring book paper isn't going to be acid free, so you'll want to spray the page with an acid-removing product before using it.) </li><li>Comic books. Use covers for spreads about a favorite superhero, superhero experience (ex: a themed amusement park ride), or superhero movie. Or use random pages to illustrate child-themed pages</li><li>Clay. Create your own customized embellishments by flattening out a circle of clay and then embossing it with your favorite stamp(s). </li><li>Envelopes. Affix to your spreads as a way to store extra photos, momentoes, or tags with journaling.</li><li>Flash cards (all kinds). Dollar stores generally sell a variety of flash card sets - not just math review, but animal flash cards, alphabet flash cards, dinosaur flash cards - even "famous places" flash cards. Depending on the set, these can be used for baby/child spreads, school spreads, museum spreads, or museum spreads.</li><li>Garden labels/spikes. I picked up a package of stainless steel garden spikes and then had to go back and buy another later, because I was using them for so many spreads ... none of them, by the way, having to do with gardening. They work as labels, as signs, as border elements; your imagination is the limit. </li><li>Greeting cards. At $1 per card, dimensional greeting cards can replace those expensive dimensional stickers that the craft stores sell. (Another good place to look for dimensional elements: the gift bag aisle.)</li><li>Handwriting paper (or handwriting strips, the ones teachers use). Remember those pads of paper with wide lines to be used by children who are learning their letters? Pages from the pad would make an adorable backdrop for spreads about school, or cut out strips to use with your own handwriting to create eye-catching titles. (As before, remember that cheap lined paper isn't going to be acid free, so you'll want to spray the page with an acid-removing product before using it.) </li><li>"Hello, My Name Is" stickers. Such a cute idea for spreads about conferences, events, meetings, or even the first day of school.</li><li>Jewelry. Cheap chains and charms that lose their silver after a few wearings can make perfect scrapbook embellishments because - without the body oils - their inexpensive metallic paints last forever. I'm especially drawn to simple chains (they make great embellishments), charm necklaces and bracelets (you can leave them intact or remove the charms to use separately), and interesting earring dangles. </li><li>Jigsaw puzzles. At $1 each, choose puzzles with a picture that related to a spread you are creating - a farm scene for a visit to the petting zoo, a ferris wheel for a trip to the amusement park, a picture of the Eiffel Tower for a trip to Paris. Then use the pieces separately or partially illustrated to create borders, embellishments, or frames. What to do with the pieces you don't use? Turn them upsidedown, paint them, and use them as embellishments elsewhere.</li><li>Magnifying glass (toy). Those cheap, flat toy magnifying lenses sold in the toy article can be used in any number of ways - to enlarge an embellishment, an ad in a newspaper, a face in a picture, or the gems in an engagement ring!</li><li>Nail polish. Use as paint in spreads that have to do with manicures, fashion, or primping for a wedding/special event. (I've used nail polish to bedazzle page titles and borders too.)</li><li>Needle & thread. Spice up any page by sewing pieces of paper together, or creating stitched borders for photos</li><li>Paper doll books. Check to see what's available - at various times I've found "African American heroes" paper doll books, "Military heroes" paper doll books, and "Scientist" paper doll books - all of which would be easy to incorporate into spreads. </li><li>Party banners, napkins & wall hangings. Skip the expensive themed paper and incorporate actual party supplies instead. Birthday spreads are an obvious use, but you can also find party supplies for your graduation, wedding/baby shower, New Years, and Over the Hill spreads. </li><li>Play money. So many possibilities! Use play money to spice up spreads about your first job, allowance, waiting for the ice cream man, or a really great weekend in Las Vegas.</li><li>Playing cards. Use these to embellish spreads devoted to game nights, magic shows, or weekends in Vegas. Or use individual cards in a more targeted way - the Queen of Hearts for a spread about boyfriends, a full house for a spread about an event that filled your house with people.</li><li>Pins. Ordinary sewing pins can be used in a variety of ways: to attach items to paper, of course, but also as a way to add bows and affix embellishments to a spread. They also make interesting photo corners.</li><li>Post-it tabs. Use the tabs as decorative elements or to add journaling. For instance, I've used them add notes to a cruise ship agenda.</li><li>Poster lettering. Alphabet stickers can cost a fortune at craft stores. Save some dough by using the alphabet stickers that you'll find in the poster section of the store. </li><li>Receipt book. Our dollar store carries those basic receipt books beloved by strip mall restaurants and PTA fundraisers. Why not use a receipt to acknowledge the receipt of anything, from PUPPY! to NEW CAR! to ONE MORE YEAR OF UNDYING FRIENDSHIP. </li><li>Twine. I love using coarse twine as an embellishment, and sometimes you can find twine in different colors.</li><li>Ruler. Could be a great embellishment for a spread about school or anything else that involves measuring or math (construction, artwork ...)</li><li>Seashells/rocks. Check out the floral aisle for net bags filled with filler stones that you can use for floral displays. Tiny seashells, rocks, and flat, light bits of broken mosaic stones can be used as embellishments ... and if you're really feeling crafty, you may even be able to figure out a way to use the net bags that they come in.</li><li>Seasonal items. Make sure to check out the aisles devoted to seasonal merch - those MLK Jr. quote stickers, St. Patrick's Day green coins, Easter rabbit cutouts, strands of glittery 4th of July garland, memorial day poppy bouquets, Halloween ghost/spider cutouts, silk autumnal Thanksgiving silk leaves, Christmas to/from tags, LGTB pride buttons, Mothers Day paper crowns, Father Day mock ties, and Valentines day hearts in every imaginable texture (lace, corrugated, mirror, wood, painted, stained ...) can all be transformed into scrapbook embellishments. </li><li>Seed packets. They're thin and often feature gorgeous photos or illustrations. Use them for spreads dedicated to gardening, flowers, or visits to parks.</li><li>Shish kabob skewers. Paint them, stain them, and then use them for all sorts of things - as signposts, as separators, as bars from which to hang photos ....</li><li>Silk florals. Pick the ones look like they will squish fairly flat for any spread that would be enhanced by flowers, leaves, or stems.</li><li>Sticker books. I said I wouldn't be listing things found in the crafting or office supply aisle; what I'm referring to here are those children's activity books that come with pages full of stickers for affixing to the pages. An incredibly inexpensive way to acquire stickers, especially if you're looking for stickers related to a specific theme. (For instance, I've used the stickers from a Pokemon sticker book for a Pokemon birthday spread, and stickers from an "Our 50 states" book for several travel spreads.)</li><li>Time/clock toys. Those flat little cardboard clocks with hands that move would make a charming embellishment for any spread about the passage of time. </li><li>Tissue paper/wrapping paper. Take a look at the novelty tissue papers and consider how you might use them to create layered accents, shapes, or background elements. (Note that tissue paper is not acid-free, so don't let it touch any of your pictures directly.)</li><li>Travel games (toys). Travel bingo, lift-the-window games, and license plate games make great embellishments for spreads about road trips. </li><li>Treat bags. Check out those clear treat cellophane bags in the party or holiday aisle, fill them with sequins/glitter/beads or novelty confetti from the party aisle, and use them to bedazzle your spreads. </li><li>Vinyl tiles/stickers/clings. These are sold as wall art, but there's no reason they can't be used as stickers, as long as you supply your own adhesive. At our local store they've begun selling vinyl tiles that are meant to work at faux kitchen backsplashes - they look like real, dimensional tiles in a variety of patterns. They looked <i>amazing</i> in a spread I did about a remodeling project.</li><li>Window clings (gel or paper). They're not acid-free so you'll want to back them with acid-free paper, but I like using the transparent gel ones to create dimensional interest. </li><li>Wire. Most of the time you don't need the specialty colored wire that comes from the craft store - simple metal wire from the hardware aisle will work just as well to create those metallic flourishes you're looking for.</li><li>Yarn. This every-occasion embellishment can be used vertically, horizontally, as stitching, or even as photo corners - let your creativity be your guide.</li><li>Zippers. A simple zipper can work as a fun way to divide a page into sections, or you can go more literal by using it as part of a page related to camping (as if looking out the front of a tent), snow, or fashion. </li></ol><p></p>Listphoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270498776542501186noreply@blogger.com0