#covid19/back to school

[pepprs]

genuinely so angry and scared im shaking. how many other times this week this month this year have i been exposed without knowing it. do people even tell each other anymore. it’s just so grim. it’s so fucking grim

[gillianthecat]

Question about COVID:

My school has (a month into the semester, with only one week's notice) dropped its mask requirement, and now merely "recommends" them.

I am boiling mad. I'm planning to write to the board of trustees, but I would like some evidence to support my request that they return to masks requirements.

Does anyone know of good resources for evidence that COVID-19 is still enough of a community risk that mask mandates continue to be best practice?

I have found some scientific papers and articles showing why masks are effective and why mandates are more effective than "recommendations," but assessing the risk in my area (west coast USA) feels more complicated.

Or, maybe I'm wrong—maybe Covid risk has lowered to the point that masks are not necessary. If you think that is the case, I'd love to see evidence for that. It would be wonderful if we could all stop masking safely.

Also, is there any potential legal case here (in terms of disability rights), given that they changed the mask mandate after the semester started when students had already enrolled based on the understanding masks would be required? Now immunocompromised students must choose between their health and finishing the semester. (It's a publicly funded school.)

[shiranai-san]

My school was so weird because when the pandemic started, the rest of the year just had everyone's grades put on hold. Like, I was an A student and I did no work for an entire half of the school year. Teachers were still available if you wanted to increase your grade. But otherwise you were off. (It sucked miserably.) I stayed remote for the entirety of the next year. Which was not fun, as we only had three classes a day that switched every three months. Even when people were let back in person, I still was online only. Which led to me being forgotten about by the rest of the class many times. I do not remember anything anymore. From anything during that time period. From school, from what I did in my personal life. Mostly because all of it was just me making it day by day. The only way I would remember what day it was is because of DnD. I still can't remember what day it is sometimes. I have to think back to what TTRPG session I had last and count down mentally how many times I've gone to sleep because my brain just doesn't register time anymore like it used to. It's better when I'm in school. But my mental health and awareness of time are GONE.

being a student during peak pandemic was so fucking surreal like. "it's not an excuse to fall behind" I cannot stress enough to you how much A Worldwide Plague Upending Life As We Know It is literally one of The Top Three Reasons to fall behind

[baskinwoven]

This blog should probably be on WordPress, and I should probably begin it on desktop because mobile app customization is limited and the stock tumblr page is unprofessional, but sometimes you just have to start, even if it's not perfect or you're not fully ready. I already spend most of my social media time on tumblr, so while I'm here that's less of an excuse to put off contributing to this, unlike my custom anthropology site...

I've been fascinated with fiber arts and the history of textiles for a very long time. My first weaving project was a small shoulder bag around a piece of cardboard for an Arts & Crafts class in high school. I still have it, hanging on my wall. It's always been in the back of my mind to pick it up again. Every so often I would think, "A loom would fit perfectly in that corner of my room," but then I'd think of the cost and labor and wave it off as fantasy.

Then my mom lied about having covid19, and I ended up exhausted and bed-bound for months. A year to the day later and I am still not better. I guess this is my life now =/ Out of any "reasonable" workforce, I finally have an excuse to seriously pursue crafts. There are too many issues to get into why arts and crafting rarely make a decent living, but maybe I can make enough to survive.

This adventure actually began with the desire to create unique fabric accessories. But how would mine stand out from the crowd? I could handweave the fabric. The cheapest loom is a backstrap, but it's also physically intensive to counterbalance the warp with your own body. Floor looms are too expensive. A rigid heddle would make the right size for what I need, but

But shaft envy.

I visited a local weaving guild, borrowed their rigid heddle, and got to work playing.

Still, I tried for two months to purchase a small RH loom off of FB Marketplace, but the seller always cancelled. I tried ebay. Now, ebay wants to be helpful in separating you from your hard-earned money, so it will shove related searches right in your face. So many different looms. A pretty table loom for the same price as a new rigid heddle, and then a sixty year-old floor loom for only fifty bucks more (plus the gas to drive to get it). I thought on it for almost a week, made sure I had transportation, and contacted the seller. 21 hours of driving and loading, a taco break, and more driving, and I had a new-to-me Fanny I counterbalance floor loom by leClerc, with a ton of bells and whistles.

Instead of putting it in my room, with only one North-facing window, I cleaned the basement and put it in a corner with South and Western windows.

Ain't she a beaut?

Putting it together was fun. The instruction manual came with it, so set-up was a breeze. I've spent the past few days reading it ("Warp and Weave" by Robert LeClerc), marveling at the craftsmanship, reinforcing concepts similar to rigid heddle style, and taking interest in their differences.

I'll start off by just doing a warp from beam to beam so I can have a foot or so in the front to play with and learn how she operates. I'm thinking basic 1-2-3-4 for twill, which will still allow for a plain weave combo for comparison with the lap loom.

[Next]

[alexbutrandomthoughts]

Can I ask your top 10 fav fics ever (from any fandom, if you don't mind)?

Also, just curious, is there a story behind your name "alexbutrandomthoughts "?

"I was screaming your name through the radio" by ElectricSplatter a must-read for all soukoku fans, this shit is so good i reread it 20 times at least.

It's basically bsd retelling but they're all singers and it's focused on soukoku. Honestly writing is immaculate and i like the way it was told, format wise, like how we jump back in forth from present to past, and overall it has everything you could want from a story. I have this one saved on my phone and i reread my favorite chapters from time to time

"Time Speaks" by SmallMoon333 do not get fooled by that unassuming title, this fic made me physically incapable of reading any other Lawlight fic, bc this one is just too good. It's akin to trying a high quality steak and unable to eat any other meat anymore bc you know how heaven tastes (i obviously read other fics, they're pretty good too, but this one is just my personal favorite especially the characterization is so fucking good it's crazy)

"Electric touch" by bejeweledhaze okay so you know the feeling when you need something very specific, you go to store, and the stars align perfectly so you find that thing, just what you need it, almost feels like custom made. That's this fic.

So when Kaveh fans died (myself included) after that one official art with Kaveh as a mechanic, i just needed to fill the whole in my chest, after saving every single Mechanic Kaveh fanart known to men. I decided check out the tag, but i didn't really expect much, i mean it's been like what? Couple days since the official art was dropped. Sure there is probably couple of fics but not something i would like, right? Bejeweledhaze said "lemme cook" and turns out they were Gordon Ramsey in disguise. One chapter, 33k words of pure and unfiltered masterpiece.

"School watches Assassination Classroom" by TheSteinsGateFormula so I'm a sucker characters react to their show fics. What of it.

Yeah there are not many reaction fics that i like cuz personal preferences. But THISSSSSSSSSSSS ugh so good. And very much in character and i loved from start to finish.

"MSBY4's Lockdown Survival Guide" by mintberries

Okay so this was just good vibes. Social media aus fics for me is what Isekai is for Gigguk (but I'm also isekai trash person, their just fun) and this is ALSO a covid19 au???? With my favorite team????? This appeased my sakuatsu craving soul and it was just dumbasses having fun.

"Duo Heroes, Double Black" by Yellow_Canna

It's bsd&mha crossover and it's beast!soukoku isekai/sorta reincarnation/technically regression do i need to say more

"No Water Is Enough" by Boomchick

Hualian angst, my favorite type of angst. It's sorta memory loss and i knew the suffering would be glorious once Hua Cheng remembered and it did not disappoint

"Pick-Up and Chase" by SKayLanphear was laughing my ass off with this fic. Marinette just constantly flirting with Adrien as herself and as Ladybug was a wild and hilarious ride

"one step at a time" by OuterWilde (foreverraugust)

Honestly, this was just good old slice of life and overall nice fic. I was obsessed with Ace Attorney at the time, and well with all the crazy shit that was happening in the games, this was a nice break from it.

"A Century Between Us" by Dulllull dead ass my favorite jjk fic. It's not finished, not by a long shot but it's so GOOOOD SHIT SLAPS SO HARD and well it's reincarnation fic how can i not love it and written so WELLLLL PLEASE READ THIS IT'S VERY AAAAAAAAAAA-

As for my name, originally i migrated from Twitter cuz fuck Elon, and had another blog which had my name and this was a side blog for me to scream about my hyperfixations, whichever i would have at the time and i ended up using this one more lol. Hence the "random thoughts"

[kittycataphora]

My UnderGrad Dissertation!

Okay I’ve actually processed that I submitted it now so lets talk about it!

(yes i submitted it with the border leave me be)

Topic:

I have a background (and interest) in childcare and teaching, and since the pandemic have noticed certain behavioural changes in children returning into KS2, along with marked language and literacy difficulties. I wanted to compile a comprehensive list on all the different ways COVID19-related factors may have effected language and literacy development then side-eye the UK Department of Education for not taking proper action to help these kids improve before the attainment gaps get out of control. This topic was pretty personal to me which really motivated my research: these kids really need some help!

Some ways in which COVID19 has affected child language:

- Face Masks acting as low-pass frequency filters and obscuring articulators, therefore making building phoneme/grapheme correspondences very difficult

- Isolation meant no socialisation with other children; pragmatic talk and self expression abilities took a huge hit

- Reading comprehension absolutely plummeted outside of school by 66% !!

- Distance learning means children ‘tunnel in’ on their devices which makes their brain block out any stimuli occurring around them, such as speech

Findings:

tdlr: COVID19 has messed up attainment in KS2 literacy pretty badly, UK Government needs to pull their finger out and reform intervention methods in schools (using the suggestions I made ;) )

We already know the UK school system is a hot mess, but when it comes to intervention methods they fund nothing that will cover the novel language issues associated with the pandemic and 3 years on show no signs of doing anything of their own accord. These kids need to be put back on track quickly else they’ll suffer some serious language issues down the line. After evaluating the interventions on offer for their applicability to the “COVID cohort” (I love alliteration) I suggested some reforms/additions to certain schemes that will theoretically fill in the numerous gaps left by the current standard system.

Honestly writing this was traumatic but I’d do it again! Would love to hear what other people did their dissertations on!

[wwwdlabrie]

🐰🐇🌚 #HappyLunarNewYear #YearoftheRabbit from #Asia Being that I usually do my #HipHop 🎤 Tours here in Winter. I have alot of experiemces & memories of #LunarNewYear celebrations & holidays overseas. It uses #LunarCalender dates change annually We document some of this is @DLabrie upcoming 🎶📹📽 #BEMYSELF #LinkinBio 1 recent memory is being here official start of #CoronaVirus spreading of outside of #China. Long B4 official Global #Covid19 #pandemic ,🇺🇸 shutting down, #maskmandates #shelterinplace & #socialdistancing ... i was bouncing around #Japan #HongKong #Macau when news hit late 2019 then I ended up in #Pyeongtaek #SouthKorea for a show @jjsjazzf early 2020 during the holiday. Then @kobebryant passed during holiday weekend. Went back to #Seoul & this when people started staying home. Our finals shows & streets started being more empty. Fear was growing. I went back to #USA & whole world had changed like I had never seen in my life. #BayArea at least in my hood #Oakland I was mostly familiar w/ #LNY as #ChineseNewYear & cool looking #ChineseNewYearParade i learned alot more from being out here & from my Dj @lanetjones from Indiana @hiphopcongressinc Its celebrated or not celebrated differently depending on the country. Im going to just talk about #Korea In🇰🇷it's a national family holiday where people usually go 2 their hometown & do traditional ritual w the fam honoring ancestors. While kind of celebrated for show & retail purposes based on Western Influence Thanksgiving Christmas & Universal Calender New Year are not official holidays here. For the most part except for foreigners these are just regular days w/ regular schedules. "LNY" which is usually Jan or Feb is the real Holiday Season where people get days off work, kids get winter break from school &folks travel 2 see family. The fact that #Covid outbreak came around this time probably was not good for containing spread. But just a coincidence. No 1 knew what was coming then. Holidays are rooted in Tradition , Tradition rooted in Culture. Culture rooted in History. History often from stories. Take time to connect these dots in your own community. You'll be wiser. #YearofRabbit (at Asia) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn1iAM1SXDI/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[tiddlywinksdestroyer]

Yeah, you know COVID19? That silly little virus THAT SHUT DOWN THE ENTIRE FUCKING WORLD? The one with the decently reliable 15-minute test available at most pharmacies? Well my brother came home from school with a positive test and when my mom called the school to excuse him for the next week, the school was like "as long as hes not vomiting or feverish he can still come in, dont want to ruin his attendance 🙃🤪" so of course my brother got sent back to school after 3 days cuz his teacher wouldnt make exceptions for his midterm. Foaming at the mouth and biting.

[azeez-unv]

WHY YOUR CHILDREN DON'T READ

There has always been this notion that Indians don't read. In fact, to aggravate this monumental insult, it has also been posited that if you want to keep information(knowledge) from Africans, you should hide it in a book!

What an efforts and a pity at the same time. But, let's be honest with ourselves, is the above true or not?

When was the last time you read a book? If a life saving or wealth generating information has been hidden in a book in the last three months, would you have got it?

Whatever your answer is, matters. It just might be the reason why your children don't read too.

Reading is one of the best mental exercises which does not just boost academic performance, but engender long term mental alertness.

Also, apart from the many obvious clichés about reading such as: "A reader is a leader",

"The more you read the more you lead"...

...or "You start dying when you stop reading"; reading completes our 'individual humanity' in a way that it can't be explained.

When you read you keep yourself open to reality. You become universal in disposition and that stands you out.

The big which now is, with all the advantages ascribed to reading, why are our children not reading?

Well, as a teacher of over ten years, a member of a family and recently a father; I shall share some of my experience on the subject.

REASONS CHILDREN DON'T READ

A DISCOURAGING HOME ARRANGEMENT:

When you enter the house of most typical Nigerians, you observe a gigantic flat screen TV, sometimes bought with the mindset of oppressing neighbours.

Stylish, good colour separation techniques and VERY LOUD too.

You would also observe a 'shake the roof sound system' with other good things in life too.

You hardly would see a study! In some cases, you won't even see a single book kept in the open. What does that say to your children? I will tell you. It clearly says, 'READING IS NOT ENCOURAGED or ALLOWED HERE, YOU CAN ALWAYS RELAX AND WATCH TELEVISION!

Did you just try to convince yourself that children read in their rooms? And do you actually believe that? Let's even pretend that they do, how conducive is the reading space?

So you still believe that your child's bed is a good reading sport? In this century?

You need to wake up!

A POOR REWARD SYSTEM:

It's a known fact that, some of you reading this article right now, in this very space could only attain the educational qualifications you have because of a scholarship (s) or sponsorship from schools or individuals at some point.

Some people would have remained Stark Illiterate but for such an opportunity. But, what do we see today? Scholarship is 'officially classified as part of the nation's past glories, just like every other good thing ordinary Nigerians lack.

School owners, including those who became so due to scholarship have become more interested in profits making to the extent of extorting parents in some cases, without thinking of giving back.

Some who claimed to give scholarship only used it as a marketing strategy to get more students.

They will place the cut off mark so high that at the end, no student is able to have that score. What a shame!

How then do you want students to read?

The same school will do everything possible to ensure that students pass their exams and are prompted to the next class just to impress parents to keep their children there. This leave no distinction between the hard working students and the 'policy favoured students' who then see no need to work hard.

How about our homes? What value do we place on education?

Parents respect and adore children who bring back money and materials (even without knowing or questioning the source), more than those who bring excellent results.

Post-covid19 education review posited that about 1.2million or so children dropped from school. One of the major reasons for that was because students started a petty business which churned in money in huge profits. So, what then was the need to go back to school when staying out of school means more money for the struggling family?

If this is applauded as it were, why will the children in school want to read?

As if this is not enough, our higher institutions are always happy to present a plaque and Rs 50,000 to First Class Graduates or to graduates who won all the departmental awards ( as was the case with the Unilorin female graduate who won all the departmental awards in her school).

These same institutions would rather lobby to employ a third class graduate who is 'connected' than a first class graduate with requisite skills and qualifications.

If excellence is no longer celebrated, why would students read?

LACK OF LIBRARIES IN OUR SCHOOLS:

Most schools don't have functional libraries why some don't have them at all. For those that have, there is a common trend now. Once there is a need for expansion due to population explosion, the library and ICT room is quickly converted to a classroom and the books taken to the principal's office.

Once this happens in some schools, that is the end of a library and an ICT room in the school.

How will students read?

Even those with well-stacked libraries, do your timetables reflect library and reading periods?

Oh, you are thinking about it?

Ok, so now that you are done thinking, did you include library reading time in your timetable or is the library just there for government officials inspection?

How about you that conveniently positioned your beautiful library next to the 'noise proof' generator house?

Is that your own way of encouraging reading?

Think about it again.

STRESS AND FATIGUE ON CHILDREN:

I hope you are not expecting me to be the one to tell you that children equally go through stress as you do? Well, I just did!

Stress and Fatigue is also responsible for poor reading. Most often than not, and badly so, parents choices of schools are based on their convenience rather than the child's academic and health's needs.

This means that ( using Lagos for example), a parent who lives on the mainland and works on the island will rather choose a school on the island which is closer to his/her office to allow for pickup and drop off, rather than a school on the mainland.

When this happens, and to beat traffic, the child is made to leave home as early as 4am or 5am and return at 7pm or 8pm in some cases.

For a child who needs a minimum of 8 hours sleep for a proper mental and psychological growth and development, waking up and going to bed at those times will deprive him/her of at least 3 hours of sleep every night.

Please ask a doctor for the health implications.

Without talking further, you should know by now that there is no way such a child would read, especially at home; not even on weekends. He or she would be stressed out and Fatigue!

RECOMMENDATIONS TO HELP YOUR CHILD READ

Create a STUDY at home:

Get a simple table and chairs. If you can't have them reading every day, fix a compulsory reading day and time.

For a better result, be part of this routine and you will be glad you did.

Children reading or studying on their beds should be discouraged.

Reword Excellence:

When I was in primary school, my uncle would give whoever came first between me and my cousin Margaret a full roasted chicken. He will make sure that the other person doesn't eat part of it for any reason.

This single simple act kept us studying hard so we could eat the chicken.

Try to reward your children. When you do, don't wait till the end of the term only, do it in+between the terms as well. It paschim further.

Build Class libraries:

If you lack space for a big library, improvise with a class library. They work wonders and are easy to set up. To do this, collaborate with your students and teachers.

Imagine you have 15 students in a class, if each of them donate at least a book in a term, you will have at least 45 books at the end of a session, in each class.

This single act will not only build a library, it will also teach children the importance of books and of giving.

Let your child's needs come first when school-hunting.:

Choose a school that makes it easier for the child to go and return without wasting quality time on the road or lose sleep.

So, the next time you criticize your child for not reading as you often do make sure you are not guilty of the same thing.

[mokvfox]

I'll probably never experience romance of any kind. As black woman who can't talk to men she finds attractive, I don't think love will find me. But I want it.

I moved to a country without learning the language and now, I've fucked myself. I wanted to try dating in my home country, but I wasn't in a safe environment for it. I wanted to live on my own first before I tried dating. I wanted to get settled and everything. Unfortunately, life doesn't go as plan.

I don’t regret moving to this country. I even want to remain here. I've been learning the language diligently since entering the country and I can't for the life of me see a future where I'm not here. Luckily, I have many avenues that I can take on my own to remain. I love my job and the friends I've made here. I feel like moving here has made me healthier physically. But emotionally and mentally, I'm a wreck.

I started off fine. But I realized rather quickly that I had achieved most of my goals in life. I try to bid my time learning the language, going to gym, joining clubs, and doing various activities, but my mind wanders. I try to focus on the future owning a home, bring my pet over, growing in my career field, finding a high paying job, learning the language, but then my mind wanders. It wanders back to the same thing: romantic relationships.

I wanted to try dating and eventually, I wanted to get married. Hence, why I wanted to date in my home country. I wanted experience. As of right now in my late 20s I have zero experience, and I'm extremely sad.

Maybe I fucked up. I shouldn't have asked people out on dates or told people I liked them. I shouldn't have pursued in my job or school. Maybe I should have kept trying with the apps even though I hate them. Confessing to my friend was mistake. Are my standards too high? I mean wanting some who cares for himself and his home, isn't wrong? Him being kind and considerate, isn't wrong? Wanting someone to talk to and work out with isnt wrong? I want to hear about his day, his worries, and share moments with him. But he doesn't exist.

My life feels so incomplete. I should be satisfied. I have everything I wanted. I'm no longer being abused. I have my dream body. I'm traveling, and I've made awesome friends. Why do I want to be in love and be loved so badly? It's miserable.

Maybe I should keep waiting, but I've been waiting on a boyfriend since I was a teen. I've waited through high school. Teen romance can get messy, right? I told myself college would be best. But the two guys I showed interest in didn't want me. And the nice guy I gave chance thought I was whore after a week even though I've never had sex or done anything sexual. So, I said university. Then Covid19 happened and also, I didn't stay on campus and I drove an hour to get there prior to covid. So, interaction with men was limited. I tried clubbing here and back in my home country. I realize now I hate being groped by strangers.

I'm starting to sense I'm doomed. I tried dating apps, but it's very dehumanizing on both ends. I feel bad swiping next on people I don't know. Even though I haven't met them in real life, it feels weird to me. Like I didn't give them a fair shot. And writing what makes me interesting is so difficult. I don't know. Why am I writing a resume for a relationship or even a date? I don't even like doing that for work.

I'll try therapy, but I fear the therapist will tell me "Wait maybe you'll find love in your 30s, 40s or 50s. You're still young." or "There is nothing wrong with being alone. You have friends who are a strong support system" or "You can't just date anyone. You don't want to end up in an abuse relationship or unsatisfying one." or "Try the apps again."

I know I don't want to end up in an abusive relationship. That's why I don't fall for guys easily. I also only like men who like me. If they don't like me, I'm out. I'm not a placeholder or a punching bag or a therapist. I'm a person. Treat me with the same respect as you do a friend, a family member, a stranger, or a boss. The apps don't treat people like actual breathing humans in my opinion. I'm not pictures and a resume. Dating shouldn't feel like a job.

I don't want my youth to go to waste. My body will break down and I will be left with nothing to offer. I worked hard to feel and find myself attractive. I want to share that with someone who cares about me like I do them. But as I said in the beginning. It's hopeless. If I don't find you attractive mentally, physically, and emotionally, it's not going to work.

This is another reason why I didn't want to date during my high school/college/university years. I didn't find myself physically, emotionally, or mentally attractive. So, I went to therapy, moved out of that horrible environment, and I got a body I love to see in the mirror. I'm living the life of my dream as I explained earlier, but I still feel something missing.

Soon it will be a year since I left home. I want to be in love, but who would want a black romantically awkward woman like me. Language barriers and cultural barriers. Maybe my need for romance will never be satisified. How do I keeping going knowing I may never experience romantic love?

[calicojack1718]

Comment on This: Why is the US So Stupid?

After four days in Guangzhou, I realized just how effectively the Chinese are transitioning to electric vehicles and renewable energy sources. Why are we still dragging our heels when they are going to bury us in good cheap affordable electric vehicles?

I’ve been back in Guangzhou for the past four days. I hadn’t been back in three years. China just dropped their quarantine requirements sometime in the past year making it a reasonable prospect to actually go. Since I had left money in a bank account there, I had some incentive. #COVID19 made it impossible to get the money out when we left in July of 2020. The banks were all closed. The school…

[radicalbotanicals]

IMPACT – A Dive into Etymology, Meaning, and Importance

Impact. It is a word almost onomatopoeia-like, you can feel the “thunk” of it, like a fist punching straight through solid rock. It has me thinking about the definition of the word and why its so important to the world of activism. In fact, there are multiple definitions which I will outline here. Collins dictionary lists them as follows:

The impact that something has on a situation, process, or person is a sudden and powerful effect that it has on them.

An impact is the action of one object hitting another, or the force with which one object hits another.

To impact on a situation, process, or person means to affect them.

If one object impacts on another, it hits it with great force.

All these definitions indicate a connection with enacting some sort of force or change upon something or someone, but the primary emphasis being on the power behind that action, and I think that is what we need to take away from this and why impact is really what matters; it is the engine behind any sort of activist movement.

As we exist in the digital age, impact becomes more and more difficult to achieve. We certainly have more and more tools now then we ever did before to measure what we consider to be “impactful” actions, all the examples presented in class regarding “Impact Reports” which use analytics to breakdown social media reach and user bases, or perhaps likes, shares, retweets. But how do we see the fruit of those labours? How do we measure how many people were touched by the efforts made by activist groups during the year? And what are the long-term effects of those efforts? I think this is a time-honoured question dating back to the earliest days of 20th century activism movements that we still are no closer to answering.

I think we need to revisit our definition again – create impact, sure, but how deep is the impression that that impact makes? Is it something that merely causes a crack that can be easily sealed over, or does it create a permeant mark upon the surface that cannot be ignored? Does it change the entire structure itself? This is where efforts need to focus, and I am not saying it is an easy task.

There is an example I want to talk about, and I think it is the very reason why we need to think differently about how we measure impact, and what to pay attention to. For nearly 25 years, there was an organisation operating in my native Canada that was a celebrated and revered, called Free the Children, later changing their name to the WE Enterprise. I was raised believing this organisation was something to be proud of, I even attended the coveted WE Day concerts through my school in which they would invite the biggest stars to perform all in the name of the mission of “Freeing the Children” from child labour globally. We all learned the story of how 12-year-old Craig Kielburger saw a news article in the Toronto Star about a boy from India who was forced to work in harrowing conditions in a textile factory, and how this inspired him to start his organisation to ensure this hellish practice ended.

That all changed in 2020, as recapped in Carrie Karsgaard and Lynette Shultz’ paper, ME to WE Social Entrepreneurship: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing (2022).  “WE Charity’s $912-million contract to run the Canada Student Service Grant, a program intended to provide volunteer experiences for young people as a response to COVID19. The contract raised questions that revealed shrouded business relationships between the organization and high-level Canadian politicians. Public criticism erupted following a flood of media stories telling of racist activities within WE problematic international development relations and questionable investment of charity funds into real estate holdings.” It was shortly after this all came to light that the organisation closed, and “many teachers are left feeling both abandoned and misled” (Karsgaard, Shultz, 2022)

Appearances can be deceiving – Credit: V. Tony Hauser

This brings me back to that question of impact once again. An organisation can appear as if it is making tangible change, but is it truly doing anything at all? We slowly began to learn where money and donations were actually being funnelled into and it was not the places we intended them to go. The WE enterprise had its hooks in the Canadian education system for decades, so no one was looking too closely outside of the optics they were being presented, a symbiotic relationship for an already strained ministry was no sweat off their backs. I think we need to do better, look closer, and I am not entirely sure how to do that, but I know there must be a way out there somewhere. There is probably no “One Size Fits All” solution, but I think if we change the way we look at impact, we may find better ways than how we have been carrying on for decades.

Bibliography

Karsgaard, C. and Shultz, L. (2022) ‘Me to we social entrepreneurship: A Wolf in sheep’s clothing’, Canadian Journal of Education/Revue canadienne de l’éducation, pp. 99–127. doi:10.53967/cje-rce.v45i1.4929.

[8hrsbabysitting-aita]

Okay, so, i know there’s not a lot of people asking for info but i need to clear some stuff up and stuff I forgot to say that may or may not make me the asshole here.

1. My mom had 2 event. Brunch with her badminton friends, then lunch with her old friends.

2. My mom DOES NOT neglect us. Yes, it might be irresponsible to leave a 2yrs old with a 15yrs old, But 1) this was one of the only times she left without the baby for more than 3hrs, the other times, my dad was home. 2)she was meeting an old Friend that she hasn’t met since 2019, 3) I’m so sorry that I forgot to mention this, but her friend has suffered miscarriages and that might be the reason she didn’t bring my youngest sister (tho her other friend did bring her kid, but maybe that’s because he’s 3/4 and my sister is 2. That also didn’t explain why she didn’t bring her to the brunch but whatever )

3. I am experienced. I have been babysitting since I was 6 and only have 1 younger sibling (for better or worse)

4. The reason I instantly left was because 1) my teacher didn’t specify WHY I was called to school. 2) I am an extremely lazy student and I was scared that I was called to school because I’m have some not finished homework. 3)my house is one of the closest one to school.

5.my mom usually only leave me to babysit for 2/3 hrs every Tuesday after school. The only other times she left me with my my younger siblings was when I have a no school day on Wednesday morning(for 2-3hrs), and Thursday night when her and my dad has a date night (2-3 hrs, but the youngest already ate so i dont need to Feed her)

6. My dad couldn’t babysit bc he’s at work. He also have said knee injury so he can’t hold the baby for too long.[Though I have thought of punching my dad bc he keeps complaining about my mom not taking care of my sister enough yet blows up on Everyone (yes, everyone. Even the baby. And his wife) If they’re crying. ]

7. For the “find a baby sitter” option, being a babysitter (unless it’s your actual job) isn’t really common in my country.

8. In addition to no.7, My parents was traumatized bc back when my mom was still working, we did have a baby sitter, but she wasn’t doing a good job and 3 years old me walked into traffic. So they don’t trust babysitter anymore

9. Sadly, yes. This has happened before, BUT I only have to take care of my sister (then 6 and 1 years old) and my baby sister shits on the goddamn carpet while I was cooking dinner and my dad got angry at my mom and my mom got angry at me (and my 6yrs old sister who was focused on the tablet that she didn’t hear her sister saying she is pooping).

10. Silent treatment is the usual go to for my mom when she’s angry at her kids (she does minimal talking when my dad’s around). I thought that part is just Normal.

11. An addition to no.5, she did use to leave me (then 13 years old) with my youngest sister (then 3 till 7 months old) for 2-3 hours to hangout with her friends (the parents of my old friends and my younger sister kindergarten friends) while they wait for my sister and her friends to get out of kindergarten (took at most 3hrs. This was back in 2021). Only my youngest sister though, my other siblings was already studying at school. Because we live in the border of 3 different sub-province(?), my school still had to use Zoom bc the place was in the city with one of the most covid19 cases. (This may make me unsuitable to babysit, because now I have anger problems)

12. Also the reason I am the asshole in this part, my parents don’t know that I have shitty sleeping schedule. All they know is Im just sleepy all the time.

(Bonus.For everyone who’s telling me “leave the adults problem to the adults” (because some of you are saying that), I know you mean well, but this type of argument has been happening since I was a kid. And even though my parents fought less (or fought more privately, ig), I would rather stab myself than letting my siblings have the same goddamn trauma as I did. )

Am i the asshole for getting my mom yelled at?

✨🐢✨<—-so I recognize the post

So yesterday, my mom (40F) left me (15F) at home with my siblings. Everything was going fine until I was called to school to help with the report books (my house is one of the nearest) I told my brother (12 M)to take care of our younger siblings (7 F and 2 F), while I went to school. I also told my mom that I was at school, helping my teacher.

I came back around 1:30 pm. My brother was busy playing games with his friends and him & my sisters haven’t eaten lunch yet. So I told my brother to stop playing with his friends for a bit and eat. After I ate, I tried feeding the youngest, but she didn’t want to eat. I, not wanting to deal with her crying (i get angry easily and I don’t like scolding my siblings), didn’t force her, but waited for her to want to eat. I accidentally fell asleep while waiting (I have horrible sleep schedule, so I was tired) and woke up like 3hrs later. I tried feeding my sister, but she still didn’t want to. So I forced her. Then my dad came home and saw that 1)My mom wasn’t home, 2)my sister barely eat anything. He was angry but he didn’t told me.

Anyway, my dad had to go to the hospital (he has a knee injury) and my mom was going to meet him at the hospital. He wasn’t going to bring my youngest sister, but she insisted on coming.

This is where I might be an asshole. As my dad was bringing my sister, I mentioned that she also cried this morning, like, 5 minutes after my mom left. She had previously put my sister to sleep so she doesn’t need to come with her. But she woke up around 5minutes after my mom left, crying because she wanted to come with my mom. I thought he was going to treat it like a grain of salt and forget about it. I was wrong.

My dad basically blew up on my mom bc she “wasn’t taking care of the kids”. My mom got angry at me because I didn’t feed my sister and bc I told my dad about my sister crying, and blamed me for getting yelled at by my dad. She scolded me saying “can’t I have a break for once?!” And “ I wasn’t even gone for a whole day. Just 8.5 hours!”. The thing is, even her friend brought her son (he’s around,like, 4 or smth). That was one of the reason my dad was angry at her. Now my mom isn’t talking to me, and don’t know what to do.

Am I the asshole?

What are these acronyms?

[equusspirit]

Worried About Our Children's Education

Georgia schools are still lagging behind but Kemp and the Legislature aren't working to improve their ratings. Why is that? Where is the taxpayer money going?

Photo by Max Fischer on Pexels.com I know it will take time for our school systems to rebound from the COVID19 pandemic DISASTER (and it was exactly that, especially in terms of education.) We started at the back of the pack and, doggone, it got worse. What’s the truth? It’s hard to tell from what our own Superintendent of Education and Brian Kemp tell us and that’s a fact. They have a vested…

[biosigh]

Five Years Later

I feel as if I'm floating through space. I can feel the ebb and flow of existence as I drift along a current of dark matter, solar ejecta, and gravity waves among the incontrovertible vastness of this black drip. I gave up journaling five years ago, though not deliberately or intentionally. As with many hobbies, hopes, and dreams, I let it fall to the wayside in an almost childlike and capricious neglect as my senses were inundated with the rush of living presently.

I forgot.

I had been fixated on controlling my present and future that I dismissed the past and its useless reflection as a memoir on my life. A waste of time, at least, that is until I felt existential dread grip me by the ankles and drag me into the cosmos of bleakness where I now find myself tumbling. Looking back, I only see a time capsule, borne in this blog and now surrounded by the degeneracy of tumblr's attempt to fill the vapid nothingness with pitiful offerings.

My life, my present life, is going great. I should have no complaints. I'm heading towards completing my PGY3 year of medical residency, my relationship with my mom is fantastic, I feel well-liked in my circles, I'm in love, and the future just seems so bright to me; I'm heading towards such a luminous future like a star in the distance. Except why do I feel dread?

As my body rolls through space, I see glimpses of that bright star ahead, glimpses of my time capsule behind, and everything else is just darkness. Let me help add some nuance:

I'm heading towards completing my PGY3 year, however I need to find a job. I know I'll get a job, and I know I'll get one where I want to go but the uncertainty of what kind of role I'll have - contractor or employee - soul-killing job or enriching - community or academic - per diem or full time - locum or local? It's tough because I don't know how to circumvent this. Many places want someone soon™ or can't see far enough to want me in a year. Other places want me to sign up, apply and be exclusive with them when I don't feel knowledgeable enough to make a decision without signing away my life for a few years. I'm paralyzed by possibility and I continue to hurtle towards an unknowable future.

My relationship with my mom is fantastic but that came at the cost of losing my dad. He passed during the pandemic but not due to COVID19 - small comfort that is. I felt like he was hanging on until I finished medical school and then felt it was time to leave. I don't think I've ever recovered from that. And inbetween the moments where I think of him and miss him and feel the great weight of loss that this world has, I have glimpses and panic about eventually losing my mom too. Space is cold, no matter how many photos come across me; nothing will ever be as warm as a parent's love.

I feel well-liked in my circles. Everyone seems to want to spend more and more time with me. And as much as I enjoy the welcomeness, I find myself retreating more and more into myself. I don't have gratitude for this because I'm used to striking out my own way. I'm used to solitude. I want to appreciate people, but I feel so exhausted because my time feels owed to others. Relationships are dynamic, and they will eventually die without support. But I so wish I could be a friend who pops in and out. Oddly, the comfort of moving through space is the millennia of solitude.

I'm in love. We're about to enter our 8 years together. He's always given me what I've wanted and what I've needed. And I'm learning to be less selfish in this relationship - I'm not very good at it but I'm learning. I'm afraid that if something happened to him, I will never be able to open up to someone new again (see above). Everyone would be measured against the standard that he is. We worked so hard to forge the relationship of our dreams but my anxieties always brace me for the eventuality - by natural or manmade machinations - that we will be apart. And on and on I float in empty space, alone.

The future seems bright but maybe that's because I can only see nuclear fireworks peppering the sky with blazes of the apocalypse. The future feels bleak. We just survived a pandemic, and an ongoing depression. We have multiple national conflicts stirring with new ones coming around the corners like comets. Are we in the 1920s or 2020s? It's so hard to tell anymore that it feels like time dilation is screwing with my head. Gone were the halcyon days of a promising future, and left behind is the nuclear winter of interstellar space. It's horrifically empty and at times beautifully peaceful.

I just want the spinning to stop. I want to stay frozen in time, locked here blissful in an infinite constant.

[brotherjacobblack]

Words can be Hard to Say but when you look at them you can say them easy there's a easy way out of situations that doesn't involve suicide or anything like crimes what are you going to do where are you going after the Lord Jesus christ says that your going I know I'm going to Heaven because I believe in him and people out here thinks oh well I might go to Heaven anyways I done stabbed someone I Made this page or that page no that's not how it Works you can't shoot up a School or Stab someone thinking you going to Heaven you know where you're going in the firy pits of Hell go to Church read a Bible because if you do the Lord is blessing you he is healing your sin if anyone did any sins Say like I been partying drinking and celebrating over nights Friday and Saturday nights and I changed my life Jesus will Still heal my sins he will heal our sins and help us fight our battles from what we're going through our struggles he will heal it our children with colds or cancer covid19 he will heal it all he can save our children he will save us from a terrible fate that might some day happen one of these days one of these old days Jesus is going to come back and take all of us up to Heaven a safe place where there will be peace mercy and in his power in Jesus name we pray amen God bless you all