So excited to have RHOSLC and Potomac airing at the same time again. Bravo is really making up for that summer lull they gave us.

“AI is not invited into schools through a process of adoption, like buying a desktop computer or smartboard – it crashes the party and then starts rearranging the furniture.”

Reading Rainbow… is back! 🥹 This LeVar Burton/Reading Rainbow raised human is feeling all of the library joy. We hope your kids believe they belong in books, just like you ✨ Take a look, it’s in a book 📚🌈🦋🌌 youtu.be/gHAIjSkmnYI?...

🫡

I hate this. I hate that when I walk my dog in my neighborhood I’m constantly being recorded. I hate that everyone I know has one of these and is blinded by the convenience of seeing packages delivered, choosing to ignore the harms and letting themselves turn into paranoid anxious bad neighbors.

“So my mom has to go to work without getting paid, AND the zoo is closed? This is messed up.”

A completely unprompted conversation with a student- “We read this article in ELA class about jobs that AI might take soon.” “Oh how did you feel about that?” “It’s kind of weird and also AI could never do the job of like a teacher or something.”

It’s Yom Kippur and the government is closed and the bus drivers are going to go on strike and it just kind of feels like we should go ahead and call it for tomorrow.

Pro tip- if you’re feeling bad about yourself or uncool because you’re old, type in front of children. They will literally think you are a wizard with an incredible talent. Instant ego boost.

Things I did not joy today- attempting to reassure a room full of children who have parents who all have government jobs that they don’t need to panic about a shut down.

I love how much Wes Moore loves going to Merriwether

“I went to a thrift store this weekend and got this really cool old porcelain doll. But don’t worry, it’s not haunted.” “….how do you know?”

Covid shot ✅ Flu shot ✅

I DONT WANT A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT CVS YOUR APP WAS FINE I JUST WANT TO BOOK A FLU SHOT AGHHHHHHHHHH

“Wow, a lot was going on back in that time in history. Is a lot going on now?” Entire class stares at student, unsure of how to politely respond.

This is a thing I fear in education. They are pushing us all to use these completely untested and unproven AI “tools” and as soon as things start to go wrong, it will be individual teachers’ faults for “not using the tool correctly.”

I cannot even count the number of conversations I have had with my US History colleagues about our use of the phrase “supposed to.” We don’t know what else to do (besides scream and cry and yell).

Spending my Rosh Hashanah watching clips of the Dawson’s Creek reunion which feels appropriately bittersweet for the holiday.

We spend a lot of time talking about data and test scores etc and I’m just having this premonition that test scores this year are going to…reflect the increased use of AI to replace thinking…and we’ll get a fresh round of “how the teachers are failing” but no one will acknowledge the AI of it all.

L’shanah tovah, friends fam and internet strangers.

Running while listening to your murder podcast out loud from a hand held speaker is wild behavior and definitely the kind of thing I would be reporting to Nextdoor if I did that kind of thing.

As a short person, the return of not-skinny jeans and other pants is really a problem. I have to start hemming pants again? No thank you.

I know that the audience for understanding this is very small but I was playing the K-Pop Demon Hunters soundtrack in class today and the one song DEFINITELY does sound like the song from Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping and now that’s been in my head all day.

(Showing my kids an example of the writing assignment they did yesterday to talk about what a good paragraph would have included). Kid- “Did you write this or did AI do it?” Me- the deepest sigh, full eye contact with my co-teacher, another deep sigh, “Of course I wrote it.”

No, I did not unsubscribe by accident.

I don’t know what to do about anything else but hey, go get a Covid vaccine.

I know I’m like three days behind but I can’t believe none of these people on Jeopardy recognized the Domino Sugar sign as Baltimore.

“No really it’s cool we all cry all the time”- veteran teachers reassuring our new little baby colleagues

Kid- “we should have an extra day every week where you just do nothing but rest” Me, internally (that’s called Shabbat). Me, out loud- “that’s a really great idea and I’m fully on board let’s make it happen.”

Math teachers get pi day, but today is for the history teachers! #constitutionday

Had to take an important detour in class today to explain the difference between Twilight and the Twilight Zone. Also had a good talk w/ my 6th graders about what school felt like to them bc COVID started in Kindergarten, then virtual & transitioning back in 2nd. Talk to kids, it’s worth your time.

I love how much people from Maryland care about what high school they went to, so much that it is *always* in their Wikipedia bios. Anyway, congrats Tramell Tillman I’m sure Severance is good and maybe one day I’ll watch it.

“How sustainable is piracy?” 90 day fiance is the greatest show on television

Having a very Jewish week (saw Haim and now the Somebody Feed Phil tour)

The vibes at school today…reflected the vibes of the universe this week, but my day ended with a room full of sixth graders singing A Thousand Miles together so I’m going into the weekend on a positive note.

Excited to see those Haim girls tonight.

Real friendship is checking your out of state friends’ addresses on a congressional map to see if you need to remind them to vote when there are special elections where they live.

A colleague brought me some old magazines from the 40s and I can’t stop reading through them, they’re so fascinating. Anyone need any asbestos?

Genuinely I think it should be illegal for companies to name their robot and have it pretend to be a person. “Ava” from customer service is not texting me.

I’m not giving personal information to you “AI assistant” and now that I know that’s how you operate I will be choosing a different company in the future. Pay a damn human.

Even though it’s late and I’m tired and can’t believe I have to go back to work in 11 hours, it’s nice to see smiling parents at Back to School Night. I especially love when I tell them we use paper instead of the Chromebooks and no AI and they nod enthusiastically.

I cannot even tell you how many people in my life have sent me the clip of John Oliver talking about RHOSLC and it genuinely truly delights me.

We were playing a word game in class today and a kid shouted “sigma” to which another girl rolled her eyes and said “brain rot” and literally middle schoolers are so funny.

Love getting @gliamericanhistory.bsky.social resources in the mail! New calendar month is always my favorite.

If I had time I would go through this article literally line by line with my reactions but I don’t so two things. 1. If the number of times the word “products” is used re:education and students doesn’t alarm you…. 2. AI John Brown said violence is not the answer? Lolololololololol

Just say no to digital necromancy. If your child’s teacher is doing this kind of thing at a teacher’s behest, opt them out. open.substack.com/pub/engagede...

This is actually disgusting and immoral. But also. How is asking a chatbot for a starter sentence a valid educational purpose? Genuinely. If a kid gets stuck writing, why aren’t you teaching them to work through the process? So not only is it gross, but it’s lazy and not actually helping them.

Is Karen Huger going to speak to press when she gets released tomorrow and do you think my students would mind pausing class to watch?

On Labor Day, and every day, I am thankful for my union, and all the labor unions that have brought us the protections we have as workers, and wish for the continued strength and growth of unions across the country, in all fields.

Heathers the Musical was a delight. What a talented cast.