After the Protests

Saturday was the day of the No Kings protests. And it appears that they were well attended. Good job, all. (I didn't go. Sorry. I hope if you were able you did go and have a good time.) 

Something some people are doing is making noise at hotels where ICE agents are supposedly staying while conducting their kidnapping operations. 

I found another thread with things you can print out and distribute. This time it's zines with info to give to people who might not know. 

Remember the Charlie Chaplin movie, The Great Dictator? It's relevant again. Here's a link to the final speech, that may resonate with us now. 

And finally, from the Onion, but seriously, I detect no lies: Trump Claims He Can Overrule Constitution With Executive Order Because Of Little-Known ‘No One Will Stop Me’ Loophole

Article links: 

• Fear Is the Goal
• ‘I can't fight back; I'm pregnant': U.S. citizen detained by ICE in Hawthorne
• Bragg Soldiers Who Cheered Trump's Political Attacks While in Uniform Were Checked for Allegiance, Appearance
• ‘No food, job or phones’: Afrikaner ‘refugee’ family ‘stranded’ in US

Zombie Time

I am going to visit my brother and family in Ohio at the beginning of July. And this week it occurred to me that it might be time to finish the third Minecraft critter. If I can get it finished before I leave, I won't have to mail it later. 

So, last week I managed to get the legs complete: 

Considering that I started this Thursday, I'm quite content with my progress. I'm only worried that the relative sizes are so wildly different. (Each critter was made using a pattern by a different designer.) But this wasn't well planned out anyway. 

For context, the first Minecraft critter, the Creeper, was a joke with regards to a Christmas present from my brother. When asked, the twins said that rather than getting a second Creeper, they would like an Enderman and/or a Zombie. I found the pattern for the Enderman, and I finished that in February. And then I set everything aside. 

Well, it's not like I'm really working on anything at the moment...

So, I found this pattern for the Zombie. And I'm making do with the yarn I have on hand, sort of. (I had to break down and buy some green yarn as I don't have enough green shades.) The blue in the pic? Yeah, the blue was supposed to be navy blue. That is not a navy blue. 

It'll do. It's something to keep my hands busy while I figure out what I'm going to do with my dragons and my tote bag idea. 

Not Gardeners

I was very surprised by a late call on the penultimate day of school. I had just enough time to get ready and get there, plus the cushion of the teacher having a first period prep. 

Wednesday. The continuation high school. English. 

It was a fairly quiet day. Their graduation ceremony had taken place the night before (in the middle of a surprise rainstorm with thunder and lightning). But this time of year is a bit quiet for them anyway. 

When a student gets enough credits to graduate, they stop attending school. (They are done. There's no reason for them to show up.) The deadline to participate in the graduation ceremony had been the previous week. So, the only students left were the juniors and the few sophomores that had recently started at the school. (They have to be sixteen to attend.) 

The lesson plan said they were to work in the garden. 

So, I took roll, and then we headed to said garden. Only, no person to run the garden was there. 

There is someone in charge of the garden. She instructs the kiddos on what to do. 

I called the office to find out where she was. They didn't know either. I heard that she had been on campus that morning, but she dropped some stuff off, and then she left. 

Uh...

The class was quite content to not be in the garden. (Only fourth period was disappointed to not have garden duty.) I instructed them to complete any missing work they might have. (If they haven't graduated, there is work they can be doing.) But end of year. No one was really in the mood to do anything. 

I'd've been more upset at this, but the day had already gone sideways. If I run into any of these kiddos later as they scramble to finish credits in time for one deadline or another, I'll point out the time they wasted on a day like this one. But likely, it won't come up. 

And that was my last working day of the school year. (There was a very, very late call on the last day of school, but I woke up with a migraine, and there was no way of getting to the school on time if I had taken it.) 

Next week I officially go on summer schedule, starting off with my stats for this school year. Happy summer. 

Finishing the Leis

Tuesday. Eighth grade U.S. history. 

But, um, well, the eighth graders were done. It was technically finals day, but not for eighth graders. They had taken their finals the previous week so that they knew who was eligible for promotion. Grades had been turned in. 

The eighth graders who were eligible for promotion and who wanted to go went to see a movie. (Lilo & Stitch). Mr. F, their teacher, was one of the chaperones. Hence the need for a sub. Because not all the eighth graders go. 

And, well, the other eighth graders didn't really need to be there. But we can't just up and say, "Don't come to school," so it gets hinted, but every year many eighth graders still show up. 

My actual lesson plans (given to me directly by Mr. F before he headed out): Don't let them burn the building down. 

No worries then. 

Most of them found things to do on their phones. But, there were a couple girls (who were not in the class) who had to finish making candy leis. They were doing a fundraiser for the middle school leadership class, and so they had to put together 75 of those things. They had 60-odd done already. 

Found on the internet. If you search "candy lei diy", you can see many different versions as well as instructions on how to make them.

At the end of first period, the girls weren't quite done. I was quite willing to let them continue working during third period even though I had a prep period. It wasn't like I had anything to do. But then, of course, I got asked to cover a different class. Uh... 

I couldn't leave the girls in the classroom on their own. I offered to let them come with me to the other class I had to cover, but it was a lot of stuff to haul across campus. One of them got the idea to ask a counselor to supervise them. That would work. 

Before I could find out if they found someone, I had to head out. I returned to the room (for seventh period) to find all the lei making stuff neatly stacked. Hopefully it was all finished. 

As I was leaving for the day, Mr. F caught up with me. (They all enjoyed the movie.) When I explained about the leis, he said that explained the weird text he had gotten from a counselor. Because, apparently, the girls found a counselor to supervise them. And they finished the 75 leis. Well, that's a relief. 

The leis could be purchased to give to eighth graders to wear during their promotion ceremony. And then after they could eat the candy. 

The joys of the last days of school. So much stuff going on. 

The Same Choice

Monday. The last week of school. French.

Tuesday and Wednesday were finals days. So, Monday was a finish-any-late-work day. And study for finals. 

But, the teacher clearly knows her students. She also left them a choice between two movies. 

It's no longer put tape in VCR and press play. Oh no. Nowadays, it's streaming. The teacher had her computer set up with both movie choices on separate tabs. And the computer was already connected to the large TV in the room. 

(I did manage to muck things up early, though. I accidentally closed one of the tabs and then disconnected the computer from the TV. But it was easy enough for me to reconnect to the TV and I opened a new tab and found the movie. I managed to do all this before the students arrived, so no issues there.) 

As I didn't really care, I gave each class the choice of movie. And put it to a vote. And all three classes chose the same thing...

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Naturally. (The other choice was A Minecraft Movie.) 

And so, once again, I got to see the beginning of the movie multiple times, but not the end. On the bright side, we're on a block schedule now, so I only had to see the beginning three times (rather than five). And, it is streaming on Disney Plus, which I have, so I can actually see the end of this thing. Whew. 

They're After Us

As I write this, it is Sunday afternoon. On Saturday, the skibidi brownshirts attempted to kidnap innocent people going about their business in Paramount. And things didn't go well. For the skibidi brownshirts. 

Now, apparently they're going to be conducting some more raids in the area (to kidnap innocent people going about their business), so the national guard has been deployed by the menace in the White House over the objections of the governor of California and the mayor of Los Angeles. (Paramount is its own city in L.A. County, closer to me than to L.A. city proper.) 

Because, we gotta fill those concentration camps... 

(I make light, but the conditions those kidnapped are being held in are terrible. No food or water. No beds. Basement of a building. No one can see them. And they've kidnapped kids and a very pregnant woman.)

• CNN
• NY Times

Word is, protests in your own area are the best way to go. Because they can't be everywhere at once. Stretch them thin. 

Edited to add Monday: Notice that all the "violence" happened once law enforcement was involved. Dictators don't like it when the population doesn't approve of them disappearing innocent people. 

Oh, and by the way, did you know you can get tickets to that abomination of a dictator parade on Sunday? You just need a cell phone number to order two:  250th Anniversary of the U.S. Army Grand Military Parade and Celebration. It would be a shame if people ordered tickets and then didn't go... 

Some other articles I stumbled upon this past week: 

• Immigrant Defense Project
• Know Your Rights with ICE
• SEIU California President David Huerta Injured, Detained at ICE Raid in Los Angeles
• Must-Reads and Some Thoughts on the Big Feud
• Wins Of The Week
• Trump job cuts hobble NOAA team that reopens ports after hurricanes, sources say

Solid Base

I finished the base, and now I've started the sides...

Now that the base is the right size, I need to figure out what cable stitches I'm going to use. School is out, so I should have some time to get this part going. 

The tote bag's progress:

• Leftover Yarn
• Keeping My Hands Busy
• A Cable Swatch
• Winding Down

Outside

Friday. Integrated math I, eighth grade (read: the advanced group). 

The day's assignment had them taking a survey online, then completing a "banner" with advice for next year's eighth graders. And then free time...

It's the end of the school year. The eighth graders' grades were due the previous day. (The grades have to be turned in early so the school knows who gets to participate in promotion. Those who failed classes do not.) And they all knew this. They were ready for their free time. 

As soon as they completed what they needed to complete... 

"Can we go outside and play volleyball?" 

Two girls asked me this. Then two boys asked as well. 

Any other time of the year, the answer would have been absolutely not. But now? 

The four students turned into ten. Somehow. Security drove up and through the group a couple times and didn't bother to stop them. (Of course, I was hovering near the door, watching.) 

The next period, it got hotter. But another teacher had his class set up an actual volleyball net. Well, okay then. Again, half the class was outside. 

The last class of the day was the not advanced group. And by that time it was about 90℉ (that's about 32℃). The first boy that asked was in a long sleeve black hoodie. I pointed out he'd be hot. That didn't bother him. 

Of course, by the end of the period, he was panting and complaining of being hot. It was too hot for him to walk home... 

I mean, I warned him. (The co-teacher texted his mom, and apparently this was an ongoing thing.)

It's a weird time of year. The rules get very relaxed. Many of them got good grades and they're just about high schoolers. (I mentioned they were days away from being high schoolers, and I could tell they're a bit nervous about this.) It's almost summer vacation. 

It was good to get outside. 

Caught Out

Thursday. Tenth grade English, honors. Fourth period. They had a test on Act Five of Macbeth. 

We're right up on the end of the school year now. The day this post goes live is our last day of school. So, I was kind of surprised when one of the kiddos was absent. But whatever. 

About halfway through the period, Andrea arrived. At that point, only one student was still working on the test. I told Andrea that there was a test and that she could get started. She questioned if she had enough time to finish it. I figured she did. (Logically, if she still had half the period and the class was done, the test should only take her half the period, which was the time she had left.) Besides, when was she going to have time to make it up? Best to get it done. 

She sat down, but then she came back to me. She said that she usually takes her tests in her counselor's office, so could she go and take the test there? So, I let her go. 

I thought nothing of this. Some students have various accomodations, and my philosophy is trust. But verify. 

The next day I ran into Ms. S (the teacher). She stopped me to ask a question. Because, it turns out that Andrea has never taken her English tests in her counselor's office. 

Uh oh. 

(Because, yeah, I made a note of it. I always make a note of it.) 

Ms. S was not pleased. She wasn't upset with me. She said that Andrea had been trying to get around things all school year. 

But I was able to put Ms. S's mind at ease about a couple things. First, Andrea had left her cell phone in the classroom. (Ms. S had required all the kiddos to turn in their phones before the test. Andrea had as well.) Second, when Andrea left the room, she left her belongings behind. 

Could she have cheated? Of course. Ms. S knows who her counselor is, so she can verify if Andrea went there for the test. Odd that she'd try this on this last test. But whatever. 

There is a reason I keep detailed notes. It's so the teachers can catch the kiddos out when they pull this stuff with subs. 

The Usual

Tuesday. Seventh grade science. 

I had gotten the assignment at 1 AM. In their Google Classrooms, the teacher informed the kiddos that he'd had a medical emergency. He left them plenty to do. 

And some of them did the work. 

Others...

Two boys immediately logged onto a game. Fortnite, I think. I told them they had work to do. As I walked up behind them, they showed their screens with the actual work. And no open game tabs. 

They set it up with two desktops. (I think that's what it's called.) I do similar. You can flip between one screen with appropriate tabs, and the other screen has something else. (Usually for me it's blogs.) Somehow, they thought they were fooling me. I don't know why. 

I told them to close the game and get to work. Of course they didn't. 

My philosophy in this circumstance is that it's their grade. If they don't do the work, they don't get the points. I can point out that they're not making good choices, but they're their choices. (I also note who was blatantly not working in my note to the teacher.) 

Considering the time of year, things went pretty well. At least they entertained themselves. Better than what they could have been doing. 

I'm ready for some time off. It's coming soon. 

Meme-y

So, at least 50 of the people sent to the concentration camp in El Salvador were found to be in the country legally. And now the gestapo ICE is going to immigration court and picking up immigrants who are dutifully attending their hearings. Because this was never about "legal immigration". This was always a racist purge. And we've become "never again". 

That is why I'm so damn mad. And have been. Because I saw this coming. And I can't stop it. 

I'm feeling meme-y today, but before we dive into those, I wanted to give you a link to DOGE Track. Someone is keeping track of all the damage they're doing to the federal government. In case you'd be interested in that sort of thing. Now, on to the memes. Note: these were all found online. None were done by me.

And some articles I found interesting:

• I’m A Psychologist Who Specializes In Narcissists. Here’s What We Need To Do To Stop Trump.
• Russian whistleblowers reveal what it was like to work for a troll farm and spread anti-American & anti-Ukrainian propaganda lies on social media
• Awareness-Raising Protests Won’t Threaten the Richest, Most Well-Armed People on Earth
• Time To Dust Off The Authoritarian Regime Survival Guide

Winding Down

I'm having a lazy Sunday. I just spent a couple hours reading a book. And I'm going out to dinner soon. 

I'm contemplating next projects. All I've really done is...

The bit on the right, actually. The bit on the left I did a while ago. Then I measured it against what I'm using, and it was too small. I probably have a couple more rows of the one on the right and then I'll bind it off. 

This is the last week of school. My subbing stories are from last week, so this week's stuff will appear next week. And then I'm off (unless some summer school assignments pop up) until August. 

So, for the blog, I thought I'd do a post on the mechanics of blogging once a week. (I'm getting rid of my "what to watch" as I have no idea what to watch on TV anymore.) Every so often I see a "Blogger won't do this" and "I can't figure out how to...", and I thought I might write about the various things I do know for those who don't. Maybe. 

This won't start for a couple weeks. I'll have this week's subbing stories next week, and then I have my annual "what classes I covered this year" post. At the moment I'm 172 days out of 180 possible days for the year, but that's only if nothing pops up for Wednesday or Thursday (which may or may not happen--hard to tell). 

So, I'm looking at Mondays remaining yarny, Tuesdays still my day to rant, Thursdays of 13 things (I've got a few already planned), and Fridays I'm not sure about yet. Wednesdays will be about blogging--the how tos of the platform. Of course, this might change on a whim. 

Is there anything you'd be interested in learning about Blogger? I'm no expert, but I know a few things. Perhaps a bit about HTML? Any burning questions that you're curious about but never bothered to pursue? I can't promise I know the answer, but if I do, I can make a blog post out of it. 

Anyone have any plans for the summer?