Gullible

Last week, while trying to come up with some things we can do in the face of our current fascist regime, I advocated talking to people with opposing viewpoints as a way to maybe change some minds. Since writing that post, I have changed my mind. I don't believe that will help. 

Those who are in the cult won't have their minds changed by us. I don't think they will ever realize how skewed their views are. 

After I wrote last week's post, I got into a conversation with a MAGAt. I was lamenting the kidnapping of legal residents for having dissenting viewpoints. The response? How dare they speak out against the country. They are guests here, and they have no right. Would someone go to China and speak out about that regime? 

I rather thought that last argument made my point, but nope. And my argument that they were sending innocent people to concentration camps was met with, "they must deserve it". 

The whole conversation began with a news report about the Signal messaging thing. The comment? This couldn't possibly be true. It had to be fake news. Why? Because messaging war plans is illegal. They're only supposed to discuss these things in a secure setting. They're not even allowed to take their phones into secure locations. 

So, therefore, the reports were false. Instead of realizing how incompetent these people are. 

My argument about the people in charge being incompetent was met with the response that I only watched the fake news. Therefore I was getting it all wrong. 

I give up. 

Maybe if there's someone you can reach, great. But life is too short for me to try to convince the gullible.

Then, while I was mulling this over on my own, I ran across this comic called "Believe". It's about why people continue to believe things that are not true. It's something that I'll need to sit with as well. It has a good lesson for all of us. 

So, in my Tuesday scream into the void, I again don't have much we can actually do right now. I mean, continue to throw sand into the fascist gears whenever possible. And continue to call your reps for either praise or complaint. And stay safe. They're coming for us.

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Feline Fail

Last week... Ah, last week. I had such plans... 

I was sure I was just about done with the cat. I was even willing to overlook a mistake that I caught. I even said, "I can't see the difference, so I'm not going to worry about it." 

Very, very stupid. 

You see, what I had done was to join the rounds wrong. Now, in knitting this isn't a problem. But in crochet, beginnings of rounds drift. The way the pattern said to join the rounds compensated for that drift. But, alas, this was in the notes of the pattern, not in the round by round instructions. 

I started this in October. I worked on it one day. Then I set it down again until March. 

When I picked it up again, I continued where I left off in the round by round instructions. I had forgotten the note in the beginning about how the rounds were supposed to be joined. And I didn't bother to look. 

I didn't see the mistake last week. However, once I attached the tail...

The tail is right of center in the above image. It just looks wrong. (It also has too much stuffing in it, but that's an easy fix.) Here's the back view...

The tail is wrong. Very wrong.

So, I've got to rip it out and fix it. Deep sigh.

Hopefully I'll get to that this week. Now, to figure out how to make that post fit L-day... 

The cat posts so far: 

• Yarn Under my Fingers
• Not Quite a Cat
• Leaving the Mistakes

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Easter Eggs

Well, not real ones...

A neighbor has her Easter decor up. She decorates for every holiday. I thought it was cute (and I needed something for E). 

Today's A to Z Challenge post brought to you by the letter

Downwind

Friday. Sophomore math. Second period. (Yup, them again.) 

Mr. Y was going over the day's notes (this day's discussion was about parallel lines cut by a transversal) when a terrible smell drifted in the room. 

Teenagers and terrible smells don't go well together. They react. Strongly. And complain. Loudly. 

When I am the only teacher in the room, this situation can devolve quickly. But luckily, this class was co-taught with a teacher they like. And still, the kiddos acted as if they were being poisoned. 

One of the boys opined that it smelled like someone had set off a fart bomb. Then the boys accused each other of doing that deed. Mr. Y and I both attested that no one in that room had set off any sort of stink bomb. 

There are days when things are chaotic enough that someone could sneak something like that by. This class at that point in the period? No. The class was way too calm. We would have noticed. 

Mr. Y continued on with his lesson even while a bunch of students made a lot of noise in the halls outside. Even while the kiddos in class whined and complained. I mean, the smell was bad, but not unbearable. And I'm pretty sensitive to smell. 

One of the custodians walked by. He set up a big fan outside. Then, Ms. P (another math teacher who I have subbed for a few times in the past) popped her head in. Her classroom was above ours. 

The smell was so bad in Ms. P's classroom that she had removed her class to work elsewhere. The custodian returned, and he confirmed what the boys had guessed. Someone had set off a stink bomb in the building. 

Eventually, Mr. Y finished with the notes portion of the class. Then it was time for the students to practice. I passed out the worksheet, and then I commented to Mr. Y that perhaps now was a good time to go outside. While he was giving notes, we needed the screen so the kiddos could see the examples. But now they had the notes, and they were just going to be working independently. 

Mr. Y agreed. 

It was a fairly nice day. The sun was out, but it cool. (It was around 9 AM.) My weather app said it was 60°. 

Most of the class got the worksheet done. The boys took advantage of being outside and did things that they don't generally try in the classroom. (Read: mock wrestling.) 

The students had left their backpacks in the classroom, so we returned for the last five minutes of class. The smell had dispersed. Luckily. 

Later that day, I got confirmation that the long term English assignment I knew was coming was going to start on April 1st. (I write about my previous week here, so this all took place on March 28th.) Which meant that this was my last even day in Mr. R's class. 

Quite the way to go out. Although, considering the second period, not all that surprising. 

Today's A to Z Challenge post brought to you by the letter

Check My Arithmetic

Wednesday. Sophomore math, eighth period. 

While most of Mr. R's classes are co-taught, his eighth period is not, which means that I get to teach it. Woo-hoo!

They just started a unit on geometry. (Back in the day, freshmen took algebra 1, sophomores took geometry, and juniors took algebra 2. Nowadays they've mixed all the topics up and distributed them over the three years differently.) We did a day of definitions (which they should have learned the previous year), and on this day it was time to go over some problems having to do with those definitions. 

I showed the kiddos how to set up one of the problems. I gave them some time to try it out. And then I worked it out with them to make sure they knew what they were doing. 

As I worked the problem, I got to a point where I had to subtract two numbers. And I paused. 

I tell this like a joke, but it's true. I got through calculus just fine, but I stumble when it comes to arithmetic. 

I mean, I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide. But not fast, and not well. 

Give me an algebra problem, and I have no problem. Geometry is even easier. I took four semesters of calculus in college. I majored in physics. I can do the math. Just not the arithmetic. 

I was trying to subtract two numbers in front of the class. It was something like 123 - 15. The mental gymnastics weren't happening. A student helpfully provided me with the 108. 

And so, I admitted my problem. I told them, "Seriously, check my arithmetic." 

I figure it's better to admit it. They all use calculators, anyway. I'd rather they catch me if I write down the wrong number. If they let me know where I made an error, I can fix it right away, thereby not confusing them with mistakes. 

As I proceeded through the page of problems, I made sure to check the key, just in case. I didn't make any major errors. I miswrote a bunch of things (I wrote a 6 when I meant to write an x), but I got the arithmetic mostly right. 

Still, I'll never entirely trust myself. It's too easy for me to slip up. 

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Bigger

Wednesday. Second period sophomore math (again). 

Why is it always second period? Anyway...

Mr. Y had an IEP meeting, so it was just me and them. But no worries, as the topic was geometry, and I felt quite comfortable teaching it. 

Just after 9 AM, Alonzo left class. He had cleared it with me ahead of time as the band had a performance. I had seen the email, so I knew it was legit. But the boys were offended that he had gotten up and gone. (Before Alonzo left, he caught my eye and reminded me he was going. I nodded to indicate that was fine.) It was as if they were in charge, or something. 

I explained that Alonzo had left with permission, and it wasn't anything that the boys needed to be concerned with. Alonzo would be performing for the assembly for the sixth graders.

Sixth graders? 

Okay, so all the sixth graders from the local feeder elementary schools were going to be on campus for a kind of preview day. (The middle school is kind of attached to the high school. Long story.) They've only been doing this for a couple years, so it's a relatively new thing. Anyway, the high school band, color guard, cheerleaders, and choir were performing along with their middle school counterparts. 

The boys seemed to think that meant an assembly for the high schoolers. Yeah, no. Class was as normal for those not involved in specific activities. 

I continued on discussing how two adjacent angles could be added together. 

And then, the sixth graders appeared. 

This classroom is on the bottom floor of the STEAM building, and it has great big windows. 

We can see everyone who passes by. Mr. Y is fond of the view as he can see his students, especially those who arrive late. (I kind of feel like we're in a fishbowl, but I'm only there for a couple weeks.) 

So, of course we could also see the classes of sixth graders arriving and making their way through campus. 

I pointed this out to the class. They looked over. 

Some of the sixth graders waved. A few of the students waved back. 

(I had more time than material to cover, and I thought it was fun.) 

The students' main comment: "Why are they so small?"

Funnily enough, this is not the first time I've heard this comment. I assured the students that the sixth graders were normal sized for their age. They were just bigger now.

They weren't quite sure I was right. It just seems wrong to them, somehow. I'm not sure why. 

The sixth graders had passed us, so I went back to reminding them that all the angles in a triangle add up to 180°. 

And just like that, it's April. The only thing that changes around here is my titling. My personal game is to make my usual posts fit the letter of the day. Sometimes they just fall into place, like today. Other days I have to work a bit harder at it. 

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Angry

A long time ago, I was taught that there are really only two emotions: love and fear. All other emotions are built on the foundation of one or both of those. 

I don't know if that's completely true, but it is a useful construct. It sometimes helps me get to the root of what I'm feeling. 

I am angry. Very, very angry. But anger is just fear aimed outward. And I am very, very afraid. 

What has happened to us here in the U.S.? A lot of fear that hucksters looking to enrich themselves have fed upon. 

And too many people who have not realized the horrors we now live with. They are disappearing people. We have concentration camps. And the ghouls in charge are feeding off of the pain. 

I created the above banner so I'd have an image for my Tuesday posts, and the idea was to write about things that I could do, but I'm feeling rather hopeless at the moment. So, let me see if I can find some things to do that are proactive. 

If you are outside of the U.S., the one thing you can do is to not come here. For any reason. Perhaps losing tourist dollars might wake some people up. Besides, it's not actually safe. Many countries have issued travel warnings (for good reason), and innocent people have been detained for reasons that wouldn't have been a problem just a few short months ago. 

And boycotting U.S. made goods is already having an impact. 

There's a bunch of events planned for April 5th. (If you're over 60, check out this website.) I mentioned this last week. 

Calling your reps is still something I advocate. Especially if you have reps that support the regime. They're already avoiding doing town halls (because they're afraid of being yelled at). So much so that some Dem reps are going to neighboring districts to hear those concerns. (My rep has been doing this.) The more of their constituents register complaints, the more they may fear their jobs are in jeopardy. Perhaps they might be influenced to vote for not terrible things. Maybe. 

I found a couple interesting articles that some might find useful. The first one is ten things you can do to resist neofascism. The other is 198 methods of non-violent action. Check them out. Perhaps they might give you some ideas. 

Finally, are you talking to your friends and neighbors? Some have gone full cult, and are unreachable, but some might be woken if enough of their circle keep after them. We need to change minds. If enough of us resist, it makes it harder for the regime to destroy us. 

Today is April 1st, and yes, I am doing the A to Z Challenge. Don't worry, my theme isn't political. Only my Tuesday posts are political. 

I don't have a theme. I play a game. I post as normal. My challenge is to make what I'd normally post fit the letter of the day. And Tuesday is my "do something" day. (At least it is now. I haven't been able to do my "what if?" posts since the election. They feel wrong, somehow.) 

Tomorrow I go back to the substitute teaching of it all. 

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