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Larry T. Spider

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    2020
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Everything posted by Larry T. Spider

  1. For virtual, we have to see the kid in a zoom, get work turned in, or make some other contact with them for them to be counted as present. If not, no funding for that day. If even 10% of those kids stay awol, it can destroy the budget. We haven’t even started to talk about how the next budget cycle that will be hashed out in the legislature next spring will be brutal. Not trying to be chicken little, but the effects of this will be with us for years after day to day life gets back to normal.
  2. It’s not just that they have terrible ideas and are holding money hostage. It’s that they keep changing the rules weekly. We are smart enough to find a way to make it work if you give us one set of plans. 52 hours after their last blackmail “guidance”, they still haven’t explained to district leaders what all of their conflicting statements actually mean.
  3. The problem is that we typically combine some classes when they go to special areas to make the numbers work. This is no longer allowable, which makes it a cluster. Especially true for pe as there are state requirements for minutes. The most immediate issue that we are working through is that the state is saying that we have to open our doors to students without technology starting on day 1 if we want funding. Many principals feel that they will be dealing will so many students that it makes social distancing difficult. The other question is who is going to teach them? All the other teachers will be teaching the kids learning virtually. What staff is willing to come to school right now? It quickly starts to look like warehousing kids in places where they can do the same online work the other kids are doing at home. Seems miserable for the kids and the schools. I’ll just say that we are looking at all options and many are drastic changes from what we were planning three days ago. I felt like we actually had a decent plan until tea dropped this on us.
  4. Gsoda: chromebooks mostly. Should be able to start delivery by the end of August but the start date is the 18th. These are the issues that we are working though. Remember that TEA is stating that every parent that wants in person instruction will get it once we are required to go back. The current max of virtual is 4 weeks, with a 4 week add on. Obviously that could change based on the document that came out yesterday. How do we fill a classroom with students but maintain 6 feet of social distancing? How do we do arrival procedures that allows teachers to be in their room to welcome students but enough staff to socially distance and temp check 500+ kids? How do teachers get a duty free lunch and conference period with everything being done in the classroom? Basically nobody is willing to be a substitute teacher right now. What do we do when teachers are out? If we have too many teachers that meet the requirements to stay at home and want to, what are we doing with the kids that show up? How do we work with a person that is showing symptoms of covid without them going to the health room, where the most medically fragile students get treatment? What do we do with students when their teacher tests positive or has had direct contact with somebody that has? Who teaches them? Socially distancing on a bus? Lulz. How many teachers will quit? One AISD school had 5 quit last week. Passing periods for middle/high school? Obviously the list goes on and on.
  5. I haven't been able to keep up with the thread as the days have gotten quite long. TEA issued a new document last night that could throw a wrench in the current reopening plans. Its tied to funding and pushes face to face instruction. At this point we don't know what it all means because it contradicts previous orders and what Abbott has said. Im 99% sure that we will be able to figure out a way to avoid it, but in person on August 18th is back on the table. At least for students without access to technology, possibly more. It also (99% unlikely) puts a push back of the start date on the table. We have purchased millions of dollars worth of technology but it won't be delivered by the start of school because every other institution is trying to do the exact same thing. The way this typically goes is: Morath and TEA puts out some onerous orders about hoops to jump through for funding, districts tell people what they actually looks like on a campus, Abbott tells TEA to stay in their lane. Probably not usable information for parents, but just trying to give some insight into what we are working on. Temp checks for every student were out yesterday morning but back by the evening. Operational procedures for running a school during covid is a complete bitch. Just getting enough staff to monitor students all day, let alone teach them anything, is going to be a challenge.
  6. According to the twitterz, this is heading to the ballot.
  7. Do you get -4 points if you had that one?
  8. Lots of people cooperate with the police. Right before they get fucked in the ass by police.
  9. One side will say it was a right winger attacking protestors. The other side will say the protestors were attacking some random person and they defended themselves. The truth will come out and it won’t matter because people will make up their mind after reading twitter. 2020 is quite the bitch.
  10. I’m actually starting to come around to your last sentence. I never trust Florida for shit but trump has no path without it. Biden has enough resources to continue to campaign in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin hard while pounding Florida like south Austin’s mom on 3 for 1 night. My big fear is the governor really working hard to suppress the vote. The blue wall behind it has to be not just strong but impenetrable. Most of those states are near a double digit lead right now. Go after Florida while trump is busy trying to save Texas and Georgia.
  11. On a personal note, I was teaching children of the same age during this trial. At first I was pissed at GK because fuck child molesters, but also because it made my job more difficult in terms of building trust with families. When it was obvious that he was getting railroaded, I talked to my principal and said I needed to teach older kids the next year. Never went back and eventually got into campus administration. Every man is one false accusation away from losing their career, freedom, and reputation. And don’t expect hundreds of people to show up for you like GK.
  12. I’ve read parts of it. She gets Dailey to admit that he did not follow best practices and asked leading questions to the children. You also have another victim recanting his story live via video in front of the jury. That’s the whole trial right there. Either she didn’t beat this home and call numerous expert witnesses to testify about how improper the questioning was OR you got the most mouth breather jury of all time. Possibly both. If I’m on the jury, I don’t know how I could convict anybody after the second child recants. I like to think that it would have caused me to lose faith in the prosecution. But, I also taught 4 year olds for 8 years and know how their brains work a little more than the average juror, I guess. The second kid was used as support for the skeptical jurors that might not believe a young child. “But how could two kids come up with the same story independently”? Well, they didn’t but we still convicted the guy...
  13. Based on many of the responses in this thread, if we end up living in a police state, it’s because we deserve it and want it. Thats fine if that’s what you really want, but don’t ever bitch about states rights, local control, or federal overreach. Im not downplaying the problems in these cities, but thinking the “lazy, incompetent feds” are going to ride in to the rescue takes some mental gymnastics. And no, that is not defending the status quo or local responses and some of you Einstein’s will try to claim.
  14. The ramp up in voter suppression definitely has me worried that they will try something that will sway a close election. If we overwhelm them with dem turnout it won’t matter. We need to get as many people as possible in swing states to vote early. If they are trying to turn people away, it gives us more time to be on top of it and gives the person another opportunity to vote another day. It also keeps lines down on Election Day. Republicans love to reduce polling places in democratic areas knowing that not everyone can or will wait in a line that is hours long.
  15. She didn’t have to make the connection to Mccarty to skewer Daileys ass. She acts like she thinks he did it and is sitting on some evidence she doesn’t want to share. I don’t think this is true, it’s just how she’s acting. She’s the only one not completely incensed at the sham investigation. He got a more vigorous defense from strangers going to the media.
  16. I think people are overthinking this. Kamala checks the most boxes. I voted for warren in the primary but he’s not going to make it two old white people on the ticket. The only pause I give my pick is how kamala went after joe in the debates. There could be some bad blood there and she would definitely have to walk some statements back. Money is still on kamala though.
  17. Chicago has the 16th highest murder rate in the US last year so I would guess the answer is yes. Obviously it’s a huge city so they have nicer areas that help the overall number. But that is true of most larger cities. Parts of St. Louis would be a good, but smaller in scale, comparison to start with.
  18. Somewhere between Fort Worth and Lubbock. South of Oklahoma and north of Abilene. I say somewhere because it’s really nowhere. Under 100 acres to the other question. Happy to further discuss via PM. Could be interesting and could be a total disaster. I think I’m going to be well protected financially but who knows. I will most certainly maintain my soft and well moisturized hands. When my family decided to come to Texas in a covered wagon, they decided to stop and set up shop in Jayton. Glad I was born 80 years too late for that adventure.
  19. This is my take as well. It wasn’t about which strategy she chose as much as her inability to cast doubt on an investigation done so poorly. As soon as it was examined more closely, the whole thing fell apart. A lot of the most damning information about the investigation was available during the original trial. It should be irrelevant because he was her client and the investigation was done so poorly, but she acts like she thinks he did it and knows something we don’t.
  20. In a typical year, I would love the dem nominee to put a republican on the ticket if the person is willing to go along with most dem ideals. Maybe even agree to disagree from time to time. It would probably do more to get people to actually talk to each other instead of seeing the other side as evil. BUT, this is not a typical year and we don’t have a typical president. We have the most sadistic president in US history and a Republican Party that is complicit. You crush them so that it will serve as a long term reminder of what going down the third world dictator path will do to your party. Much of their party will be looking for the next trump to lead them. We need enough of them to remember how they lost elections far and wide and vow to never make that mistake again.
  21. I don’t understand how Cummings didn’t turn this around and put Dailey on trial. A good attorney could have just destroyed that guy.
  22. So the men’s rights lawyer shows up and shoots the only men in the house, then himself (a man), while the woman goes untouched. Undefeated.
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