Joyce Reynolds-Ward
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jreynoldsward.blacksky.app
Joyce Reynolds-Ward
@jreynoldsward.blacksky.app
SFF writer. Horsewoman. Dreaming of a better future. Retired special education teacher. Blathers about stuff.
Yeah. The last of us brought up by Depression-era parents are now seniors--and in some cases instead of becoming frugal, the impact has been overspending (side-eying my Silent Generation siblings, all who spend pretty wildly).

We've always lived tight, so...just preparing here.
November 15, 2025 at 6:07 PM
And it's "sight words," not "site words." Phonics is essentially all about memorization.
November 15, 2025 at 3:31 AM
Darlin, I taught middle school special ed for ten years. Phonics is not the end-all, be-all because guess what? It doesn't teach comprehension. I had students who could decode up a storm but couldn't tell you what it meant.
You need BOTH.
November 15, 2025 at 3:30 AM
BUNNEH!!!
November 15, 2025 at 3:28 AM
Husband picked up an amazing deal on turkey today...something wild like 35 cents a pound. Yeah. Time to stock up, if you can.
November 15, 2025 at 3:27 AM
Reposted by Joyce Reynolds-Ward
I’m currently in a situation where a class is over enrolled by a handful. But the sweet spot for this class is 15 so 20 was already a stretch. 25 is just a totally different kind of class, one that will be bad for student learning.
November 15, 2025 at 1:35 AM
Reposted by Joyce Reynolds-Ward
My experience is that 15 is a sweet spot. Maybe lower in classes that require more differentiation. For many schools, 15 would require having at least one more entire school, b/c caps are 30. But there are classes with even more than 30.
November 15, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Reposted by Joyce Reynolds-Ward
Smaller classes *behave* differently, like organisms. A class of 6 is a different organism than 15 or 30 or 100 or 300. But in classes under 20 it’s easier to create safety, get kids to focus, and create community. But we wouldn’t want that!
November 15, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Reposted by Joyce Reynolds-Ward
Right here. Three weeks ago.

He was on a friendly podcast, where the host was giving him a chance to boost his campaign, with no pushback. And he chose to lead off with "I'm not racist, I just genuinely want to know why Black people never tip."

Three weeks ago.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMnc...
Graham Platner Shares Newly Resurfaced Video, Addresses Controversies and Talks Running For Senate
YouTube video by Pod Save America
www.youtube.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:30 PM
W.T.F.
November 15, 2025 at 2:03 AM
so got dumped when they realized after one semester that this was just not gonna work. Needed more time than they were willing to pay me.
November 15, 2025 at 2:00 AM
Oh ghod yes. My impression of edtech (I taught online for two years using Edgenuity several years before the pandemic) has never been the best. It started falling apart when the district got the so-called brilliant idea to make all freshman Health classes online. I was a long-term sub,
November 15, 2025 at 2:00 AM
Yeah. We're still somewhat cruising on the husband's travel accounts points status, plus dedicated credit card bonus nights.
November 15, 2025 at 1:57 AM
Nope.
November 15, 2025 at 1:53 AM
and small town schools, but it's also a factor in urban schools as well.
November 15, 2025 at 1:51 AM
he even started. The other lasted one and a half years, and had a retiree fill in the rest of the year (she was excellent! like the other fill-in!). And the fourth one--left after two years (I was only there for one of those years).

And community resource...you see it most prominently in rural
November 15, 2025 at 1:51 AM
over the course of ten years and eight principals. Four of those eight actively worked at making kids, families, and teachers feel safe and welcome at school. The other four? Well. One didn't last the school year. His predecessor filled in the rest of the year. One got fired for misconduct before
November 15, 2025 at 1:51 AM
Exactly. I reskeeted this with the comment that an oldtimer at the school I taught at said he could predict problems with an upcoming cohort based on one simple number...the student/teacher ratio in kindergarten.

I personally saw how making kids and families feel safe/welcome at school mattered
November 15, 2025 at 1:51 AM