I've always had positive expriences at Harbor View Veterinary Hospital! It's in Canton and I have never felt upsold. I recently took my cat to Eastern for an urgent care situation and despite nothing serious being wrong in the end, spent $1400 💀 I was willing to do it to ensure he was okay, but I also decided to get pet insurance because that sum flattened me. Oof.

I'm a caregiver for three different women, two of whom rely on public transportation in the area. Feel free to DM me and I may be able to connect you with them. They all use power chairs, so they'll have a similar experience.

I work part-time as a caregiver and I really love the work. Sometimes you can make a decent amount above minimum wage. You do have to be able to pass a background check and get certified in CPR / first aid, but it's a super needed area. Always always always people looking to hire caregivers. If anyone else reading this is interested, feel Free to DM me for more information!

Yes we had to force the issue quite a bit with a supervisor today and it was still an unsatisfying conclusion today. We'll continue putting pressure on them. Thank you for sharing your experience!

They were called yesterday and did not take the situation seriously. They showed up 1.5 hours after the school day had ended so we had no option to get him to safety. They were called again this morning and there was no issue with his safety, but we've since followed up and emphasized that there is. We're doing everything by the book and as firmly as we can. It's just really tough.

This is the option we are going with in the end. I was hoping to do one that didn't cost so much money but I'm also more than willing to spend the money so that he's out of the rain tonight. I appreciate you sharing your experience and I extra appreciate that you two have looked out for kids in this way ♥️

So we dropped Comcast about a year ago after ongoing frustrating issues including a BBB complaint that connected us directly with someone at corporate in the US and they still weren't able to resolve our issues. We switched to T-Mobile and for the first couple months it was great, but what you'll find (and I've since learned is very common) is that it just randomly drops sometimes. My partner works from home and this is a major issue when he's on a zoom call or a productive work flow. We put up with it but it was pretty frustrating and would sometimes cost him some money.

So, this is such an unsatisfying answer, but we recently re-signed up with Comcast and are now using both (someone on here also said they do this when I asked several months ago about these issues). T-Mobile is $50/month and Comcast is running a two year deal at $25/month, so hopefully with back up options, the $75/month for internet and less stress will be well worth it. When the T-Mobile isn't dropping we have great download speeds, so there is that!

Nope not very well at least. We have like 50 million issues. But one thing we do better than most of the world, but still poorly in many many instances, is ensure our disabled students have access to some kind of education. My disabled friends who have travelled could tell you the US is leagues beyond most of the world, even with it's many many flaws (which I also abhor and could go on and on about). Basically, it's all flawed and messed up systemically but there are still some bright spots (at least in regards to international comparisons) among the many many downsides.

There are certainly issues with how we teach and what we prioritize, but I wouldn't necessarily argue that the whizzing through this type of material is ideal either. The education systems in many countries completely depends on drill and kill. Just rote memorization and practice, with little to no creativity or development of skills beyond those. There's a balance between much of what we see here, and what's offered there. The countries you mentioned also have little to no resources for people with disabilities. Both would be horrible places for most of my students to be born, as they too would be expected to whiz through everything, which just wouldn't be possible for most of them (processing delays, vision issues, dyslexia, etc). I think we need to improve a lot about how and what we teach, but I disagree that the examples you provided are the model we should aspire to.

Excellent questions and I'll do my best to answer.

>do you and other educators who feel similarly about the excessiveness of the curriculum have any means of advocating for streamlining it?

No, not really. Or if there is a way, I'm not aware of it. The district uses a curriculum called Eureka which, like most things in education, is purchased via a contract. We often comment on how difficult and bloated it is, but even our department leads aren't really able to enact change in this regard. I'm not sure how these products get purchased and approved, but if there's public or in-house comment available, we've never been made privy to it.

We just do our best to make our own choices about how to adjust it. I personally have to trim tons of fat, and I have to do it unofficially because there's no way for me to fit it all in without completely killing my students' interest in math.

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>Is this an issue that's generally tracking with parents?

Alas...in my 4 years in the district I have never once talked with a parent who asked about curriculum or how the provided curriculum is taught. I don't get the impression most parents would even know to ask about this sort of thing. Because I work with SWD, I also tend to work with some of the poorest, least equipped parents, and I just think that questions surrounding curriculum rarely rank on the list of primary concerns for their kids.

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>does the Kirwan/Blueprint plan address this issue?

I...don't know. I know I SHOULD be up to date on this stuff, but I'm just not because it's hard to be on the ground and reading about the ground. Something I need to be better about! But as far as I'm aware, I don't believe this is addressed.

Yes, a lot of what we teach here in Algebra 1 really aligns more traditionally with Algebra 2 concepts, and Algebra 2 is really the first truly high level math students have access to in high school, so it's no longer practical for the vast majority of students. I truly love teaching math to SWD, but man do I hate how bloated and complex the curriculum is!

Lolzz I also went to school in Virginia so growing up I knew SOL as Standards of Learning long before I knew its other more common meaning 😆 The SOLs came out in the 90s and I was among the first test groups in elementary school, but they've had the same name since then. 25+ years of SOL students in Virginia!

City Schools math teacher here who also taught math in Virginia before moving to Baltimore. The math curriculum used by the city is VERY dense and VERY difficult. I teach Algebra 1 to students with disabilities (SWD) and it is essentially impossible for my students to pass this test. Additionally, the MCAP (Maryland's standardized test for math, formally called the PARCC) is considered to be a very difficult standardized test.

In Virginia the standardized tests are called the SOL (yes...that's a real name "Standards of Learning") and while they were still difficult and imperfect, they more directly tested math skills appropriate for a 14 year old. The MCAP questions are incredibly difficult, also often with multiple parts, entirely given on the computer (which is challenging for anyone when it comes to math problems), and the test itself seems to change year by year, which makes it very difficult for teachers to know how to prepare students for the actual test-taking part.

For example, in Virginia, students in Algebra 1 are not required to learn or know anything about sequences. In Maryland, Algebra 1 students are given complex units on sequences that they are expected to learn within just two days. Here is an example of 1 page out of 4 from ONE lesson on sequences, which students would be expected to learn and practice, all within only 1-2 days. Even for students in general education (not SWD), this is a huge ask. Even for kids on grade level. Consider that every Algebra 1 teacher in the district is required to use this material and how they have to adapt it for their learners' needs. And here is how I adapt this very high level ask for my SWD.

This isn't to say that there aren't very real criticisms and discussions needed about a variety of topics: how we teach math, school choice, how and why we test, where funding goes, etc etc etc. But I just wanted to provide the additional context of WHY so many students are failing and what a monumental task teachers have preparing students at any level given the tests and curriculum we are required to use.

I had a full English at Slainte and I'm no expert, but I thought it was good!

Thank you so much! Appreciate these recs!

Haha our work place is right in Fed Hill so while I would never frequent it for the late night scene, I mentioned Fed Hill for the convenience of everyone. Apparently this is unpopular though, and I've been downvoted on this post? People are silly.

The atmosphere is it's selling point for many people, so it just sounds like the restaurant isn't your style or preference, versus it actually being bad. It sounds like you went in with the wrong expectations. Which happens to all of us with different restaurants and other things we try. Joe Benny's is a favorite in my house, but I can also see how it wouldn't be to everyone's taste. I just think that's different than something being bad.

Totally missed "noon" in the title 🤦🏻‍♀️

So I'm guessing this is happening overnight Friday into Saturday? Was looking at the weather to see when to expect this. Thanks for the heads up!

I'm glad to be wrong about this! Thank you for the info!

I believe even in your own home you are obligated to perform "duty to retreat" first, which I do think is pretty insane. I feel like at the point that someone has entered your house illegally, they clearly have an intent to harm in some way, and you should be able to defend yourself proactively.

Edit: apparently this has changed! Which is great to know!

He tried multiple times. I also tried for him. Over multiple weeks. Each time some part of the system wouldn't load. If it were me, I would have called sooner, but he did still try multiple times.

We had a great experience with Patti Click and I always recommend her to people! I'm a woman and I did most of the organizing for our mortgage and she was always respectful of both of us. She also worked really hard with us to obtain lots of special grants and funding. It was a ton of extra work for her and she did it readily.