Happy Days in Random Chatter 10

[Portia]

Is this a public school thing? I chose all my own classes. I also advocated for myself when I needed something extra from the school (like creating a section of AP French Lit).

[Emiliana]

Maybe it is. I've never heard of it being done the other way, but I've only been involved with public schools. At my high school students can request a certain set of classes, which the counselors do a fairly good job of accommodating, but they don't have any say in which teacher or section they get. With my kids, at least, they would all just sign up for the same section as their friends and it would be a disaster.

[Tally M.]

Yeah, my school only let you sign up for classes, and sometimes you couldn't get the ones you wanted because sections of classes would conflict.

[Portia]

By section, you don't mean AP vs Honors vs Standard, do you? Is that by lottery?

[Tally M.]

By section, you don't mean AP vs Honors vs Standard, do you? Is that by lottery?

Essentially, yeah. We really only had AP or standard. Honors wasn't really a choice. And really, it was just whichever class worked best in your schedule (for the AP classes).

Our AP classes were open-enrollment, and you didn't have to pay to take the test, either.

[Indefinite Integral]

Maybe it is. I've never heard of it being done the other way, but I've only been involved with public schools. At my high school students can request a certain set of classes, which the counselors do a fairly good job of accommodating, but they don't have any say in which teacher or section they get. With my kids, at least, they would all just sign up for the same section as their friends and it would be a disaster.

Yeah...my school is transitioning from your system to what we call "Arena Scheduling" this year where students can go in and build their own schedule choosing the class period and teacher in addition to what classes they are taking, with the help of a counselor if they want (they open the computer lab with counselors there for 4 days). I'll let you know how that goes next year...

[Indefinite Integral]

Ugh. Rant. I thought my 11th graders had taken 1st place at state math contest in our category (they informed me as such) but the idiot lady in charge of it assumed that school size rankings (5A, 4A, 3A, etc) would still be the same as in 2012 (they weren't - new schools opened up and changed things). One school was bumped into my category and is the actual winner. However, she didn't manage to figure this out until a day later when I had already notified my students.

It took me one google search to find the current UHSAA school size rankings (less than 30 seconds total spent on it). Seriously, it's not that difficult. And now I have to tell my students they didn't actually win. They were SO excited.

[bobtheenchantedone]

I've been exchanging messages with a customer for a week now who does not know how to bracelet. The trouble started when the bracelets arrived. She thought she had ordered two bracelets, not two bracelet sets (proving she didn't read the description at all or look very closely at the photos) and was very upset that I had only sent her string as she didn't know she'd have to put the bracelets together herself. I have now carefully explained about four times that they are thin bracelets, made up of only three strands each, worn together to make a set. She keeps asking how she is supposed put them together to make one bracelet! She also seemed to be offended that I included two free matching bracelets, as that messes up the sets. Last night I described exactly how she can put the bracelets on to make them look nice, and I think I should probably quickly shoot a tutorial about it in case she still doesn't understand. (Not to mention we're about to go into hardcore YouTube mode and it might be a decent thing to have up anyway.)

I've sold thousands of these thin bracelets and this is the first time someone has been completely baffled by them.

[Portia]

Ugh. Rant. I thought my 11th graders had taken 1st place at state math contest in our category (they informed me as such) but the idiot lady in charge of it assumed that school size rankings (5A, 4A, 3A, etc) would still be the same as in 2012 (they weren't - new schools opened up and changed things). One school was bumped into my category and is the actual winner. However, she didn't manage to figure this out until a day later when I had already notified my students.

It took me one google search to find the current UHSAA school size rankings (less than 30 seconds total spent on it). Seriously, it's not that difficult. And now I have to tell my students they didn't actually win. They were SO excited.

Awwww. I'm sorry. State Math Contest was a very big deal to me (we were 1A). Junior year was our best showing.

Good lesson in the inevitable disappointments of life, though.

[Whistler]

I've been exchanging messages with a customer for a week now who does not know how to bracelet. The trouble started when the bracelets arrived. She thought she had ordered two bracelets, not two bracelet sets (proving she didn't read the description at all or look very closely at the photos) and was very upset that I had only sent her string as she didn't know she'd have to put the bracelets together herself. I have now carefully explained about four times that they are thin bracelets, made up of only three strands each, worn together to make a set. She keeps asking how she is supposed put them together to make one bracelet! She also seemed to be offended that I included two free matching bracelets, as that messes up the sets. Last night I described exactly how she can put the bracelets on to make them look nice, and I think I should probably quickly shoot a tutorial about it in case she still doesn't understand. (Not to mention we're about to go into hardcore YouTube mode and it might be a decent thing to have up anyway.)

I've sold thousands of these thin bracelets and this is the first time someone has been completely baffled by them.

wow, how annoying. It sounds like you're going the extra mile to help her out! I think I would have just told her to return them.

[Portia]

Everyone, I love the Internet. These were the exact years I participated.

If anyone know my real identity, you can stalk me on this page. My high school crush is the one who scored exactly one point more than me. (I'll never forget when he saw me in the lobby of the Humanities building. Oh wow he's talking to me he noticed me! "What'd you get, Portia?" I told him my score. He barked out his, said "Good!" and walked off.)

The course of true love ...

[Indefinite Integral]

Everyone, I love the Internet. These were the exact years I participated.

If anyone know my real identity, you can stalk me on this page. My high school crush is the one who scored exactly one point more than me. (I'll never forget when he saw me in the lobby of the Humanities building. Oh wow he's talking to me he noticed me! "What'd you get, Portia?" I told him my score. He barked out his, said "Good!" and walked off.)

The course of true love ...

Haha, I competed those years as well. Maybe we ran into each other at some point.

[Portia]

Everyone, I love the Internet. These were the exact years I participated.

If anyone know my real identity, you can stalk me on this page. My high school crush is the one who scored exactly one point more than me. (I'll never forget when he saw me in the lobby of the Humanities building. Oh wow he's talking to me he noticed me! "What'd you get, Portia?" I told him my score. He barked out his, said "Good!" and walked off.)

The course of true love ...

Haha, I competed those years as well. Maybe we ran into each other at some point.

Maybe so! :-) And they misspelled my last name my senior year, so I ranked that year too. (But well behind The Crush.) My sophomore year was about the sickest I've ever been. I remember wearing my huuuuge hoodie from Copper Rivet (#socool) and being so disoriented, just randomly filling in bubbles.

As a team, we got 11th (all school sizes) in 10th grade, 1st for small schools in 11th :D , and 2nd for small schools in 12th.

I loved it. I loved the atmosphere of college, the March Madness tournament showing on the screens, and the chance to impress my crush. ;) I credit the state math contest with inspiring my pushing myself in math (something I would have ranked behind science and foreign language in terms of natural interest) and deciding for sure to go to college.

Stupid judges. Congrats to your kids all the same!

[Emiliana]

Wow, that does stink. The student I was coaching for poetry oral interpretation placed 4th this year...only the first three advance to regionals.

[bobtheenchantedone]

I've been exchanging messages with a customer for a week now who does not know how to bracelet. The trouble started when the bracelets arrived. She thought she had ordered two bracelets, not two bracelet sets (proving she didn't read the description at all or look very closely at the photos) and was very upset that I had only sent her string as she didn't know she'd have to put the bracelets together herself. I have now carefully explained about four times that they are thin bracelets, made up of only three strands each, worn together to make a set. She keeps asking how she is supposed put them together to make one bracelet! She also seemed to be offended that I included two free matching bracelets, as that messes up the sets. Last night I described exactly how she can put the bracelets on to make them look nice, and I think I should probably quickly shoot a tutorial about it in case she still doesn't understand. (Not to mention we're about to go into hardcore YouTube mode and it might be a decent thing to have up anyway.)

I've sold thousands of these thin bracelets and this is the first time someone has been completely baffled by them.

wow, how annoying. It sounds like you're going the extra mile to help her out! I think I would have just told her to return them.

I'm a little strapped for cash, so I honestly can't afford to. I've already had to refund about $60 in the past couple of weeks.

[bobtheenchantedone]

I've received even more messages from the how-do-I-bracelet girl. I finally bit the bullet and just asked if she would like to return them for a refund. Her reply is still to insist that I did not send her any bracelets (or at the very least, I didn't send her as many as I said I did). In her last message she even defined a bracelet as a "string," said she had ten "strings," and then insisted I did not send her 10 bracelets. I don't even know what to do with this girl.

[Portia]

So I had a package of tampons in the work bathroom. They've been tossed. (Or possibly used, I guess?) It's feminine hygiene, not cocaine.

[mic0]

After being bold (yaaaay), I am going to get started as a researchy type person. I've been told that I get to choose my title from a few options. Which is the best title? Research associate or research intern? (Not "student researcher," since for the majority of the time of now until August I actually will not be a student.) Mr. Mico says I should request to be "research analyst."

[Whistler]

I like research associate better. When I was in videogame journalism my editor told me not to tell other people I was an intern, because I guess that's associated with not knowing what you're doing (at least in journalism).

[mic0]

Oh that's an interesting reason! Unfortunately I've just realized that I don't get to choose willy-nilly, so I mostly fit under her "intern" definition. Ah well. I've never been an intern, though, and I know it sounds silly but I'm excited to be one for the first time.