Tom K
@gctom.bsky.social
1.4K followers 2.4K following 550 posts
Elementary school teacher. Cognitive science and how brains learn. Baltimore Orioles
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gctom.bsky.social
"Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers."

Does this even matter?

6/20

#BookSky #20BookChallenge
Reposted by Tom K
kjephd.bsky.social
'Democracy being on the ballot' in a two party system suggests the only way to preserve democracy is for one party to win every election, forever — or until the other one somehow rededicates itself to democracy.

Folks, as if I need to say it, that's a democracy on its deathbed
kjephd.bsky.social
Agree substantively, but it suggests something that's become clearer to me in the last few days: the absolute non-negotiability of multi-partyism as the key remedy for the US's present authoritarian slide.

There is no stable escape from where we are that doesn't break up the existing parties.
opinionhaver.bsky.social
One Real Problems party, folks. If the policy problem you care about is not some version of “people I hate are insufficiently subjugated”, there is one (1) game in town. Yes, even basic good-government stuff. Yes, even things that would be in the self-interest of GOP constituencies like businesses.
gctom.bsky.social
How much of CCSS shift to focus on “harder” texts was really just to prepare students for NCLB-mandated testing prep? Teaching novels and state required testing don’t necessarily go together. Often they can be opposed in the primary grades at least.
Reposted by Tom K
owillis.bsky.social
in making this the central message of the superman movie, james gunn has "gotten me" in a way no other film director has. honestly. the last few months i feel like someone who found a religious faith back when i was a kid, who has been trying to explain it to people without success, and gunn got it
Reposted by Tom K
mercedessheldon.bsky.social
Fab editorial by @umnenglish.bsky.social faculty.
"Majoring in English is by no means a bad investment of a student’s time and tuition dollars. ... While graduates with English degrees may start out earning less than peers in other fields, they out-earn them in the second half of their careers."
Counterpoint | Actually, English majors are thriving at the University of Minnesota
"As the chair of the English department, past English chair, and assistant dean of curriculum and instruction at the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities, we often find reports of the demise of ...
www.startribune.com
Reposted by Tom K
radleybalko.bsky.social
- It is legal to organize and fund protest.
- That someone organizes and funds promotion of a protest does not mean most, some, or any protesters are paid.
- Even if all protesters are paid, that is also legal
- It is good to oppose kings and fascism
- That's not what what "begs the question" means
atrupar.com
Sean Duffy: "The No Kings protest, Maria, really frustrating. This is part of antifa, paid protesters. It begs the question who's funding it."
gctom.bsky.social
Well at least they both could agree that farming is “real work” whatever that means
Reposted by Tom K
thealexiaelise.com
That’s a long winded way of saying they have the reasoning of a 12 year old.
Reposted by Tom K
dieworkwear.bsky.social
It's hard to help Americans left behind because so much of US identity is rooted in individualism. The average American conservative holds all three positions at once:

— Virtue signals about supporting US manufacturing
— Against raising the minimum wage
— Buys foreign imports because they're cheap
HardPass4 on Twitter tweets: "I'm willing to pay more for quality products if they are made in America, by Americans, who are paid a decent income." The tweet shows Norman Rockwell's "Freedom of Speech" painting, which is often used to show the tweeter is expressing a brave opinion. HardPass4 on Twitter tweets: "MINIMUM WAGE JOBS WERE NOT MEANT TO BE A CAREER. Why does no one understand this? Entry level jobs are STEPPING STONES to better jobs. No one wants to work towards that though." HardPass4 on Twitter tweets: "Buy $5 gloves instead of $50 ones. Trust me." The tweet shows a box of "Gorilla Grip" gloves. The label on Gorilla Grip gloves show they're made in China.
Reposted by Tom K
sophieanderson.bsky.social
Sparkly paperbacks of #TheSnowGirl hit shelves soon & there is a pre-order gift of a gorgeous Melissa Castrillon print❄️ Simply send proof of purchase, from any retailer, to [email protected]🙏 Signed, dedicated copy available from @samreadbookseller.bsky.social & @bookendscarlisle.bsky.social💙
gctom.bsky.social
I met some alpacas today that suffer from low flow showerheads
Alpacas with flat hair Kramer and Newman with flat hair
Reposted by Tom K
grudgie.bsky.social
What’s important about the OK Governor’s statement is that it’s irrefutable with the fantastical lying that frames the WH talking points. Absent those, there’s no argument that even exists.
thebulwark.com
Q: "The Republican governor of Oklahoma...said 'We believe in a federalist system...Oklahomans would lose their mind if Pritzker in Illinois sent troops down to Oklahoma.'...What's your response?"

Vance: "I'd say to Governor Stitt... Illinois is a different case from Chicago."
Reposted by Tom K
physicsmrh.bsky.social
"But observing others is critically important work, and giving feedback is a privilege. We have a professional and ethical duty to take it seriously, and the least we can do for our colleagues is to put in the hard yards to be ready to deliver it."
adamboxereducation.bsky.social
NEW POST

The Radiologist

Hope you enjoy it and please share if you can 🙏🙏

substack.com/home/post/p-...
Reposted by Tom K
schooley.bsky.social
It’s no wonder that Trump has such a twisted view of war and sacrifice. And the utility of bribes.
Donald was seven years old, and his father was brought before a U.S. Senate committee investigating abuses in a housing program for war veterans and middle class families. President Eisenhower had been outraged to learn of the bribes that developers paid to bureaucrats and of the alleged profiteering practiced by Trump and others. Ike called them "sons of bitches."
As federal investigators had discovered, the elder Trump had collected an extra $1.7 million in rent-equivalent to $15 million today-before beginning to pay back his low-cost government loan. He was able to do this because a bureaucrat named Clyde Powell approved the paperwork.
Powell, who had never been paid more than a modest government salary, had mysteriously amassed a small fortune. (While it was clear Powell accepted bribes, the sources were never officially identified.) In addition to collecting the extra rent, Trump paid himself a substantial architect's fee. And he charged inflated rents based on an estimate of construction costs that was far greater than what he actually spent. All of this was legal, even if it did victimize taxpayers, veterans, and other renters.
Reposted by Tom K
willbunch.bsky.social
America's collapse in one swath of the NYT homepage
Reposted by Tom K
clarajeffery.bsky.social
We will need Nuremberg-like trials
longtimehistory.bsky.social
ICE secretly kidnap autistic boy during bathroom break—never notify parents.

Mother reported him missing a week ago—turns out ICE had him detained the whole time.

He was helping sell fruit and asked to go to the restroom—by the time she was done helping a customer he was gone.

Houston, Texas
Reposted by Tom K
disabilitystor1.bsky.social
And Im not trying to be bleak here or pessimistic. The problem is that their rhetoric is not going away--they will continue to say things like this, and more people will believe them, further unmooring themselves from science and reality.
Reposted by Tom K
martinnutbeem.bsky.social
Nothing could possibly go wrong with this. Creating a lifelike digital avatar on a third party platform will definitely not open teaching staff up to career destroying issues in the event of that platform being hacked.
schoolsweek.bsky.social
Exclusive: Teachers will use 'deepfake' technology to create an AI avatar of themselves to deliver catch-up lessons for pupils who have missed school

Watch one of the school’s ‘deepfake’ teachers in our story below

schoolsweek.co.uk/schools-trus...
'Deepfake' teacher avatars to help pupils catch up
Academy trust staff to use AI generator to introduce resources for pupils returning to school
schoolsweek.co.uk
Reposted by Tom K
collincountydems.bsky.social
This is terrifying!

ICE breaks into this woman’s car in the pick-up line at West Loop Elementary school in Chicago and detains her before she can pick her kids up from school. (They were eventually let go after showing their documents)

This is Trump’s America.
Reposted by Tom K
midge.bsky.social
People over 40 watching birds at the bird feeder
Picture of a crowd going wild with enthusiasm
gctom.bsky.social
They’re all obsessed with children and their private parts it’s fucking disgusting
acyn.bsky.social
RFK JR: There are many other confirmations -- there are two studies that show children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism. It’s highly likely because they are given Tylenol
gctom.bsky.social
He’s definitely made the proof that he’s a dangerous moron
atrupar.com
RFK Jr on Tylenol and autism: "It is not proof. We're doing the studies to make the proof."
Reposted by Tom K
mattortega.com
The fact that these people just say their plans out loud—"to make the proof," "taking away freedom of speech"—somehow inoculates them. It allows some people to hear it amid all the other craziness and just move on.
atrupar.com
RFK Jr on Tylenol and autism: "It is not proof. We're doing the studies to make the proof."