u/Donttouchmybreadd

Hey all.

I'm seeking wisdom from the deaf community specifically.

I'm studying to be a teacher, and I am doing an assignment on inclusive education.

We have been given our case student - an inspiring young woman with Downs Syndrome. She came in and presented to our uni and told us the things she enjoyed about school, things she struggled with, and how the school helped her.

One of the things she disliked was clapping in the auditorium.
One of the alternative solutions I come up with in this assignment was that the whole school trials no-clapping assemblies, and do the Auslan version, which is like jazz-hands.
I'm getting mixed results over what the sign applause in Auslan is... the Auslan dictionary is saying it's just like clapping, whereas this video from NSW Government shows what I had in mind https://www.instagram.com/reels/C57m_znMHmB/
I am tempted to believe that that the sign I mean is ASL, though.

Anyway, I was working with my aunt who works in inclusion, and she flagged that doing that might be culturally inappropriate towards the deaf community.
I understand why the deaf community is protective over the language, but I wanted to check whether this was something that would be tonedeaf (pun not intended).

Thanks all.

Hey all,

Weird question, you know how there are equivalent symbols math symbols e.g. an equivalent for multiple is using an asterisk, the equivalent for divide is forward slash, etc etc.

The equivalent for indexes (squared/cubed/etc) use the caret symbol, which was something that my math teacher wasn't aware of, that caused a funny discourse.

But what is the typed version of square root?

The reason I ask is because I am curious after an interaction I had at uni.

I was at my uni library yesterday, and found a group of preservice teachers. They were talking about placement and the LANTITE test. Basically, it's a year 9 naplan test, and preservice teachers need to above 75% of the general population. What that score is exactly - nobody knows, that is part of the fear that Acer wants us to hold.

Anyway, one of the girls said "Guys, watch me fail, but that was so easy. The calculator Acer gives you sucks though...it doesn't do fractions...."

I took this as an opportunity to show her that the divide symbol is the equivalent of a fraction, as well as a few others. I also offered to quickly teach her a few more math thingies like ratios and time stuff. She begrudgingly agreed, citing how she hated math in school.

I taught her how time can be expressed as a fraction to calculate exact shift length as a decimal, e.g. working a shift 12:00-15:12. Rather than relying on hourly quarters (15m, 30m, 45m), minutes can be expressed as a fraction, i.e. minutes divided by 60.

So 12÷60 = 0.2, meaning they worked 3.2 hrs.

By the end she was like "wow, math is actually quite simple when you break it down like that." It reminded me why teaching is the right path for me - it is sooo satisfying to help someone learn.

Anyway. I'm curious to know about the typed equivalent for square roots. Any pointers would be great.

Can anyone else imagine this alongside me?

I am not an Ariana Grande fan. In fact, this song came across my feed with some girl dying her hair rainbow colours.

I honestly feel like the lyricism is so strong in this song. Sureee, it might be about some relationship that turned sour, but I'm honestly getting 'an open ballad to a parasocial fan' vibes...which uh...may be some of us at times...including myself.

Hey all,

I've seen a few posts talking about the disposable toilet brush thingies. However, I have found a way to clean messes without using a brush altogether.

Use a spray bottle! Not just any spray bottle though, get one of the ones with those triggers with the twist thing to modify the spray shape (is shape the right word? You know, mist, spray, and jet stream).

Fill it with whatever cleaning product you want. Water is also effective.

If you are dealing with a fresh sticky one that can't be flushed away, if you spray it at the right angle, it will come off.

Anyway, just wanted to share this for everyone's consideration.

Hey all,

I feel like I have become the leader of the QUT Toilet Union.

Last semester I vocally complained about toilet cleanliness of the KG library bathrooms overnight. It was so bad, that after I had reached the 'I am not doing anything productive' point of my assignment, I decided to go home, grab as many easily disposable cleaning supplies I had on hand, go back to the library, and wipe down parts of the wall, the toilet buttons, and the seats as best as I could.

On a side note, I left those cleaning supplies (aldi wipes, small blue gloves, paper towel) around the learning hub, and somehow they have gone 'missing'...
If anyone has seen those kicking around, let me know.

That is beside the point.

I have a new bone to pick today, and that is:

How the hell does an entire bathroom run out of toilet paper.

As I was leaving today, I needed a quick piss before I would method act a sardine (AKA get on the bus at peak hour).

The women's bathrooms in O block C-wing (near room OC406) have 2 cubicles and shared sinks, so not quite individual, and quite tight space. They also have double roll holders/dispensers that are meant to prevent loo roll running out in public spaces (you slide a divider over when the first roll is finished, and start a new one).

When restocking those bad boys, staff are meant to rotate the rolls so that the roll that has been used moves to the main compartment, and is continued to be used. A new, virgin roll is then put into the spare roll part.

Theoretically, there will always be backup, and the backup roll will last long enough between cleaner checks (at least once per day). In saying that, if they DO run out, the neighbouring cubicle tends to have some, and the people are generally willing to pass some under the door.

HOW then, on God's Green Earth, does the ENTIRE bathroom (both cubicles!!) RUN OUT OF TOILET PAPER.

Previously I have been told to contact hiq for dealing with messes and maintenance, but I am quite frankly astounded that this is even happening.

When I have made complaints (e.g. tampons overflowing in a library bathroom), entire other messes within the same cubicle or not far from, were ignored. Additionally, the bystander effect means that even in extreme circumstances, many people will overlook something in hopes that it will be dealt with. Meaning people are unlikely to report something, especially if there is no clear place to contact to report minor issues.

I ended up calling the non-urgent security line. I still don't know whether that was the right move, but HiQ was probably going to have me on hold, or worse, frustrate me endlessly getting my student number that I keyed in wrong. You could say, shit me to tears.

Security was able to promptly log the job, thankfully. I asked whether there is a more direct line, but he said there is nothing that I, as a student, can access.

I know it seems like a trivial issue to make a big fuss about, but this does indicate that there are more issues than just 'Oh the toilets are dirty because that's how people use them.'

I actually wonder whether these bathrooms were getting checked, and what would be done if there was a hazard or safety issue that wasn't identified.

Hey teachers, looking for advice from outdoor teachers on how I can put my hair up when I'm wearing my Tablelands Akubra

For non-Aussies, Akubra is a highly regarded hat company in Australia. Tablelands is the specific hat I have.

I have caucasian, wavy, medium-long hair. I used to have it cut short. Now that I'm growing it out, and I'm having to learn how to manage it neatly. I normally have my hair down when I'm wearing my hat, but because HPE is very active, it can get annoying.

Tips would be appreciated.

I know this isn't education specific, but teaching does involve a fair deal of presentation in terms of dress and style.

Thanks.

Hey all,

Had my first proper week on Mirtaz. I am going to need to get serious about what I'm eating.

I spent more than I wanna admit on McDonald's and other take away stuff (ballpark estimate is $30 per day, so $210 or more sounds accurate). This is way too much on food for me alone.

I am on the lower end of weight, and if anything, gaining weight is a positive thing for me. But I cannot be spending so much on food so often.

I'm wondering if anyone can give me suggestions on what to make and how I can make food at home?

Thanks.

Hey all,

My printer is giving me grief.

For some reason, it's not printing stuff from my laptop. Sometimes when I switch to my phone, the documents I sent via my laptop start printing (even before I have hit send on my device). I tried doing that again today, and now nothing is printing, not even from my phone. A 2 page document only printed the first page.

Stuff being sent from my laptop comes up with an error to check the printer, but the printer isn't coming up with anything. It has plenty of paper.

I'm wondering how I should trouble shoot this? Baring in mind, I am not overly tech-minded.

Hey all,

I am studying to be a teacher, and we just finished a class in a unit about about inclusion. The class finished with a human continuum activity with the following provocation:

*'Which comes first: attitudes, or laws and policy?* in terms of inclusion for students in school (disability, race, gender, sexuality, etc).

I think it is important to note that this is in Australia, where there are laws that are meant to prevent exclusion and segregation. Emphasis on 'meant to', there is a lot of places that don't uphold it.

Anyway, almost everyone moved to the attitudes side, except for one student who stayed on the law side of the room. His reasoning was something along the lines of 'laws can be used in such a way to make a kid to engage with the learning content' i.e. making a kid with ADHD stay back after class to finish their work. The tutor, to her credit, did a very good job of trying to explain why punishing that student could only be destructive for both parties. Another student chimed in and said that he had a teacher who did that, and he threw a chair at him - the teacher ended up being the one fired because of how he treated him (the student).

I am still quite shaken, because I know those opinions persist in education. I also had a teacher who held similar views, and my undiagnosed ADHD was seen as an attitude problem. That was more than 15 years ago, but it still affects me to this day, and I have cptsd stemming from that experience.

I also think it's kind of ironic, because I don't think the guy was paying attention to the actual question.

How am I meant to deal with this as a future teacher? I feel so helpless that this is still an attitude.

Hey all,

I am studying to be a preservice teacher, and we just finished a class about inclusion. The class finished with a human continuum activity with the following provocation:

*'Which comes first: attitudes, or laws and policy?* in terms of inclusion for students in school (disability, race, gender, sexuality, etc).

I think it is important to note that this is in Australia, where there are laws that are meant to prevent exclusion and segregation. Emphasis on 'meant to', there is a lot of places that don't uphold it.

Anyway, almost everyone moved to the attitudes side, except for one student who stayed on the law side of the room. His reasoning was something along the lines of 'laws can be used in such a way to force a kid to engage with the learning content' i.e. making a kid with ADHD stay back after class to finish their work. The tutor, to her credit, did a very good job of explaining why punishing that student would only be destructive for both parties. Another student chimed in and said that he had a teacher who did that, and he threw a chair at him - the teacher ended up being the one fired because of how he treated him (the student).

I am still quite shaken, because I know those opinions persist in education. I also had a teacher who held similar views, and my undiagnosed ADHD was seen as an attitude problem. That was more than 15 years ago, but it still affects me to this day, and I have CPTSD stemming from that teacher.

I also think it's kind of ironic, because I don't think the guy was paying attention to the actual question.

How am I meant to deal with this as a future teacher? I feel so helpless and scared that this is still an attitude.

Hey all,

I am very curious to know whether the introduction of Flumist (nasal flu vaccine) has had a sizeable impact on flu rates this year.

I'm struggling to interpret the data on flu rates and hospitalisations this year compared to previous years. I have mild dyslexia/language processing disorder, so any help would be appreciated.

If I am not mistaken, I saw that as of July 2026, there have been 1,129 hospitalisations for flu YTD.

In July 2025, there were 3,915 hospitalisations. https://www.health.qld.gov.au/newsroom/doh-media-releases/queensland-respiratory-infection-update3

I know it's very early days, but it would make me very happy if the roll out of Flumist has had a sizable impact.

:) Good night everyone.

Hey all:

Consider me confused. For context someone said their term deposit went from $40,000 to $48,000 over 8 years. I thought they could potentially do better, and decided to try and work out whether my bank was worth recommending.

This one I was just guessed the rate of 4%.

40000×(1+(0.04÷8)^(0.04×8)

= $47340.58

Sounds right.

This one I actually checked my bank's term deposit rate, which was 5%.

40000×(1+(0.05÷8)^(0.05×8)

= $45253.06

WHAT. I tried a few things. I copied from the first calculation, I changed the rate to from a % to decimal... I am SO confused. Why is the 5% term deposit lower???

I am using my phone's calculator (google pixel) if that matters.

Just when I thought there wouldn't be a good sub to ask this question in!

I'm looking for alternatives to google storage.

I have been paying for additional storage for....like 10ish years? Maybe 8?

I pay like $3.50aud/month for 100gb. I never really thought about it until recently when I ran the numbers of how much I would have paid, and continue to pay for.

My storage is nearly full and I am NOT looking to upgrade. If anything, I need all of it gone. I don't wanna be paying a small fortune for files that I want to archive.

I'm wondering how I can better store things.

I have thought about a hard drive. I'm not all that techy, I'm only starting to understand little things like RAM. My worry about a hard drive is that it might get physically lost, or it might become unrecoverable.

I would use it for long term storage keepsake stuff like photos that I want archived.

I also need to clean up my storage. I have thousands of unread emails. I have gotten rid of large file ones, but it's hard.

I know I probably need to go through my photos, which I am not looking forward to. It's genuinely too hard for me to go through them.

Please be nice, and thank you.

Again, I'm glad this sub exists - I bet it has grown exponentially since...well... google enshitified itself.

Edit: ok I saw a few posts of others doing it to themselves. Phew!

Hey all.

Before anyone tells me, yeah I am aware this is stupid.

I am a former phlebotomist, and I want to know where I can obtain small qty collection equipment. I recently had a blood test, which went fine, but I don't necessarily love the way it gets done. I'm noticing that a few of them don't wait until the alcohol is dry, which if you don't know, is straight up painful and can cause haemolysis. Also, some of them press on the cotton when withdrawing the needle, which can also hurt. Plus, not being gentle when inverting. My last blood test came up elevated for LD, which the report attributed to mild haemolysis. :(

I would honestly rather do my own blood tests with my ideal sample integrity standards, rather than relying on someone else. The problem is that suppliers tend to sell tubes in packs of 100, when I probably only need 1 of each type as needed. I have found a supplier for butterflies though.

I'm wondering if there is a way I can obtain SST and EDTA tubes as needed?

Before anyone asks, I understand this is risky, and possibly messy. I will do everything within my capacity to lower the risk of harm. I have done this before, back when I worked for a company and had keys. It went fine - the only tricky part was removing the butterfly with one hand.

Thank you all.

Edit: *racquet, lol.

Hey all,

I am studying to be a HPE teacher. We had a tutorial with Jay Deacon from Tennis Australia using the mini courts. At one point, I was really struggling, and couldn't hit the ball to where it needed to go. Jay asked me where the strings were facing, to which I didn't know, and gave me the cue to start aiming the strings where I want the ball to go. It was transformative, and I was able to serve and return. Really great experience, and a fantastic teacher, he has an amazing voice to listen to.

I was looking for reasons to get out of the house recently, and a friend suggested I do social tennis. I went and had a really great time, despite being a bit rusty. Today my right forearm kinda hurts - I assume this is just normal DOMS, right?

I am in the market for an affordable lightweight racquet.

I heard that the cheaper ones are in the $200 range...which is a bit pricey for me.

I am a female, apparently weights do matter based on gender.

I was only loosely in that conversation, so I wasn't really listening.

Australia based would be good.

Thanks.

Good night everyone. I have been awake for 29 hours straight. Praying that this medication will get me out of this years long slump.

Hey, does anyone know if QUT have crisis support aside from the counsellors?

Brain is...braining...unsatisfactorily. I have booked myself in today for 3pm, but I feel like a social worker might be in good order until that time.

I've decided to get out of the house and head to uni now, despite not having any lectures to go to.

I'm not at risk of hurting myself, just everything feels wrong. I've got placement looming, but I am barely looking after my physiological needs. I know I need to do things, but I don't know where to start, or how I am going to go about them. I need to get my ducks in a row, but ptsd making it hard to do everything.