u/Petezpie

24f, not new to dating but just kinda over it atp. I’ve been on 4 dates in the past month which have all been good but I don’t feel romantic connections to the men (I rarely do, unfortunately). When I text them afterward that I had a good time but don’t want to go out again, they inappropriately spill their heart out to me about me being the one for them and it makes me uncomfortable. I also feel really guilty when I just ignore their messages because it’s not really in my nature to leave people in the dark.

I’ve always believed that if you’re just talking or have only been on one date, it’s not that serious and it’s fine to just stop texting all together. But recently the men guilting me afterward is making me soo uncomfortable. I guess I would just like some advice or reassurance.

I guess I would also like to note that I don’t think I’m doing anything particularly great on these dates. I have no poker face and I’ve been told it’s really easy to tell when I’m bored/irritated/etc. I’m not particularly sweet or anything so I don’t understand what lingering impression I’m leaving. Maybe just guys being lonely idk.

Forrest is an orange cat, about 10 years old and recently adopted from a previous home. He’s been making a sound I can only describe as “croaking.” It’s not a full on meow, it’s like creepier and whiny lol. He is very affectionate and a good cat but this croaking has been driving me crazy because he does it all day and night. He usually stops when I pet him. Could he be in discomfort, acting weird because he’s in a new house, or is he just throwing a fit because he wants attention? He is such a sweet cat and is laying on me and purring now. I just need him to stop making this sound 🥲 any suggestions or advice appreciated

I am going into my second year of band directing and but I am always open to learning and utilizing new strategies and classroom management. Are there any rules, procedures, or strategies that have been an absolute game changer for you as an assistant director?

At this new job I will mostly be floating (won’t even have my own ensemble 😞) but will be teaching beginner brass. I’ve heard they have some motivational issues so I’ll be incorporating a lot of games and friendly competition

One of the more helpful things I’ve started using is when students ask irrelevant questions, especially uncomfortable ones about my personal life (I get asked if I’m married a LOT), I ask them to please only ask “educational questions” at this time.

Also any games or friendly competitions I can use for my beginners would be great! Thank you and good luck to everyone with band camps coming up soon!!

I love the BandApp because it’s so easy for me to make announcements to my students and their parents, but they have no boundaries when it comes to messaging me. Parents message me at all hours with topics that I do not feel like should be discussed over the messaging system (they ask about their kids’ behavior in class but I think this should be discussed via email with our AP cc’d). I also got about 10 messages the day of our spring concert asking when it is, even though I posted several announcements throughout the week.

My main concern is that sometimes my students will message me with things completely unrelated to band. They tell me how their weekend is going or just say hi. I care for my students but don’t like responding to these messages because it feels inappropriate for students and teachers to “text” outside of school. I hate to ignore them because it feels mean.

I’m in my first year of teaching so this is my first time for everything. Next year, is there a good way to establish boundaries with my students and parents? Does anyone just turn off the message feature all together? I feel way too accessible and I hate it.