u/ShinyFlower19

I am a third grade teacher and I would like to use a center set up for my morning routine this coming school year. Before really committing to the idea, I wanted to get some advice on how you would go about implementing this and setting the behavior expectations because I understand it is ambitious especially for being the first thing they do when they come in. My goal is to give them something calm, engaging, and self paced that they can do in the morning.

First, let me take you through my school's morning time set up as well as how I wish to run this routine.

In the morning, students have a 15 minute block of time between the school opening and when we take attendance then start our academics. Therefore, some students have the whole 15 minutes to do some sort of morning work while others arrive after morning work time is over.

This is an inner city high needs school. I have students who are reading chapter books and others who don't know all their letters. I have proficient English speakers as well as new comers. I have students who could already excel in long division and others who still need to count on their fingers to solve one digit by one digit addition. What I am highlighting is that there are many academic needs I am both trying to play to the strengths of as well as give extra practice to during this morning routine.

How I plan to run the routine

1. Students would get a paper on Monday with Day 1-4, each day corresponding with one of the 4 center options. Friday would be a make up day/free choice day depending on if they missed a center.
2. When they come in, they get their paper and they go pick what center they would like to do that morning. There would be a cap to the number of students who can do each center on any given day (Say there are 20 students, the cap would be 5) and they can only go to each center once in the week, Friday being their opportunity to do a center a second time.
3. I am also considering having some sort of item with their name on it that they can put down at their center to show that they have claimed it for the day (especially since there might be confusion of how many students are in a certain spot if they go to the bathroom or something like that)
4. During this time, they would be expected to be silent as they work.
5. As I design the centers, I am planning to make them activities that can still continue to be engaged with even after they have filled in the required parts of their papers to avoid early finishers.

How I plan to implement the routine

1. At the very beginning of the year (maybe after the first week or so), I will start by putting the same activity on all tables every morning (so Monday everyone would have a math one, Tuesday everyone has a reading one, etc.). This gives me a chance to teach everyone in the class how to engage with each center.
2. The next week, I will put a different center at each table group, but have them stay in their own seat and engage with whatever center ends up there for the day. Throughout the week, every activity will cycle through every table, so they get the opportunity to try them all.
3. Friday of that week will be their first opportunity to practice picking a center to go to for the day. They get to go choose which center they liked the best and do it again. I will probably have them choose their Friday morning center on Thursday afternoon so they all know where they are supposed to be Friday morning instead of meandering and getting frustrated that the center they wanted was full.
4. If I feel it is necessary, I may repeat steps 2 and 3 for a few more weeks until I feel they are ready to start choosing their center in the morning when they arrive.

Some center ideas I have so far

1. Play Doh words: Students would have a list of spelling words (maybe in a jar at the center of the table?) and they choose 3 or 4 that they need to spell using Play Doh to form letters. They would copy the words they chose onto their day 1-4 paper. Once they have filled in the blanks on the paper, they could continue choosing words from the jar and making them with the Play Doh.
2. Base 10 block addition and subtraction: Self explanatory, using Base 10 blocks to solve some problems that are given to them on the day 1-4 paper. At the beginning of the year, the problems would be one digit then shift to two and three digit as we review those skills. Once finished, they could practice making and solving their own problems.
3. Writing prompt: Students have lines on their paper and at the center would be some sort of prompt, maybe even choosing between multiple. There might be pictures they need to write a story for or an opinion question or maybe even some sort of props they can use to inspire their writing, etc.
4. Making arrays: Students would be given poms or tiles or beads to create arrays for multiplication and division problems on their paper.
5. Some sort of coloring that has to do with whatever unit/season we are in
6. Building/STEM centers: Using random objects to build something. For example, during our animal unit when learning about animal adaptations they could try and build some adaptations for certain conditions.
7. Some sort of handwriting practice cuz omg lol

So anyway, I know that was so much info at once, but I would love some feedback on this idea! What would you do to make sure it runs smoothly throughout the entire year? What are some other center ideas you would have?

I teach third grade and my school provides us with those giant chart paper pads where it has the sticky part on the back for you to hang on the board while you write and also on the wall to reference later. I would like to be much better about creating anchor charts that stay up on the wall for the week/unit, however long it is relevant for. However, I find that they don't look good and they are so temporary that I don't necessarily want to put in the effort to like color a border or even tape some border to it or anything. I would like to stick them to one of my bulletin boards so at least there is the bulletin board background as opposed to the giant white paper overlaying against the white cinder block walls, but all the ones I have in my room are already in use and just general not in a good spot to reference during lessons.

I know it isn't the most pressing issue, but just wondering if anyone else has found a solution to this? I thought I could maybe try to create some sort of frame to put on the wall so it could sit in the middle of it? I just want my room to be cohesive and look nice. Fashionable and functional I guess.

Putting this as a vent, but I am kind of hoping to hear from some like minded people as the people in my life understand where I am coming from, but I guess it's fair to say they don't exactly agree with it.

I am 26 and have never dated. I have asked out a handful of people who have said no and nobody has ever expressed interest in me.

I have tried dating apps before and have gotten a good enough amount of matches, but I never felt excited about anybody. I know I'm not going to fall madly in love before going on the first date, but I wanted to at least have a, "Oh he seems really fun, I'm looking forward to meeting him." feeling. I never did, so I never went on a date with anyone from the apps. This lack of ability to connect with people I meet online has been a constant through my entire teen and adult life, I just don't connect online the way I do in person. I know a lot of people with online friends or who met people on dating apps, but it has always felt like my brain is just missing that part lol.

Because I don't connect well with people online, I have decided that I do not want to use dating apps, at least not to find my first romantic partner. However, there is no ignoring the elephant in the room, it is the only way I have been able to get romantic attention.

My problem is that I don't want this thing I don't even like to be the only way I ever experience building a romantic connection. The whole thing just feels so clinical and not exciting at all. I know amazing love stories can come out of starting from a dating app, but I can't help but feel like I would be missing out if I never found someone any other way. No pining, no mustering up the courage to talk to my crush, no wondering if he likes me back, no random encounter that turns into something more. Just, "I swiped right because he also likes kpop and dogs and lives close by." and "Hey this conversation is going alright, let's set up a date for 3-5 business days from now." and then going on a date with someone I have no idea what their energy even feels like and who I don't have any stakes in. Idk, I guess the whole thing is so low risk, there is no reason at all for me to hope the date goes well because I can just go swipe some more and have an identical experience anyway.

I want to also add that I am genuinely trying to meet someone through other means. I regularly ask my friends if they know anyone who might be interested, I try to talk to new people when I go to different places, I put effort into my appearance, all the things they say you are supposed to do. I would just like to have all my efforts pan out instead of turning to this thing I could have just done the second I turned 18 anyway.

Another thing is that I am open to the idea that dating apps might be a good avenue for me in the future, I just really don't want my first experiences to be through them (and for none of my experiences to be through them if possible). I want to experience real genuine love that grows from a place of just really liking each other, not from being on an app made to lump to singles together and see if they fit.

I am 26 F and have never done anything even close to dating someone. This is because I have never been pursued and everyone I pursue says no (it's been like 4 times so not THAT many attempts but those were all the times where it felt appropriate for me to try and move in that direction aka the only times I've been given the time of day by guys who I start conversations with)

It's already hard enough being unnoticed despite putting in real effort (going out regularly, dressing nice, trying to strike up conversations, etc.), but I also have constant reminders all around me that my friends have it so much easier somehow. Some prime examples:

1. My friend who swore off dating after a break up who happened to meet her bf while out shopping. When she told him she wasn't ready for another relationship, he said he would be there when she was. She wasn't trying at all, but just found the perfect person for her.
2. My other friend who had a guy who was part of her college friend group ask her out and she literally described as "It was so easy, I didn't have to do anything to make it happen it just fell into place."
3. My other friend who was SLEEPING IN HER BED when she got a phone call from another friend that she was at a bonfire and there was a cute guy she thought my friend would be interested in.
4. I went to a concert with 2 other friends and did a little fan project which required me to pass stuff out. I talked to all 300-400 people who were walking into that concert venue and MY FRIEND leaves with someone's number because she happened to vibe with the people standing next to us.
5. Went to a festival with a friend and the second we separated to grab food a guy walked up and talked to her.
6. Had a party for my birthday which just consisted of 7 friends one of which was a straight man. After the party my other friend texted me to ask if one of the other girls at the party was still with her bf because my guy friend was into her. She was. I am not into the guy friend at all, but it was frustrating that my friend could walk into my party and catch the attention of the one guy there and that never happens to me when I attend events. Like, I facilitated someone else getting male attention.
7. I go out with my friends to different night life spots on the regular and they are always overrun by old people. The one time I didn't go they went to a place where there was a bunch of young people and they got a couple people's instagrams.
8. When I vent about not finding anyone the best my friends can offer is, "Yeah, people always want to flirt with me but they never want anything real." YOUR CASUAL TUESDAY NIGHT WOULD BE A CORE MEMORY FOR ME I HAVE NEVER HAD ANYONE FLIRT WITH ME.

I know there are people similar to me who have been unable to get into the dating scene, but it's just so much harder when everyone around me has experiences like this. I have no idea what I am doing wrong or why my life can't be like this, but I am getting so tired of watching everyone else around me live this way. It feels like the door to love gets locked and barricaded the second I show up. It's like I make men asexual by existing around them. I'm doing everything I'm supposed to do to find a partner, but nothing happens. I am totally fine with being the person who has to put in the effort, I have long accepted that I am not the girl who guys approach I will have to do the approaching, but I just wish all the effort I put in actually had results. Instead, I am putting my everything into it and getting nothing in return. Meanwhile, all my friends can just walk into a place and leave with phone numbers or at least a flirtatious conversation to make them feel good.

Necessary context to understand my specific situation better:

1. I live in a relatively populated area and there are multiple bigger cities within the range I have set.
2. The range I have set is about 30 minute drive.
3. I am willing to be flexible on the range IF I am already forming a connection with someone before finding out where they live. I'd be willing to go up to maybe an hour.
4. My reason for the range is exactly what you would think, I want the ability to see my partner often and integrate into each other's lives.
5. I have never been asked out, flirted with, or had anyone I asked out say yes.

Over the last few months, I have gotten the critique from at least 3 people that wanting my partner to live within a 30 minute radius is too closed off. I can see this if I lived in a rural area, but I don't. All I am saying by setting this radius is that I'm not going try and get romantic attention in a place that is far away or from someone I know lives far away and isn't presenting an actual opportunity for me. If I was in the major city that is about an hour from my house and I started a conversation with someone I liked that ended up going in that direction, then that would be grounds for adjusting the radius to accommodate for this opportunity.

However, I think what the people telling me this don't understand is that I do not have these opportunities. When I say, "I wouldn't want to look for a partner in x city because it's too far." that isn't me rejecting anyone, that is me not wanting to do something completely hypothetical. Whether or not I say I don't want to look for a partner in that city isn't going to make a difference because I very well could have gone to that city to find someone and walked out with nothing anyway. So why fight the uphill battle that is finding a romantic partner when what I am fighting for is something I know I wouldn't want anyway?

If I am going to put forth the effort (which I very much have been), I am going to put it toward results I would actually want, like a partner that lives closer to me.

So, do you think I am being unreasonable? I was under the impression that most people wanted partners that live close by, but apparently this is some unreachable standard???