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As I've noted before: I am the WORST when it comes to nail polish. I have no patience for applying it, I type too much and inevitably immediately chip it, and then I hate having chipped polish and take it off immediately.
So I've been excited about the latest Essie nail polishes, with the flat brush that makes application super easy. (One objection down!) When I saw that Essie had a Halloween collection with sparkles I thought, HMMN — sparkly polish often seems more durable than regular polish, although it can sometimes be a pain to remove.
So I decided to give it a try. I was between three colors — the silvery Spellbound (pictured above, and the one I got), a blue option (now sold out, sadly!) and a purplish/blue Broom With a View. I figured I'd try one color and see what my thoughts were.
I was on a long conference call on Friday, so I multitasked and painted my nails — and I'm really pleased! It went on super easily and dried quickly. It looks great, if I do say so myself. My manicure has thus far lasted three days, which for me is saying a lot. I haven't tried to remove it yet, true, but I strongly suspect this is going to be one of the easier sparkles to remove — it's finer grained and not as piecey as some of the other sparkles I've had over the years.
The polish is $8.99 at Target.
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Sales of note for 9.10.24
- Nordstrom – Summer Sale, save up to 60%
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Bergdorf Goodman – Save up to 40% on new markdowns
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Eloquii – $29 and up select styles; up to 50% off everything else
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off wear-to-work styles; extra 30% off sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – 40-60% off everything; extra 60% off clearance
- Lo & Sons – Warehouse sale, up to 70% off
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – BOGO 50% everything, includes markdowns
- White House Black Market – 30% off new arrivals
Sales of note for 9.10.24
- Nordstrom – Summer Sale, save up to 60%
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Bergdorf Goodman – Save up to 40% on new markdowns
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Eloquii – $29 and up select styles; up to 50% off everything else
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off wear-to-work styles; extra 30% off sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – 40-60% off everything; extra 60% off clearance
- Lo & Sons – Warehouse sale, up to 70% off
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – BOGO 50% everything, includes markdowns
- White House Black Market – 30% off new arrivals
Some of our latest posts here at Corporette…
And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!
Some of our latest threadjacks include:
- What to say to friends and family who threaten to not vote?
- What boots do you expect to wear this fall and winter?
- What beauty treatments do you do on a regular basis to look polished?
- Can I skip the annual family event my workplace holds, even if I'm a manager?
- What small steps can I take today to get myself a little more “together” and not feel so frazzled all of the time?
- The oldest daughter is America's social safety net — change my mind…
- What have you lost your taste for as you've aged?
- Tell me about your favorite adventure travels…
Anon
Catching up on the weekend open thread, and I saw the comment from Anonymous at 2:25 pm – age 35, long term boyfriend won’t commit, wants kids.
You are me five years ago; I was 34 and we had been together for over 4 years. I’m now married to someone else with an adorable baby. Breaking up was 100% the right move: my ex is a great guy, we’re on good terms, he’s friends with my husband, but he was actually right to not propose. We’re not the right people for each other and trying to make it work only delayed me in meeting my husband.
Do not be embarrassed; there’s nothing wrong with believing the best in people. It was not easy, but it was easiER when I thought of breaking up as putting myself in the position to meet the right person.
Monday
By the way, breaking up is still the right decision, even if it isn’t quickly followed by marrying and having kids with someone else! I have never met a single woman, including an unhappily single one, who said “I wish I had stayed with that ex who didn’t want the same things I did,” or “maybe if I had just applied more pressure or waited a few more years he would have eventually caved, and everything would have worked out great.”
Senior Attorney
Can’t agree with this more! I’ve been married and single a few times and the very worst case scenario is being with the wrong person.
Anon
I’m the Anon OP and I agree! Once you’re on the other side, it’s easy to see that the relationship was wrong.
Anonymous
I am a big believer in compounding — interest usually, but resentment also compounds. I can’t imagine living with resentments that build and build. Even if you don’t wind up with a husband and a baby, at you are doing so or not doing so on your terms. Not waiting for someone else to decide he is going to grant you a wish or two.
anon
+1 I recently let go of someone who is actually really good about compromises (or at least at the stage where we were). I just can’t see how it won’t lead to resentment later, and in mt case it was honestly starting to feel exhausting in a relationship where we didn’t agree on anything important to the other person and someone was always making compromises. There’s only so much I can change before I’m not myself anymore.
Anon
I’m really eager to see if this Pfizer vaccine will be safe and efficacious. I’m a bit concerned it won’t be for me because I have an immune condition that has led to “vaccine failure” in the past (basically the vaccines don’t take – if by chance anyone else is also dealing with this, would love your thoughts!), but it would be such a gamechanger otherwise if enough people take it. If we had a vaccine and a Biden presidency, I really think we could start turning the corner on this pandemic.
Anon
More has to be done to convince more than 50% of the population that the drug is safe and that they should be vaccinated. Because well over 50% of the population being vaccinated is the only way to protect people like you.
Anonymous
IDK, Biden would probably be enough to convince me.
Anon
Why? He’s a fool. He’s just a fool who has been around for 47 years and no one wants to admit that he’s a fool that they’ve kept around for 47 years.
Anon B
Biden is much more likely to prioritize expertise over loyalty when it comes to staffing the government, both at the cabinet and agency levels. Biden’s opponent has had four years to do that, and largely didn’t. The ability to deliberate and delegate makes a massive difference, even if you’re unimpressed by the executive himself. Competent staffing and a solid decision-making process are going to be even more critical as the pandemic leaves a cumulative toll on federal, state, and local budgets and other ripple effects.
Anon
I think those survey questions are often phrased in a misleading way – my understanding is that it’s only 50% saying they’d take a vaccine if it were available today. Most people I know, me included, are not eager to be among the first people to get vaccinated, but we won’t be even if we wanted to, because we’re young, healthy adults. The earliest we could possibly get a vaccine is April (per Fauci) but most experts seem to think it will be summer/fall before the non-high risk, non-healthcare workers get vaccinated, and by then there will be a lot more safety data. Assuming no major surprises, I think you’ll see much more than 50% of the population wanting vaccines by then.
Anon
Some people think that once vaccines are widely available, private businesses will mandate them as a condition of service, especially for things that bring large groups together like airlines and theaters. I don’t actually think it will happen, but it’s definitely been floated as a possibility. It would be a lot safer to fly if everyone on the plane had had the shot, even if the general public doesn’t have herd immunity.
Anonymous
I hear you, but how are we going to prove that? It’s not like the smallpox shot where there is a scar that takes a while to face.
I swear the antivaxxers will just fake it and go on about their way. Also, people who expect others to do the lifting and get the shot so that they don’t have to.
Anon
Some countries require a yellow fever vaccine for admission to the country. I assume you just show paperwork saying you got it. Of course this can be faked, but presumably doing so is a crime and I doubt most anti-vaxxers would rise to the level of actually faking paperwork. The goal of a policy like this is to deter most unvaccinated people from flying or whatever the activity is that requires vaccination.
Anon
+1 see for example, the anti-maskers having a breakdown in Costco, et al
Anon
As a frequent international traveler, I keep my official vaccination history form with my passport. Many countries require proof of vaccination. I could see using it for domestic travel etc too.
Anonymous
That doesn’t make much sense. How will businesses verify vaccination? And we’ll be lucky if a vaccine provides even 50% protection, so there will still be spread even if everyone on the plane is vaccinated.
Anon
50% is the minimum for approval, many experts expect it to be more like 70-80% given how slowly this virus mutates. For sure, it’s not perfect, but it would be a lot better than nothing. I think laws and policies generally have a significant effect even if they’re not well-enforced – my red state is very anti-mask but most people now wear them in public indoor spaces because it’s the law, even though there’s no penalty for breaking this law. I assume it would be similar for vaccines – most people would either grumble and get the vaccine or refrain from doing whatever activity requires vaccines.
Anonymous
I’m guessing many employers would require–just like healthcare, nursing homes, school systems and many others make getting a TB shot a condition of employment. Many companies are going to want to lower the likelihood of an employee potentially infecting the rest of the office and customers.
Nesprin
My work requires Hep B vaccination and TB testing and meningitis vaccines are common in colleges- you get your Dr to fill out an immunization record.
Anonymous
Are you really going to get a vaccine … so you can go to the movies? … that’s a very unsound way to make a medical decision. Can movie theaters then be held accountable for adverse reactions?
LaurenB
I wouldn’t get a vaccine simply to go to the movies. I’d get a vaccine because it’s the right thing to do, same way I’m vaccinated for other diseases, ensured my children are vaccinated, and get a flu shot every season. Since going to the movies is a choice in life, I don’t see how movie theaters could be accountable for adverse reactions — are schools responsible for adverse reactions in children who are vaccinated? (and school is less of a “choice” than a movie)
Anonymous
Well, I wish I could decide like that: I want to see a movie so I will get the shot. Like I don’t have a job to get back to? Or parents to visit? Or kids who need to get back to school? I have a million things higher on my list. Maybe some young lottery winner who is an orphan is left with “see movies” at the top of her list? Most people have Reasons. The bonus upside: movies. Vacations. Road trips without having to research every state’s quarantine rules beforehand. Bars. Kissing a new BF/GF. Haircuts WITH blowouts.
Anon
I don’t see movie theaters doing it because it would be so hard to enforce for such a short term, inexpensive thing and as you say no one is going to get a shot just to go to the movies. But I can see airlines, cruise ships and many employers requiring it (and schools once it’s approved for kids). And no of course they won’t be liable for adverse reactions. Many places require flu shots and they don’t have any liability for rare adverse reactions.
Anon for this
I have older kids, and to be frank, I have reached my lifetime maximum giving of d*mns with respect to anti-vaxxers and their fellow-travelers/associated hand-wringers who fuss over every shot or change to the schedule. Big Pharma developed a vaccine recommended by the Big Bad Medical Establishment? SUPER. Sign me up. And my kids.
Anonymous
This vaccine is going to be really difficult to distribute. It needs to be stored at -70C, which is beyond the abilities of most doctors offices and pharmacies, and is going to make it difficult to hold flu clinics. Clinicians are also going to need extra training in handling the vials so they don’t burn themselves. In many if not most places, hospitals will be the only option for distribution.
Anon
It will be a challenge but it’s much better than having no vaccine, and I think all the smart people working on this will figure out a way to get it done, particularly if Biden wins and the federal government is more competent.
PolyD
-70 freezers are indeed a pain (they are expensive and seem to break down a lot, or at least they did back in the 1990s), but handling stuff that’s stored at that temp isn’t a huge deal. I did it as a dumb grad student all the time!
Anonymous
Yeah, but it’s not about whether you can store it at that temperature at all, it’s whether you can do it at scale – in every town, in every state. If this can only easily be handled by hospitals in cold storage, for instance, that will slow vaccine uptake down to a crawl.
Anon
But the point is doctors/hospitals can do it and it’s really not that big a deal to go to a medical provider to get vaccines. Parents have to for kids every year because CVS and the other pharmacies can’t vaccinate kids. And kids generally get the flu shot at higher rates than adults, so clearly having to go to a hospital isn’t this huge barrier to getting a vaccine. The bottleneck is still going to be manufacturing.
Anon
I wish I’d bought stock because I thought back in May/June (I forget the date but whenever we started to get the earliest Phase 1 data) that Pfizer was the best bet.
I don’t know the specifics of your situation but is there a chance the vaccine would prevent more serious complications even if it doesn’t protect you from infection? I know that the vast majority of pediatric flu deaths are in unvaccinated kids and anecdotally when I’ve gotten the flu post-vaccine it always seems really mild compared to my childhood flus (and the ’09 swine flu) for which I had no vaccine, so I’m hoping that even if we don’t get “herd immunity” in the literal sense, everyone who has taken the vaccine will have a high degree of protection from serious illness/death.
Anon
It’s unknown, but I hope so – I would definitely take it if there were any evidence that it could be at least partially protective.
Anon
If it is similar to the regular flu vaccine, yes, it will confer some immunity, even if not complete.
LaurenB
I hear you completely on both the vaccine and the Biden presidency; my concern is that the genie is out of the bottle, and that even if Biden and/or every state’s governor were to mandate masks, limit gathering sizes, and so forth, there are just too many people who have already made it part of their personality that they don’t mask, don’t social distance, and intend on living their best lives. I would love to know how to put those genies (not geniuses!) back in the bottle.
Anon
Ugh, I agree with this – there are definitely people who seem to be taking pride in not wearing a mask, making it part of their ~sPECiaL~ identity, etc. Hopefully we can still catch everyone else – I simply have to believe those wackos are in the minority.
Btw, you had some defenders on the morning thread ICYMI :)
LaurenB
I did see. I am still waiting to hear (on another thread) how I allegedly “defended my cronies who voted for Trump.”
Anonymous
Oh you care about this? You can look back on the comment thread where you asked advice about dealing with your “Trumper” cousin.
Anon
I have been sucked into skincare tiktok (don’t judge me!) and I’m curious as to whether anyone on here does “slugging” – covering the face with a layer of petrolatum/Vaseline on top of all other moisturizers at night? I’m considering it but I’m so conditioned from my acne prone teens and early adulthood not to put anything “greasy” on my face. The pro-sluggers claim the petrolatum molecules are too large to block pores.
My skin feels very dry now most mornings, even after layers of serum and rich moisturizers, it seems like this is probably the next logical step.
I’d just love to hear your experiences!
Anonymous
Not familiar with this in the facial context but I know consistent advice from my kids derm when dealing with eczema is to bath in lukewarm water and apply vaseline to very damp skin to seal in the moisture. So based on that, it’s not so off base. Still seems pretty heavy for the face though and wouldn’t it make a pillow case super greasy?
anon
My skin is crawling just thinking about it, but I really hate the feeling of having greasy skin. IDK, I’m confused about how your skin can feel dry in the morning even after using a ton of product. Is it actually flaky? Is it possible you’re doing too much already and something is irritating your skin?
Anon
No, it’s not flaky. It’s just dry. I’m perimenopausal so … I guess, just you wait!
PolyD
You probably need to exfoliate. Sometimes in the winter, my face will feel simultaneously greasy and dry. It’s because the dead skin cells don’t slough off as easily as you age. Some gentle exfoliation can help the moisturizers to penetrate better.
NY CPA
Same here. I like the M-61 PowerGlow peel pads for this. Wash my face, swipe the pad around for a bit, put on my more moisturizing cream (I use 2 so I pick the heavier one for those days). Pre-COVID, I was using them probably 2x per week and my skin was looking the best it had looked in years. I need to get back on the bandwagon!
Monday
I used to do this with Aquaphor, and only stopped because I was annoyed with it getting on my pillow. It did not cause breakouts for me. If your skin is dry enough and you do a thin enough layer, it shouldn’t even feel greasy.
Anne
I slug almost half the year (I live in VA and once our humidity is gone, I dry right up). You could patch test on one quadrant of your face for a few nights and see if you have any adverse reaction. And don’t slather it on, I find it adequate just to melt a little Vaseline (I use Aquaphor) in my hands and press it in. I’ve been doing this for years, so I’m not excited to hear that my dry skin might get worse as I get older. Blergh!
Worried
Not exactly what you asked, but I use oil on top of my moisturizers/ serums and I imagine vaseline would have a similar effect. I use squalene oil or marula oil from the Ordinary for this, and it does make my dry (perimenopausal) skin (though my skin has always been dry since forever…) very supple and moisturized feeling. I also use these oils on top of my moisturized hands and nails in the evenings after all the hand washing is more or less ‘done’ and it helps with all the dryness.
CountC
I also use oil (rose hip, currently) from The Ordinary as my last potion before bed for the same reason!
Anon
How do you choose the oil? Rose hip, aqua lane, marula, argan… I don’t know where to start.
CountC
I am fortunate to have pretty good skin, so the type of oil doesn’t matter so much for my skin. That said, I am a devoted The Ordinary user so I look at their guides and pick one that seems helpful for my skin.
Anon
Email DECIEM and ask which Ordinary product to use. It may take a week, but you will get personalized recommendations if you provide information about your skin and any issues or concerns.
Z
In the winter I usually will put a layer of aquaphor on around my nostrils and upper lip since those tend to get very dry for me. I don’t think there’s really a need to “slug” your whole face, just areas that are particularly dry for you.
anon
I do this during the height of the winter because I like sleeping in a very cold bedroom (like cracked window cold) so my face dries out badly if I don’t. I do my curology plus another treatment serum then two layers of moisturizer with time in between for it to soak in and then a layer of vaseline right before i sleep. i don’t and have never had breakout issues except for one pimple on my chin two days before my period like clockwork so i’m not concerned about that
Anon
Yes I think the open window is some of it for me, but that’s a price of admission for sleeping with my husband.
When I go to bed, my face feels very moist and plump from all of my products (all gentle, all fragrance free, because I tend toward redness) but when I wake up it’s dry and borderline tight.
Anonyz
I slug around my eyes and mouth because I use tretinoin and that tends to “bleed” to other areas. It works well for me, but with some caveats: I know my acne triggers (no silicone, no dimethicone, no dairy), I layer multiple light K-care products for moisture (essence, serum, toner, lotion), and I use a fresh silk pillowcase every night. I currently use Aquaphor because I find the mineral oil helps heal my acne scabs faster, but I’ve used CeraVe and CosRx Honey Overnight Mask in the past.
The tretinoin and general skincare subr3ddits have a lot of info about occlusives, particularly if you are acne-prone. There are lots of alternatives to petroleum jelly, and you can even go the route of additives–mixing things like squalene oil into your current products to punch up their moisturizing properties.
Anon
Wow, where do you buy your silk pillowcases? Having 7 of them seems very luxurious/spendy/maybe out of the budget for me. How do you launder them?
Anon
I wouldn’t bother with a silk pillowcase, satin is just fine and much cheaper. I have several and just flip my pillow over each night, replace every couple of days.
Anonyz
I got them all on Amazon, several different brands to try them out. $15 to $25 a piece, bought over time. I don’t bother with the spendy Sephora ones.
I wash in hot water (against label advice) because I will not tolerate unhygienic bedding, but I air dry them on a rack. The dryer is a definite no-no; I missed a case when separating a load once and it got scorch marks.
anon
Hydration could be the issue. When I used to live in the humid SEUS what helped was hyaluronic acid. My mom’s hands and feet are severely chapped/cracked in the winter, and slathering on hyaluronic acid before the actual hand/foot cream did wonders because it sucked the humidity in and kept it there. Then I moved to a dry area and suddenly hyaluronic acid works in reverse because there’s no humidity to draw in from the air. I had to switch toners and get a humidifier for the bedroom before my skin got back to where it was.
Tessa Karlov
On that note, consider trying glycerin instead of hyaluronic acid! HA is considered more of a “plumper” than a hydrator and glycerin’s smaller MW can be more helpful for reducing chronic dryness.
anon
I’m the anon above. Yes, I switched to the Laneige Cream Skin toner which has glycerin instead of HA. I’ve been happy about the results so far.
Anon
Do you apply the glycerin cream on damp skin as you would the hyaluronic ?
Anon
I do it but I don’t use standard petrolatum. I use the Cerave Healing Ointment at night only and my skin is visibly more supple and hydrated looking. But to be fair, although I do not have dry skin, I typically moisturize with skin friendly oils (camelia, jojoba, rosehip, mink, etc.) so it wasn’t a bit step for me. My skin actually became much more clear when I started doing that.
Anon
I like Stratia’s products – they have an oil called Fortify. Have never tried vaseline on my face but I have broken out from it on my neck.
Big birthdays
Looking for inspirations for two different milestone birthdays:
1) Father, turning 80. Had hoped to visit but he lives far away and in a COVID hotspot. Buys everything he needs for himself. Likes baseball and being outdoors. I’m thinking of yummy treats or other things I could send to encourage him to stay home but still feel like he’s celebrating/being celebrated. Other “unique gif” (things that people don’t normally buy for themselves) ideas welcome as well — like a picture involving my kids or something.
2) Dear friend, turning 50. Lives nearby and so we could conceivably do a nice dinner outdoors or I could just send something to her. In regular times would probably host a nice indoor party or dinner for her. Nothing she particularly needs that I know of. Really just want her to feel loved and like this birthday is as good as any other.
Thanks for any ideas!
Anon
I think an outdoor dinner out is really nice if you’re comfortable with it. Maybe things are different for your friend, but all my friends are either avoiding restaurants, have high-risk grandparents in their bubble or are bubbling with their kids’ friends’ families and have agreed not to socialize outside that bubble, so I haven’t had a meal with anyone in person since March and a birthday dinner with a friend sounds amazing.
anon a mouse
For your friend, you could have 50 stems of flowers delivered to her.
Senior Attorney
I would love this, and I’m not even a huge flower person. And do the outdoor dinner, too.
Anonymous
1) Photo puzzles – one of your kids (maybe even of them holding a sign that says happy 80th birthday, and one of you as a kid (preferably on one of his birthdays if you can find it).
1) Also – calendar with pictures drawn by your kids for each month
2) – Edible Arrangements – those always go over well. Everyone likes fruit in fun shapes. Easily freezeable to use in smoothies if she doesn’t want to eat it fresh.
Anonymous
Unpopular opinion – Edible Arrangements are gross. Melon is a filler. The strawberries they use are never the best berries and the chocolate they dip them in isn’t very good. They go bad really quickly, can’t really be displayed, and frankly seem low-rent to me. Just send flowers.
Anonymous
Maybe it varies by location? Have definitely found the fruit to be good quality but I don’t get the chocolate because I had fruit dipped in chocolate. Definitely an eat immediately or freeze kind of thing, no ‘displaying’
Anon
Would your father like a Cameo video? A good friend got one for her husband for their anniversary and he LOVED it. It was by some baseball player that had some sort of special meaning for them (can you tell I’m not a sports person).
Anonymous
My 80-something FIL loves cheese gifts from igourmet dot com.
anon
Memory book with photos for your dad! Especially with grandkid memories (if applicable).
Anonymous
we sent my FIL a big patagonia provisions package for his birthday – an assortment of bison, elk jerky, dried fruit, etc. plus they have a few good books on there (lentil underground?). my FIL is outdoorsy and apparently went on a nice solo camping trip, ate the snacks, read the books and was thrilled
Recommend your desk chair
I desperately need a new desk chair. I need one that is fully adjustable – seat height, arm rests, lumbar support. I’m overwhelmed looking online. Would prefer to spend less than $400 if possible. Do you have one you love?
Anokha
I bought a used think chair by steelcase and have been v happy with it!
NY CPA
+1 this is exactly what I have and I LOVE it. I was able to get for $300 + tax at a local used office furniture supply shop. There were places online that had for more like the $350 range, if I remember correctly.
Anon
I got the Elevate chair from Branch a few months ago and it has been a game changer! I really like it. I also didn’t have a lot of money to spend and did a lot of research to eventually find this one. I got it in gray for $349, but looks like the black is even cheaper right now. You do have to put a few parts together, but it wasn’t too difficult and I did it alone.
https://www.branchfurniture.com/collections/work-from-home/products/elevate-chair
Anon
I found the ErgoChair2 on sale for 360. It has great reviews and is fully adjustable.
Anonymous
Moms with kids in online-only schools: what schedules ARE working for you? My 4th grader had Zoom 2 days a week from 9-3 and I thought that was horrible; they are now expanding it to 5 days a week from 9-3. (And Live-streamed to boot.). Looking for better examples of asynchronous learning models.
Anon
I would pull my kid out and homeschool, with a homeschool curriculum heavy on independent reading and education apps. There is no way a working parent can supervise Zooms five days a week for 6 hours a day.
Anonymous
By fourth grade, you shouldn’t have to supervise Zoom school unless your kid has ADHD or other special needs.
Anon for this
If you have a very compliant child, I’m sure that’s true. My kid wants to whip through every assignment and get back to playing games with his camera off.
Anon.
This.
Anon
Independent reading and education apps are nowhere near an adequate education. If Zoom isn’t working, please at least find something with a complete curriculum.
Anonymous
Elementary school is a joke academically. If OP can get her kid to spend a couple of hours every day reading middle-grade novels and get him through a decent math curriculum, he’ll be ahead of the game.
Anon
I don’t think this is true for fourth grade. Honestly many kids could miss the year completely and do fine, and doing a lot of reading and using an app for math is not doing nothing.
Senior Attorney
Fourth grade is when kids in the U.S. learn the history of the state in which they live. So that could be a fun project.
Senior Attorney
Especially because in many states the history is, shall we say, sanitized. Be good to research the real history.
Anon for this
My kid is certainly trying to test out the “doing nothing” part!
Anonymous
IDK, my 5th and 6th graders are on zooms most of 9-4 each day. There is lunch and some small breaks and some group breakouts. Some zoom is live and others are zooms of recorded lectures and some doing work on a Chromebook that they submit (or forget or have tech issues — aiiiii!). It is just to d*mn much screen time. And each teacher does slightly different things and finding assignments is not always intuitive and there isn’t always a syllabus or clear list of what they need to do.
Anon mom
My first grader is in Zoom school 8:30-1:30 M,T,TH,F (with 70 min lunch and two 15 min breaks) and 8:30-10:30 W (with 15 min break). No homework for now. It’s just the right amount of Zoom time for him.
Anonymous
That is an insane amount of Zoom. Are they really sitting there passively listening to the teacher the whole time? My ninth-grader is supposed to be on Zoom all day, but at least half the time is spent doing independent work. Some of the teachers ask them to stay on Zoom during independent work, but most let them leave the videoconference.
I don’t think asynchronous learning works for all kids. My daughter has had an easier time with the live on-line courses than with the ones that are asynchronous. Only a really self-motivated, independent learner is going to take the initiative to keep up with the asynchronous curriculum and to seek out interaction with the teacher. The asynchronous courses also seem to rely more on multiple-choice exams and auto-graders, which are terrible.
Anonymous
My 4th grader gets on for a live lesson at 9 am. They have announcements and fun little games at the beginning of the day for 20 minutes. They do a whole group math live lesson from 9:20-:9:40, then a small group math live lesson from 9:40-10:10. From 10:15-:10:45, they complete an independent math assignment on their math app. They have a lunch break until 11:45. At 11:45 to 12:15 they have a whole group live language arts lesson, then 12:15-12:50 is small group live language arts. From 1:00-1:30, the do an independent language arts lesson. This is usually a short writing assignment or an assignment on their language arts app. From 1:30-2:00, they have a live “special” (P.E. music, art, etc.) Then in the afternoon, the complete a science lesson from their online science book independently, and usually 2-3 other small assignments (typing, a short quiz to check fluency, math games, etc.) This is four days a week. One day a week is all independent work, but it is usually pretty short–read for 20 minutes and fill out a reading log, do 20 minutes on the math app, things like that.
I sit next to my daughter while she does all this and I have to help a fair amount. Sometimes I have to go in the other room to take a call. I do a lot of my own actual work early in the morning or late at night. (attorney with a writing heavy practice) It is tough.
anon
Do you even get a choice? Unless you want to home school, aren’t you stuck with whatever the school is doing? Honestly, they should make all kids repeat a grade, but that will happen when pigs fly (unpopular opinion, I know)…
Anonymous
That would be absolutely terrible. Thanks to redshirting combined with ridiculously early kindergarten cutoff dates, a lot of kids are already almost 19 when they graduate high school. It would be a horrible idea to keep them in high school for yet another year. They teach so little in school these days that nobody is going to lose much by spending a year on Zoom anyway.
Anon
Yeah, I think zoom school is a disaster because it’s exacerbating the educational inequalities that already exist, but holding everyone back would be horrible for all the kids from privileged homes who can do just fine learning online (for the older grades) or can get a fine education through books and family help (for the lower grades).
Anon
Cool. Told you it was an unpopular opinion, and FWIW, your input moved my opinion on the issue exactly none.
Anonx2
I see, so Anon at 6:16 P.M., do you think school is just tax payer funded day care then? Also, why does the age at graduation even matter?
Anonymous
Yes, school is low-quality taxpayer-funded day care. It shouldn’t be, but it is. You really think we should be imprisoning 19-year-olds who should be away at college in high schools?
Anon
Imprisoned?!?!? seriously?!?? that’s some rhetoric you’ve got there. Again, what does she have to do with it? Should 19 yos be in college if they aren’t prepared? What about those that don’t attend college?
Anon
*age, not she
Vicky Austin
Just a small pet peeve of modern life: I dislike group chats, and I especially dislike being added to office group chats for “Pet Pictures!!!” etc. without being asked. I don’t want to participate in this, and I don’t want to be outed as the office grinch.
anon
Eh, I think it’s fine to mute and ignore group chats that you’re not that into.
Anonymous
I would like to join the office pet pictures chat. I need some cute pet photos in my life right now.
Anon
If I didn’t have the office chit chat I would never know all the hysterical things my friends’ kids did on zoom school (one involved the spelling word “weed”)
Anon
I can sympathize. I hate group texts and I really hate being added to one I didn’t want to be in.
This is why Slack is great for this kind of stuff: the pet crowd can have a #petwatch channel and everyone else gets to tune it out!