Friday!
As you can see by Itzl's concerned look, this group is for us to check in at to let people know we are alive, doing OK, and not affected by such things as heat, blizzards, floods, wild fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, power outages, or other such things that could keep us off DKos. It's also so we can find other Kossacks nearby for in-person checks when other methods of communication fail - a buddy system. Members come here to check in. If you're not here, or anywhere else on DKos, and there are adverse conditions in your area (floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, etc.), we and your buddy are going to check up on you. If you are going to be away from your computer for a day or a week, let us know here. We care!
If you'd like to be part of the Itzl Alert Network, please leave a comment asking to join, or send us a message asking to join. We'd love to have you. The bigger our network, the less likely someone will be stranded all alone.
I spent last night filling out Community Service Hour forms for the students who volunteered at OctopodiCon. I was happy to do that because it meant that next year, we'd have more students volunteering.
What perturbed me, though, were the number of parents who needed to have Community Service Hour forms filled out so their student would pass this semester.
When did junior and senior high schools start requiring that parents participate in and prove they did community service in order for the student to get a good grade?
I would be pissed if my grade depended on a non-student's efforts. My grade is mine, proof of my skills, my knowledge, my efforts at mastering the subject, my commitment to my community, and of my ability to engage in teamwork for group projects.
To tie my grade to a non-student, even if that non-student is a parent, is unjust. It is unjust to the parent who already gave their schools their community service hours and it's unjust to require a parent to spend time away from their child collecting community service hours so their child can get a passing grade in school, and it's unjust to the child whose parent may be working 2 - 3 jobs just to keep a roof over their head and food on the table and still be a parent.
Grrrr...
And do send Get Well wishes to FloridaSNMom, who is having issues with her gall bladder.