Genepedia PhD 🏳️‍🌈

Bioinformatics PhD turned special education teacher, bi in science, cargo bike mom, safe streets

[Genepedia PhD 🏳️‍🌈 @genepedia]

@gorskon Significant shoulder dystocia at birth, so that doesn't look great for me right from the start.

Assuming I survived that: pneumonia at 6 and 10 suggests my lungs would have had major issues if not killed me in childhood.

Then the migraines would have started...

[Genepedia PhD 🏳️‍🌈 @genepedia]

@KSeattleWeather >2 LEGO minifigs on Vashon Island at 6pm

[Genepedia PhD 🏳️‍🌈 @genepedia]

@UrbanistOrg Now any time that question comes up there are many people suggesting "oh, you could take the water taxi and then take the bus, it's really quick!" or "just take your bike onto the water taxi!"

I was skeptical how much difference it would make, but it's actually been huge.

[Genepedia PhD 🏳️‍🌈 @genepedia]

@UrbanistOrg As a Vashon resident, this last year with the extra water taxi trips available has really moved the needle on folks seeing a reason to leave their car at home. When people asked "how do I get here at this time?" I used to be the only voice suggesting a transit or bike option.

[Genepedia PhD 🏳️‍🌈 @genepedia]

@heymrsbond A 4th grader with K decoding skills but 4th grade listening comprehension skills has very different needs than a 4th grade student with K decoding and 1st grade listening comprehension skills.

[Genepedia PhD 🏳️‍🌈 @genepedia]

@heymrsbond As a special education teacher making decisions about both how I reach struggling readers and what accommodations they need in their Gen Ed classrooms, this distinction is really important.

[Genepedia PhD 🏳️‍🌈 @genepedia]

@BatesPhysio But even if FMLA had been available to me, it only gives unpaid leave, which would have been nearly useless to me. We couldn't afford that. Few grad students can. We have to stop acting like FMLA is a replacement for paid leave.

[Genepedia PhD 🏳️‍🌈 @genepedia]

@BatesPhysio I had no leave available to me when I had my older two children (2013 and 2015). It was entirely at the whim of my grad supervisors. They were mercifully good people who did let me take some time off, and I got lucky that I had fairly easy recoveries both times.

[Genepedia PhD 🏳️‍🌈 @genepedia]

@clhubes I mean it sure seems like the 18 month old understood so...

[Genepedia PhD 🏳️‍🌈 @genepedia]

@hyuumanatees @heymrsbond So much this.

Sometimes it's for reasons that I suppose they see as being good, but it undermines everything.

Then they have the nerve to complain that we don't trust them!

[Genepedia PhD 🏳️‍🌈 @genepedia]

@HeatherL114 People think lice can live in the environment the way fleas or bedbugs do and they really can't. They need to be on a head to survive and the eggs need to be on a head to hatch. They aren't hanging out on surfaces for days or weeks.

[Genepedia PhD 🏳️‍🌈 @genepedia]

@HeatherL114 Lice are a regular issue at our school. My oldest likes snuggling friends too much to avoid them, so we've had them plenty.

My most unpopular opinion is that lice aren't that big a deal and you don't need to do anything but comb to get rid of them.

[Genepedia PhD 🏳️‍🌈 @genepedia]

WSF response when this happens is "just drive around". There's no backup bus provided or anything. That leaves walk and bike on passengers completely stranded.

[Genepedia PhD 🏳️‍🌈 @genepedia]

Related to reduced service there's also been a substantial increase in how reliable WSF service is. Whole routes are regularly going out of service *without warning* for 5+ hours at a time.

I love to bike and walk on to the ferry and I hesitate to do it now for some routes.

[Genepedia PhD 🏳️‍🌈 @genepedia]

@MelanatedSamus I'd be skeptical of anyone who thinks they can just walk into teaching because they've got some other degree or experience. That suggests to me a person who doesn't place much value on teaching and isn't very reflective about their own skills.

[Genepedia PhD 🏳️‍🌈 @genepedia]

@MelanatedSamus I think I'm a pretty great teacher (I teach elementary special education) and the feedback on my teaching from my principal and colleagues has been very good.

It's not because I've got a PhD. It's because I take feedback and work hard to learn the skills for teaching.

[Genepedia PhD 🏳️‍🌈 @genepedia]

@Vishi_Divine @beetaylora When I shifted into substitute teaching and had to do the classroom management it was pretty straightforward to implement what I had learned from being in those classrooms.

[Genepedia PhD 🏳️‍🌈 @genepedia]

@Vishi_Divine @beetaylora This was the part that stressed me out to start with!

I started out as a substitute paraeducator and that was great because I wasn't the one in charge of the classroom management and I got to sit in multiple classrooms and watch the teachers do their thing.