Michelle Riddell

Middle school English teacher. Wearing jeans is my hostage code. #PublicSchools #MichEd #ELA #TeacherTwitter #TheResistance #MSChat

[Brian Tolentino M.Ed @TolentinoTeach]

If administrators want teachers to spend hours planning lessons and designing purposeful units, then teachers have one reasonable request:

Support us in addressing the two or three students in every class whose persistent disruptive behavior prevents everyone else from learning.

[Wendell Pierce @WendellPierce]

Watching the movie LINCOLN this afternoon that captured the intense political debate over the 13th Amendment. It disgusted me to no end. To see the fervor of these white men discussing whether or not Black folk are human, let alone deserving of the vote infuriated me to my core. At that very moment, my family was enslaved, 2 of my grandfathers emancipated and fighting in the Union army while this immorality was a cause of conflict of the heart and mind in men that considered themselves Christians. The hypocrisy of all involved is shameful. It was difficult to watch. I felt no pride in the accomplishment. That it took a war that killed hundreds of thousands for this nation to find a moral truth North is a tragedy of humanity. What horrifies me more are the decades and century of efforts to circumvent that amendment. As I write this we have an American President focused solely on a save act to suppress the votes of those descendants, to prohibit my peoples full participation in the American democracy. The disdain of the African American’s full participation in this country is real. It is a malignant cancer incubated in racism and prejudice as old as this country’s birth. There are those who do not have our best interest at heart at the very least, and allow their racism at the very worse to inflict violence and death. We see you and we know you. You put your hatred in policy and performance. We will fight against you with vigilance and empower ourselves as we regain our government power and litigate to protect our children while we hold you accountable for your crimes. In the public and private sphere. There is a social justice movement reawakening.

[Brian Tolentino M.Ed @TolentinoTeach]

Thinking is hard.
Writing is hard.
Reading is hard.
Memorizing is hard.

And there has never been an easier time to avoid hard things.

Technology allows us to outsource more thinking than ever before.

Autocorrect fixes our spelling.
GPS tells us where to go.
AI drafts, edits, and rewrites our ideas.
Smartphones remember the phone numbers we no longer do.

Many students have grown up in a world where technology does much of the thinking for them. And now we're seeing the consequences in our classrooms:

An inability to write clearly.
Difficulty reading texts.
Weak memorization and recall.
A tendency to give up when thinking becomes difficult.

Students need to learn how to think with their own minds before relying on the convenience and efficiency of technology.

[Michigan Storm Chasers @MiStormChasers]

It’s evident we need to have this chat. In the year of 2026, personal responsibility, accountability, and common sense are still lacking in many, and it almost feels like it’s getting worse. Thankfully, for many of you that already follow us, this information is not really directed at you. Still, many people in the state of Michigan are still relying on improper alerting technology, or just choosing not to care, then being “fake” surprised when a storm rolls in while putting the blame on someone else. We are sick of it, and we aren’t holding back this morning.

We couldn’t tell you just how many videos we’ve seen from the public beaches on Lake Michigan at this point from Friday that all have a caption that says, “so much for clear skies in the forecast”, “it came out of nowhere”, “my weather app said…”, or “we never had any warning”, among other similarly worded phrases. Even those on inland lakes or dealing with unrelated activities outside of the water were posting similar captions. Enough. All of these statements are incorrect. From a forensics standpoint, severe weather was on the radar for Friday dating back to the start of the week. Our Tuesday 7-day forecast mentioned storms. CSU learning model data and SWO’s were posted on Wednesday, continued into Thursday, and a final call severe weather outlook (SWO) was posted on Friday morning, which denoted a level 3 of 6 (medium risk) from us here at Michigan Storm Chasers, with damaging winds the main threat. Even if you don’t get your forecasts from us, national and local media outlets also highlighted the threat for severe weather on Friday. Into the afternoon, a severe thunderstorm watch was issued at 2:34 pm EDT for ALL southern Michigan counties. Our first severe thunderstorm warnings (which had the considerable tag on them for 70 mph winds) for the lakeshore counties were issued at 3:15 pm EDT and 3:25 pm EDT, with storms arriving onshore as early as 3:40 pm EDT in St. Joseph and Saugatuck. Even if you missed all of these forecasts and early warning signs, the ominous shelf cloud rolling over Lake Michigan 30 minutes prior should’ve been your sign to seek out weather information and/or head back to the vehicle. For our Lake Michigan beach goers from first watch to storm arrival, that’s just over an hour of heads up. People further inland (with the severe thunderstorm watch) saw upwards of 2-5 hours of lead time. Instead, we got a scenario where thousands of people got sandblasted, and narrowly impaled by flying umbrellas. Afterward, beach staff had the responsibility of cleaning up dozens of dumpsters worth of canopies and other beach equipment that was abandoned by all the people who were weather complacent.

There are truthfully no excuses. You are blessed to be in a state where you have us watching over the radar like a hawk 365 days a year, and haven’t missed covering a single severe weather event dating back to 2023. Even if it isn’t us, there are dozens of incredible meteorologists around the state that provide timely information about severe weather chances each and every day. This is why during our livestreams we always reiterate to like and share, because everyone’s safety is important to us. When we hear about weather-related injuries or deaths that were 95% of the time easily avoidable, it pains us immensely. It’s another reason why we continue to educate on the ins and outs of severe weather all the time. At the same time, we can only reach so many people. The social media algorithm can only do so much without your help of spreading weather awareness provided by our team. It’s also summer, so sharing our page to those visiting from out of state is just as important.

[Gabrielle Blair @designmom]

There's a reason men choose not to spend their days raising their kids. It's thankless, relentless, more difficult, more high stakes, and far more stressful than whatever their job is. If parenting was the easier, better, more pleasant option, men wouldn't let women do it.

[Michelle Riddell @MLRiddell]

@MinnowTheWarloc

[WeRateDogs @dog_rates]

This is Reggie. He wanted to show you how he eats watermelon. 14/10 thank you Reggie

[Michelle Riddell @MLRiddell]

@MinnowTheWarloc

[Beauty of music and nature 🌺🌺 @Axaxia88]

Both of them grew up without their mothers by their side, and perhaps that shared experience is what brought them closer together 🐻💓

Jebbie, an orphaned grizzly cub found wandering alone in Alaska, was brought to the Detroit Zoo in July. There, he met Laerke, a polar bear cub who was also growing up without the comfort and care of a mother.

From complete strangers, they quickly became inseparable best friends. Running, playing, wrestling, and exploring the world around them together, Jebbie and Laerke now share every moment side by side.

Sometimes, the greatest gift is not only finding a home, but finding a friend to share the journey of growing up with 💖

[Michelle Riddell @MLRiddell]

SAME

[Marco Foster @MarcoFoster_]

Joy Behar: “I’m so tired of Donald Trump, I can barely talk about him anymore. I am so sick of his stupidity, his dishonor, the way he talks about people, the way he presents himself to children, the way he curses and swears about people, the fact he’s so incompetent at what he does, the fact these Republicans stick by him no matter what. Why are Americans putting up with this?”

[Michelle Riddell @MLRiddell]

@MinnowTheWarloc

[The New Yorker @NewYorker]

Misophonia is a neurophysiological disorder broadly characterized by two things: a severe aversion to sound and a struggle to convince others of the severity of that aversion. For those who meet the criteria for misophonia—an estimated 4.6 per cent of U.S. adults—tapping, clicking, chewing, smacking, slurping and sniffling trigger intense fight-or-flight responses. It is often diagnosed alongside other conditions, such as anxiety, O.C.D, or A.D.H.D, but it still hasn’t been incorporated into the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems with a formal diagnostic code, leaving people who have the condition uncertain about their treatment.

“What differentiates misophonia from simply being alive is that it’s not just about sound. It’s about how certain brains process that sound,” Sloane Crosley writes. Crosley herself has long suspected that she has some degree of misophonia. She investigates the condition, those who suffer from it, and the experts who study it—from a friend who can’t dine with his father without wanting to “rip his face off” to the founder of Duke University’s Center for Misophonia and Emotion Regulation: https://t.co/GEHSfYG8ee

[Sammi🦋 @StoriesBySammi]

I'm a grizzly.

They just decided one acre is all I need.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service just redefined "secure habitat" for grizzly bears in Montana.

The science said 2,500 acres minimum.

They changed it to one.

No public input. No new science. Just a rewrite.

And it wasn't random. The change conveniently cleared the way for a 17,700-acre logging project cutting straight through the corridor grizzlies use to travel between two of their last strongholds in North America.

A former Forest Service wildlife biologist said it plainly: "A one-acre island of forest surrounded by roads isn't secure habitat. It's a death trap."

Courts already rejected this same playbook when agencies tried 10-acre patches near Yellowstone. They lost. Then they came back with one acre.

Who's going to tell the grizzly it only gets one acre?

#DemsUnited

[Michelle Riddell @MLRiddell]

@MerriamWebster Definite/definate…and I’m an English teacher 😭

[Michelle Riddell @MLRiddell]

@MinnowTheWarloc

[WeRateDogs @dog_rates]

This is Ellbie. She somehow snuck out her apartment's 13th-floor balcony and walked the ledge to the other side of the building. After two days of searching, a neighbor found her with his drone. She has withdrawn her application to be the friendly neighborhood Spider-Dog. 13/10

[G-PA @IndianaGPA]

“Nooo it’s because that’s why” 😂 I Read books so I can tell people I Read them, because that’s why! 😂

[Michelle Riddell @MLRiddell]

@MinnowTheWarloc

[End3of6Days9 (Helen) 🇺🇸 @end3of6days9]

This guy takes his four dogs out for a run, but not the way you’re thinking… he jumps on his four-wheeler and lets his dogs run full-speed.

All these dogs are living their best life, but Sarabi (a 2-year-old greyhound speed demon) is out there absolutely flying with that incredible agility and pure joy you can feel through the screen.

Did you happen to see his speedometer? He had to drive 80 mph just to catch up to the greyhound! 🐕💨

[alpha man @alphaman_111]

On day 1 of my high school history class, our professor got up and said

You are 15 or 16 years old. 200 years ago people your age were married, planted crops, had children, and built a cabin by winter. You can do your homework. The bar set for you historically is embarrassingly low. You are not dealing with regional famine or plague. You do not have to save your family from marauders or go into battle to destroy your enemies. You have to sit down and learn from someone who cares about you in a safe, air-conditioned room. You have no excuses.

[Michelle Riddell @MLRiddell]

@itsdeaann She’s so vile, it doesn’t seem possible she’s sincere. And no self awareness.

[Brian Mendler @BrianMendler]

How to stop oppositional kids in their tracks!

[Michelle Riddell @MLRiddell]

#NoKings Fenton, Michigan

[Michelle Riddell @MLRiddell]

#NoKing Fenton, Michigan

[Michelle Riddell @MLRiddell]

@Axaxia88 Cutest thing I’ve ever seen.