#Community School Job Vacancy

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Science and English Teacher Jobs in Dang-2081

Science and English Teacher Jobs in Dang-2081. Shree Baljyoti Adharbhut Vidyalaya announced a vacancy for Lower Secondary Level Science Teacher and Volunteer English Teacher. Interested and Qualified candidates are invited to apply. CAREER OPPORTUNITY Science and English Teacher Jobs in Dang-2081 Basic Level Teacher Subject: Education Science (Isc.) Level: Basic (6-8) Application fee: Rs.…

[hbyrde36]

No Vacancy

When Eddie Munson arrives at the Buckingham Beach Motel to spend the summer with his BFF Chrissy and her business partner Robin, the last person he expects to see waiting in the lobby is former king of Hawkins High and asshole extraordinaire, Steve fucking Harrington.

ao3

CW: Smut! light now, more in later chapters

Chapter 1: Checking In

Eddie grinned as he pulled his trusty van, the very same rust-bucket he’d been driving since high school that he liked to refer to as Van Halen, if only to elicit the groans of both friends and strangers, into the small parking lot beside the Buckingham beach motel. He hadn’t been on vacation for, well, okay, he’d never been on a true vacation before, and sure, he was going to be working a part time job while he was visiting his best friend in this seaside paradise, but it was still the closest thing to a holiday he’d ever had. Needless to say, he was hell bent on thoroughly enjoying himself. Sun, sand, and shirtless men in speedos? Sign him up!

He hopped out of the car, relieved to finally stretch his legs after the long drive, and threw open the back doors. He stared down at the collection of boxes, duffel bags, and one large black trunk, that made up the entirety of his worldly possessions, and sighed. 

The day after he finally graduated from Hawkins High, back in 1986, Eddie had cut and run and never looked back. He’d been living as a sort of nomad ever since, never feeling comfortable enough to stay in one town or city for too long. He was usually able to find work as a bartender or bouncer to fund his stay at whatever hostel or efficiency he could find, and when all else failed he slept in his van. It wasn’t all bad, he’d seen a lot of cool places and met a lot of interesting people, but lately he’d been missing the stability of a home, of putting down roots. He craved the support and community that could be found with friendships that lasted longer than a few months. He still visited Hawkins on occasion, a necessary evil to be endured only so he could spend time with his beloved uncle, but that place would never be home for him again.

He grabbed the two largest bags that held the majority of his clothes, and the backpack that held the rest of his essentials and headed towards the lobby. He could come back out for the rest later.

The first thing Eddie noticed when he walked in the door was the spectacular pair of legs and delicious ass in too-short shorts that belonged to a man who was leaning over the counter talking to Robin. Unfortunately, the second thing he noticed was that same man’s oddly familiar swoop of chestnut brown hair. Eddie’s stomach dropped. What in the world was Steve fucking Harrington doing here?

“You made it!” Chrissy squealed as she came barreling out of the office door, having spotted him through the window.

Eddie knew what was coming, but he was a little slow on the uptake in his current shocked state, and only just managed to drop his bags in time to catch the former cheerleader as she launched herself at him, wrapping her legs around his waist. He held her tight, letting go of all thoughts about former jocks and high school rivalries for a moment, and just enjoyed the fact that he was here with his best girl, finally seeing her in person after six long months apart. He inhaled deeply, appreciating the familiar scent of Ex'cla-ma'tion. He used to hate her perfume, but it’s amazing what you start to miss when you're separated from your loved ones for so long. 

“Missed you.” Eddie whispered into her hair before finally letting her down.

She giggled as he swung her to the floor, and then proceeded to punch him in the arm as hard as she could, which was pretty fucking hard for such a tiny little thing.

“Hey! What was that for?” Eddie sputtered.

“For waiting so long to come visit this time! I missed you too, jerk.”

He rubbed at the spot where she’d hit him. It didn’t actually hurt all that much, but he liked to play along. “Jeez, Chris. Funny way of showing it.” 

“You love it.”

“Keep it in your pants, lady, you’re not my type.” Eddie teased.

“Freak!”

“Priss!”

The two of them dissolved into hysterics, falling into another hug just to keep eachother upright. 

When they both finally calmed down enough to behave normally again, Chrissy’s expression turned serious. She spoke low. “So, as I'm sure you noticed, we have another hometown guest joining us.”

“Yeah, what's he doing here anyway?”

“He’s visiting Robin for the summer.” Chrissy said it as if it should have been obvious.

It wasn’t.

“...Why?”

Chrissy rolled her eyes. “He’s her best friend! I’ve told you this a million times, how do you always forget?”

She was right, he did always forget that when Robin talked about her friend Steve, that it was Harrington she was talking about. It was such an odd pairing that Eddie just sort of blocked it out. He couldn’t reconcile the Steve from Robin’s stories with the guy he remembered from Hawkins. 

“Right, fine, sorry. What about him?”

“Well, you know this is our first season, and the booking system is so new and confusing. We… might have accidentally overbooked, but it's okay! Because the three of us were talking about it, and since the one room we do have left is a double queen we thought.. ”

Eddie interrupted, grabbing her by the hand and tugging her roughly across the lobby as far from the other two people as he could.

“Are you crazy? You want me to be roommates with King Steve?!” Eddie hissed. “Have you completely forgotten what a giant asshole the guy is?!”

“We’re not in high school anymore, Eds. He’s always been nice to me, and if what Robin tells me is true, then Steve isn’t like that anymore. Maybe he never was.”

Eddie's jaw tightened. “Right.”

“Look at me! I changed, and we became friends. Why couldn’t Steve be a good guy underneath it all too?”

“That’s different, you were always a good person, you just ran with a bad crowd for a while, not to mention the boyfriend we do not speak of.”

“Exactly! So isn't it possible Steve is the same?”

“No!”

“I’m serious! Think about it, do you remember him ever doing or saying anything shitty to you directly? Or was he just there in the background while his friends did?”

Eddie crossed his arms over his chest. “Assholery by proxy is still assholery.”

“I don’t think that’s a word.”

“Come on Chris!” Eddie whined. Had they been alone he might have even stomped his feet. “Don’t make me do this. Can’t I share with you?”

“You know I live with Robin.”

“Okay, and? It’s only for the Summer. She can stay with Steve, since they are apparently best friends, and I can stay with you! It’s a perfect solution.”

Chrissy shook her head. “Our room is a single and I love the shit out of you, but I draw the line at sharing a bed.”

Eddie’s eyebrows shot up. “Wait, does that mean you finally got your act together and told her how you feel?”

Chrissy turned bright red and threw her hand over his mouth. “Oh my god. SHUT. UP. Of course I haven't told her!!” She whisper-shouted.

Eddie scrunched his face and tried to talk, but Chrissy refused to move her hand. So, naturally, he licked it. 

“Gross!” Chrissy yanked her hand back with a look of disgust.

“Jeez, I know it’s not the tongue you were hoping for, but it wasn’t that bad!” Eddie said, cackling.

Chrissy whirled around, probably worried that Robin had overheard them, but Eddie was a good friend. As much as he liked to mess with her, he’d been keeping a close eye on the other side of the room, and Steve and Robin were too engrossed in their own whisper-shouting match to pay them any attention. 

Eddie leaned forward, speaking close to her ear. “Are you telling me that you and Robin run this place together all day, and share a bed every night, and you still don’t think she likes you back?” 

“It’s not like that!” Chrissy insisted. “We make more money from the doubles. Financially it made more sense for us to live in one of the singles. We’re just…two really good friends having a never ending sleepover.”

Eddie wasn’t convinced and honestly it didn’t sound like she was either, but he’d drop it for now. “Whatever you say.”

“So, what do you think about sharing with Steve?” 

Eddie groaned. “I can’t believe you’re doing this to me.”

“C’mon, it’ll be fun! I’m sure you two will get along fine. Who knows, maybe you’ll discover you have some things in common.” She sounded so optimistic, it was her one flaw.

Eddie rolled his eyes. “Yes, I'm sure we’ll come out of this as the best of friends.” 

“That’s the spirit!” Chrissy cheered.

“I was being sarcastic!!” Eddie hissed.

Apparently Steve had also agreed to this outrageous living arrangement, reluctantly Eddie guessed, though he did an excellent job at hiding how unhappy he must be about it. The guy was all smiles. It made Eddie want to punch him in the face.  

Eddie, on the other hand, would not be making any effort to hide his true feelings. Partly because he didn’t care, but mostly because he’d never been any good at it. For better or worse Eddie lived his life as something of an open book. From the time he was a small child he was told by friends, family, and teachers that they could practically read every thought as it crossed his face.

Chrissy had to leave for a meeting with the bank, nothing bad she assured him, they were just looking into an additional small loan to make more improvements on the place, but that left Robin to show him and Steve to their room. 

Eddie liked Robin well enough, but he’d only ever hung out with her and Chrissy. He worried that she might act differently or something with Steve around. It became clear, however, when he heard her call the guy dingus for the 3rd time during their 5 minute journey, that his worry was unfounded. Robin was Robin, and she changed for no one. He appreciated that, and kept his guard up, ready to defend her if need be. He expected Steve to finally have enough and lash out, to be the mean girl he remembered from years ago, but it never happened. 

Man, this guy was good. 

The Buckingham was the kind of motel where all the doors opened to the outside. Some towards the front street, giving a beautiful view of the ocean, others opened up to the pool area in the backyard. Eddie wasn’t sure if it was a perk of being friends with the owner, or a consolation for the mix up, but he and Steve were given a room on the second floor, ocean side. There was even a cute little wooden bench next to their door, "In case you two ever want to sit out and watch the sunrise,” or so said Robin. 

Eddie hadn’t woken before 10am voluntarily since he graduated and he didn’t think the lure of a few pretty colors in the sky was going to end that streak, but he politely kept that thought to himself.

“That’s a nice thought, Robs, though I think I'll get to see plenty of sunrises at work too” Steve chuckled.

Robin shuddered. “You’re a better man than me.” She said. 

“What does that mean?” Eddie asked, unable to quell his curiosity.

“I’m working as a lifeguard on the beach, so I'll be up at the crack of dawn nearly every day anyway.”

Eddie grimaced. Jesus Christ, a prick and an early riser. Lovely. 

“Don’t worry.” Steve added quickly. “I'll be careful not to wake you up. I know how to be stealthy, like a ninja.”

It was the dorkiest way he could have said it, and Eddie almost cracked a smile, but he held firm in his grumpiness by the skin of his teeth. “You’d better.”

Steve performed a little cross-your-heart gesture. “Seriously, my roommate in college was a really light sleeper, so I have a lot of practice being quiet.”

Eddie’s lip nearly betrayed him, twitching upwards like a traitor. Luckily, Robin drew Steve’s attention away, allowing him a moment to regain control.

“Oh, I’ll just bet you do.” Robin teased.

Steve’s cheeks flushed, but he ignored her and turned back to Eddie. “What about you? Are you getting a job, or just hanging out?”

“Hate to break it to you, Harrington, but I got a part time gig bartending at a place a few blocks over. The guy even said he’d let me play sometimes when the regular live acts are on break. Looks like we’ll be living on opposite schedules. We may never see each other awake.” The last part was said almost gleefully. 

Steve’s smile wavered for a second, but quickly returned to its full power. “Well, lucky for you I’m a very heavy sleeper, so you don't have to worry about waking me up when you come home. Even if you did, I usually have no trouble going back to sleep, so it’s not a big deal.”

Eddie grit his teeth. He was annoyed. What did he have to do to get a rise out of this guy, huh? To get a peek behind the mask? And who did he think he was, saying ‘lucky for you’? The only person it was lucky for was Steve, because he would be damned if he’d be tip-toeing around his own place.

Robin handed them each a key to the room and left them to it, once she confirmed that both keys worked and that they didn’t have any questions.

The room was small.

Two queen beds made up the majority of the space, with a single nightstand wedged between them. A T.V. sat on top of a small dresser with six drawers. There was a tiny closet, and an efficiency kitchen consisting of a small sink, mini-fridge, microwave, two burner cooktop, and a little table with two chairs. 

Eddie dropped his bags in the middle of the floor. As much as he would have liked to just keep ignoring Steve, the space was tight enough that they would have to dance around each other the whole time they were unpacking. They also needed to figure out how they were going to split everything.

“Alright, how do you want to do this?” 

The only thing Steve expressed a preference for was taking the bed closest to the door, which sounded like some alpha male bullshit to Eddie, honestly. As if Steve needed to be the first line of defense if someone were to break in while they were sleeping. The idea was ridiculous and definitely not at all sexy.

Eddie wanted the bed by the window anyway, so it was fine.

Once that was negotiated, they began to put their things away. It was all too easy, Steve kept deferring to him, even offering to give up one of his drawers when he realized how much stuff Eddie had. It was infuriating, borderline suspicious. What did he expect to get out of all this politeness and generosity? There was no one here to impress!

Eddie curtly refused the offer, which Steve only shrugged at, saying there would be plenty of extra closet space anyway, as he only had a few dress shirts to hang up. Eddie gave up then, leaving about half of his band tees in one of the bags and kicked it under the bed before throwing himself on top of it. He watched through barely open eyelids as Steve pulled his extensive collection of very tiny swim trunks out of his bag, and contemplated the injustices of the world.

He laid there quietly brooding as Steve found a home for every single item he’d managed to squeeze into the small suitcase. It was frankly impressive, not that Eddie would ever tell him that. 

Finally, Steve picked up a rather large toiletry bag and wandered away. Eddie followed. This was something he had to see, the guy hadn’t been called ‘The Hair’ for nothing. 

He stood in the doorway and watched through the mirror as Steve hummed softly to himself, arranging his plethora of hair and skin care products in their small bathroom, being ever so careful to only take up half of the counter space.

For some reason, that was the final straw.

“What’s your deal?” Eddie snapped. It was more of an accusation than a question, and he prayed Steve would rise to the bait. 

Of course he didn’t, remaining frustratingly calm and collected as he asked in return, “What do you mean?”

Eddie growled. “I just don’t appreciate the nice act, okay, King Steve? I’d rather you be real, and be a dick, than this fake polite bullshit.”

For half a second Steve looked almost sad, like Eddie had hurt his feelings, but it was gone so quickly that he assumed he imagined it. 

Steve smiled and shook his head, finally looking up to make eye contact with Eddie’s reflection.  “I don’t know what to tell you, man. What you see is pretty much what you get. King Steve? Now that shit was an act.”

Fine, if Steve wanted to pretend he was a good guy now, Eddie would just have to see how far he could push him. Sure his BFF was an out and proud lesbian, but how would he react knowing that the guy he was going to share a room with for the next 12 weeks was gay?

“Y’know, we should probably work out a system for when we want to bring dates home. I remember your reputation for getting around with the ladies, and I know I'm hoping to bring more than a few guys back for a nightcap after the bar closes, if you catch my drift. So, what do you think?” Eddie had started out his little speech feeling brave and a bit cocky, but by the end of it there was sweat pooling on his upper lip, and he was thinking maybe this wasn’t the best way to come out to a former jock who could probably snap him in two with half a thought.

It elicited exactly zero reaction. Steve didn’t miss a beat, didn’t even bat an eye before he asked, “What, like, putting a tie on the door or something?”

Eddie wanted to scream. 

“I’m sure we can do better than that.” He huffed, looking erratically around the rest of their room until he spotted the set of hang tags sitting on the table in the kitchen area. 

Eddie beamed.Most hotels just had the standard ‘please service’ or ‘do not disturb’ messages on their tags, but of course the girls would try and get creative with it.

“Here, these’ll work.” Eddie said, barely managing to hold back a laugh as he held the first one up for Harrington to look at.

Steve read aloud. “Out to sea. Cute.”

“Right, so we can use this one when the coast is clear, and this one when one of us has a guest.” Eddie’s eyes sparkled as he raised the other sign. 

“My boat is docked. Do not disturb.” Steve said, cheeks turning pink as he read.

“See?! It’s perfect.” Eddie beamed.

As it turned out, Eddie was right. He and Steve had been cohabitating for 4 days already and he hadn’t seen the guy awake since they went to bed that first night after a meal of chinese takeout and a bad movie. 

Steve was already asleep when Eddie got back from the bar at 2am each night, and he was long gone by the time Eddie rolled out of bed in the morning. Though, in his continued campaign to act like a good person, Steve had made a habit of leaving half a pot of coffee on the warmer for him. Eddie thought about dumping it out of spite, but it was…nice. 

It brought back memories of Wayne doing the same, leaving coffee and often food out on the kitchen table for him to easily grab on his way out the door, because his uncle knew he wouldn’t have anything otherwise. It was comforting, and though he knew Steve didn’t really mean it that way, it made Eddie feel taken care of. He’d take that feeling where he could get it for now, even if it came from someone he couldn’t stand.

Work was busy that night. It was his first Saturday night behind the bar, and the place was absolutely heaving with sweaty bodies grinding themselves together to the tune of whatever shitty top 40’s cover the band played. Anytime he had a moment to breathe he found himself scanning the crowd. Chrissy had assured him that their part of town was queer friendly, though there was no actual gay bar to speak of, but he had yet to notice a single guy that set his radar off, until now.

He was tall, blonde, insanely tanned, and sure, Eddie usually preferred brunettes, but when the pickings were slim, beggars couldn’t be choosers. He was cute enough, and he was looking at Eddie like he wanted to eat him alive. 

Perfect.

Eddie knew he looked good. He’d put a little more thought into getting ready than he had on previous days, knowing that the weekend crowd would give him a better chance. His black jeans were skin tight, and the boss had let him cut his white uniform t-shirt into a crop top, showing off a strip of pale skin and trim waist anytime he raised his arms. To top it all off, he’d worn his hair up today with just a few tendrils falling around his face. Honestly, that had been mostly to ward off the heat, but he also knew it was one of his best looks.  He met the nameless man’s gaze from across the room and held it firm as he dried a pint glass, raising his eyebrow in question.

The man smiled glancing at his friends, who were far too busy chatting up a group of barely legal young girls to pay him any mind, before sauntering up to lean across the bar. 

“What time do you get off, gorgeous?”

Eddie smirked. “Meet me by the side door in an hour.”

The streets were quiet as Eddie and his new friend walked the few blocks from the bar to the motel. A fact they took full advantage of, stopping to shove their tongues down each other's throats at regular intervals along the way. 

So caught up in finally getting a little action, it wasn’t until Eddie was leading the way up the stairs to their floor that he remembered Steve. It was late, guaranteeing that he would already be in bed fast asleep. Somehow, Eddie hadn’t considered this little problem when they’d worked out the whole do-not-disturb sign system. Oh well, he’d just have to wake Steve up and tell him to get out for a while. 

He told his date to wait outside while he got rid of his roommate and slipped inside the dark room. He looked down at Steve’s sleeping form and almost changed his mind. It didn’t feel right to kick him out of his own bed just so he could get off, but then Eddie remembered the way Tommy Hagan, Steve’s second in command, used to spit the word queer in his face as he shoved him into the lockers, and he found all the motivation he needed. 

“Hey, Harrington?” Eddie murmured as he shook Steve's shoulder.

Steve stirred, waking slowly and frowning up at Eddie with heavy eyelids.

“Are you okay? What’s wrong?” His voice was thick with sleep but also with worry.

Eddie’s breath caught in his throat. Oh.

He hesitated to answer for a moment, but quickly shook himself out of it. 

Don’t start feeling bad about this now, Munson, get your shit together. 

“Nothing, I, um, just need the room for a bit?”

Real smooth.

Steve frowned harder. “What? I don’t…”

Eddie saw the moment it clicked.

“Oh. Ok, I'll just take a blanket down to one of the pool loungers.”

“Great. I’ll let you know when.. he’s gone.” Eddie said, opening the door and moving aside to let Steve pass. 

He had expected to feel a sense of satisfaction for managing a hook up before Steve did, but as Eddie watched him shuffle off wrapped up in a blanket after giving the blonde an awkward nod, he just kinda felt like a jerk.

Bar guy hurried inside and shut the door behind him, kissing Eddie hard and crowding him into the wall before dropping to his knees right there. He made quick work of the fly on Eddie’s jeans and had them pulled down around his thighs in a matter of seconds. Eddie moaned as his length was engulfed by the warm wetness of an eager mouth, and all thoughts of feeling bad about Steve drifted away under the attention of a stranger's talented tongue. Eddie came quickly and eagerly returned the favor. After a quick cleanup and no cuddling, blondie was gone, and Eddie went down to the pool to wake Steve. 

Chapter 2

Tagging a few folks who I think were interested, just let me know if you want to be removed. If you'd like to be added to the tag list, i'd be more than happy to do so!

@penny00dreadful @every-aj-needs-an-angel @manda-panda-monium @hellion-child @dreamwatch @brbsoulnomming

[destinysbounty]

Not sure if this counts, but how do you explain the ninjas ages? How are they teachers but also like 16? I always love hearing people's thoughts on this

For a while now I've been entertaining a headcanon that I think would perfectly explain this in a way that makes sense. Note that this is just a circumstantial theory with no explicit basis in canon, so feel free to take it or leave it as you see fit.

Okay, so. To understand the teacher situation (as well as my theories for why Ninjago's education system is fucked to hell and back), we first have to talk about the Serpentine War for a sec. Bare with me, I promise this will make sense.

This seems like a no-brainer, but a war requires people to actually, yknow, fight in it. Which means large demographics of people have to leave their homes, families, jobs, and communities. Naturally, this forces the ones they've left behind to compensate for the economic deficit caused by their absence. Anyone familiar with American history could tell you that this happened to the US during WWII - as swathes of men shipped off overseas to fight in the war, women back home had to take charge of the economy and participate more actively in the workforce.

I think it goes without saying that this kind of situation probably happened to Ninjago during the Serpentine War. But the thing is, we know women fought in the war stood at the front lines alongside the men - we've seen them. So if that's the case, then who stepped up to help run the economy while Mommy and Daddy were away?

I think you can guess where I'm going with this.

That's right. With so many people leaving to fight in the War (and also dying from Serpentine raids), I don't think it's unreasonable to conclude that some subset of kids and teens had to step up to the plate and take up some of the vacancies their parents had left behind. Obviously I'm not saying all the adults were gone, but it was enough to warrant kids entering the workforce prematurely.

And of course, if kids are getting jobs at younger ages, then I think it's valid to extrapolate that to teacher positions as well.

As you can imagine, this shift created a few new social precedents: 1) expectations for kids, especially teens, to get jobs and become mature at younger ages was normalized; and 2) requirements for certain careers, including education, became much more lenient.

This labor expectation imposed on older kids and teens would actually explain a lot more than just the s3 teacher situation, when you think about it.

Not only are unqualified teens allowed to become teachers, but also undead skeleton warriors from the Underworld (see s1ep4). I'm sorry, but you can't convince me that Kruncha and Nuckal are licensed educators.

The existence of Darkley's, and how it was able to exist for so long without any kind of administrative intervention. The education system is in shambles, and it's because Ninjago's infrastructure never fully recovered from the Serpentine War.

Disparities and gaps in people's historical/world knowledge. No one knows shit about anything. Because again, the education system in in shambles. (If you doubt the validity of this point, let me just remind you I'm from the US. I once met a college student who didn't know what 'north' was.)

The existence of the Paper Boys - how they can devote what seem to be entire workdays to an extremely dangerous job, with minimal adult oversight (if any).

The entirety of Ninjago society seems totally chill with the fact that their saviors are a bunch of kids. To them this isn't cause for concern or even distrust in the ninjas' capability, it's just the norm!

In s15, Lloyd was able to get a job, presumably without a high school diploma or GED of some kind. Or, yknow, any formal education past grade 3 (although we know from supplemental material that he did get some kind of tutoring from the ninja, so this point is debatable).

If some kind of in-universe CPS equivalent exists, then they certainly don't do anything. No one has ever reported or raised issue with Lloyd being homeless, Cole also being homeless for a while, the ninja not being in school, Kai and Nya being parent-free since the ages of ~6 and 3 respectively, and other such things that would ordinarily be cause for alarm.

While there is canon evidence that Kai and Nya received some degree of aid from their community, especially when they were younger, this seems to be completely absent by the time the series begins. Perhaps the community's assistance began to withdraw over time as the siblings faced increasing expectations to become self-sufficient despite still being children. Like, "you're 10 years old now, Kai, it's time for you to start pulling your weight and taking care of the shop by yourself. You need to grow up."

If we approach Ninjago's worldbuilding from this context, suddenly the teacher arc becomes less of a plothole and more...depressing, tbh.

And in a weird way, this interpretation actually fits in nicely with Ninjago's themes of generational trauma. Think about it. Society was damaged by the Serpentine War. And because they never really healed from what happened, the kids of future generations continue to face the normalization of their childhoods gradually being ripped away from them before they're ready. Kinda like kids in a broken home taking on adult responsibilities to cover the slack. Kinda like Cole handling house chores while his father grieved away from home. Kina like Kai and Nya running the shop while their parents were gone.

And everyone is just...used to it. The only times in all 15 seasons that anyone stakes a complaint about this system are in seasons 1-2 when Lloyd was a little child, in season 8 when Harumi was ridiculing the ninja, and in season 15 when Wu refused to lead the Paper Boys into battle.

(I do think it's worth noting that young children are still regarded as kids, of course, as seen with how the ninja were treated when they got de-aged. But this isn't really a refutation of my argument, as much as it is a clue to help us identify society's cutoff for childhood innocence.)

Again, it's more of a circumstantial theory than anything based in fact. So you're free to dispute it as you like. But you have to admit it would explain a lot, wouldn't it?

Anyway, that was...a lot longer than I was expecting it to be. Damn. I'm beginning to think that's gonna be a running theme with these theory posts.

Thanks for the ask! <3

[shallyne]

The Diary of Feyre Archeron Ch 6

CHAPTER 6!!!! EXCITING! This is now the time jump. Reminder: new names because new identities. Enjoy! Whole fic is on AO3

Words: 1.5k

TW: nightmares, mentions of death, mentions of guns

8 years later

November 20th

Dear Diary,

I am back! It's been a long time and a lot has happened but at the same time, not that much. There have been some rocky moments the past years but altogether life was pretty damn normal. Mara, Daisy and I all went to community college. Mara graduated with a degree in journalism and is now working at the Velaris Times while Daisy decided to work at a bakery that just opened in town after graduating with a psychology degree. I, myself, have started a zoology degree but I dropped out in the first year because it just wasn't possible time and money wise. Mara had just started working at the Velaris Times and Elain was in the midst of college so I decided to work instead of studying. Financially it was pretty tight during that time but we managed. We would manage again now that Mara and Daisy are working, I could go back to college but I am not sure if I should go back to zoology. It’s been amazing and incredibly interesting but it just wasn’t for me. There’s still the possibility of art school but I haven’t drawn anything since that day. I can’t paint anymore but the prospect of it is still lingering, hovering over me like the ghost of my old self. I’ll have to think about it but for now I am okay with my perfectly mid job.

Although our jobs haven’t been the only things in our lives that changed, Mara has met two girls who are now her friends, Emerie and Gwyn, with whom she now has a book club and Daisy met twins who she hangs out with all the time, doing her favorite things like gardening and baking. Their names are Nuala and Cerridwen and they work for some rich guy who just moved here.

I also made a friend, his name is Lucien. We met through my boyfriend, Tamlin. Lucien and I couldn’t really stand each other at first, he was such an asshole. Well, he still is but I grew to like it about him.

Tamlin and I met under different circumstances, he hit me with his car. It was just an accident because he was looking on his phone and when he helped me hobble out of the hospital, because he broke my foot, he asked me on a date and I agreed. He’s a perfectly nice gentleman. Of course he has his flaws but don’t we all? Rhysand didn’t. Especially my old friend who lied to me throughout our whole friendship.

Oh! I also tried to get Eras Tour tickets but they were quite expensive, unfortunately. Maybe someone will sell theirs or I’ll get some for a future tour.

Alright, time for dinner.

Later!

November 21st

N Mara brought a vacancy flyer home today for me. It’s for some fancy Lounge in downtown Velaris who’s looking for a waitress. I am absolutely underqualified for this position but she says I should try anyway because it pays well. We wrote an application together that sounded a little more professional than my previous ones, it is necessary if I want to work there.

Getting the job would help us tremendously, we could get a new couch AND afford the good toilet paper, wouldn’t that just be amazing? I can’t let myself daydream too far because chances are high I won’t get the job. Daisy said she’s sure I’ll get the job if they meet me but I’d need a job interview first so that is a big IF.I am trying to hope for the best but expect the worst.

We will drop the application off tomorrow and get a look at the Lounge. Pray that I won't freeze to death, it's COLD.

November 22nd

I haven't had nightmares for two years. I had a nightmare again. I just woke up, I have to write it down.

I was back at home and mom just died, we just got the news. Everyone was in shock, no one moved. It was so quiet.

The doorbell rang, I went to the door just like I did when they got dad. I opened it, I opened the door.

I shouldn't have opened the door.

But I did.

They stormed in, they held us at gunpoint.

I just told Rhys that he's dead to me

I wish he was here

Because I'm going to die. I was going to die, I knew it.

But he was there, I don't know how. I don't know how he did it but he was there suddenly. He would protect me, always. I knew that, I always knew that. I've just been angry. I know it wasn't his fault. He just wanted to protect me. I wished I could tell him, right then. But they killed him, right in front of my eyes. Because he wanted to protect me. He died because of me. It was my fault.

I tried to move, to protect my sisters. I needed to protect them, it was my fault that Rhys was dead. I have to protect them from the same fate but it's too late. I can still hear the gunshots ringing in my ears. One. Two. Elain, dead. Three. Four. Nesta, dead. I want to scream, I want to rush forward but I can't. I can't.

Then I was looking down the barrel of a gun.

Then I woke up.

I can barely breathe.

November 23rd

I was on a lunch date with Tamlin today, it was fine until a waiter spilled some water on the table and he went through the roof. It was only a little bit of spilled water, it hadn't even spilled on his clothes. It took me forever to calm him down. I hope the waitress is alright, I left her a bigger tip.

When we sat in the car and Tamlin finally calmed down he apologized. Then, which is very exciting, Nesta called me because a letter from the Lounge I applied to arrived just then and I told her to open it and tell me. The seconds she took to open the envelope and read felt like an eternity BUT they invited me to a job interview!!! Isn't that just so exciting? Never in a million years I would have thought they would even think about inviting me but they did! For TOMORROW. The reply and the job interview both went so fast, I can't wrap my mind around it. Tamlin seemed semi-interested in the news but I'm sure he will think differently tomorrow, he had somewhat of a bad day today.

I went home and instantly threw my good pants in the washer, they are drying now. I'm as excited as I am nervous, this job could change quite a lot for us.

I should really go to sleep, I don't want to seem tired during my interview.

I'm thanking the stars that they listened and answered!! Maybe fate DOES exist! (Okay, Feyre, calm down. You don't even have the job yet.)

November 24th

I've got the job.

Tamlin said I shouldn't take it and move in with him, that he could take care of me and my sisters. Nesta said she would rather stab out her eyes.

Although Tamlin and his proposal isn't what's worrying me right now, it's how I got the job.

Why I got the job.

Let's start from this morning.

I woke up at six AM because I've been so nervous. I prepared questions that could be asked and the answers, took a shower, ate breakfast, cleaned my room, put on some makeup and then got dressed and made my way downtown. My whole thoughts were about this interview, because it's important, for me, for Mara, for Daisy.

I was half an hour too early so I went and got a coffee. Unfortunately my nerves didn't let me sit still for more than two minutes so I walked up and down the street until it was finally time.

There was a nice lady, I don't remember her name, who led me to an office in the back because my interview was with the boss himself. The whole Lounge was so luxurious, even though I was wearing my best outfit it felt incredibly cheap in comparison but it was so tasteful, I kind of felt comfortable?

Then the lady knocked on the door and left, leaving me alone as I entered the office.

I knew instantly, right as I stepped into the office. It's been 8 years, we became adults, we grew up, but I knew before he looked up from his paperwork. I knew that a pair of almost-violet eyes would stare at me, a pair that was scribbled all over my old notebooks.

He did look at me, his eyes almost the same, but they seemed more dark and haunted now. But when he recognized me, he lit up.

But I was stuck there because-

What the fuck is Rhysand doing in Velaris????

Excerpt from a chat between Rhysand and Morrigan

Rhysand: I'm sending a car over, you need to come ASAP

Morrigan: What??? What happened?

Rhysand: I can't tell you over text, get in the car and come over here

Morrigan: Jeez, this better be good

Morrigan: I'm delaying my nail appointment for you

Feysand Taglist:

@captain-of-the-gwynriel-ship @starfall-spirit @rhysiedarling @corcracrow @sydney-fae25 @tothestarsandwhateverend @aayo-whatt @dreamlandreader

[tomorrowusa]

If you were an academic, would you remain in a state which is willing to prosecute you if you deviate from the governor's political line?

With the start of the 2023-24 academic year only six weeks away, senior officials at New College of Florida (NCF) made a startling announcement in mid-July: 36 of the small honors college’s approximately 100 full-time teaching positions were vacant. The provost, Bradley Thiessen, described the number of faculty openings as “ridiculously high”, and the disclosure was the latest evidence of a brain drain afflicting colleges and universities throughout the Sunshine state. Governor Ron DeSantis opened 2023 with the appointment of six political allies to the college’s 13-member board of trustees who vowed to drastically alter the supposedly “woke”-friendly learning environment on its Sarasota campus. At its first meeting in late January, the revamped panel voted to fire the college president, Patricia Okker, without cause and appoint a former Republican state legislator and education commissioner in her place. Over the ensuing weeks, board members have dismissed the college’s head librarian and director of diversity programs and denied tenure to five professors who had been recommended for approval.

Essentially, the DeSantis education gestapo is killing off the institution — or at least making it very unattractive to students to the left of Mussolini. Of course it's not just NCF that's been affected.

The new laws have introduced a ban on the funding of diversity, equity and inclusion programs at Florida’s public colleges and universities, withdrawn a right to arbitration formerly guaranteed to faculty members who have been denied tenure or face dismissal, and prohibited the teaching of critical race theory, which contends that inherent racial bias pervades many laws and institutions in western society, among other changes. In the face of that and other legislation backed by DeSantis and Republican lawmakers that has rolled back the rights of Florida’s LGBTQ+ community, many scholars across the state are taking early retirement, voting with their feet by accepting job offers outside Florida or simply throwing in the towel with a letter of resignation. [ ... ]

The prevailing political climate in Florida has complicated efforts to recruit qualified scholars from outside the state to fill some vacancies. Kenneth Nunn served on a number of appointment committees during the more than 30 years he spent on the faculty of the University of Florida’s law school. He said the task of persuading highly qualified applicants of color to move to Gainesville has never been more difficult under a governor who, earlier this year, prohibited a new advanced placement course in African American studies from being taught in high schools. DeSantis came under renewed criticism this month when the state department of education issued guidelines recommending that middle school students be taught about the skills slaves acquired “for their personal benefit” during their lifetimes in bondage.

DeSantis is so fond of slavery that every public college and university in Florida is now an anti-woke plantation run by a DeSantis overseer.

Degrees from public educational institutions in the state may henceforth be looked upon like those from Trump University.

[xpc-web-dev]

Hi! I have just recently deciding to switch careers and leave the vet industry , go into tech. Have spent past 2 years in tech school to become a vet assistant but after being in my field, I always wondered how it would be like to have a career in tech, ive always thought for so long that being in tech comes w Math and science and i suck at both 🤣🤣🤣. so I’m deciding to enroll myself in a completely online program to become an IT tech yet i have always admired hacking and coding so without getting sooo much into it, which leads me to my question:

- what do I have to do to be in the code career?

- do I have to go to boot camp out of my state or should look into going online completely?

- is coding beginner friendly especially as someone who doesn’t have ABSOLUTE NO IDEA about coding?

Please let me know and I love that I have found a community of women jn the tech industry, it’s pretty inspiring which why I want to go into the tech career.

Hi Stone, first of all welcome to our small and growing community.

I'm glad you're giving yourself this chance to try technology and see if it's for you or go back to vet or even go to art(yes I stalked you UEUHEHUEHUE) and I also thank you for finding my opinion relevant.

As you said that you wanted a career and that you are interested in coding and hacking, here you need to choose which one to prioritize. Because whether back-end, front-end, mobile, fullstack or cybersecurity there will be a lot to study, practice, make mistakes and practice again.

Here I give an addendum that if you don't know what these areas mean in technology, I recommend doing a search, reading and watching videos on youtube about it to see what might please you.

So based on what you've told me, again I think the best first step is to know what you want to prioritize and what you want to make money from.

Because trust me, you won't be able to study everything together at the same time. And if you manage to find an hour, there will be a burnout, so take it easy my friend. (from personal experience)

Even more so if you want a job, it's best to focus on 1 and then move on to others. Then find out what might be best for you / what you most identify with.

I also like hacking, I have books and I have already found courses. But this is something I want to study as a hobby and a safety measure (after all, there's no shortage of motherfuckers doing shit with others with that knowledge). So I put it in the background. Because my priority is money and hacking has work, but not in my country.

Now about entering the code career. Despite being a junior/student, I've seen a lot and I've also learned in these 2 years in the technology community in my country and watching you from the outside, so I can have a more mature view to help you with that.

So let's go:

1) - To know what you need to do to enter your career in code, you need to know how the technology market is in your country.

Because with all these layoffs, we have a lot of professionals with experience and academically well qualified and depending on the country, we currently have more demand for professionals than job offers. (Here in Brazil this is happening, because the layoffs in North America reflected here).

And here I don't want to discourage you, I just want to give you a realistic parameter for you to enter the area without illusions and not get frustrated like me and a bunch of people on the internet. (I wish someone had guided me like that). Because what we have most on social media is people making it seem like programming is easy and getting a job is even easier, or that you're going to earn A LOT since you're just a junior and THAT'S NOT THE REALITY..

BUT all the effort pays off in the end.

Within that, here I think it's cool that you try to observe what vacancies in your country ask for juniors/interns.

From Skills like knowing python to asking college or accepting bootcamp. See what's most in demand out there and within that see if you like what's in demand.

I tell you this, because here in Brazil, for example, we currently have more vacancies for internships (and here you need to be enrolled in a college to do an internship) than for juniors without college and only with bootcamps. So if we want a job around here, the first thing is to go to college and not be completely self-taught. So again, research and study your country's technology market.

In my conception TODAY getting a job in programming without college will be 10x more difficult than in 2020 for example, things have changed. The market now is not lacking developers, quite the contrary, now it has hight demands from developers but not for JOBS.

What the market wants most are senior people (and I've seen seniors I know saying that after layoffs even for them it's more willing to get a job, again supply and demand), but there are still opportunities for us beginners, in some countries there are more and in others less.

Speaking in the sense of the United States from what I observed from the US (content producers and twitter) + my experiences here in Brazil.I don't know the current situation of the technology market in Africa, the rest of Latin America , Asia and Europe.

Of course, you can be lucky and succeed without , but I, for one, got tired of believing that I would be lucky and be one of those people who succeed and changed my strategy to get a job.

Or you could also join a job-guaranteed bootcamp. Check how it works and if you have this type in your country.

And here we come to your second question.

2) The answer is it depends.

For example, will this bootcamp in your state guarantee you a job or is it possible to do an internship at a company or will it connect you with companies after the program?Or is he recognized by technology companies in your state?

If so, I would recommend doing it and dedicating yourself to getting in.

Because look, if they guarantee you an job is even better , you'll just have to study and do what they tell you to get your job.

But if you don't guarantee it, but this training has merit/respect in the market, it also pays off.

Here, I wanted to take the opportunity and talk about apprenticeship.

In our community we have our queen @xiacodes @xiabablog (it's the same person), she did an apprenticeship and today she is a junior developer in UK .

She shared her journey on her blog and is also the most engaged and resource sharing person in our community.

Here I would like to say that FOR ME Apprenticeship is one of the smartest strategies today to get into the technology market.

I myself will start on a Monday and it was my solution to get a job in code by the end of the year. (I'll talk about this in another post too)

So I recommend looking for apprenticeship in your country / state and how they work there.

And obviously observe and read the rules of the program to see if there are any catches that put you in absurd debt or contractual fines.

And see if you can handle it if you have the possibility.

Here I give an addendum that if you find an apprenticeship but that you will earn little in the beginning, for you to analyze well before saying no. Because salary we can evolve after we have experience, the important thing for us juniors/students is to get the first experience and the rest later becomes easier. (At least that's what the Mid /seniors I know say)

Now if in your country you don't have this kind of opportunity, I would recommend trying to see if it would be possible to do bootcamp/online courses + college to get an internship.

And you don't even have to start with paid courses, in my opinion if the bootcamp won't guarantee you a job, it's not worth paying for it. We have a lot of free resources on the internt (youtube biggest school) .

But it's up to you.

Free Courses:

-Freecodecamp

-Odin project (And it has both fullstack with ruby ​​and with node.js. )

For me, paying will only pay off when you don't find quality resources for what you want to study. So I would advise you to always think about whether it pays off or not.

Accessible paid courses:

- Codecademy

- Udemy (there are good courses there and there are always promotions)

+++ Here I also wanted to talk about knowing that public colleges (100% free) are not possible in all countries or when they are, they are very elective and difficult to get into for poor people as it is here in Brazil.

But here despite that, studying A LOT to pass the exams and having worked to save money and support yourself until you get scholarships to support yourself (and if you do), you manage to get into the best colleges that are free and that is more viable than being poor and being able to pay for college in the US, for example.

So I know that it might not be very viable depending on where you live and whether or not you are a resident of the country.

So I don't know if college can be an affordable thing for you, but if not that you can find the best strategy to achieve your financial prosperity in technology!

But if you are from the United States for example, this week I discovered this spotify program: https://fellowship.spotify.com/

The one where they only hire people with bootcamps and not colleges and open in the summer there.

And despite the layoffs, I still think there are more entry level openings there than here HUEHUEEHEU.

3) What do you mean by friendly?

If you mean easy, no, she probably won't be friendly to you at all AND THAT'S OKAY.

As you yourself said that you know absolutely nothing, it will be natural for you to have difficulty, to think about giving up and to make a lot of mistakes to get it right.

It's going to be a process of failing and trying again and again.

NOTHING IS EASY. And since you've already taken a veterinary course, I think you already know that things are really difficult. So this is another reminder that it won't be any different here.

BUT it will end well because EVERYTHING IS LEARNED.

And that also goes for math, if you ever have to deal with it (and if you go to cs college you will) you will make a lot of mistakes, but you will succeed, because EVERYTHING IS LEARNED based on trial and error.

And that doesn't mean you're bad or stupid, just that you're learning something completely from scratch. It won't be overnight that you will understand, it may take months or years, but persisting you will succeed. THIS IS NORMAL.

I cried (literally) to do conditional algorithms in 2021, I banged my head in books, said I would never make it and felt like the biggest dumbass in the world and today 2023 are the easiest things for me. I have no problem making them.

And that was only possible because I didn't give up.

Here I wanted to advise you to start your programming studies with low expectations, to help you manage your frustrations and maybe burnouts. It won't be overnight that you will become the best programmer and do many projects at the level of a senior developer or the people who do tutorials on youtube.

They will be small steps that lead you to your goals in studies. Again, constants.

There are people who could get their ek code jobs in 3 to 6 months of study.

BUT FOR ME, currently having a plan to get an opportunity between 2 years and 4 years (if you actually go to college) study is the healthiest way to pursue your studies and goals. If you get it sooner, even better for you, but if not, you'll be fine with yourself because it's within the period you stipulated.

Finally, I ask you not to take anything I say as absolute truth.

Question what you read Take what I said, analyze it and see how it works in your reality.

I also recommend trying to find women in technology from your country on linkedin and see if they can help you with tips and so on. I feel very good knowing so many Brazilian women in tech since I did this, my network there is composed only of them precisely to create a place without judgment but of welcome and inspiration.

Well, I invested about 3 hours answering the best way I can, I hope you read it and that it helps you.

Anything, if you want to talk more, you can call me in the chat, I'll take a while but I'll answer.

I wish you good studies, discernment to see which is the best path for you and that you stay well! Lots of protection in studies and career.

[themoonlovemuses]

Introductions to your New Life! (Professor Layton X Reader)

Summary:  After a job position opens up at Gressenheller University, you move down to London and join the prestigious university, and along the way meet the charming Professor Layton.

WANTED: Head Librarian

Requirements: A knowledge of the Dewey Decimal System.

A candidate with strong communication and interpersonal skills who is a reliable and self-motivated person who can work largely unsupervised following precise instructions. As the work is fairly routine, you will need to maintain a high level of attention to detail and accuracy in your work. 

If you are interested, please come to Gressenheller University and speak to the receptionist to inquire.

That had been the advertisement Dean Delmona had sent over in the mail when he mentioned to my mum that he was looking for a new librarian for the university. Having been friends of the family for a while, Delmona knows of my love for novels and sharing recommendations to those around me on whatever topics I had knowledge of. So naturally, after having a friendly discussion about where we all were in our professions, mum had passed on the message to me about the vacancy. A job at a bigger library than the local village has, in the heart of London, surrounded by like-minded people? Sounds like a dream come true!

And not a month later, after handing my notice to the librarian at my old job and saying my farewells to my parents and siblings, I hopped onto the train heading to Central Plaza Station with nothing but my suitcase and a note with the address to my new flat that I had acquired after talking to the landlord, Ingrid, over the phone. The move had been stressful, and the nose and bustle of the London streets had been a bit overwhelming compared to country life, but I had finally settled into the flat and explored the neighbourhood enough to know my way around. Now all that was left to start my new life is to start my first day at my new job.

Which is what I had been daydreaming about just as the bus rolled to a stop in front of the wrought-iron gates of the university. So after paying the fare and wishing the driver a good day, I strode up to the front doors of the university, marvelling at the architecture of the buildings, imagining what kind of history the walls hold. And not soon after I had got to the doors that lead to the reception room did I see the Dean, in his usual crisp suit and spectacles, waiting for me.

“Ah, (Y/N)! Good Morning! Didn’t get lost on the way here then! I know I did the first couple of times when I became the dean!” He chuckled, meeting me halfway and shaking my hand

“Oh, not at all! Thankfully the buses around here a quite remarkable and way more punctual than back home. If I had been walking here on my own I’m sure I would’ve gone around in circles just trying to find this place!”

“Ho ho! Glad to hear! Well, I’d better show you around first before I leave you to it! You’re a reliable sort, but I wouldn’t want you getting lost here on your first day! The halls can be maze-like themselves.” He agreed, before heading off down the corridors. 

“Of course, as you probably know, the building was built a hundred and twenty years ago, using Neo-Baroque architecture which defined the era, and is what defines the university compared to the other buildings in the Westminster area. The original dean of the school prided his school on its excellence in providing knowledge from around the world, specialising in archaeological exploits. Which is why we specialize in this subject to this day! But enough about the history of the school! On your left, you can see the courtyards that the students tend to use between classes to either study or socialise together. And on the left are the out-of-hour offices for our Professors.” He rambled, pointing out the points of interest as he walked, including the offices, which appeared to have weird symbols on them. One seemed to have a coffee cup and… was that a top hat?

“Excuse me, sorry Delmona. What do the symbols mean on the doors? Is that one on the left a student café?” I asked, pointing it out, as only some of the doors had symbols on them.

“Oh, those! No, sadly you won’t be grabbing a cup of coffee from in there! Those symbols just help students to differentiate which professor uses which office. All doors look the same on the first day and all that! He explained patiently, as if he had received these questions numerous times. 

‘At least it seemed like I wasn’t the only one to ask about it. Still, I wonder if all universities have those kinds of subliminal tricks to distinguish different professor offices.’ I thought to myself as we re-entered the building, heading back towards the main area.

“Now if you follow the path down here, it’ll lead you down towards the cafeteria, where you will be able to grab that coffee! And if you take the stair over here, that’ll lead up to the classrooms and my office directly in front of the stairs. And this door at the bottom of the stairs, is the library!” He announced, pushing the doors in a way that he must’ve been aiming to be dramatic, but ended up swinging back in our faces due to the lack of strength behind it. Coughing into his hand to discharge the awkward tension, he reopened the doors normally, myself following after him.

As I entered the space, I looked around in awe, the smell of old books and wood hitting my nose first. Pillars of golden brown wood held the building up with rows and rows of bookshelves matching the colour of the wood, it looked like it had two, maybe even three floors worth of books, and study tables scattered about the place. And just to the left, a big desk with a little rack of leaflets for what at first glance appears to be student events and a big trolley rack filled to the brim with books to be returned to the shelves. A lady wearing a hair kerchief was polishing the front of it.

“Oh, Dean! I didn’t think you would be here so soon! I was just finishing up cleaning up the place, and this must be our new librarian!” 

“Oh don’t worry Rosa! There’s still time left if you need to finish up, we’re here early anyway. Anyway, as I mentioned (Y/N), this is Rosa Grimes, the university’s resident cleaner. Rosa, this is (Y/N). She’ll be starting today, I hope you take them under your care.” He says, introducing us to one another as I shake hands with the woman, Rosa. She seemed nice at first glance, almost a bit like Mum back home.

“It’s lovely to meet you, Rosa! And thank you for tidying up the place! You really didn’t have to do this just for me! I could’ve done it!”

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all dear! Love to keep busy me, you’ll probably see me around the place tidying up wherever I go anyway.” She laughed, tucking her feather duster back into her pocket in front of her apron.

‘Oh yeah, definitely like Mum.’ I thought to myself as we finished up.

“Speaking of which, I must be off over to the offices Delmona. You know how Layton loves to leave his office in such disarray. I think he does it just to see me and have a cup of tea together!” She laughs, waving to us both and heading through the doors we just came through, leaving me and the dean alone once again.

“Layton?” I ask, turning back towards the dean in hopes of some form of clarification as to who Rosa could’ve been talking about.

“Professor Hershel Layton, the university’s resident archaeology professor and minor celebrity of sorts to the students. He’s been known to go on excursions during the half terms and summer holidays. Always comes back to the school term with some story to tell in his lectures.” He remarks, guiding me towards the desk, where I will be spending most of my time.

“Oh, I see! That makes sense then. Must be quite the popular man then.”

“Yes he is, but I'm sure you’ll run into him at some point. He’s always coming in here for reference books on archaeological topics of one thing or another. Anyway, here's your desk. It’s normally quite quiet on a Monday as most deadlines seem to be set for the end of the week from my experience, so you should have plenty of time to get comfortable and have a look around before the students come in. I’d better be off now, as I have a meeting to attend with the school board in half an hour. I’m sure you’ll do fantastic with us, and I’ll check up with you at the end of the day to see how things went. Take care now (Y/N)!” The dean finishes, patting my arm reassuringly and heads towards the door.

“Thank you Dean Delmona! And thank you again for showing me around the campus, I really appreciate it!” I shout back, hoping to catch him before he’s out of earshot.

“My pleasure!” along with a wave is all the response back I get back as he slips through the doors. And I’m left alone in the vast expanse of the university library.

‘Alright! Let’s get settled in!’ I think to myself as a go over to the returns trolley, looking over what titles are in need of reshelving and wondering what type of student would have taken the books out in the first place. A pastime I enjoyed at the old village library as well to shake up the monotony of reshelving and lugging the heavy trolley in front of me.

The rest of the day turned out just to be as the dean said; quiet. Students only really started trickling in at around lunchtime, the same bleary look in their eyes of either late nights studying, or the aftermath of weekend-long revelry. I was thankful for this as that had given me a lot of time to acquaint myself with where each section was and what kind of selection we had on offer in case any of the students asked for any recommendations. Which I have to say, the university sported a whole array of wonderful books I could only dream of grabbing for my own personal collection. Rare copies of the Illiad and Odyssey, first editions of the Brother Grimm's fairytales, and every college textbook a student could possibly need, all waiting to be plucked from the shelves like glistening fruit from a market stall. There were even some signed autobiographies from famous authors and experts in their field, which I pondered as to how a university could’ve obtained. Was it something donated, or a gift to the university?

Either way, I had plenty of time to ponder this as the light from the wall-length windows on one side shined in the day’s light, turning the office from bright light to a golden age as the afternoon progressed. Only a couple of the more awake students had come up to the desk, either to return a book used over the weekend or ask if a certain book related to their coursework was available. The students seemed just as friendly as the staff thankfully, even inquiring about me, since they noticed I wasn’t the usual librarian on duty, who apparently was known as Ms Applewood, an kind enough woman who rumour had it retired up to Scotland to be nearer her son. How true the rumour is something I doubt I'd ever get the answer to, but it was nice to know that the student body I had encountered thought I was nice enough to even involve me in their gossip. So overall it was quite the lovely first day, only half an hour left on the clock, according to the small desk clock that the desk had come with. 

‘Just enough time to do the last of the returns and lock up for the night!’ I thought to myself, standing up from my desk and heading over to the pile of books to my right that I had piled up when the door on the other end of the room creaked open. A man wearing a top hat seemed to enter the room, a thick tome tucked under his arm as he walked towards the centre of the room, scanning around the library until he seemed to notice me at the desk.

“Hello there! My apologies for coming to the library so late into your shift. I had only just gotten out of the classroom just now, Some students had some questions to ask me after classes.” He spoke, making his way over in my direction as I picked up the four books from the returns.

“Oh, no trouble at all, the library is still open another half an hour anyway, Mr…?” I trailed off, unsure as to how to address the finely dressed man in front of me.

“Ah, do beg my pardon. How rude of me for not introducing myself to you. My name is Professor Hershel Layton. I’m the archaeological professor here at the university.” He introduced, tipping the top hat of his at me slightly, having to adjust his grip on the book in his possession to do so.

“(Y/N), the new librarian. Just started today. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.” I replied, doing my best to nod back at him while balancing the books in my hands.

“That must be why I did not recognise you, you must be Ms Applewood’s replacement. A pleasure to meet you too.”

“No worries, now, what can I help you with today Professor?” I asked, trying my hardest not to appear nosey as I tried to read what book he had under his arm.

“Well, first I would like to return this book to the library, I was using it to help authenticate some of my student's answers in the essays I had assigned them over the weekend. And I was also wondering if you happened to know if you happened to have a copy of ‘The Azran History: What We Know’’ by Professor Desmond Sycamore and ‘Head Gymnastics’ by Akira Tago.” He asked, finally taking the book from under his arm. The title read ‘Archaeobotany in Egpyt’

“Not a problem Professor, in fact, I think I have that head Head gymnastics book in my pile for returns here. Let me see… Ah! Here we go!” Shuffling the books in my hands, I pulled it out in all it’s yellow glory from the bottom of the pile, quickly making a note on some scrap paper on what books were being taken and returned so I could enter them in properly to the system when I get back to my desk later.

“A girl returned this just today, so here you go! As for your book on Azran history, I believe I did see one on my rounds today in the Archaeological section. I’m more than happy to help look since I’m heading that way to sort these returns myself.”

“Are you quite sure, I wouldn’t want to bother you if you are busy right now.” He mused, a flash of concern flitting across his, concerned to be pulling me away from my duties perhaps?

“Not at all, professor. Like I said, these books are all heading towards the geography section anyway, so it’s on the way there anyway. Shall we?” I smile, leading the way towards the stack of shelves.

We walked in relative silence, the only nose being our shoes clacking against the hardwood flooring of the library. Not an awkward silence, which was weird since that normally did happen when meeting someone new, with neither party knowing what topic would interest the other. But a content silence, as if nothing really needed to be said at this moment.

‘Maybe he’s quite content with the silence himself’ I thought to myself, as I weaved between the stacks, before finally reaching our final destination.”

“Here we are, Professor! I’ll just quickly pop these into the geography section and be right with you!” I say, wandering just two shelves over to my own destination, shelving the books for the group study session that had left later that day.

“That’s quite alright, don’t rush on my account.” He chuckled, before staring up at the shelves, his mission already in his mind.

Having one of my last tasks of the day dealt with now, I hurried back over to the man and started looking for the book he needed as well while sneaking in some glances to assess the man next to me. Dressed rather professionally and shoes shined to a sheen. He looked the spitting image of what a professor looked like in my mind’s eye. And he acted like one as well. But there was something else I couldn’t quite put my finger on, some sort of charm about him. Maybe it was the way he spoke? You don’t hear a lot of people speaking the way he does; almost like he thinks about every word he’s about to say before he says anything. Or maybe it’s the glint in his eyes I noticed as he scans the bookshelves for his prize, a look of passion in his eye for the craft he must’ve honed throughout the years?

‘Well no wonder he’s popular around here.’ I mused to myself as I finally noticed the book the man next to me was looking for on the bottom shelf. Bending down to pick it up, I turn towards him, catching his attention from the corner of his eye.

“Here you go! This is what you were looking for right?” I ask, handing him the book in my hands while I quickly shelve the book about Egypt he had originally came in with.

“Yes! This is exactly what I needed. Thank you.”

“No worries. So the Azran? Are they to be a new topic to cover in your lectures then?” I asked as we made our way back to the desk to check his books out.

“Hm? Oh, no, the curriculum is quite set for this year and as much as I would love to discuss new archaeological discoveries in the modern era, I would hate for my students to be behind on their work.”

“Ah, I get it. I was just wondering since the papers recently have been talking about how fresh evidence of the Azran people are cropping around the world in the last five years. I think last week's paper talked about a potential temple in Froenborg?”

“Well, yes! You seem quite up to date with the goings-ons of the archaeological field. Do you have an interest in archaeology? Study archaeology while at university perhaps?” He asked, that glint returning back to his eyes.

“While I do have an interest in archaeology and new discoveries, it’s not because I studied it. I took anthropology as a minor during my university days instead, but both subjects seem to have an overlap from what I was taught at school. I think it’s called Osteoarchaeology in your field right? The study of bones?” I asked, wanting to make sure I wasn’t saying anything wrong as I walked around the side of the desk to check out the books he had taken.

“That’s exactly what it’s called. It’s nice to know there’s someone at the university  besides the students excited about these new discoveries and what this might mean to our understanding of the world as we know it.” He smiled, passing the books over for me to stamp.

“Well thank you! Good to know there’s someone here to discuss the findings with if the archaeologists find anything new to be reported on. Anyway, I must’ve taken up more of your time than I meant to. Here are those books Professor.” Passing the books back over, I set about taking the return ledger from the desk and start locking it away in the desk drawers for safekeeping.

“Not at all (Y/N), if anything it’s been lovely talking to you. In fact, if you get some spare time during the next few weeks, I’d love to discuss more about the tribes you studied while at university and your thoughts on the Azran people.” He asked, slowly turning in the direction of the door.

“Ho ho! Roping our newest recruit into your lectures and puzzles are we Professor?” The dean mused, making his way to us from his point at the door. How did I not hear him come in?

“Ah, well quite Dean Delmona. We were just discussing the recent discoveries of the Azran people.” He said, coughing into his balled-up fist. Ah yes, now this was the awkward silence I had come to know.

“Oh, I'm only jesting with you, my boy! It’s good everyone’s been friendly to our new librarian. Making them feel right at home! He laughed, patting the Professor on the arm.

“Anyway, I was just coming down here to check up on (Y/N) and how their first day went. Wouldn’t want to keep you both here any longer than you needed to.”

“I see, then I had better leave you to it. It was lovely speaking with you (Y/N). I’ll see you around.” The professor waved, before heading towards the doors and out the room.

“You too Professor! See you soon!” I shouted afterwards, hoping he heard me just like the situation with the dean this morning.

“I’ll take you to the front gates now. Like I said, probably don’t want to waste your evenings wiled away in here. But how was your first day here? Nothing to deter you from staying here I hope?” He asked as I locked up the library doors.

“All good actually. Your school has quite a lovely collection of books and all the staff and students are so nice! I hope it’s like this all the time here!” 

“Hah! The only time it’s not is when it’s exam and finals week! Then things can get a bit snappy!” He laughed, walking down the path towards the wrought iron gates we had only passed through this morning. It only seemed like an hour ago I arrived here. How time sure flies.

“Well anyway, I’m glad you’ve enjoyed yourself here and as I’ve said, I know how reliable you are so you’re more than welcome to work here as long as you’d like to. But you better head off home now and make sure you’re fresh for tomorrow morning! Library Opens up at 8 am sharp. Make sure you get home safe now. And again, welcome to Gressenheller University (Y/N)!”

'Welcome indeed!' I thought to yourself as you strolled on down to the bus stop, lost in your imaginings of what the next few days would bring.

[beardedmrbean]

City Council wants to know why the Philadelphia School District is still engaging in leveling, the practice of moving teachers a month into the school year based on schools’ actual enrollment.

City Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson planned to introduce legislation Thursday calling for hearings on leveling, which she has called a “troubling” practice.

The district has long shuffled teachers weeks into the school year, often for financial reasons but, recently, because it cannot find enough educators to fully staff its classrooms. Though 96% of positions are filled, in a 115,000-student district that employs about 9,000 teachers, that means hundreds of teaching jobs are still open.

Leveling works this way: If one school has fewer students than projected, it might lose teachers to another school that enrolled more students than expected.

Better-resourced districts don’t use leveling, and even some urban school systems have moved away from it.

In Philadelphia, this year, 50 teachers were forced to change schools. Some schools also lost positions that were never filled, for an overall 87-position reduction. Fifty schools gained a cumulative total of 66 teacher positions.

Some schools were “held harmless” and did not lose teachers to leveling, even though their less-than-expected enrollment meant they usually would have.Officials said 46 schools fell into this category, and 94 teachers who otherwise would have been moved got to stay put.

But Gilmore Richardson said that wasn’t good enough. She said COVID-19 learning loss made leveling an especially counterproductive process.

Leveling, the resolution she plans to introduce Thursday says, “disrupts classroom instruction and forces school communities to grapple with major changes on very short notice” and “requires teachers to move to new positions with only a week of notice, and results in some classes doubling in size overnight.” It also “actively interrupts the relationships teachers have developed with their students, leading to decreased student engagement in classrooms, and it takes away the opportunity for one-on-one instruction for classes that see significant increases in size.”

Asked how the district might avoid leveling without adding to its teacher vacancy problem, Gilmore Richardson acknowledged the school system’s hiring challenges but said “we know that what we’re doing now is not working to increase overall student achievement and increase reading and math skills. I simply want to find a more sustainable solution, one that will help us fill the vacancies and ensure our young people are being prioritized.”

Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. has said leveling is necessary to ensure equity, and cited the nationwide teacher shortage and Philadelphia’s decades of underfunding as reasons why Philadelphia continues to use leveling.

“In order to serve our students equitably, and support all students in receiving a high-quality education from an excellent teacher, we must reassign teachers from our under-enrolled schools to over-enrolled schools,” Watlington said in a letter to district staff and families this week.

Gilmore Richardson said the hearings will help Council build a roadmap so it can “do our part to appropriate funds to the district and help fill any gaps that currently exist as it relates to this issue.”

[reasoningdaily]

A shocking 70% of the nation’s 1,036 majority-Black ZIP codes are considered “distressed,” while only 19 — 1.8% — rank as “prosperous,” according to one analysis. Two of those prosperous ZIP codes are in Fort Bend County.

If you weren’t familiar with the lengthy list of disparities that exist in America, you’ve likely been brought up to speed by the pandemic, which has provided a frightening crash course in the nation’s inequalities. The large and widening divide between “prosperous” and “distressed” communities since the turn of the century was seen clearly in the quick economic recovery experienced by those with higher-paying jobs and better educations following the Great Recession. Meanwhile, many less fortunate Americans were still struggling to recover when the pandemic hit, bringing with it an even greater recession and hardship. And like the disease itself, the COVID-19 economic downturn has splintered the lives of those who are the least resilient — both physically and economically — while those whose jobs allow them to work from home have remained largely insulated from the virus and financial troubles.

Approximately 50.5 million Americans live in a distressed community. But what exactly does that mean?

Distressed communities are characterized by widespread poverty, high rates of unemployment and low levels of educational attainment. They also face stagnant or negative economic growth, which means little to no change in the prospects of those who live there.

To examine how economic well-being is spread across communities and regions in the U.S., the Economic Innovation Group (EIG) has released its Distressed Communities Index (DCI) each year since 2016.

“Economic inequality in America translates into opportunity gaps for too many communities,” said Steve Glickman, cofounder and executive director of the Economic Innovation Group, when the inaugural index was released. “Unless policymakers in both parties reframe their priorities, economically distressed communities will continue to experience a downward spiral that results in a loss of faith in the American dream and less healthy and fulfilling lives.”

Communities are defined at the ZIP code level and scores range from 0 (most prosperous) to 100 (most distressed). Based on the score, communities were placed into one of five tiers of economic well-being: prosperous, comfortable, mid-tier, at risk and distressed.

The seven metrics used to calculate a community’s score on the index were no high school diploma, housing vacancy rate, adults not working, poverty rate, median income ratio, change in employment and change in business establishments.

Between 2000 and 2018, the share of the U.S.’s Black population living in distressed ZIP codes dropped about 10% — from 45.6% to 35.3% — according to the report. Nationwide, 70% of majority-Black ZIP codes are distressed. By comparison, 20% of all ZIP codes and 16% of majority-white ZIP codes in the U.S. are distressed.

Of the nation’s 1,036 majority-Black ZIP codes — where 32.5% of the Black population lives — only 19 rank as prosperous on the DCI. Of those, 11 are in the Washington, DC, metro area, and two — 77545 and 77489 — are in Fort Bend County.

On average in prosperous ZIP codes, 5.2% of adults aren’t high school graduates, the poverty rate is 5.7%, 15.4% of adults are unemployed or not in the workforce, 4.7% of housing is vacant, the median household income is $90,800 and, from 2014–2018, the number of employees “in the geography” increased 20.8% while the number of businesses grew by 11.8%.

Sprawling Sun Belt cities like Houston and Phoenix, the report points out, experienced a lot of economic prosperity in the first two decades of the 21st century, but the benefits “were channeled outwards and did little to lift many chronically distressed urban neighborhoods.” Suburban ZIP codes form a ring of prosperity around the distressed core of Houston.

These include 77545 and 77489 in Fort Bend County, which as a whole has the low, low distress score of 2.3 and is one of Texas’ largest suburban counties. It’s also one of the most diverse counties in the nation. Between 2000 and 2019, the county population went from 62% white to 31%.

The population of the 77489 ZIP code in Missouri City, which has a DCI score of 15.5, is 70.5% Black or African American. The median household income is $66,400 and about 60% of residents are employed in management and professional or sales and office jobs. In 2000, the “distress score” of Missouri City’s 77489 ZIP code was 9.6, also in the prosperous quintile.

Fresno has a DCI of 17.2 and 60.3% of residents are Black or African American. Fresno’s “distress score” has improved significantly since 2000, when it had a DCI of 45.9, which is the mid-tier category of economic well-being. Most residents work in management and professional, sales and office or service industry jobs, and the median household income is $79,900.

But even within prosperous communities, there’s a gap in the average median household income between Black and white households, and it has widened in the past 20 years, from $4,987 in 2000 to $6,832 in 2018.

There’s also a gap in homeownership in prosperous communities, where the percentage of Black residents who are homeowners is 53.8%, compared to 77.7% of white residents. The gaps in household income and homeownership exist across all five DCI quintiles.

Today, 27% of Fresno residents and 23.7% of those in 77489 who are 18 and older have a bachelor’s degree or higher. That’s far lower compared to all prosperous zip codes in the nation — 47.2% of residents hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. However, among Black residents of Fresno, 37.7% have a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Missouri City’s 77489 ZIP code, that’s true for 28.8% of Black residents.

In November, voters in Fort Bend County elected Eric Fagan sheriff, the county’s first Black sheriff since the Reconstruction era. Walter Moses Burton was elected sheriff in Fort Bend County in 1869. He was the nation’s first Black elected sheriff. Walter Moses Burton Elementary School — one of the three elementary schools in Fresno — is named for Burton. The other two are named for Rosa Parks and Lula Belle Goodman, an African American educator who taught in the Fort Bend Independent School District for 41 years.

[cinematicnomad]

hi! i hope this is okay to ask, but i was just wondering if you could tell me/us a bit more about how you landed your job (which seems SO cool)? like, is this something you were always interested in? did you have to go to school for it? i'd love to work on the comm/marketing team for a university in my country--because i really miss the feeling of being on a busy, bustling campus--but idk if there's a better way of going about it than just cold-calling or emailing the hr dept about vacancies...

(2/2 uni job anon) comm/marketing and recruitment (which is what you do, i think?) are quite different ofc--i just think that these particular universities could really use a hand with their various english-language dispatches and know i could really help them out if i found a way onto their staff roster...

hey anon! i'm definitely happy to answer any questions. i can't comment on how your countries university's handle hiring. in the states, universities tend to list all of their open administrator/staff positions online. you can literally google a university name + jobs and you'll find a link. once on it, you can usually narrow you're search—so in your case, you could potentially narrow it down to positions with the words 'marketing' 'communications' 'social media' etc etc. then find the position that fits your interest and fill out the application and submit it. then you just have to...wait. which for universities (at least in the states) can take some time.

i put my personal journey in my work below the cut if anyone's interested:

i didn't originally go to school with the intention of working in higher ed. i got my bachelors in english lit with a minor in history. i thought i might become a writer or go into publishing or something. i v much did not know what i wanted to do by the time i finished undergrad. i traveled some the summer after college and didn't really seriously thinking about my post-school plans until late july. i didn't have a drivers license (let alone a car or easy access to public transportation) and i was living in suburbia with my parents so my options were really limited—but i lucked out in that we lived about a 15 minute walk from a large public university so i just kind of...applied to everything? i didn't have much by the way of experience—at this point my resume amounted to 3 summers working as a clerk in a doctor's office, a summer as a day camp counselor, a summer working as a sales associate at homegoods, and an internship at a british private publishing company. basically i had customer service skills and i knew how to function in an office and i could string coherent sentences together. the one guiding point i had when applying to jobs was that...i'd grown up traveling around the world and so i was intrigued by the jobs i saw that had to do with international admissions/students/etc. i prioritized those applications, but honestly i would have taken anything.

i luckily got an interview and an eventual offer for a part-time assistant job in the office of international admissions. and my career kind of just...evolved from there? about 6 months later my supervisor moved into a new position and i was asked to apply for his job so i did. it wasn't exactly what i wanted to be doing—i spent my days sitting in an office reviewing international transcripts to determine a) if the school was recognized/accredited; b) the US degree equivalency; and c) the student's equivalent US gpa AND i was given the task of processing and issuing immigration documents for incoming int'l students. these are two incredibly niche, vital processes for international admissions and having that baseline expertise was good for me. i stayed at that university for a total of 4 years before accepting a position at a smaller private university in DC—by this point i had a license and a car and could afford to move closer to public transportation. career-wise it was lateral move—i didn't get a title bump, but i did get a decent salary increase AND the job was more generalized. which was good for me! all of my work up until that point had been SO specialized and isolated that i spent a lot of time on my own cooped up in an office doing work alone—and bc my job was so isolated and no one could cover for me, and it was so reliant on being in the office, i was never given the opportunity to travel. which sucked. my new job let me experience different facets of admissions with a team of people and also allowed me the chance to get some experience recruiting domestically.

after i'd been there for a while i took advantage of one of the common benefits of working in higher ed in the US—tuition benefits. i applied for and was admitted into a master's program int'l education and my job covered 90% of the tuition. whenever i had a performance review or check in with my supervisor i let her know i was interested in recruiting internationally for the office. halfway through the program my boss offered me the chance to apply for a new position in my office with the understanding that it would come with a pay increase, a title bump, and FINALLY: int'l recruiting. i applied, got the job, renewed my passport so i could be ready to travel...and then COVID hit.

that derailed plans a little but i stayed in my job and kept working. i finally got to start recruiting internationally for my job last fall and around november i had another conversation with my boss about a new position—this one would be focused on recruiting internationally and on developing partnerships with other universities and designing joint programs. so that's what i'm doing now! and that's how i got here.

not sure if anyone is actually here still reading this! but if you are, i am happy to answer any questions you might have about preparing for interviews, what to expect, other nitty-gritty details, etc.

[fahadventure]

My TEFL Journey In a nutshell

Alhamdulillah, by the grace of Almighty, in the 2nd last year (2021), I have passed the 198 hours Level 5 TEFL certification course (168 guided hours + Teaching English online 30 hours) from The TEFL Academy. For those, who might want to know, Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) involves teaching English abroad or online where English is not the primary language. TEFL educators can work for international and global schools, foreign companies, international organizations and associations, and internationally recognized universities, just to name a few. You can read more about my adventures in  Fahadventure.

I have been thinking about doing this since 2018, just after my Graduation from the Institute of Business Administration, Dhaka University (IBA, DU), Bangladesh, but could not really focus much as I got involved in corporate culture, after joining an event management company, namely Asiatic Experiential Marketing Limited. Later on, in May,2019, I joined a locally reputed bank, BRAC Bank where I continued to work for two and a half years. In the meantime, the overall lockdown phases during 2020 and 2021 finally came as a blessing among all those office workloads, few trips and some personal hassles which motivated me once again to work from home and pursue my dreams. This certificate is just like a passport to travel the world while I'll start working on attaining the visa i.e jobs abroad once it reopens. For now, I am exploring the online possibilities to start with. Check out the vacancies for better exploration.

Just after leaving the job of my previous organization, BRAC Bank, I got the opportunity to join a global platform within few months, named as "Native Camp" where my everyday work nowadays involves teaching and talking people online, mostly from China, Japan & Taiwan and I can't even explain how happy I am right now to have those sessions and exchange our thoughts with fun while doing so. I am also an avid learner and traveler with interest in knowing cultures and norms from all around the globe. I have worked for a very short time in this period with Lingua Roma, a global teaching company where I had to work with South Africans, Russians, French, Kenyans etc. Apart from that, while traveling in various parts of India and Thailand, I resided in the local hostels and houses to mingle with mixed races and know more about them. You can have a look at my teaching profile.

Being a TEFL tutor is a great way to build transferable skills, like communication, creativity, adaptability, critical thinking, problem solving, and leadership etc. It's been a tiring journey with lots of obstacles since I didn't know who to connect with for suggestions; specially anyone from my country. So, I had to look for international blogs, knock random people and gain idea on this. I would humbly request to expand my knowledge if anyone wants to know & explore this beautiful world together. I'll be writing other detailed posts about my journey and other tefl course online, tefl jobs in the coming days. For now, you can look the official website if it fits your budget. Please keep me in your prayers so that I can smoothly advance towards my dream journey, not just by sitting at a corner of the office. Thank you all. Soooo excited! 🤩

Read the full article again and know more about my adventures in  Fahadventure.

[n1ghtcrwler]

I believe that how we do things, and the methods we support, are at least as important as the results we seek. This is why I have maintained my opposition to Trump even when I agreed with what he claimed to be trying to do, it's why I have lost friends and seen strained relationships in my family these past few years, it's why I have held that being pro-life also meant I desire to better protect the kids in our schools and the immigrants in our communities and the hungry and needy among us, and it's why I am not celebrating the recent ruling.

I'm concerned that too many of my fellows are only seeing the immediate consequence; reversing Roe v Wade seems to be the only blip on their radar. But it was delivered through underhanded dealings that left a vacancy in the court when it should have been filled, by multiple justices whose validity to sit on that court is rightly questioned, and with a majority opinion that has broader implications.

By challenging the right to privacy, the Supreme Court both makes this ruling less stable (an affirmed right to privacy would instantly undermine it) and challenges a lot of rights we don't always think about as being protected by it. Thomas has already submitted an opinion that calls things like interracial marriage and legal access to contraceptives into question; the logic that turns against these also turns against matters like homeschooling and the right to have direct say in your medical care.

A simple affirmation of the legal personhood of the fetus would have been sufficient for the purposes of the pro-life movement. The fact that they avoided the simple ruling in favor of something so much more far reaching, and immediately began identifying targets to strike down next, shows that the goals of the justices do not align with my goals and, I hope, do not align with the goals of the pro-life movement at large. The fact that news of this ruling has completely overshadowed the other rulings this week--like expanding gun rights in the wake of yet more school shootings and shielding police from lawsuits for not delivering your miranda rights--is troubling. These are not pro-life judges simply trying to accurately and fairly do their job. This is a movement with interests that clash with the safety and well being of Americans, using the pro-life movement as a smoke screen to get their own will codified into law. And I cannot support or celebrate that.

This is, at best, a pyrrhic victory; I fear we have paid a far higher price than we yet know. These rulings are bad news, and it is only a matter of time before they hurt even many of the people celebrating them.

[paradisushq]

NAME: Darius Ashtons

PRONOUNS: He/Him

FACECLAIM: Aiden Turner

AGE: 436

SPECIES: Noble Vampire

OCCUPATION: Mechanic

BIOGRAPHY: 

Darius was born the eldest brother to a noble by the name of Mathew Ashton and his wife Belinda Ashton, They were a fairly well off family who lived with every comfort life could possibly offer. Life was good, and around the time of Darius’s 135th birthday they found out that by some miracle, Belinda was once again with child. Truly a blessing in disguise, or so theyd thought. About half way through her term, Darius’s mother began to deteriorate. The second baby was putting too much stress on her body, and was beginning to slowly rob her of her ability to do anything. She could hardly walk, and only with the assistance of some kind of aid. She slept for about 18 hours every day and hardly left her bed, the poor woman could barely communicate let alone feed or do anything else.

It was a terrifying time for the family, Mathew had stepped away from his duties to be with his wife, feeling it was more important then anything else at the moment.. Darius had school, but Mathew insisted he continues his studies.. This went on for many many long months, Belinda was virtually unreachable when it was finally time for the baby to arrive. You may ask- well why not remove the baby? It was clearly killing her.. Well, his mother was so overjoyed to have a second baby, neither Darius or his father had the heart to even suggest they remove it.

That night, at around 1:35 am, The cry of the Ashtons second son Charlie, filled the operation room. A healthy baby boy, loudly squealing as he was cleaned up and taken to the nursery. His cry filled the hall and echoed back to the operation room, where Darius and his father stood over his unmoving mother. Her pale cheeks flushed with sweat, but lacking the glow of life ..a soft smile rested on her pale lips, still parted from the last words shed uttered. “Mathew... look... Our son, he’s beautiful.”  Darius had never seen his father cry… but oh how the male wailed in that moment.

Belinda Alexandra Ashton, was dead.

The years that came to follow were some of the lowest points for the Ashton clan. Mathew had been utterly destroyed by the loss of his beloved and spiraled into alcohol and gambling-filled depression. Darius left his schooling to care for his younger brother, with the help of the servants of course.. He raised Charlie while his father gambled and drank away their fortune. He was relentless in his spending, and by the time of his sad death, Via suicide. He’d left his two sons virtually nothing.

Darius was forced to sell what he could to help them get by.. But his father had already pawned off most of the things of financial value to feed his gambling addiction… Leaving the once breathtaking Manor in a state of vacancy.. Empty walls, with very little left within them but the memories made there. And to rub salt in the wounds of his fathers passing, not three weeks after his death.. Collectors came, apparently his father had not only bet and lost everything that remained within the mansion… He’d lost the estate itself. Leaving Darius and Charlie, homeless.

The brokers only allowing them to take two sets of clothing and a photo of their family from the home before they were thrown from the property.

The brothers spend three long years on the street, Never having worked a day in his life Darius struggled to find work, and struggled even harder to keep it.. He wasn't skilled in the kitchen- and the low-labor jobs humans did, just didn't pay well enough or at all. He got them by but it was not the life he wanted for his brother. Eventually…He was stumbled upon by a representative of a local club, Who saw potential in the male’s large build and intimidating look, offering him a job as their bouncer..

To this day its where he works, he’d recently been able to purchase a place for him and his brother, a single bedroom apartment that had a pretty decent amount of space for the rent. Very few people recognize him as a noble, which is honestly how he’d like it to stay. The memories of his noble blood scorned him, and despite his younger brother’s desire to reclaim their family home, Darius would rather forget the past and live on as a new man.

Some years into his life as a working man, Darius would meet and fall for a Beautiful female vampire... Who just happened to be the Daughter of King Octavian himself, Despite his noble blood, Darius was no fit for the kings princess and while he’d allowed their relationship for some time- the reveal of Kate’s pregnancy along with plots of running away together would force the rulers hand in a substantial way.

Stripping the man of all memories of his daughter and the life they’d shared thus far, tucking the memories far into the recesses of his mind where one would most likely never see them again... and just to be sure, he then had Darius sent away. Never to be seen again, not by Kate, nor his unborn daughter.

—Post-Memory wipe—

Darius enjoyed the simple things in life, living out in the quiet outskirts of bumbfuck no where Louisiana.. the man spent his days helping the locals with odd jobs and basic repairs needed on any old equipment they had that needed it. He loved the life her lived, and yet.. there was a yearning in his soul that led him to look elsewhere. He was the only Vampire in town, and had watched many of the towns folk grow old and die off. His friends and people he cared for all seemed to whither away so fast, and after a while it’d taken a tole on the vampire.

Then one day he’d been surfing the web and come across an article talking of the newly revealed nation of Paradisus, a haven for all those supernatural beings who didn’t want to live in the humans world could escape to. On a whim, he’d booked a visit to the island to have a look around and it didn’t take long before the man decided he belonged there.

Now some 6 month later, he had a small apartment there in the capital city, and worked as a Mechanic at the cities only autoshop. It was a fast job and one that paid well for the work it was.. He was living happily now amongst his people.. and yet.. something was missing.

BLOG LINK

[mariacallous]

Funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) is starting to flow across the country, accelerating thousands of transportation, water, energy, and other projects. But those are just the beginning of the $860 billion in investments over the coming years that will reach transportation departments, water utilities, and other infrastructure owners and operators at a state and local level. And the challenge facing these entities is not simply getting more shovels in the ground, but maximizing the economic reach of this generational funding. That’s especially the case for millions of workers who remain unemployed, underemployed, or disconnected from the labor market. 

Infrastructure investment holds promise in creating more enduring and equitable jobs—including those with longer-term career pathways, higher pay, and lower formal educational barriers to entry in the skilled trades and other related fields. Infrastructure jobs are not just short-term positions in construction, but long-term positions involved in operation and maintenance—think electricians, technicians, and climate-related positions—which need a steady pipeline of talent, particularly younger talent. These workers are moving people, shipping goods, pumping water, capturing and distributing energy, laying broadband, and more.  

However, many infrastructure jobs face high turnover and remain unfilled, with employers struggling to hire, train, and retain talent. The influx of IIJA funds for additional projects means even more workers will be needed, and now is the time to start planning—and filling—these positions. That is where service and conservation programs come in. 

Infrastructure employers need a new approach to recruiting, hiring, and training workers  

To hire more workers, the state and local entities eligible for IIJA funding need to prioritize strategic workforce planning and apply the same discipline in sourcing talent as they do in sourcing other inputs. For many infrastructure employers, this will require a change in HR practices, which tend to be traditional and rigid; for example, utilities and transportation departments can struggle to provide visible, flexible pathways for prospective workers. This extends beyond just infrastructure firms—across all industries, developing robust recruitment and training strategies often takes a backseat to shorter-term operational and project management goals. This is especially true for positions that do not require a bachelor’s degree.  

Waiting until the last minute to fill vacancies and relying upon existing social and professional networks is a fairly common recruitment strategy. However, this strategy is a particularly poor fit for infrastructure employers, given that their workforce skews older, white, and male. As incumbent workers retire, employers need to reach a younger, more diverse workforce—which requires partnerships with high schools, postsecondary education, and workforce programs. And replicating the existing workforce would perpetuate the racism and sexism that foreclosed infrastructure job opportunities to many women and people of color over the years. The demand for more infrastructure workers is especially urgent given the influx of new federal funding, and the country needs an all-hands-on-deck approach to recruiting millions of workers, getting projects done, and helping more communities.  

Service and conservation corps can develop infrastructure workers  

A key change is that infrastructure employers need to think more broadly about their recruitment, hiring, and training practices. And, for their part, workforce organizations, schools, and community groups need to be ready and willing partners. One such partner is the network of service and conservation corps programs around the country, including state service commissions that support AmeriCorps programs at the state and local level. Existing programs such as YouthBuild, conservation corps, and other groups (many funded by AmeriCorps) already have experience recruiting, training, and putting people to work on a variety of projects. Service programs primarily recruit people in their late teens and 20s (although the model is flexible and could recruit with a wider age lens), and many focus more specifically on Black and Latino or Hispanic people and those not on track to earn a college degree. 

Service programs could form a natural pipeline for infrastructure careers. In fact, many of the projects and activities service and conservation programs carry out are already infrastructure-related: planting trees, maintaining trails, retrofitting buildings with energy-efficient lighting and heating, and repairing and maintaining transportation infrastructure. Approaches to skill-building are similar as well. All corps members receive on-the-job training, as do 80% of infrastructure workers. Service programs could help quickly increase skills development across a variety of fields, including science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), which are essential in these careers.  

A number of existing service corps programs demonstrate the strength of the model. The California Conservation Corps, the California Climate Action Corps, AmeriCorps NCCC, YouthBuild, and individual members of the Corps Network show what is possible. They engage with area employers to plug young people into the local labor market; offer members the chance to earn industry-recognized credentials; prepare members for apprenticeships; and orient members to the range of careers related to sustainability, conservation, disaster prevention and relief, and environmental resilience. The key is that while the scope of action should be national, additional service programs should be informed and driven by innovative models at a state and local level, in much the same way leaders have done with American Rescue Plan Act funding over the past year. 

Service programs would not only contribute to infrastructure projects and help build out the sector’s workforce, but can also provide much-needed support and structure as young people start their careers. As a form of work-based learning, service programs provide corps members the chance to learn technical, applied, and interpersonal skills in ways that are difficult to achieve in the classroom alone. Since they offer stipends, service programs are also a flexible and accessible way to learn, especially for those who cannot afford to attend school or training without also working—a key stumbling block in today’s economy.  

The IIJA and infrastructure jobs moment  

Today’s challenge—and opportunity—is to ensure that the infrastructure field develops the workforce it needs to carry out projects supported by the IIJA and those in decades to come, ideally in ways that open the field to a broader pool of prospective workers. IIJA funding comes in two main forms: formula funding and competitive grants. While both types of funding will stretch over the next five years (2022 to 2026), formula funding will tend to reach state and local entities faster than competitive funding, which influences the timing, scale, and nature of impact. 

Formula funding accounts for the majority (76%) of IIJA funding, with federal agencies apportioning money to states based on pre-existing formulas, such as population or number of roadway miles. For the most part, IIJA formula funds do not offer many explicit requirements regarding workforce development, so state and local entities can be fairly flexible in how they partner with service programs and other workforce groups to recruit, train, and hire workers for different IIJA-funded initiatives. For example, Oregon and Maryland are carving out a portion of their transportation formula grants for supportive services (like child care) and sector partnerships.  

A key issue, however, is that workforce efforts are an allowable—not required—use of funds, and the state and local entities receiving IIJA funding have varying levels of familiarity with organizations and systems that provide education and training. Some have no experience while others have strong partnerships with schools and other groups. It’s a safe bet, though, that most entities have less rather than more experience with workforce-related groups.  

It is therefore incumbent upon service programs, state service commissions, and anyone else interested in promoting access to infrastructure jobs to reach out to state transportation departments, regional water utilities, energy and broadband utilities, and other IIJA-funded entities to build relationships and offer ideas of how their program or broader service portfolio can help develop the infrastructure workforce. State service commissions distribute around 75% of current AmeriCorps funding for service-year programs, and are often run out of the governor’s office, state labor department, or other state agency. Along with individual service programs, state commissions are well positioned to engage with infrastructure agency leads to build out career pipelines. 

Competitive funding accounts for about 24% of all IIJA funding. In these cases, federal agencies will evaluate a wide assortment of infrastructure project proposals across the country. These grant programs are likely to incorporate guidance and requirements around workforce issues, which creates a natural opening for service corps and other workforce programs.  

For instance, the Department of Transportation’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program will award $1.5 billion in funding for 2022 alone, evaluating eligible applicants based on their ability to support “high-quality, good paying jobs…[by] incorporating workforce strategy into project development.” Likewise, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields Program includes $1.2 billion in assistance to state, local, and other entities focused on a variety of clean-up projects, with $30 million in specific job training grants.  

Still, guidance around workforce needs—and equity considerations more broadly—remains unclear in many other competitive programs. Dozens of new programs, including many at the Department of Energy, are still evolving and have yet to spell out how they will address workforce development. Federal agencies could specifically note that engaging with service programs or state service commissions is an allowable use of funds, and perhaps award extra points or consideration for proposals that do so.  

Just as the IIJA offers unprecedented investments in our physical infrastructure, it also offers a generational opportunity to create greater and more equitable access to infrastructure jobs. State and local leaders should consider service and conservation corps as a valuable asset as they seek to develop the next generation of infrastructure workers.   

[settleddxst]

Intro

NAME: Darius Ashtons

PRONOUNS: He/Him

FACECLAIM: Aiden Turner

AGE: 436

SPECIES: Noble Vampire

OCCUPATION: Mechanic

Darius was born the eldest brother to a noble by the name of Mathew Ashton and his wife Belinda Ashton, They were a fairly well off family who lived with every comfort life could possibly offer. Life was good, and around the time of Darius’s 135th birthday they found out that by some miracle, Belinda was once again with child. Truly a blessing in disguise, or so theyd thought. About half way through her term, Darius’s mother began to deteriorate. The second baby was putting too much stress on her body, and was beginning to slowly rob her of her ability to do anything. She could hardly walk, and only with the assistance of some kind of aid. She slept for about 18 hours every day and hardly left her bed, the poor woman could barely communicate let alone feed or do anything else.

It was a terrifying time for the family, Mathew had stepped away from his duties to be with his wife, feeling it was more important then anything else at the moment.. Darius had school, but Mathew insisted he continues his studies.. This went on for many many long months, Belinda was virtually unreachable when it was finally time for the baby to arrive. You may ask- well why not remove the baby? It was clearly killing her.. Well, his mother was so overjoyed to have a second baby, neither darius or his father had the heart to even suggest they remove it.

That night, at around 1:35 am, The cry of the Ashtons second son Charlie, filled the operation room. A healthy baby boy, loudly squealing as he was cleaned up and taken to the nursery. His cry filled the hall and echoed back to the operation room, where darius and his father stood over his unmoving mother. Her pale cheeks flushed with sweat, but lacking the glow of life ..a soft smile rested on her pale lips, still parted from the last words shed uttered. “Mathew..look..Our son, hes beautiful.”  Darius had never seen his father cry… but oh how the male wailed in that moment.

Belinda Alexander Ashton, was dead.

The years that came to follow were some of the lowest points for the Ashton clan. Mathew had been utterly destroyed by the loss of his beloved and spiraled into alcohol and gambling-filled depression. Darius left his schooling to care for his younger brother, with the help of the servants of course.. He raised charlie while his father gambled and drank away their fortune. He was relentless in his spending, and by the time of his sad death, Via suicide. Hed left his two sons virtually nothing.

Darius was forced to sell what he could to help them get by.. But his father had already pawned off most of the things of financial value to feed his gambling addiction… Leaving the once breathtaking Manor in a state of vacancy.. Empty walls, with very little left within them but the memories made there. And to rub salt in the wounds of his fathers passing, not three weeks after his death.. Collectors cames, apparently his father had not only bet and lost everything that remained within the mansion… Hed lost the estate itself.

Leaving Darius and Charlie, homeless.

The brokers only allowing them to take two sets of clothing and a photo of their family from the home before they were thrown from the property.

The brothers spend three long years on the street, Never having worked a day in his life Darius struggled to find work, and struggled even harder to keep it.. He wasnt skilled in the kitchen- and the low-labor jobs humans did, just didnt pay well enough or at all. He got them by but it was not the life he wanted for his brother. Eventually…He was stumbled upon by a representative of a local club, Who saw potential in the male’s large build and intimidating look, offering him a job as their bouncer..

To this day its where he works, hed recently been able to purchase a place for him and his brother, a single bedroom apartment that had a pretty decent amount of space for the rent. Very few people recognize him as a noble, which is honestly how hed like it to stay. The memories of his noble blood scorned him, and despite his younger brother’s desire to reclaim their family home, Darius would rather forget the past and live on as a new man.

Some years into his life as a working man, Darius would meet and fall for a Beautiful female vampire..Who just happened to be the Daughter of King Octavian himself, Despite his noble blood, Darius was no fit for the kings princess and while hed allowed their relationship for some time- the reveal of kates pregnancy along with plots of running away togather would force the rulers hand in a substantial way.

Stripping the man of all memories of his daughter and the life theyd shared thus far, tucking the memories far into the recesses of his mind where one would most likely never see them again..and just to be sure, he then had darius sent away. Never to be seen again, not by kate, nor his unborn daughter.

—Post Memory wipe—

Darius enjoyed the simple things in life, living out in the quiet outskirts of bum fuck no where Louisiana.. the man spent his days helping the locals with odd jobs and basic repairs needed on any old equipment they had that needed it. He loved the life her lived, and yet.. there was a yearning in his soul that led him to look elsewhere. He was the only Vampire in town, and had watched many of the towns folk grow old and die off. His friends and people he cared for all seemed to whither away so fast, and after a while itd taken a tole on the vampire.

Then one day hed been surfing the web and come across an article talking of the newly revealed nation of Paradisus, a haven for all those supernatural beings who didnt want to live in the humans world could escape to. On a whim, hed booked a visit to the island to have a look around and it didnt take long before the man decided he belonged there.

Now some 6 month later, he had a small apartment there in the capital city, and worked as a Mechanic at the cities only autoshop. It was a fast job and one that paid well for the work it was.. He was living happily now amongst his people.. and yet.. something was missing.

Despite Darius’s large stature and harsh stare, he is a genuinely kind individual that was taught by his mother that all life was to be respected. Vampire or other wise, He wont hesitate to step in if he sees slaves being abused. Though there is very little he can really do, generally his sheer size and intimidation is enough to break apart bad situations.

He is quiet in most settings though can be rather charismatic if he is given the time to open up, showing more of what he was taught growing up.

[skugal]

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