#grading apps

[inkskinned]

i have chronic pain. i am neurodivergent. i understand - deeply - the allure of a "quick fix" like AI. i also just grew up in a different time. we have been warned about this.

15 entire years ago i heard about this. in my forensics class in high school, we watched a documentary about how AI-based "crime solving" software was inevitably biased against people of color.

my teacher stressed that AI is like a book: when someone writes it, some part of the author will remain within the result. the internet existed but not as loudly at that point - we didn't know that AI would be able to teach itself off already-biased Reddit threads. i googled it: yes, this bias is still happening. yes, it's just as bad if not worse.

i can't actually stop you. if you wanna use ChatGPT to slide through your classes, that's on you. it's your money and it's your time. you will spend none of it thinking, you will learn nothing, and, in college, you will piss away hundreds of thousands of dollars. you will stand at the podium having done nothing, accomplished nothing. a cold and bitter pyrrhic victory.

i'm not even sure students actually read the essays or summaries or emails they have ChatGPT pump out. i think it just flows over them and they use the first answer they get. my brother teaches engineering - he recently got fifty-three copies of almost-the-exact-same lab reports. no one had even changed the wording.

and yes: AI itself (as a concept and practice) isn't always evil. there's AI that can help detect cancer, for example. and yet: when i ask my students if they'd be okay with a doctor that learned from AI, many of them balk. it is one thing if they don't read their engineering textbook or if they don't write the critical-thinking essay. it's another when it starts to affect them. they know it's wrong for AI to broad-spectrum deny insurance claims, but they swear their use of AI is different.

there's a strange desire to sort of divorce real-world AI malpractice over "personal use". for example, is it moral to use AI to write your cover letters? cover letters are essentially only templates, and besides: AI is going to be reading your job app, so isn't it kind of fair?

i recently found out that people use AI as a romantic or sexual partner. it seems like teenagers particularly enjoy this connection, and this is one of those "sticky" moments as a teacher. honestly - you can roast me for this - but if it was an actually-safe AI, i think teenagers exploring their sexuality with a fake partner is amazing. it prevents them from making permanent mistakes, it can teach them about their bodies and their desires, and it can help their confidence. but the problem is that it's not safe. there isn't a well-educated, sensitive AI specifically to help teens explore their hormones. it's just internet-fed cycle. who knows what they're learning. who knows what misinformation they're getting.

the most common pushback i get involves therapy. none of us have access to the therapist of our dreams - it's expensive, elusive, and involves an annoying amount of insurance claims. someone once asked me: are you going to be mad when AI saves someone's life?

therapists are not just trained on the book, they're trained on patient management and helping you see things you don't see yourself. part of it will involve discomfort. i don't know that AI is ever going to be able to analyze the words you feed it and answer with a mind towards the "whole person" writing those words. but also - if it keeps/kept you alive, i'm not a purist. i've done terrible things to myself when i was at rock bottom. in an emergency, we kind of forgive the seatbelt for leaving bruises. it's just that chat shouldn't be your only form of self-care and recovery.

and i worry that the influence chat has is expanding. more and more i see people use chat for the smallest, most easily-navigated situations. and i can't like, make you worry about that in your own life. i often think about how easy it was for social media to take over all my time - how i can't have a tiktok because i spend hours on it. i don't want that to happen with chat. i want to enjoy thinking. i want to enjoy writing. i want to be here. i've already really been struggling to put the phone down. this feels like another way to get you to pick the phone up.

the other day, i was frustrated by a book i was reading. it's far in the series and is about a character i resent. i googled if i had to read it, or if it was one of those "in between" books that don't actually affect the plot (you know, one of those ".5" books). someone said something that really stuck with me - theoretically you're reading this series for enjoyment, so while you don't actually have to read it, one would assume you want to read it.

i am watching a generation of people learn they don't have to read the thing in their hand. and it is kind of a strange sort of doom that comes over me: i read because it's genuinely fun. i learn because even though it's hard, it feels good. i try because it makes me happy to try. and i'm watching a generation of people all lay down and say: but i don't want to try.

[the-way-astray]

mr. forkle's fifth identity: yale admissions officer

[medicalgradezine]

🚑Contributor Applications for the Medical Grade Zine are now OPEN!🚑

This will be a Zine focused on the medics of Transformers!

Apps will run from May 10th until June 1st!

Please make sure you read all the information in the form!

🩹Fill it out here!🩹

Let us know if you have any questions!

[typinginink]

whatever here’s Rachel if she was totally evil and wanted to take over the world like evil julian (featuring her new robot arm cannons she stole from a robot the ninja destroyed)

I saw a repost suggesting an au where most norisville students were evil because of the powers balls or whatever you call them, I like it so I’m potentially gonna make one, Rachel is gonna have an awesome bunny mech villain suit but I have yet to draw it

[haeerizm]

i love going outside i touched lots of grass but unfortunately it didn’t fix me 😞

[glowettee]

hi mindy!! i was just scrolling through your page and wanted to ask on tips for searching for scholarships/preparing for my senior year of high-school? i've been stressing a bit because of my grades and want to at least get a bit of a boost before my senior year starts! any help you can provide is greatly appreciated!!

✧・゜: scholarship hunting & senior year prep: :・゜✧:・゜✧

hey lovely! ✨

thank you so much for your ask! i remember that pre-senior summer anxiety so well, that weird mix of excitement and complete terror about the future. first of all, take a deep breath. you're already ahead of the game by thinking about this now instead of scrambling in october (like i did, classic me behavior).

⋆.ೃ࿔:･ scholarship hunting secrets ･:࿔ೃ.⋆

let's talk about finding free money first, because who doesn't love that?

𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭: the absolute best scholarships are often the small local ones! check with your:

community foundation

parents' employers

local businesses

religious organizations (if applicable)

civic groups (rotary, kiwanis, elks lodge) these typically have way fewer applicants than national scholarships!

𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘦: make a master document with:

your activities/leadership positions

community service hours (with specific impact numbers!)

awards/honors

special circumstances or hardships

career goals having this ready makes applications so much faster!

𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘢 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮: create a spreadsheet tracking:

scholarship name

amount

deadline

requirements

status (applied/pending/rejected/awarded)

essay prompts (many can be recycled with tweaks!)

𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴:

fastweb.com

scholarships.com

goingmerry.com (my personal fave, it aggregates and lets you apply to multiple at once)

your school counselor's list (they often know about local ones not listed online)

𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴: there are scholarships for duck tape prom dresses, being left-handed, having the last name zolp… seriously. the more specific and unusual, the less competition!

𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘴: those USD 250-500 scholarships add up and often have way fewer applicants.

⋆.ೃ࿔:･ grade rescue mission ･:࿔ೃ.⋆

about those grades... i've been there too! here's what helped me:

𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸: before senior year starts, email them asking if there are:

summer assignments you can get ahead on

extra credit opportunities

specific areas to focus on for improvement teachers love proactive students and are more likely to help you!

𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺: many schools offer summer courses to replace bad grades. check if yours does!

𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴: if you know what you're taking, watch youtube videos on the subjects now. even 15 minutes a day gives you a huge advantage.

𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮: senior year is chaotic with applications, so create a sustainable study routine now before the chaos hits. i have soo many posts about studying + routines for studying.

⋆.ೃ࿔:･ senior year prep checklist ･:࿔ೃ.⋆

𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵:

2-3 reach schools

3-4 match schools

2 safety schools research their specific requirements now so nothing surprises you!

𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴:

register for fall sat/act dates now (they fill up fast!)

use free resources like khan academy for test prep

consider whether test-optional schools might be a good fit

𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺:

approach teachers before senior year starts

provide them with a "brag sheet" of your accomplishments

give at least 3-4 weeks notice (minimum!)

𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨:

the common app essay prompts are already available

jot down meaningful experiences/challenges/growth moments

draft a skeleton outline before school starts

𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵:

focus on depth over breadth

highlight leadership and impact

consider what story your activities tell about you

⋆.ೃ࿔:･ hidden senior year wisdom ･:࿔ೃ.⋆

𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘴:

complete the fafsa as early as possible (opens october 1st)

use the net price calculator on college websites

consider applying to schools known for generous aid

look into tuition exchange programs if your parents work at a university

𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮:

identify an adult who can proofread applications

find a senior-year accountability buddy

join application-focused discord servers or groups

schedule regular check-ins with your counselor

𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯:

senior year can be overwhelming

create a simple routine that helps you decompress

schedule application-free weekends

remember that your worth isn't tied to acceptance letters

⋆.ೃ࿔:･ my personal tips ･:࿔ೃ.⋆

keep a "wins" journal where you document every tiny achievement or proud moment, perfect for scholarship essays and fighting imposter syndrome

create email templates for reaching out to schools, teachers, and scholarship committees

set calendar alerts for deadlines 1 week and 3 days before they're due

find your application soundtrack (mine was taylor swift's folklore, don't judge me)

reward yourself after completing applications (i used face masks and boba tea as motivation)

remember that this is just one chapter in your story. i know it feels like everything depends on this year, but i promise you'll find your path even if it looks different than you expected.

sending you all the good vibes for senior year! you've got this!

xoxo, mindy 🤍

p.s. if you have specific questions about certain scholarships or schools, feel free to send another ask! i love helping with this stuff.

[bittsandpieces]

a lot of people on here would benefit from color adjusting their photos

[the-mallorca-files]

THE MALLORCA FILES S01 E08 — Death in the Morning

“The papers will enjoy this story. But at least the motive was personal, not political, so... a national outcry averted.”

[permanentreverie]

@ everyone who went to uni out of state/province: how long did you guys hear back after submitting your high school grades??

[determinedowl23]

light pollution is disgusting bc stars are the most gorgeous thing in the universe and it should be illegal to not be able to see them at night

[hiveswap]

Sayonara you stupid slut

[kermiethefroog]

hmm. perhaps writing an entire hate letter to the professor that is ruining my life isn't the answer, but surely it couldn't hurt.

[typinginink]

more of a coloring + art style test to see what I could do in under 2 hours..,,, here’s Randy though

If you saw any this one on tiktok no you didn’t

[jils-things]

sooo like finals r over now

thank god its xmas break now

[tricoufamily]

why are you 28 asking me for my snapchat please you were hot

[femme-foucault]

Okay since I've been venting to a very patient @invincible-selfxmade-punk about the Woes of a Side Gig I am grateful to have, here are some of the positive highlights:

I got to teach a bunch of 6-8 year olds about Troodons! The kids were telling me about their favorite dinosaurs and I got to show them mine and inform them that the velocipators in Jurassic Park were actually Troodon sized and real raptors were smaller. Also I can't tell if I just can't understand how 6 year olds speak, if there are new species of T-Rexes out, or if Jurassic Park's franchise is making them up but okay.

A little kid informed me proudly that Mew had no gender. Yes, the Pokemon. "Mewtwo is a boy," he said authoritatively. "Mew is not a boy or girl." I said "Well, some humans are neither boys nor girls" and did not press the subject.

Also after seeing the pride flags inside the building I felt comfortable using they/them pronouns and was respected!!!

On that note, I noticed the kids called authority figures "teacher" instead of "Mr" or "Ms." I like that too.

A kid went on a long, long tangent about Gundum I couldn't follow and while I don't care about Gundum 1) it's a great gateway anime 2) my best friend's husband (anime geek) and their 4 year old son love Gundum so I'm glad to see it mainstream.

I got to learn all about cool Pokemon who, apparently, can be different types now. I learned there's a Pokemon who is fire and a water type Robert Frost comes to mind.

I actually think I did okay managing them and by managing them I mean the church (it's summer camp) didn't burn down

Met a REALLY cool lady who used to do IT at Delaware

Also got crowned as an honorary