I’m often in the role of “audience”. Somebody has to applaud.
So, from 2013-2017 on Vine, I created lots of little silly videos; but I made it a point to like smaller creators things; i see a kid making something, i click a like, maybe do a “great job!” and move on. I did similar things on Google+ when it was around, and I still do it on Instagram when I see it. It’s likes, little self-esteem boosts; I consider it an honor.
One of my greatest honors was in 2012-14, I ran a minecraft server – it did really well for most of that time. I put people in positions of power there; I didn’t know their ages and never asked; I just went by their attitudes; and I’d sometimes give the troubled ones power on purpose to see how they do, and they usually did well.
I was more hands-off except for the background work, although I’d intervene when I had to.
after 8 years off part of it lives again for the moment, although they kind of lost interest within 3 weeks –
But a few dozen people from the server from 8-10 years ago, they tracked a bunch of them down and they came back and got to see the creations of theirs I’d saved for all those years on my computer; it was pretty neat.
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Their current focus – and I see it here in Florida – they want to overturn school boards and get majorities. Then vote in new restrictions on public schools and leniency and money towards charter schools, who will happen to be run by franchises tied to the big money conservative groups.
From there, squeeze the money out of the poorer schools ’til they have to be shut down and replaced.
I’m 50. I’ve been watching this process since 1990 as the push to privatizing prisons and schools started to grow and the voucher systems – which I initially agreed with – started taking hold and became a scam-fest and a money grab.
The Betsy DeVos thing thankfully got enough pushback from existing systems to prevent her damage from being too great; she wrecked the schools (intentionally) where she was from.
Naw, this has been going on a long time and it’s very annoying.
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I’m a fan of unschooling since I read books from John Holt as a teenager.
But my issue here is the conservative money grab happening; this is not some grass roots “let’s all go alternative” – this is odd Christian groups with big $$$ setting up “Classical Academies” to “make children dangerous” against the “shadows of the world”. – creepy stuff imo. Not a fan
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The goal is to dismantle public schools and siphon the money to private Christian schools – they call them “Classical Academies” instead of “Classical Christian Academies” now. We had one locally where the head went to prison for siphoning money, lying about student attendance, etc. They got 2 out of 5 members of our school board replaced with his people for a year and they caused chaos. If they’d gotten 3 of 5 members, they’d have successfully wrecked our already hinky school system.
Meh, I dunno. I’ve just been following this stuff a long time. It’s annoying because I’d like to see public schools changed with something better; and I have a lot of ideas in that way.
But this money grab + convert America to a theocracy thing ain’t it.
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