Gretchen @offgridteacher.bsky.social · 16hUpdate on our canceled family vacation turned staycation: my daughter got to be home for Trash Truck Day! 020
Reposted by GretchenCiara | Ciaraíoch 🎨 @ciaraioch.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Happy Michaelmas! In some parts of Ireland on this day, rent could be paid in geese. If you’re due to pay rent this month, please consider setting a very irritated goose on your landlord in lieu of payment, in the name of upholding important Irish traditions. 12454140
Reposted by Gretchenryan cooper @ryanlcooper.com · 29/09/2026Norway has solution to this actually, stay at home parents can get their share of the public daycare subsidy as cash, that way parents are not pushed one way or the other. the problem of course is virtually no one on the center or right actually gives a shit about parents 372452524
Reposted by GretchenMatthew A Kraft @matthewakraft.com · 28/09/2026New @nytimes.com piece ranks 30 education interventions on both effectiveness & costs. For me, the key takeaway is NOT about what academics (including myself) rated as most effective or least costly. It is about the decision making process districts use. 🧵 www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/u...nytimes.com30 Ideas for Fixing U.S. Schools, Ranked by ExpertsMath and reading scores are in a decade-long slump. We asked three dozen experts: What could turn things around? 25219
Gretchen @offgridteacher.bsky.social · 28/09/2026We’re trying to make lemonade out of lemons and go on a day trip in lieu of a canceled, much larger trip. Any NorCal locals with a toddler recommend either Marin or the Presidio/Tunnel Tops for a workday (ie we know we’ll be battling traffic the entire time). 130
Gretchen @offgridteacher.bsky.social · 26/09/2026My dad and brother both went to UC Santa Barbara, and they have both now lost their college BFF’s/roommates to ALS. 010
Gretchen @offgridteacher.bsky.social · 25/09/2026I’m looking for recommendations on the best small air purifier that is very elderly-friendly/for a tech averse senior citizen that has simple buttons and is easy to maintain. Please send any suggestions my way. 552
Gretchen @offgridteacher.bsky.social · 25/09/2026I ran into a grey fox during my run in the foothills this morning! I initially thought it was a coyote but have since been corrected. 191
Gretchen @offgridteacher.bsky.social · 23/09/2026It is insane to me that both Sutter Health and UC Davis Health are pausing their COVID vaccines right now. 330
Gretchen @offgridteacher.bsky.social · 23/09/2026I forgot to mention it here, but I managed to podium at a 10K this weekend. I found myself initially not giving myself enough credit, pointing out that it was a small race, and was for my age group, but it did feel good to feel like all of the hours of training I did, almost all solo, paid off. 4180
Reposted by GretchenErin Biba @erinbiba.bsky.social · 18/09/2026[banging on table] FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK www.popsci.com/environment/...popsci.comThe Fat Bear Week 2026 bracket is here and chunkier than everVoting starts September 22 with a final winner crowned on September 29. 211673707
Reposted by GretchenJeremy Ney @jeremybney.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Maternal mortality has increased dramatically since the overturn of Roe v. Wade. We look at ectopic pregnancies, which stand nearly no chance of viable life, and how women in no-abortion states are seeing death rates rise. A real avoidable atrocity. americaninequality.substack.com/p/charts-tha...americaninequality.substack.comCharts that Explain the World No. 5Prices soar across the economy, African nations agree to accept US immigrants, shifting midterm forecasts, and rising maternal deaths. 023
Reposted by GretchenRobert Boessenecker, Dr. of Whaleontology ™️ @coastalpaleo.bsky.social · 21/09/2026It's #seaotterawarenessweek! 🐬🦑🧪 Sea otters only live in the North Pacific today and are the smallest marine mammals. Frustratingly, they have a very limited fossil record, and their origins are quite murky. We know *much* more about their ecology than their evolution; read more here:coastalpaleo.blogspot.comThe terrible fossil record of sea otters, part 1: What do we know about modern sea otters?You can find the second part here , and the third part here . Introduction Sea otters are perhaps my favorite marine mammal, for se... 625550
Reposted by GretchenSoCal Leslie @socalleslie.bsky.social · 21/09/2026As promised, Sea otter with her pup. Sea otter awareness week. 🦦🌿 749265
Reposted by GretchenSocial Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 21/09/2026A theatre in Barcelona has been banned from promoting a stage adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own on Instagram and Facebook because the work includes “social topics.”* www.theguardian.com/technology/2... * "any mention of civil rights, feminism or social reform"theguardian.comMeta bans ads for Virginia Woolf play in Spain because they relate to feminismTheatre told that Facebook and Instagram filter out ads mentioning ‘social topics’ such as civil rights or feminism 98249
Gretchen @offgridteacher.bsky.social · 21/09/2026I ran a race yesterday, then after naptime I took my toddler and myself to get our flu shots. Today I’m solo parenting, and we’re both out of sorts so… Number Blocks it is. I do have to admit screen-free only lasted until age 2. 050
Reposted by GretchenMonterey Bay Aquarium @montereybayaquarium.org · 21/09/2026Every sea otter deserves a second chance! In 2025, we opened our Sea Otter Conservation Center. Thanks to donor support, this state-of-the-art facility features two new holding tanks and two exam rooms, allowing us to provide critical care to more southern sea otters in need. 523762
Reposted by GretchenMichael E. Mann @michaelemann.bsky.social · 19/09/2026"What Happens When Earth Passes 1.5 Degrees of Warming" via @stevecurwood.bsky.social & @livingonearthradio.bsky.social by way of @insideclimatenews.org: insideclimatenews.org/news/1909202...insideclimatenews.orgWhat Happens When Earth Passes 1.5 Degrees of Warming? - Inside Climate NewsFrom our collaborating partner “Living on Earth,” public radio’s environmental news magazine, an interview by host Steve Curwood with climate scientist Michael Mann. As the United Nations prepares to ... 16232
Reposted by GretchenAdam Becker @adambecker.bsky.social · 19/09/2026@aoc.bsky.social just put out a great statement on AI. Refreshing to see a major politician on the left nail this. "Silicon Valley billionaires want us to believe that Al robots will destroy humanity. But the biggest threat to humanity are the tech oligarchs themselves." 🎯 221561596
Reposted by GretchenAlt CDC (they/them) @altcdc.altgov.info · 19/09/2026📣📣 Protect vaccines: Make a public comment DEADLINE: TOMORROW (Sun) Bottom line: HHS is asking to change how federal vaccine reccs are categorized Sounds technical. Yes Innocuous? Absolutely not Check out EvidenceCollective easy-to-read primer 🔗👇 Then comment: www.regulations.gov/document/HHS...evidencecollective.substack.comTWO days left to comment on HHS's vaccine category proposalVaccine recommendations are on the table. Comments close Sunday. 410052
Gretchen @offgridteacher.bsky.social · 19/09/2026This is why I’ve been taking a break and choosing an alternative for my own child: 050
Gretchen @offgridteacher.bsky.social · 19/09/2026In probably the pettiest thing I’ve ever done, I’ve decided to start a sign/flag war with my neighbor. I’m tired of looking at her “Freedom Flag”, so I got a UC Santa Cruz Slugs flag (I actually went there). Go Fighting Slugs! 🐌 390
Reposted by GretchenDr. Tom Frieden @drtomfrieden.bsky.social · 17/09/2026"I'm not going to take away anybody's vaccines.” - Health Secretary Kennedy, November 2024. Covid vaccination cuts a child's risk of hospitalization by about two thirds. Half of American children get their vaccines through the Vaccines for Children Program. www.wsj.com/health/healt...wsj.comExclusive | States Delayed in Getting Covid Shots for Children’s Immunization ProgramThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hasn’t opened up the ordering process, raising concerns about delays as vaccination programs kick off. 320188
Reposted by GretchenKathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 17/09/2026This pretty much says it all: “Andrew Wakefield, a former gastroenterologist whose medical license was revoked after he was found to have fabricated research indicating a link between vaccines and autism, spoke before and immediately after Kennedy.”theguardian.comRFK Jr promises anti-vaxxers a ‘friend at the White House’ amid deadly measles outbreakThe US health secretary added that he would’ve made sweeping changes ‘on day one’ but he had to follow the law 18547
Gretchen @offgridteacher.bsky.social · 17/09/2026Talk about gatekeeping a trail. I hit this in the middle of my otherwise lovely run this morning. 110
Reposted by GretchenMarcus Luther @marcusluther.bsky.social · 15/09/2026Reason #1837261938 www.edutopia.org/article/teac...edutopia.orgWhat Worries Me About Teachers’ Use of AIA high school teacher reflects on how adult choices around AI use—particularly their approaches to transparency and focus on efficiency—can affect classroom culture. 2144
Gretchen @offgridteacher.bsky.social · 11/09/2026View from my night run along the edge where the suburbs meet the expanse beyond. 2330
Gretchen @offgridteacher.bsky.social · 10/09/2026My newborn baby starts preschool today, please send good vibes to both of us. 2150
Reposted by Gretchen𝕊𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕖 𝔾𝕦𝕣𝕝 @sundaedivine.lol · 10/09/2026Every year Idiocracy gets a little less funny and a lot more accurate. 1573853986
Reposted by GretchenRobert Kelchen @robertkelchen.com · 10/09/2026As a higher ed finance person, I keep emphasizing that more students are enrolling in high cost of educating fields like health and engineering and fewer in lower-cost fields like the humanities. This squeezes institutional budgets as cross-subsidies disappear.insidehighered.comReport: Humanities Majors DisappearingAnxiety about job prospects and heavy reading loads have led to dramatic declines in humanities majors since 2012, according to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 110329
Gretchen @offgridteacher.bsky.social · 09/09/2026What would you do with your child the day before preschool starts? I’m oscillating between having a little adventure and having a calm morning at home (the afternoon is ballet class and then dinner). 140
Reposted by GretchenBen Williamson @benpatrickwill.bsky.social · 04/09/2026Edu research is in serious danger of capture by genAI companies. They have research infrastructure most departments can't even imagine. But if you work with OpenAI or Anthropic et al? You're not just doing snazzy science but helping them capture the sector www.edtechinnovationhub.com/news/codepat...edtechinnovationhub.comCodePath and Anthropic team up to open source AI's impact on students | ETIH EdTech News — EdTech Innovation HubCodePath and Anthropic have announced a Knowledge Network to share live research findings on how AI tools affect student outcomes across thousands of students. Edtech news from ETIH on AI in education... 22213
Reposted by GretchenTed McCormick @tedmccormick.bsky.social · 06/09/2026The idea that classrooms are chiefly spaces for product testing, and that it is irresponsible pedagogy not to enforce this, is both cynical and vile, and “fuck off” is a cogent response from any professional educator to any non-teaching salescreep or tech-but-not-subject-matter expert who voices it. 141171305
Reposted by Gretchenmichaeledward @michaeledward.bsky.social · 06/09/2026Spotted over I-5 in Seattle 250146343011
Gretchen @offgridteacher.bsky.social · 06/09/2026I’m kinda depressed that my old neighbor from the Peace Corps, who stayed in his village for far longer stretches than I did, studied climate science in grad school, and solo kayaked in remotest Alaska… is now “Creating Generative AI Tools for Business.” I want out of this version of the matrix. 180
Reposted by GretchenJane Rosenzweig @janerosenzweig.bsky.social · 05/09/2026Sounds like Dartmouth is doing really interesting work with AI, including having a critical AI librarian. But this article sets up a straw man. Prohibiting AI in some classes isn't pretending "trying to make it go away" and may be a way to help students develop the judgment the author calls for./1 28117
Gretchen @offgridteacher.bsky.social · 05/09/2026I spotted two coyotes during my run club run in suburban Placer County today. Some of the other moms thought they were wolves at first, I had to clarify that there are NOT wolves here, and that we would have heard about it if they had made their way to the suburbs. Terrible photo below: 260
Reposted by Gretchenfravery.bsky.social @fravery.bsky.social · 04/09/2026"Every sunset is an opportunity to reset.” ― Richie Norton Normov Art Studio 161147152
Gretchen @offgridteacher.bsky.social · 04/09/2026We’re going though some medical stuff right now. To calm me down, the Mr pointed out that if he winds up with a blood cancer it’ll be what finally gets him to 100% disability rating with the VA since he was exposed to the burn pits. 440
Reposted by GretchenMark Crail @markcrail.bsky.social · 03/09/2026www.theguardian.com/science/2026...theguardian.comRich people more likely to steal children’s sweets, finds Ig Nobel prize-winning studyWe round up the winners at awards for achievements that ‘first make people laugh and then make them think’ 9518169
Gretchen @offgridteacher.bsky.social · 04/09/2026We had our Meet and Greet for Waldorf preschool today, and the teacher uses a homemade wooden flute as her attention getter. I’m really digging the vibe. 080
Reposted by GretchenMeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 02/09/2026Trump is turning federal disaster relief announcements into MAGA campaign messages, using FEMA aid posts to promote GOP candidates, tout his endorsements and brag about his election margins. Meanwhile, several Democratic-led states seeking assistance were notably absent from his announcement spree.meidasnews.comTrump Turns Disaster Relief Announcements Into MAGA Campaign MessagesFEMA funds should be distributed based on need, not loyalty to Trump. 46869380
Reposted by Gretchenspirit airlines presents: airplane fall @makeitsnow.bsky.social · 02/09/2026it’s worth remembering, when our turn comes, that the tech giants did the math and determined that they were not bigger than the united states government 7658176
Reposted by GretchenRyan J Hollister @phaneritic.bsky.social · 02/09/2026Dubious developers are trying pressure the NPS into building a road THROUGH Yosemite to connect their mostly undeveloped $4mil ranch property (surrounded public lands) to HWY 120 in Yosemite. Why is it a terrible idea? 1/n www.sfgate.com/national-par... 88454