Anyone who has tried to wrangle a classroom of kids knows that it's a formidable feat at any age. Having a group of learners who are engaged, attentive and reasonably courteous is the goal, but managing diverse personalities from various backgrounds and home environments and who have different standards and expectations of behavior can be tricky. Some teachers take the old-school "law and order" approach, laying out a list of classroom rules everyone is supposed to follow. Those who don't fall in line face consequences of some sort. But high school Language Arts teacher Monte Syrie takes a different tack—one that sees students as valued citizens of a community instead of young people to be controlled. Syrie, who has been teaching for more than two decades, says he's always striving to make the school year better than the last one. That means regularly reflecting and reevaluating how he communicates with his students, which is how he went from standard classroom rules to reframing them as "Policies and Procedures" to tossing out the concept of "rules" altogether. Now he offers 4 R's—Roles, Routines, Rights and Responsibilities—as a framework for classroom management. — (@) "I think teachers are framers. We frame the room. We frame the work. We frame the day. We frame the year. We frame the entire experience–whether we want to or not," Syrie shares. "The kids look to us for the frame. What we do–or don’t do–decides the day. And, man oh man, is there pressure in that. But, there’s also possibility–powerful possibility."Syrie explains in his book about teaching that kids respond differently when teachers frame things differently, and being greeted with classroom rules on day one evokes a specific response in kids. "We seem to believe if we don’t get rules in front of the kids immediately, we will never get the kids where we want them," he writes. "I don’t believe in this anymore. I did, I suppose, at one point, but at this point, I believed there was a better way to 'get kids.'"Syrie decided to reframe his classroom policies as as Roles that let kids see themselves through various lenses, Routines that tell them what to expect, Rights that give them individual autonomy and Responsibilities that help them contribute to a shared community.So what does that look like?Roles in Syrie's classroom include the roles of Yourself (the most important role, he says), Valued Community Member, Reader, Writer, Mistake Maker, and Reflector. He explains to the students what each of these roles entails and why it's important for kids to take them on. Routines include daily and weekly activities such as starting class with a community check-in called Smiles and Frowns and ending class with Journey Journaling. Each day of the week also has a specific focus, such as writing, reading or grammar. Rights include things like, "I have the right to feel safe," "I have the right to learn," and "I have the right to ask as many questions as l want." Syrie also gives students the right to eat and drink in class and the right to make mistakes without fear of penalty. Monte Syrie talks to a student in one of his classes. Photo credit: Monte SyrieAs for Responsibilities, students have a responsibility to get to class on time, know and honor the class routines, self-regulate use of electronic devices in the classroom, be a great listener, self-regulate leaving the room, take ownership of their learning, and be sensitive and respectful of others' viewpoints, among other things. Students are expected to do their best to fulfill these responsibilities and to handle any breaches (such as being late to class) with courtesy and minimal disruption to the rest of the class. If they are struggling with any of these responsibilities, interventions include reminder(s), conversation(s), parent contact, and as a last and unlikely resort, office referral. The beauty of Syrie's four R's is that they demonstrate a sense of trust in students right off the bat, helping them see themselves both as responsible individuals and as valued parts of a communal whole. When people feel trusted and valued and are empowered by a clear balance of rights and responsibilities, most tend to rise to the occasion—even when they're in high school. That's not to say that this framing eliminates all classroom management issues, but it's a framework that encourages character development from within the students rather than exerting control from the top down. They'll be able to take this framing through their whole educational career and beyond. A fellow educator wrote on X, "Love this in so many ways! In these times, this answers 'how can we help learners understand the principles of a democracy?'" Imagine if we all reflected more on our roles, routines, rights and responsibilities as citizens rather than just memorizing the laws we are obliged to follow. Perhaps Mr. Syrie's rethinking and reframing of the educational experience can help us all consider a new framing for our own lives as individuals and community members as well. You can follow Monte Syrie on X and find his book, "better: A Teacher's Journey: Project 180 Book One," here.

Trying to conceive can be a long journey for some people while for others it seems like the easiest thing in the world. If you fall into the group that has difficulty getting pregnant you know it can take months, years and sometimes expensive fertility treatments. There are months of anxiety, tears and confusion that can come along with the process.But when the test finally comes up positive, the joy is palpable and oftentimes contagious. One couple recorded the months of disappointment leading up to their positive pregnancy test and their video has caused viewers to fall into shambles. Saffron uploaded the video compilation to social media and people are struggling to hold back their tears.The video shows Saffron reading the results of a pregnancy test with her partner right next to her. Their disappointment can be felt though they both attempt to make it seem like they're okay. This process repeats multiple times throughout the video with each disappointment being more palpable than the last.This same scene plays out about seven times making the viewer anticipate more sad results, but when they look on the eighth time, their eyes go wide and an audible gasp is heard from both. Happy tears, hugs and several "oh my gods" later, the positive test is turned to the screen for everyone to see the family is growing. The pair already have a older child and while it's unclear if this couple meets the 12 month threshold to classify their journey as secondary infertility, it is a fairly common condition. Secondary infertility affects 11% of couples in the United States and can be caused by many of the same things can cause primary infertility, PCOS, endometriosis, uterine disorders, low ovarian reserve and more. Saffron's video has been seen 59 million times on Instagram and has even made it's way to Reddit where more than 3k people commented on the emotional video. Many people had trouble seeing through all the tears they were crying for the sweet couple. - YouTube youtube.com "His face when it didn’t come up as positive had me legit crying," one woman says feeling the disappointment from the screen before the positive result came up."This is why you don’t go on your phone in work…..I’ve just burst into tears," another person cries."It is so beautiful to see two people who truly love each other and truly care and truly respect one another, as there is just love I see in him and I see it in you, and in this world of so much deception it is beautiful to see the hugs and the joy you both have and it is inspirational and love overcome always," one commenter shares.Under the video shared on Reddit, people were equally as emotionally wrecked watching the progression of the video with one person writing, "the second-to-last clip, where the wife is in a tan robe, he really looked like he was going to burst into tears. It broke my heart. I feel like maybe he’d made up his mind it wasn’t ever going to happen, and so in the next clip he was not prepared.""I don’t even want kids and I’m crying at my desk right now. The joy and shock, his face, the way she’s shaking and crying, it all just makes me so happy," another says.Sharing such a private moment with the world was probably not the easiest decision in the world, but they likely made several struggling couples feel a little less alone in their own fertility journey. Congratulations to the little growing family!

UFC Hall of Famer, former WWE star and actress Ronda Rousey had a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) session on Tuesday, August 20, to promote the Kickstarter page for her first graphic novel. But things didn’t go as she planned. The post was flooded with Redditors asking her about the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, that left 26 people dead, including 20 young students. A month after the tragedy, Rousey posted a link to a YouTube conspiracy video about the shooting that she called “extremely interesting” and “must-watch.” She deleted the post but didn’t exactly back down from the decision. @BloodstainLane thanks, I just figure asking questions and doing research is more patriotic than blindly accepting what you're told— Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) January 15, 2013 The top comments on the Reddit AMA were all about the shooting. “Over a decade ago, you tweeted, ‘I never meant to insult or hurt anyone, sorry if anyone was offended. It was not my intention in the least.’ after sharing a video that you called ‘must-watch’ and ‘interesting’ that had claimed the Sandy Hook School Massacre was part of a government conspiracy,” the top commenter wrote. “Considering 20 children were slaughtered and one was shot as many as 11 times, is it fair to say that you owe a much better public apology than the one you issued?” Three days after the AMA and 11 years after posting the controversial video, Rousey posted a heartfelt apology on Twitter. “I can't say how many times I've redrafted this apology over the last 11 years. How many times I've convinced myself it wasn't the right time or that I'd be causing even more damage by giving it. But eleven years ago I made the single most regrettable decision of my life,” she wrote. — (@) “I drafted a thousandth apology to include in my last memoir, but my publisher begged me to take it out, saying it would overshadow everything else and do more harm than good. So I convinced myself that apologizing would just reopen the wound for no other reason than me selfishly trying to make myself feel better, that I would hurt those suffering even more and possibly lead more people down the black hole of conspiracy bullshit by it being brought up again just so I could try to shake the label of being a ‘Sandy Hook truther,’” she wrote. Rousey sided with those who have criticized her and said she deserved to lose opportunities because of her actions. “But honestly I deserve to be hated, labeled,detested, resented and worse for it. I deserve to lose out on every opportunity, I should have been canceled, I would have deserved it. I still do,” she continued. Rousey then addressed those who were personally affected by the shooting. “I can't even begin to imagine the pain you've endured and words cannot describe how thoroughly remorseful and ashamed I am of myself for contributing to it. I've regretted it every day of my life since and will continue to do so until the day I die,” Rousey wrote. She ended the apology by addressing those who continue to embrace conspiracy theories, warning them to avoid falling into the same trap that she did. “And to anyone else that's fallen down the black hole of bulls**t. It doesn't make you edgy, or an independent thinker, you're not doing your due diligence entertaining every possibility by digesting these conspiracies,” Rousey wrote. “They will only make you feel powerless, afraid, miserable and isolated. You're doing nothing but hurting others and yourself. Regardless of how many bridges you've burned over it, stop digging yourself a deeper hole, don't get wrapped up in the sunk cost fallacy, no matter how long you've gone down the wrong road, you should still turn back.”Ronda Rousey’s AMA on the pro wrestling subreddit SquaredCircle today was one for the ages, as all her answers (to softball questions like favorite pizza) were heavily downvoted after she dodged questions about sharing a Sandy Hook conspiracy video https://t.co/spbbRIoy9v pic.twitter.com/fR6cSvGDUN— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) August 21, 2024 It’s impossible to know what’s inside another person’s heart. But Rousey’s apology did a commendable job of atoning for her mistakes and attempting to prevent others from doing the same. Ultimately, it’s not up to the general public to decide whether Rousey’s apology was adequate to make up for her actions. It’s up to those who were personally affected by the tragedy, who had to endure countless attacks by conspiracy theorists such as Alex Jones. One can hope that the apology provided solace to those who’ve suffered an unimaginable loss and can help prevent others from inflicting the same pain.

The grungy sounds of thrash. The post ‘End of the Line’: The Metallica song ripped off from Pearl Jam first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Talking to a American monument The post The artist Chris Cornell was terrified of meeting: “I was just awestruck” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Telling a story years in the making. The post The Stevie Nicks song she considered her best: “It was perfect” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Too out of it to take everything in. The post The classic David Bowie song Trent Reznor was ashamed of: “Me at my worst” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Never letting that spark die. The post The Don Henley songs he thought never got old: “Always resonates with me” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

A room with a view. The post Where did John Lennon record ‘Give Peace a Chance’? first appeared on Far Out Magazine.