The Nerdy Teacher's Classroom

This blog is mostly made up of posts on music, random fandoms, and the daily experiences of a teacher who is getting way to old for this shit way too early. I hope you enjoy the stay. For anyone who wishes it, here's a handy link to all of the Dresden Files and urban fantasy stories I've written. It occasionally gets updated, so don't be surprised if something new shows up: https://www.tumblr.com/iainwrites/158905443865/dresden-files-and-other-assorted-series-fan-fic?source=share

[iainwrites]

The last month or so I've been playing The Long Dark, with weird spaces in between. For people who don't know, its a survival game set in Northern Canadian wilderness. And it's a game of many parts. It is a game where:

You wander through the wilderness with only the sounds of crunching snow, wind and nature around you.

You mutter to yourself "Where in all of creation did I store that spare storm lantern?"

You ration your food and water like nobody's business and pay attention to an individual item's weight and calorie count.

You get caught in blizzards and trek through nothingness, hoping you walk nose first into a cave.

You weep in joy at finding a half collapsed barn, because half collapsed means partially protected from the elements.

You stand in the light of a lit marine flare while a pack of wolves surround you, counting the bullets in your hunting rifle.

You hear the snuffling of a bear, so you strip to your skivvies and scream "COME ON POOH I'M NOT AFRAID OF A LITTLE BITCH!"

You spend a shitty day inside a trailer repairing your clothes, sharpening your knives and cleaning your guns.

You look like an absolute mad person, dressed in the the most disgusting combination of clothes, but are nice and toasty warm.

[iainwrites]

Where Did Iainwrites Go?

Life. Over the last few months, life has happened. Sometimes it dragged things out and sometimes I got a surprise slam.

-May/June is always a weird time of the year for me as a teacher. Sometimes work picks up because other substitutes call it for the year, sometimes I have a longer term job and have end of year material to make/grades to add. And sometimes things just hit a funk where no work coincides with me just bottoming out and not having the power to interact with people. This year was option 3.

-I did get to the only graduation ceremony I actively wanted/needed to go to. But I only learned about the specific time from another substitute and not the teacher that had helped me with last year's graduation. That sucked and only added to my feelings that temporary teachers are the resource people forget about if we're not around, so we actively need to push ourselves into peoples' awareness. And that's not me. Between work drop-off this year and the "not hired even when I was beyond qualified/had been doing the job for years at a lower pay rate already/other people figured it's a nobrainer that I'd be hired but nobody has talked to me when everything went down/feedback amounts to I didn't do well enough on the interview" the whole idea of substitute teaching has been a consistent kick in the head.

-Then one parent and graduate track me down at graduation, want to get a photo with me, give me hugs and thanked me because I "helped and made a difference." A) I automatically try to brush that off because all I did (or feel like "all I did") was listen to the student talk about their life, acted as a non-judging sounding board for them to vent, gave opinions (and stressed they were opinions and not instructions) and generally tried to act like a person. B) It reaffirms my feelings that decision making/head office people don't know what the hell is going on and that students/parents/staff/people I directly interact with are the ones whose opinion of me matter. Someone commenting "Oh, we don't know if you're right for this or that or ready yet" doesn't know shit about me, but the students that tracks me down and hugs me or gives me a personalized thank you card after they graduate should be the ones I listen to. I need to remember and be retaught that lesson a LOT until it sinks in.

-My Masters program hit me with a curveball. I was supposed to start in September, but class sizes, enrollment, all the fun stuff would be a problem. But hey, you can start in 2 days with people in their 2nd year, and the course is probably the most biology-heavy course you've ever taken. And you're going to complete it in 6 days. And then do the same for another course immediately afterwards. Life got REALLY busy. There was a point where I did 6 hours of lectures, wrote a reflection and did a quiz in one day, and completely tuned out afterwards.

-Oh yeah. Then in August, my brother got us tickets to go to Toronto, see a ballgame, a concert and do the tourist thing. I'm going to be absolutely socially wiped from that.

It might not be a lot based on other people's standards, but whoof. Lots for me.

[iainwrites]

I finished "Shout, Sister, Shout" by Gayle Wald. For a quick blurb, it's The biography on Sister Rosetta Tharpe, a Black Pentacostal who is now (and properly) being attributed as the godmother/progenitor of rock 'n roll music. It does a solid job telling her story, from child to death to wider cultural recognition and acknowledgement of her place in music history. There's plenty discussed about her religious stance, her musical beliefs, being a Black woman who traveled the States and navigated her way around the world. It's a good and solid read for people looking to develop a better understanding of musical history, and to learn about a legendary guitarist. It's probably going to be the springboard for me to start digging into gospel and early blues, and their overall impact on the music I started listening to in my teens.

*** What it isn't, despite the hype, is a book about a Black Pentacostal queer woman. I am not saying that the Sister wasn't queer or couldn't have been queer. But based on what's presented in the book, her queer-ness is based entirely on rumor. There's plenty discussed about her 3 marriages to men, but any discussion about her relationship with women is fairly scant. Not only that, the woman the Sister is thought to have had a relationship with denies it.

This could be a product of the subject herself: historically, information wouldn't be collected or even recorded when it comes to a Black woman in early 1900's America. Her contemporaries had, by and large, passed away at the book's writing so it would be difficult to find any first hand accounts about her personal life. So it's very possible there are pieces of her history that happened and just weren't preserved. But I think it's important to let people know that if they heard about the woman and want to read the book, they're not going to be find out about a Black queer icon. They'll read about a Black woman with strong faith who almost singlehandedly created a genre, who was the subject of rumors about being queer. It's a great read, but it might not scratch the proverbial itch.

[iainwrites]

Just finished the coffee-table book "The Record Keepers" by Josh Greenberg.

If you're someone who loves physical copies of music, enjoys the art of hunting at record stores, are interested in independent Canadian businesses or want something personal and cozy to flip through (with pictures that practically radiate the lovely dusty/musty smell of old albums), it's a good buy.

It's not a complete picture of Canadian record stores (my local/the only notable one on the Island doesn't get name checked) but it's still fun to say "I know that cramped aisle!"

[iainwrites]

For anyone who is finding themselves tired of the MCU being an endless connective set of stories, or DC throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks, here's some non-affiliated "super-hero" movies and shows to distract yourselves with.

-Brightburn. 2019 super-hero thriller. What if Clark Kent went bad as a teen? Could there be a sequel? Maybe?

-Chronicle. 2012 super-hero/sci-fi/thriller. The prom king, the quiet one and the guy who fits in the middle all gain telekinetic powers. Done as a found footage movie.

-Heroes. 2006 - 2010 super-hero drama series. Ordinary, everyday people develop powers. Save the cheerleader, save the world. If you decide to stop after S1, I don't really blame you.

-Kickass doulogy. 2010, 2013. Super-hero black comedy. Nic Cage goes full Nic Cage to be a black comedy Adam West Batman. Jim Carrey goes full Nic Cage in the sequel to become a born-again Christian vigilante.

-The Unbreakable trilogy. 2000, 2016, 2019. Super-hero thriller. Have you ever been sick? Do you get hurt too easily? Who are we really, and who are the people around us?

[iainwrites]

I don't know how widespread they are or if it's a distinctly Cape Breton food, but I just did up a pizza burger.

For those not in the know, you take a hamburger bun, load it up with pizza sauce, pepperoni, a cheese slice (mozzarella usually, but you can be fancy with your brie or provolone), heat the thing up to b'jesus levels in your microwave and then burn a couple layers off your tongue when you eat the thing. Top it off with a stubby bottle of Big 8 pop.

[iainwrites]

It's awesome and hilarious that in Canada's music interview scene, you have 2 guys who are, on paper, completely different but both regarded as "one of the best."

On the one hand you have Nardwaur, who is a weird dude. He acts weird, looks weird, sounds weird. His whole identity should scare you off. But when he interviews people, it's this amazing situation where you're asked the usual questions, then the question about your 4th grade Math teacher, then your inspirations, then you're given the first cassette you ever put out. It destroys your guard because ANYTHING can come up and there's no preparing for it. The guy is one of the best we have.

And then you have Strombo, who is in one way an unassuming dude but it also this awesomely intense interviewer. He's someone who has lived the music scene his whole life, has gone up through the ranks but never lost his "I'm just a fan" air and has tailored his approach to something that can be summed up to "I respect you and think you're awesome, but fuck hero worship. Because I respect you I'm going to ask the questions that you should be asked."

You have both this tam and plaid wearing poster child for weird spectrum-y kids everywhere, and this black and chains and rings wearing grown up metal and punk guy. They're proudly Canadian, proudly supporting their scenes and sounds, and are both complete pro's about interviews. And they'll both aim you at cool new and old music.

Love the guys.

[iainwrites]

Nova Scotian music tends to be pigeon-holed as "traditional", "Celtic", "folky" and a number of other descriptors. I mean, when your big exports are the Barra MacNeil's, Rita MacNeil, The Rankins, Anne Murray and the like, it's a pretty accurate call. BUT! My whole life and certainly the last little while, I've been working on my music library. A big part of it has been adding more Canadian content and a big part of that has been adding Maritime/Nova Scotian content. And while it's not a complete picture of what the province offers, here's some non-traditional, non-Celtic, non-folky stuff for you.

-Ashley MacIsaac: modern traditional (it's a weird idea, but listen to Hi! How Are You Today? The guy took tradition, broke the rules and made it something new)

-Classified: rap, hip-hop

-Carmen Townsend: blues rock, hard rock, folk rock, Badass Woman I've had the pleasure to work alongside

-Plumtree/Absolutely Nothing/Bontempi/Overnight/SISTER/The Lord Almighty's: pop-rock, pop punk, indie rock

-Jale: indie rock, alternative rock, Woman Led

-The Stanfields: Celtic punk, hard rock, country punk, the coolest description of "The bastard child of AC/DC and Stan Rogers"

-The Tom Fun Orchestra: indie rock, alternative rock

-The Town Heroes: singer/songwriter, indie rock, a couple of Hicks from the other side of the Island that really rock

-The Trews/One I'd Trouser: hard rock. And yes, they left for Ontario, but they're still Nova Scotians

-Joel Plaskett/Joel Plaskett Emergency/Thrush Hermit/The Tim Robbins Experience/Nabisko Fonzy: singer/songwriter, indie rock, folk rock, garage rock

-Sarah McLachlan: singer/songwriter, alternative rock

-Sloan: alternative rock, indie rock

-Christine Campbell/Campbell & Johnston: blues rock, hard rock, singer/songwriter

-David Myles: R&B, jazz, "folk jazz". He's a MP for Nova Scotia, but don't let that damn the man.

-Electric Spoonful: hard rock, garage rock

-Weekend Dads: indie rock, alternative rock

-My world will collapse if I don't mention Stan Rogers: folk music, country, singer/songwriter

-Garnet Rogers: folk music, rock blend, singer/songwriter

-Gordie Sampson: alternative rock, singer/songwriter

-Holly Cole: jazz, she's got a love and respect for Tom Waits, if that'll sell it to a stranger. Check out "Temptation" which is an entire Tom Waits cover album.

-Matt Minglewood/Minglewood Band: blues rock

-Matt Mays/Matt Mays & El Torpedo: indie rock, garage rock, hard rock

-Jimmy Swift Band/P.F. Station: alternative rock

-Pillow Fite: singer/songwriter, indie rock, queer

-The Letterblue: garage rock

-The Royal Volts: hard rock

*More to be added (hopefully by others too)*

[iainwrites]

@knife-red replied: off the top of my head - theres also TWRP, Aquakultre, Gary Beals, Wintersleep, Rich Aucoin, Jody Upshaw, Myles Deck and the Fuzz and Neon Dreams too.

Good ones, and I'm annoyed at myself for missing a couple that I already knew.

-TWRP (Tupperware Remix Party): 80's synthy/glammy throwbacks. Play a lot with Ninja Sex Party. Real fun and funny stuff.

-Wintersleep: indie/alternative rock.

-Myles Deck & The Fuzz: punk/garage rock. Did a 7" split with Joel Plaskett on his White Fang label.

-Aquakultre: Soul, R&B

[iainwrites]

There's a certain kind of math you sometimes do as a substitute teacher. It's not something you learn when you're doing your BEd. It's not something you teach you students. It's not even something you're taught yourself. It's odds and probabilities learned through experience and osmosis.

Say there's a group of students you're not a fan of teaching. Or anyone in the school is a fan of teaching, for that matter. You unconsciously keep track of who their teachers MIGHT be. You pay attention to what courses they're LIKELY going to have on a given day. You do all this, and you start paying attention to the odds of picking up a job that'd bring you in contact with them.

So say they have one class 5 times in an 8 day cycle. You narrow down who their teachers will likely be and try to figure out, "If I pick up a day for Teacher X, I have a 20% chance of having them on my roster, and a 62-ish% chance of actually teaching them that day." As you go through each teacher you know and the classes you KNOW they have, the odds of teaching a particular group goes up. Eventually, you hit your "pass" number: the percentage is so high, there's a better than likely chance you'll be teaching them.

You aren't formally taught this sort of thing. It's survival Math, whereby you learn it in order to keep your mind and emotions in one piece.

And yes. Some groups of students are just that unpleasant that an English and Arts teacher self teaches odds and probability.

[iainwrites]

Final Fantasy VI is a great game, with a great story and rightfully deserves the moniker as THE Final Fantasy Game You Should Play.

Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster is a great game, with a great story and rightfully deserves the moniker as THE Final Fantasy Game You Should Play. It's also prick of a game with a trophy that relies on RNG, which should qualify the team for "Slapped across the face with a rotting halibut."

Also: any game that tempts you with a 100% bestiary achievement, but some of the monsters are 1 SCREEN SPECIFIC is very mean.

[iainwrites]

It's 1:00 on a cold and deary Sunday afternoon. I'm putting together a cute pastel colored Pokémon puzzle. What does one listen to in a setting like this?

If you think "Billy Talent," we're the same kind of weird and hooray for us.

[iainwrites]

Alright. Let me clarify an idea and opinion I have.

Writing something is difficult. Nothing can diminish that. It's an act of pure fucking will, dogged determination, boundless creativity, time, patience, frustration, joy, madness. If you can do it, you are a rare breed and should be respected for it.

BUT!

If you're creating a movie/show/novel and at the end produce something that makes no sense, PROVIDING SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION, MAKING ANOTHER MOVIE/SHOW/NOVEL OR RELYING ON SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS TO EXPLAIN WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS HAPPENING MEANS YOU HAVEN'T DONE A GOOD ENOUGH JOB! YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME! THE STORY SHOULD MAKE SENSE AT THE END!

I'm sorry, but if your whole job is to create and you're getting paid an obscene amount of money to write/direct/produce/create your vision, don't half ass it. Get outside suggestions. Listen to criticism. Accept that what you did is subpar and admit it. Give the reins to someone else.

[iainwrites]

It really sucks that (as of May 25, 2026) if you're doing a full Star Wars watch, with all the series/movies/shorts/whatever in chronological order, the last thing you'll see is The Rise of Skywalker.

Because it really is a poorly written Star Wars movie. I know it has it's lovers and supporters, and for a certain group of the fandom, it's well regarded. But the some of the story decisions really, REALLY suck.

[iainwrites]

A couple years back, I did a full series rewatch of the Star Wars series for May The 4th. Well, I'm back at it again. I'll leave links to my original opinions throughout (because I haven't really changed my mind about things) but will do an update with a simple "weak/meh/solid" grading curve.

Episode 1: The Phantom Menace - weak

Episode 2: Attack of the Clones - meh

Episode 2.5: Tartakovsky's Clone Wars - So solid. Superior to the "new" Clone Wars. A damn shame it's no longer an official part of the saga.

Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith - meh

Episode 3-and-a-bit: Solo - meh, but I don't dislike it as much as I used to. The "real leader" of Crimson Dawn reveal is still dumb. It doesn't matter if it gets revealed how, it's still a dumb plot choice.

Episode 3.99: Rogue One - Solid. The best thing since the original trilogy.

Episode 4: A New Hope - Solid

Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back - Solid

Episode 6: Return of the Jedi - Solid

Episode 7: The Force Awakens - Meh

Episode 8: The Last Jedi - Weak. Which is a shame because it has potential to be something solid.

Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker - Weak. Least favorite of the entire saga.

[iainwrites]

Hey? Reviewers and fans?

The Mandalorian and Grogu isn't a "standalone" movie. Standalone means that it stands alone, unconnected to anything else.

Look at the title of the movie. That connects it to The Mandalorian series.

Look at the supporting characters. They connect it to the wider Star Wars franchise.

Stop parroting everyone else. If you like the movie, talk about it accurately.

[iainwrites]

The thing you love isn't immune to criticism.

And maybe the reason you hate people criticizing the thing you love is because they show it's flaws.

Things are allowed to be flawed, though. It doesn't have to lessen them. And people are allowed to point them out.

[iainwrites]

My slightly more in depth feelings about The Mandalorian and Grogu. Vague talk about the plot, characters, etc. If you want to go in with no hints, skip this until after you've seen the movie.

It was fine. Disney made a movie based around a successful series that appeals to fans of cute aliens doing cute things and badass space warriors being affectionate paternal figures. It's not the most inventive movie in the franchise, but it's not offensive in the least. There's plenty of moments where an audience will laugh because Grogu is such a little scamp. You'll get your tickets worth if you're going to see a movie about the title characters.

Here's where I get annoyed, though. Disney's 2 big properties (Marvel and Star Wars) seem incapable of doing a proper stand alone movie. If you're going to watch something new, you're practically required to have prior knowledge on earlier films and series. That's kind of expected for The Mandalorian and Grogu: it's in the name after all. But one supporting character was from Rebels, another was from The Clone Wars, another was from The Book of Boba Fett and one was from the 2008 Clone Wars movie. Yes you can watch it without knowing the specifics of when these characters showed up, but you're inevitability going to do a search to find out who they are. A proper "stand-alone" movie shouldn't need any of that. I hold up Rogue One as the best example: you need to know the vaguest of details of the Star Wars universe, but you can watch it and understand the story without having to reference Wookiepedia everytime a new character shows up.

It's a fine Star Wars movie. Not as good as Rogue One nor the original trilogy, maybe on par with Attack of the Clones or The Force Awakens. It's fanservice for people who like The Mandalorian series, and will sell toys and Happy Meals to fans and kids. Will it win awards? Special effects maybe. Maybe practical effects. The story feels like a stretched episode or condensed season. The CGI is pretty. The opening credits impressed me the most: it has an old war/action movies feel to it. It's not the greatest, but it's what fans will want. The average viewer will be left in the dark for a lot of things, though.

No stupid "Maul is still alive" reveal, at least. The required viewing isn't that bad.