#simple stuff

[stileslinskid]

Finished Reservation Dogs. Spent the last two episodes of the show crying. It hit me that I have no community and how vital this is to LIFE. Ancestors. Elders. Family. Culture. History. Living. Death. It was a great show.

[wanderingboritheas]

Hi! You said requests are open and I'd love to see a Snufkin doodle if you're up for it :3

I went a little crazy and drew a whole bunch of snufkin and stuff that I relate to him. I also snuck in some Moomintroll. Look at them hanging out! :>. The other things I drew were Crocus, lingonberries, a blackbird, and wild blueberries.

[existencebringsonlypain]

hi yeah im dipping my toes back into toh and su. I need to slam my kids against a wall and then tend to their wounds

[storieswritteninthesand]

So, Victorian teachers (government schools) are striking today.

And I am so frustrated by the reporting.

Yes, we are asking for a pay rise

- last agreement included minimal pay rise, in favour of working condition improvements, signed just BEFORE COVID hit, when inflation was 0%)

- we are paid significantly less than teachers in any other state

- our schools are badly underfunded and the state government has pushed back their commitment to fund the agreed $$ until 2031

- increasing cost of living is a current hot topic, for good reason

but we are also, emphatically, asking for improved working conditions.

- I am currently averaging ~19 hours a week unpaid overtime (I am still behind. This is not unusual.)

- support staff (admin, aides, technicians, maintenance) have an unpaid (and usually interrupted) lunch break

- administrative workloads continue to increase

- class sizes are increasingly preventing effective teaching, especially in primary classrooms

Yes, the government made an offer

- after 9 months of negotiating

- a week before the scheduled strike (voted on with 98% approval by a workforce that famously doesn’t like to strike)

- offering a pay rise for 2026, followed by 3% (less than projected cost of living rises) for the subsequent 4 years

- removing (laughable) time in lieu provisions in favour of unlimited overtime (you can now be required to eg attend meetings or events all weekend/evenings etc)

- potentially INCREASING student facing time (reducing time to complete all administrative and preparation tasks)

- adding an additional hour of meetings per week

No, the government did not offer an additional pupil free day in the year

- despite many news sites alleging this

- they offered to make one of the current days teacher directed (in practice, this would mean it was used for report writing, as that is many hours of work and otherwise not accounted for, because report writing days have previously been eliminated)

Yes, strikes will be disruptive, including to families.

- many teachers also have school aged children

- that’s the whole point of strikes

- teachers famously (and genuinely) don’t want to disrupt, disappoint or upset their students. I have 2 colleagues who aren’t striking today and instead are working 7:30am-11pm because they felt they could not let down a student.

- that’s the point of strikes.

Yes, parents who work from home with their child today will likely find it difficult to concentrate and be productive

- welcome to the fucking club.

- now imagine there’s 30 of them

Bonus points:

- government offer was made (and rejected by the union) over a week ago. Education minister emailed all teachers yesterday afternoon (first time) about the “good faith” offer made.

- most families blatantly support the teachers in this

- Victoria calls itself “the education state”

- We are the lowest paid teachers in the country. Significantly.

- There is a teacher shortage (wonder why)

[canyourlawnmowerdothis]

if ur polycule dont have a cohesive color scheme it aint meant to be

[thenaervassa]

My boy

[ramen-hair-denki]

gimme something stupid to draw im bored