Ask MetaFilter

My 3x great grandfather was a lighthouse keeper at Point Reyes Lighthouse in Marin County, CA.At least a decade ago, the museum there had a quote from him posted on the wall of the museum. My father has a portrait of him that he would like to donate. I’m trying to help him with this. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 8:10 AM - 13 answers

I've been tasked with interviewing a very specific type of person, and am unsure how to find that person in a way that feels ethical. [more inside]
posted by apparently at 2:11 PM - 9 answers

I am hoping that someone can explain the meaning and rationale for "DEI math". I am particularly interested in the high school level since many years ago I taught math at a private H.S. Slide from the 44th annual meeting of the North American chapter of the international group for the psychology of mathematics education: " When are we going to admit that many best practices in mathematics education create toxic spaces for historically marginalized students and are violent toward them?” [more inside]
posted by Kevin S at 1:34 PM - 20 answers

What are the good things that you like about feminism? What has been your positive experience from it? And on the flip side, what is something bad/problematic about it that you've seen? And what was your negative experience of it? Also, what double standards do you think exist in relation to this? [more inside]
posted by benimaru at 3:40 PM - 34 answers

How do you teach English (your [hypothetical] only language) to adults who don't know any English at all? [more inside]
posted by b33j at 9:20 PM - 11 answers

Maintenance work in an assisted living facility. Don't know the ins and outs or where to find them. [more inside]
posted by es_de_bah at 3:09 PM - 7 answers

Are there any decent online testing platforms for K-8 schools to use? [more inside]
posted by archimago at 9:00 AM - 2 answers

I'm planning summer vacations now for 2024, and looking for really great programs for a rising junior in New England. There's a lot of different colleges that have programs but I am not sure what ones are well regarded. He excels in Physics, likes science, writing and the nature. He's VERY shy and while I'd love for him to try an overnight deal- I don't know if I can sell that to him. If it's far away and for commuters- I'll book an inn or something. This may be his last summer without a job so I want him to get to do something really enriching that might help him in his path to deciding majors and build a bit of confidence.
posted by ReluctantViking at 10:52 AM - 4 answers

Many parents at my kids' large public elementary school in California think that the situation at pickup and drop-off is unsafe and unreasonable. The Principal categorically refuses to do anything unless forced, so appealing to her directly and/or through the PTA has not been successful. Is there some other state agency (like the local fire inspector, who was able to force her to have fire drills when she refused for a year) that I can get involved? [more inside]
posted by Ignatius J. Reilly at 9:52 AM - 21 answers

Exactly as articulated in this AskMe from almost a decade ago, I would like recommendations of books about the modern history of the Middle East, including specifically the Israel/Palestine conflict. [more inside]
posted by hepta at 12:08 PM - 21 answers

I am looking for academic, semi-academic, not academic at all conferences at the intersection of two different fields or two different subjects. Examples of what I'm looking for below. [more inside]
posted by azalea_chant at 7:34 AM - 12 answers

Hi all, I am a Canadian graduate student studying online at The University of Edinburgh, one of the world's best universities and quite respected. Would the prestige, ranking, and department matter more where one's PhD was completed? I am hoping to pursue a PhD at McGill, if I can get in, but also uWaterloo, uVictoria, and McMaster, which are slightly lower ranked than McGill. [more inside]
posted by RearWindow at 2:41 PM - 23 answers

I volunteer at a small speciality library (LGBT collection) and we are in the process of rethinking our home-grown fiction classification system. Should we continue to separate some fiction by genre? [more inside]
posted by rhymedirective at 7:58 AM - 9 answers

If you obtained your TEFL certificate online in the last four years or so, please tell me about where you did it, the positives and negatives, the school's placement program if any, and your sense of the current landscape for online TEFL training (i.e., the best, the worst, the legit, the grifty, etc.). Bonus points for any personal anecdotes of your teaching experience after certification that you'd care to share.
posted by bricoleur at 11:40 AM - 1 answers

I'm interested in reading up-to-date nonfiction pieces about Indigenous peoples, especially those in the Americas. Ideally, these would be under 1000 words. I'm looking for recommendations that are suitable for a general readership, yet informative enough for someone in college. Any suggestions for where to find such materials?
posted by matkline at 7:45 PM - 10 answers

PhD applicant in the US. I met with two POI (people of interest) from the same department and one asked me to let them know of my decision. Does this mean that I should notify both of whom I want to work with before applying? If so, how can I do this respectfully and without burning a bridge? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 5:54 AM - 12 answers

My local middle school's librarian tells me they're in need of books in Ukrainian for students who are learning English. I told her I'd try to find some to donate but am struggling to find anything appropriate for kids who are approximately 10-14 years old. [more inside]
posted by SeedStitch at 12:03 PM - 5 answers

What I have: A ton of my old picture books, a preschool class What I want: A library that the kids can check stuff out of and a way to keep track of who has what What I need: Tips and tricks and ideas on how to make this work [more inside]
posted by kathrynm at 1:59 PM - 13 answers

I can't believe I'm asking this, but how do I deal with my kid not wanting to do their homework in kindergarten? [more inside]
posted by AnyUsernameWillDo at 10:15 PM - 29 answers

In Duolingo, the app to learn a new language, in The "Practice your words" feature, it always features the same exact handful of words. And they are the same words I learned. This is in the paid version. Is there a way to change this. I have advanced to almost the end of a section with 8 units and I am reviewing again and again words in unit one.
posted by Tziv at 6:22 AM - 9 answers