#Intro I’m a retired indexer and chemist who started beekeeping 5 years ago. I’m interested in #ClimateChange #Birdwatching, #Knitting, all kinds of #CoolScience, and #Antiracism. I also host #ExchangeStudents. I started on Mastodon on home.social but missed the opportunity to migrate, so I’m starting all over (including a new user name).

That little red dot has precious cargo. And I am pretty sure the "cargo" is not half as anxious as his parents.😅❤️
This will be a long semester.
#ExchangeStudents

Did I just (seemingly needlessly) disclose that I'm blind in a get-to-know-you call with my coordinator in the organization I volunteer with? Yes. Yes I did. And I will not apologize. Because if I don't say so, I'm potentially holding back a ripple effect of good things. I'm potentially keeping the opportunity of being an exchange student away from another disabled kid, because disability, in all the "acceptance and tolerance" talks, wasn't covered. And it needs to be. I am sick of representation not covering more. I know there are important issues, but I shouldn't feel like a liability, an inconvenience, anything like that because I'm disabled. I shouldn't feel like I have to keep it away from the students or families I support, in fear that they'll communicate differently with me, or even stop talking to me entirely. I shouldn't feel that way but I do, and a big organization like the one I work with right now, can afford to acknowledge that. There are specialized school, there are disability organizations who would be happy to get involved and help disabled students have a wonderfully fulfilling exchange. Exclusion as a result of a lack of access or knowledge in most cases just isn't an excuse anymore. Rant over. #disability #advocacy #vollunteer #exchange #exchangeStudents #representationMatters

I'm working on finding #hostfamilies for #exchangestudents coming to the US this Fall for a semester or school year. (This is what I do when I'm not working on #climatechange or hanging out with my pups...)

Know anyone who is interested in learning about other cultures and would be good with teens? Let me know! I'm in #Oregon but can refer folks to coordinators elsewhere in the US, too.

I'm working on finding #hostfamilies for #exchangestudents coming to the US this Fall for a semester or school year. (This is what I do when I'm not working on #climatechange or hanging out with my pups...)

Know anyone who is interested in learning about other cultures and would be good with teens? Let me know! I'm in #Oregon but can refer folks to coordinators elsewhere in the US, too.

Heading out shortly to have a heart-to-heart with one of the exchange students I supervise Some issues are normal teen issues but he's refusing to change behavior, so that's an issue. A larger concern is his fascination with TikTok star Andrew Tate. (If you don't know who that is, thank your stars because he's horrible.) So, I have to figure out how to retrain a teen's thinking before his host family asks us to remove him.
#ExchangeStudents #IntlEd #Teenagers

Heading out shortly to have a heart-to-heart with one of the exchange students I supervise. Some issues are normal teen issues but he's refusing to change behavior, so that's an issue. A larger concern is his fascination with TikTok star Andrew Tate. (If you don't know who that is, thank your stars because he's horrible.) So, I have to figure out how to retrain a teen's thinking before his host family asks us to remove him.
#ExchangeStudents #IntlEd #Teenagers

@uwebrandenburg I haven't tried Tribel yet ... my brain rebels at too many social media options I think. I haven't done TikTok or Snapchat either, even though so many of my #exchangestudents use those platforms.

#introduction time

I’m an environmental attorney, never worked in any other legal field. Most of what I do is in #climatechange -- I've worked on development of #carbonoffset projects in the past, still deal with #climatepolicy and offset issues. Love learning #languages, working with high school #exchangestudents in my so-called spare time, and have a fondness for German Shepherds.