Teachers Shared Students’ Weird Responses When They Were Asked, “Tell Me a Fun Fact About Yourself”

Kids can be just plain weird.

And teachers REALLY know that to be a fact. Because they deal with those little weirdos…I mean adorable children…on a daily basis.

And the weirdness really comes out when the kids are asked to share something about themselves, which I’m sure you remember fondly.

Let’s see what people on AskReddit had to say about this.

1. Drunk dad.

“I had a student tell me that sometimes his dad got drunk and asked his mom for things.

As I was starting to tell him he didn’t need to elaborate any further, he continued with “like soup and he yells it like ‘soooooooooup’” it took every bit of restraint to not laugh.

It’s been years and years since that happened but I still laugh when I think about it.”

2. Takes the cake.

“I teach middle school, This one still takes the cake.

That his mom and dad have the same parents. I asked him to clarify because I didn’t understand what he was saying and he said “I only have one set of grandparents, they had the same parents”

I quickly moved to the next student so no one else would realize that this kid just told the class that his parents were siblings…

I talked to him about it the next day in private and he said that he got it mixed up, his parents don’t have the exact same parents, they shared a dad…

I felt so much better when the mom called me to let me know her elderly step-father married her husband’s elderly mother. still weird, but much better.”

3. Wow.

““My arm is F*CKED y’all” in the deepest southern drawl and proceeded to wildly swing his “f*cked” up arm around.

He was 12, had Erb’s palsy and also got detention that day.

He might be one of my fav students.”

4. That’s odd.

“Student told me that there is a chapter dedicated to him in a dental surgery textbook because of a very rare disorder that he had as a child.

I may still have that essay.”

5. Oh, no!

“During an introductory activity for my new class, a boy, aged 9, got up and said ‘My dog has to wear a cone on its head because dad had his bollocks cut off!’”

6. Don’t ask any more questions.

“Kid in my kindergarten class said “My pee-pee fell off at Disneyland”

I didn’t ask any follow up questions.”

7. Horrible.

““I found my dad who hung himself”

From a fifth grader.”

8. Family drama.

“A few years ago on the first day of school, this kid in one of my classes casually answered, “I have a restraining order against my Dad.””

9. Too much info.

“‘My dad clogged the toilet this morning and that’s why I’m feeling frustrated’ -5 year old child.

I will say the question was “how are you doing this morning?” But I could barely keep from laughing out loud!”

10. Starting early.

“A young girl, who seemed uninterested, said, with no hesitation, that she can chug an entire bottle of beer.

She got expelled later that year for keeping drugs in her locker.”

11. Shane.

“This guy in my class named Shane has this medical condition that causes him to grow tons of hair at an early age.

Full beard in middle school.

He would say “I’m Shane and I’m Very Hairy.””

12. You know what that is.

“A student once told my wife that her daddy had a special device that he had to blow into to start his truck…”

13. That’s awkward.

“We would do this weekly “how was your weekend” sort of thing where we’d sit in a circle and share.

This one girl casually goes “I found out that my biological father didn’t want me” in a super nonchalant tone and everything.

I still remember the awkward tension.”

14. Don’t say that!

“I said “my dad steal cars.”

It was something my parents always told us growing up as a joke. The teacher just laughed and said “that’s nice”.”

What’s the funniest or weirdest thing that you’ve heard a kid say?

Tell us in the comments!

We’d love to hear from you!

The post Teachers Shared Students’ Weird Responses When They Were Asked, “Tell Me a Fun Fact About Yourself” appeared first on UberFacts.

August 24, 2020

Science Memes That Will Make You Smart…Maybe

Science. What is it, exactly?

And how the heck does it work? Does it want to be my friend? And can it make me rich, somehow? These are the questions we’ll be exploring today on our journey through the cosmos of science memes.

Come aboard our ship of the imagination, and cruise the dank depths of human knowledge.

10. Breathe free

This is why Plankton on Spongebob is always struggling so much.

Via: AWildReactionAppeared on Imgur

9. K

I think we might be putting a little too much pressure on this one little letter.

Via: AWildReactionAppeared on Imgur

8. Hot take

I may not be the smartest, but you’re an absolute zero.

Via: AWildReactionAppeared on Imgur

7. Stellar work

Another star’s career ruined by chemicals. Sad.

Via: AWildReactionAppeared on Imgur

6. Genetic love

I’m going to plant a seed of affection.

Via: AWildReactionAppeared on Imgur

5. Quantum of solace

If you think you understand it, you’re wrong.

Via: AWildReactionAppeared on Imgur

4. Fun guy

Don’t you leave him behind, you monster.

Via: AWildReactionAppeared on Imgur

3. Bright ideas

You made this? I made this.

Via: AWildReactionAppeared on Imgur

2. Tough work

I mean, sure, they’re experts who have dedicated their lives to studying these things, but I also saw a Facebook meme, so.

Via: AWildReactionAppeared on Imgur

1. The hard truths

The laws of nature are tough but fair.

Via: AWildReactionAppeared on Imgur

I feel smarter already! But in all seriousness – please listen to experts when they tell you science stuff. Please? Before we ruin everything forever? Thanks.

What’s your favorite science fact?

Tell us in the comments.

The post Science Memes That Will Make You Smart…Maybe appeared first on UberFacts.

August 19, 2020

People Share Advice They’d Give to Kids Who Are Starting High School

When I was starting high school, one of my older sisters sat me down and gave me all kinds of advice about what I should do so I’d have the best experience possible.

Join this club, avoid this type of kid, study hard, etc.

Of course, I didn’t listen to anything she said and I didn’t actually follow any of her advice, but I really, really appreciated her effort.

Hahahaha. Oh well.

But…maybe in hindsight, I should’ve listened to her.

Here’s what wise folks had to say on AskReddit to kids starting high school.

1. Haters gonna hate.

“Enjoy your personal relationships but never let any negative interactions affect you too heavily. That’s way easier said than done but in all honesty you will never see most people you encounter during your HS days again after graduation.

Let the haters hate, you be you. Use this time to learn what you like, explore your options — most importantly try to be yourself without caring what other people think!

Again, that won’t be easy but if you can do it you’ll thank yourself later.

We’re rooting for you.”

2. Find a balance.

“It’s going to feel like the most important time of your life, and the most emotional time of your life.

But, what’s important is finding a balance between grades and friends and work (if you end up working). Some classes will feel pointless, and they are, but remember there is an end and it’s important to try and get through them.

It’s those skills, learning how to study and how to get through things you don’t like, that will serve you better than pretty much anything you actually learn in school.”

3. Keep the good ones.

“Good friends –real good friends– will push you to be your better self, encourage good habits, and want the best for you.

Anyone who tells you to act against that is an *sshole.

Stay away from them.”

4. We all do stupid stuff.

“Forgive yourself when necessary. It’s high school, you’re probably going to do something stupid.

If you have even a remote interest in joining something, try it out, but don’t be ashamed if it ends up not working out and you end up quitting.

Basically it’ll be way easier if you are able to forgive yourself easily.”

5. Get involved.

“Get involved in some extracurricular activity like tennis or theatre or debate or swimming or something you’re interested in.

You will make friends and it’s really nourishing to be a part of a community.”

6. Don’t sweat it.

“Almost everyone you think is important, cool, or attractive, you will never think about again after you graduate.

I know it’s really hard to do this right now, but try not to care very much about other people’s opinions.

You do you.”

7. Very rare.

“He/She is (most likely) not “the one”.

That first love will sucker punch your decision making skills, no matter how level headed or mature you are.”

8. Good tips.

“Pay attention to the way your friends talk about your mutual friends to you. This is exactly the way they speak of you to them.

If you have a secret that you don’t want to get out, don’t tell a single person. No, not even your best friend. Nobody.

If your parents have concerns about someone you’re dating or one of your friends, pay attention and listen to them. They are rarely wrong about this.

Overall, just try to have fun and grow. You will fall into the rut of “this sucks I can’t wait to graduate” but you will miss some of it eventually.”

9. Get it done!

“Get your work done.

Don’t put it off, don’t make excuses. Get IT DONE. Approximately 86.4% of your grades will be the work you turn in. You can’t get out of it. You can’t lie about it.

And I promise, you’ll feel better having time at home to do what you like, rather than being punished for not doing what you were supposed to do at school.

Be serious about the work, and you’ll find that your teachers will respect you for it.”

10. Remember to be nice.

“Be yourself.

Joining clubs or extra-curricular activities are great ways to make friends who share your interests.

Keep good hygiene habits. You do not want to be labelled the “smelly kid”.

Keep your grades up, but don’t panic if you don’t have a 4.0 GPA only the most prestigious colleges require someone to have a high GPA. Chances are, your college of choice will not require a 4.0 GPA for admission.

Be nice to people.”

11. Good point.

“I don’t think you should get involved with marijuana and drugs in high school. Your brain is still developing and it’s easy to fall into addiction at that age.

It can easily consume your life. But…

If you decide to ignore what I’ve said and you decide to get involved with that sh*t anyway, take half.”

12. Not like the movies.

“High school is so romanticized in movies and the media, and although it’s possible to have a great high school experience, don’t try to compare it to the portrayals in movies.

It doesn’t have to be the time of your life, and I don’t think you want it to be. Use high school to get prepared for college, and if you make some friends along the way, even better.”

13. Get busy.

“If you can handle AP classes, take them.

If you can’t handle AP classes, take dual credit classes.

Apply for every single scholarship that you can qualify for, because once you’re not a graduating senior, they all disappear. My sister and I both had some of the best grades at our school.

Her bachelor’s degree was 3 years, living on campus, for free. Mine was 6 years, living at home, working, paying my way through.”

14. Be yourself.

“Don’t compromise yourself just to be included in a certain group.

Don’t try to force an interest, pretend to be a fan of something you aren’t into, whatever.

Genuine friends will be made naturally.”

Do you have any good advice for the young men and women who are starting high school?

Sound off in the comments and help mold some young minds!

Thanks in advance!

The post People Share Advice They’d Give to Kids Who Are Starting High School appeared first on UberFacts.

August 19, 2020

What Advice Would You Give Students About to Start High School? Here’s What People Had to Say.

High school is a special time in a young person’s life.

You make new friends, have all kinds of new experiences, and, for some of us, it sets us on a path to what we’re going to be like for the rest of our lives.

So we want you young whipper snappers out there to sit up straight, pull up your pants, and listen to what these people have to say. Because they’ve been there and done that.

Here are some tips from folks on AskReddit.

1. It’s true.

“You don’t need to impress everyone.

Pretty much everyone you meet in high school won’t matter in your life after you graduate.”

2. Listen up!

“School drama is a fruitless endeavor that will likely only leave you stressed and exhausted. Your mental effort is far more effectively spent following what you enjoy rather than worrying about if jack is going out with susie or what Dylan said to Michael.

Find something you enjoy, and follow that; you’re far more likely to find people you enjoy being around when you can start with a common ground. If you like anime, find an anime club. If you like sports, try out for a team. Theatre? High school is a great time to try it out.

Kind of piggybacking off of that last point: high school is a point where you start to get more options. You have the opportunity to try new things and you may be surprised if you go out of your comfort zone.

I decided to try volleyball for the first time my freshman year, and I ended up playing every season through high school and making some of my best friends. It’s important to follow what you like, but don’t be afraid to try new things as well.

High school is important because it’s a time when you start to try to figure out who you are; don’t box yourself in.

Work hard and don’t procrastinate. I know it’s easy; it’s amazingly, devilishly easy to put something off “till x”. You will save yourself so much stress and pain if you do a little bit at a time and be regimented and disciplined in that. I guarantee you’ve heard this but it’s so incredibly true.

Get sleep. Sleep is amazingly important, and it should be a priority. People will almost brag about not getting enough sleep like it’s a measuring contest. It’s not cool, it’s just unhealthy and you will be so much happier for getting enough sleep.

Coffee is not an adequate substitute for head-on-pillow sleep, do your best to get as much as you can.”

3. Be excellent to each other.

“Be really kind to people.

You’re young and you may have sh*t you’re going through, but you will learn later in life that some of the people you don’t expect are going through some really deep sh*t too.

Be kind, be patient, be forgiving, don’t start drama, don’t participate in gossip. Forgive yourself too. Growing up is difficult, don’t be too hard on yourself for mistakes.

Be nice to your teachers… they have a hard job and it’s much harder with all this Covid stuff. Everyone deserves a little extra grace right now.”

4. Find a good balance.

“Don’t take everything too seriously.

Do Dual Enrollment. APs are fine but sometimes colleges don’t take the credit.

Get in a good study habit/good time management. You’ll be thanking yourself in college.

But also, have fun. I met some of my best friends to this day in my junior year of high school (graduated from undergrad recently). So don’t be afraid to branch out. Meet new people by classes, or by joining clubs.”

5. Pay attention to this one.

“If you’re struggling, tell someone.

Keep reaching out until someone really hears you. Have a sports injury? Don’t ignore it so you can play in the big game… you might put yourself out for the rest of the season. Starting to feel like your mental health is slipping? Address it right away.

The sooner you start working on building healthy mental habits, the better. Struggling with schoolwork? Ask for a tutor, go to extra help sessions, tell a teacher/counselor (trust me… deadlines can be moved/adjusted for someone who needs it, even if your teacher acts really serious about them during class).

And, preferably “make good choices” and all.

BUT if you’re going to make some iffy choices, remember to rule of nothing permanent: nothing that could result in brain damage, permanent injury, or an arrest record.”

6. Make friends.

“Make friends with people in the grades above you.

Widening your social circle early will make a big difference in the long run.”

7. Do what you want.

“Be brave.

A lot of us have regrets about what we didn’t do in high school that we should have done.

Try to overcome your fear.”

8. I wish I did this.

“I never see anyone mention this advice, but I am SO GLAD I did this. Make a book of memories!

Like, whenever you come home after having a really fun day with your friends or something, try to write down everything you remember about the day.

All the funny jokes that were said, the places you went, and just how much you enjoyed it (I made mine on a Google Doc). When I started making this, I honestly thought that I wouldn’t forget that stuff and that it wouldn’t be that interesting for future me to read, but man was I wrong.

I have so many memories and funny moments saved because of that. After 3 years, I now have 100 pages worth of pure gold that really help take me back to all the good memories I had, and I will have them stored forever.

Trust me, it’ll seem tedious and pointless to record the little moments of fun days you had for now, but in the future you’ll be so glad you did it!”

9. That stuff can wait.

“Don’t do drugs or drink.

Enjoy being a kid, find an extra curricular activity you enjoy and just enjoy what you can in high school.

The reason I said this is because I did drugs and drank in high school and I always think I would be better off if I didn’t do them that young.

Like, I would be more emotionally mature and not have such bad mood swings had I not messed with my physiology so young.”

10. Get involved.

“Find clubs/sports/activities that you love and get involved with them!

It’ll feel more fulfilling and help you work on skills that could come in handy in the future.”

11. It doesn’t last long.

“Ignore most of what happens socially.

Real life starts AFTER high school. See those cheerleaders over there that think they are hot sh*t? Most of them will be living off their former cheerleader memories for YEARS. This is their pinnacle.

You will leave them far behind in the dust. See that popular guy? He will cry like a baby on graduation day and claim these were the best years of his life. For him maybe. Not for you. Everybody claims they are having s*x. They aren’t.

Don’t worry. It’s way better when you are in college and beyond. See that quiet outsider. They are part of an interesting sub-group. There are a lot of them. Get to know some. They are going to be amazing long term friends. Don’t want to go do something but feel pressured?

Call your parents. When they say yes, hang up and pretend you were just grounded. Curse them out to your friends then go home, get a great meal cooked by your parents and watch your fave Netflix. High school is primarily a prep for college or trade school or work. No rush to make any decisions. Learning is lifelong.

Don’t have kids!!!!!! Expensive and time consuming!!! Travel if and when you can on school trips. Worth it!!! Music, drama, sports, extra-curricular activities – try some.

Make time for downtime. Volunteer at your local zoo or anywhere you have a passion. Read books! You will find your tribe and it might be after high school. That is OK!!! Ignore social media. Better yet, never respond on it or send your picture out. It’s overrated and frankly, people look happy for that one minute but they are mostly not happy.

Be really happy and ignore it.”

12. It’s important.

“Listen, listen, listen.

To your teachers, superiors, bosses, everyone.

Sometimes, you’ll get some nice stuff out of it.”

13. Good stuff.

“Make the most of it! The amount you learn and how much you enjoy yourself are more in your hands than you might realize.

I just graduated from a high school in Texas as valedictorian. I was in the band and on the robotics team, and quite active academically. Here’s my advice:

Learning > Grades. Always. I had great grades, but the reason I did so well was because I focused on actually getting a deep understanding of what I was doing. You’ll enjoy your time more if you focus on real understanding of concepts instead of just doing what you need to do to get that hundo.

Taking care of business (turning things in on time, checking the rubric boxes) will take care or 80% of your grade-related concerns. Don’t put yourself through unnecessary stress just by not getting your stuff done.

Your teachers aren’t the only ones who can help you learn. It’s very good for you and your peers to teach and guide each other – the best way to know if you understand something is to try to explain it.

Your friends and classmates aren’t the only ones you can go to for non-academic help. If you’re going through emotional trouble, your teachers and counselors are more willing to help (or even just listen to you) than you might think. Don’t bottle things up.

Do the activities that you love, not the ones that you think colleges will love. High school is the time to explore your interests, however niche or unusual.

Know that you can be happy in a relationship or not. If you wanna go out, ask them! If you don’t feel ready to do that, that’s ok!

Find the amount of rigor that works for you. It’s good to challenge yourself, but it’s 100% ok to lighten your academic or extracurricular load if it’s so much you can’t enjoy life.

Hope this helps!”

14. Words of wisdom.

“Practice better self reflection, stay quiet, listen more than you speak, and actually think about what you’re doing/saying/thinking/feeling.

I had way too many instances where I looked back at myself and just thought “What the f*ck was that?”

Also, you should know, when you’re stressed your rational decision making skills drop quickly, even if you think you’re fine, you’re probably not. I won’t tell you to talk with someone(god knows I never did) but each day when you get home take a look at everything you did and said, and try to reason out why without emotional justification.

Don’t be afraid to keep a daily journal. I know it sounds lame, but it will help you keep track of your thought patterns and stressors.

Don’t feel embarrassed to apologize for your (re)actions, even if the other person doesn’t.”

What advice would you give to kids that are starting high school?

Tell us what you think in the comments!

Please and thank you!

The post What Advice Would You Give Students About to Start High School? Here’s What People Had to Say. appeared first on UberFacts.

August 19, 2020

People Share the Terrifying Facts That Keep Them up at Night

I was a total worrywart when I was younger.

I’d lay in my bed at night and just think of all of the terrifying things that might happen: World War III, an asteroid hitting our house, packs of wild dogs roaming the neighborhood. Basically anything that could potentially cause me harm.

Now, I guess I’m just too tired to stay up past 11 p.m. most nights…hooray for getting old!

But some people are like that their whole lives! Always terrified of what’s around the next corner, what could go wrong, and, most importantly, of ACTUAL, scary FACTS that worry them to no end.

Here’s what AskReddit users had to say about the terrifying facts that keep them up at night. Let’s take a look.

1. On the edge.

“If I lose my job or he loses his job, we have some savings but capitalism will eat us alive and leave us no quarter.

If one of us gets injured or gets cancer, same thing.”

2. Irreversible.

“Humanity is well on the way to destroying itself, it’s now irreversible, but everyone is ignoring the glaring evidence and continuing on business as usual.

We’re going to see worldwide famine within the next few years but people will ignore this warning too.”

3. A reckoning.

“The dollar is worthless.

The treasury is not just empty, it owes the rest of the world trillions, and the government somehow owes itself more trillions. Despite this, or more probably because of this, we continue to spend more than the rest of the world combined on the deadliest military in history.

There will be a reckoning, and I don’t think it will be gentle or pretty.”

4. The world is crazy right now.

“The great depression is now almost certain to repeat itself since economic relief was killed by greedy republicans who were angry they didn’t get to give the lion’s share of 1 trillion dollars to their corporate pimps.

Along with the expiring legislation goes COVID-specific unemployment benefits, individual and family relief checks, EVICTION MORATORIUMS! That last one…

This nation just straight slept through the pure hatred and violence of the republicans’ actions yesterday. People don’t get what’s about to happen here. We’re going to have 15-20% homelessness by the end of the year if relief packages are not put in place.

You think the George Floyd protests have been rough? Most of the BLM protestors have something to lose. Maybe not much for some of them, but probably SOMETHING.

These newly minted homeless will have N O T H I N G to lose by going absolutely apesh*t in the streets. And I won’t have a godd*mn thing to say against them when they do. Maybe it’s about time for some of that good guillotine action…

Keep your non-perishables up to date and well stocked. Get a back log of water.

Things are about to get weird.”

5. Excessive.

“Humans kill roughly 60 billion land animals per year for unnecessary food while at the same time deforesting rainforests, polluting the atmosphere, consuming large amounts of water, creating breeding grounds for infectious diseases, using antibiotics unsustainably, and contributing to heart disease and obesity, but no one seems to care because “bacon tastes good.””

6. Saddens the heart.

“That we as a human race, decided on which race dependent on color of skin was inferior to the rest.

Saddens the heart to think older generations who suffered won’t know whether their efforts worked. (also includes genders).”

7. I feel this one.

“My dogs will pass away someday.

It’s kept me up at night multiple times.”

8. Truth.

“Humans are more disgusting and selfish than we ever admit.”

9. The Big Bang.

“The big bang could’ve been caused by a civilization that developed weapons of mass destruction and were just in a loop of evolution until eventually we become advanced enough to create an explosion so big we destroy and recreate everything from scratch.

Yeah, thank about that!”

10. A rough time.

“I’m about to be 30 in 2 years.

I’m still single and haven’t had as much s*x in life as my peers. I fear that I’ll be this awkward undesirable old dude that’s bad at s*x that’s just wandering the earth only working, doing chores and sleeping for the most part.

A lot of my peers are living in houses with furniture while I live in an apartment with little furniture. I’m working at a call center that I hate.

I am seeking another job preferably in programming since I have a bachelor’s, but due to lack of experience in that field, no one is hiring.”

11. Every day is important.

“That you have absolutely no idea if the next day will be your last. You could be with your SO having the time of your lives, picking up some food, watching a movie at your place, drinking.

Then next day comes, you get hit by a drunk driver while out on the road.”

12. Hard to think about.

“That my parents are aging and will eventually die.

I’m an only child and feel like when they die my connection to my childhood and the people that understand me and love me unconditionally will be gone.

The link to me will be gone and I’ll essentially be alone in the world.”

13. Nuclear war.

“At anytime the US wants we could start a nuclear war and the person who has control over that is umm…. underprepared for the job.

Or that at anytime Russia wants or North Korea wants or basically any other country with access to nuclear power could decide that they want to nuke us and do it.”

14. Collapse.

“The Earth’s ecosystems are collapsing, and with it our ability to collect food and water.

Billions are going to die due to hunger and violence in the coming decades.”

15. THIS.

“The fact that human beings don’t understand the concept of putting a d*mn face mask on and saving thousands of lives when they go to their local grocery store.”

16. The end.

“The end of the universe.

Not the last star, or the last neutron star that glows.

All matter has decayed as protons have half-lives.

Black holes will decay, and moments of brief light in millennia of pure darkness come as black holes collide.

After a very certain point, time becomes meaningless as whatever remains will be so stationary, you cannot observe it.

The universe achieves true equilibrium as the universe in one time point in the far future is indistinguishable from the next second, next month, next year, next millennia, next googleplex years later.”

What do you worry about at night?

What causes you to lose sleep?

Talk to us in the comments and spill your guts out!

The post People Share the Terrifying Facts That Keep Them up at Night appeared first on UberFacts.

August 7, 2020

Great Facts That We Think Will Impress You

It can be hard to sort through the endless information out there on social media and the Internet.

Where’s the good stuff? The interesting stuff? Heck, where’s the REAL stuff?

It saved their lives.

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source 1 Source 2 Source 3

Now we want to hear from you!

Have you seen anything online lately that has really impressed you?

Facts? Stories? Charts? Great photos?

Please share them with us in the comments. We’d love to hear from you!

The post Great Facts That We Think Will Impress You appeared first on UberFacts.

August 7, 2020

10 Interesting Facts for You to Enjoy Today

We all need a break…a FACT break, that is!

They’re still kind of worshipped, aren’t they?

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source 1 Source 2 Source 3

How about you?

Have you seen any facts or interesting stories lately that have really caught your eye?

Share them with us in the comments.

Please and thank you!

The post 10 Interesting Facts for You to Enjoy Today appeared first on UberFacts.

August 7, 2020

Fascinating Facts That’ll Make You Think

Ready to put your thinking cap on?

I know I sure am!

That sounds like a very loud cat!

Photo Credit: did you know?

Source 1 Source 2 Source 3

Now we want to hear from you.

Have you seen any really interesting facts or articles lately?

If so, please share them with us in the comments.

Thanks in advance!

The post Fascinating Facts That’ll Make You Think appeared first on UberFacts.

August 6, 2020

This is What Parents Can Learn From Day Cares That Never Shut Down

Parents are in a very tough quandary these days when it comes to whether or not to send our kids to school this fall. For some, there’s no choice – they have to work and have no childcare options. For others, they’re not being given a choice by the school district (whether it’s no offer of online school or no offer of in person school).

For many more parents, they have a choice – and in some ways, that might be worse, because it means you can make the wrong one. When living in a world like our current one, the wrong decision could be disastrous, or even fatal, so it’s important to have all possible information ahead of time.

Image Credit: Pexels

Which is why it’s crucial to look at environments where kids have been in close proximity this entire time. There are daycares that have remained open through the entire lockdown period, caring for the children of essential workers and first responders, who had no choice to stay home and “bond” with their kiddos.

The YMCA is one of the most prominent spots that remained open to offer emergency care, and looked after around 400,000 kids between 1 and 14 between March and May of 2020. They ran 1100 separate sites, working closely with state and local governments to figure out how to make it work on short notice and with ever-changing guidelines.

They’ve had a small number of parents and staff test positive around the country, but no site had an outbreak.

Brown University economist Emily Oster found that, out of 916 child care centers serving more than 20,000 children, just over 1% of staff and 0.16% of children had confirmed infections.

Image Credit: Pexels

Elliot Haspel, an education policy expert and child care advocate, made the following comment:

“There are almost no recorded cases of child-to-adult transmission of COVID-19. It’s not zero risk, but we’re acting with a March 2020 understanding of COVID-19 and kids, and not with a June 2020 understanding of COVID-19 and kids.”

What did the Y and other sites do to minimize risks even further?

One of the main precautions was placing students into “pods” of no more than 9 children and 1 adult. It required using spaces like basketball courts or boardrooms that wouldn’t normally have been used as learning spaces, but it worked, and they kept everyone separate.

Pods didn’t mix with each other, but within a pod, children were generally not required to social distance or wear masks. Every child did receive a temperature check and symptom screen each morning before entering their pod, and staff members who performed those duties wore masks, gloves, and gowns.

Image Credit: Pexels

Staff members worked on hand-washing techniques and time limits, as well, and students were sent to wash their hands after completing every activity.

“We were teaching them not just ‘rinse your hands’ but ‘scrub them.’

And instead of having to dread washing their hands, they were able to get excited and laugh and have fun while they were doing that.”

They also had kids employ “airplane arms” when standing in lines or moving from place to place, in order to keep distance, and no one shared materials like art supplies. That did get expensive, and the YMCA admitted that, even after extra financial aid from the state, they would not be able to maintain the new protocols long term.

Doctors, like Joshua Sharfstein of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Heath, says that we should learn from these experiences but can’t overgeneralize.

“These experiences illustrate that it’s possible to bring kids together without a guarantee of an outbreak or a serious situation developing.”

But he also reminds us that these experiences also don’t guarantee another school or daycare won’t have the opposite experience.

There is strong evidence that suggests children don’t transmit the coronavirus the way they do the flu, but since the majority of children have not been in close contact with other kids – or teachers and staff – since March, there’s not enough data to say for sure that everything is going to be fine.

Image Credit: Pexels

Parents who have options should consider them carefully, and go forward with whatever makes them most comfortable this fall.

If your kids do go to school, though, remember to support your administrators and teachers in their attempts to reduce and control as many risks as possible.

Everyone is just doing their best, after all.

The post This is What Parents Can Learn From Day Cares That Never Shut Down appeared first on UberFacts.

August 4, 2020

People Talk About Loopholes They Discovered and Exploited

You never know when you might find a loophole.

It could be at your job, somewhere out in the business world, or maybe something completely random that you happen upon by accident.

But when people actually DO find loopholes…look out, because they’re gonna use ’em!

Here are some pretty interesting stories from AskReddit users about the loopholes they found AND used to their advantage.

1. Wow.

“Microsoft used to have (still might for all I know) online training for videogame retailers in order to train store employees on current and upcoming products that they could sell.

The training gave points for each video and knowledge quiz you took, which could be exchanged for free games, computer hardware, store gift cards, etc.

By signing in under a random Gamestop store ID number (which was posted online), skipping the video, and brute forcing the knowledge quiz, was able to rack up a whole bunch of points and get several XBox games and simple computer hardware for essentially nothing.

Never worked a day of retail in my life.”

2. A big glitch.

“The soda machine at a dorm I lived in had a weird glitch. If you put in five cents more than the asking price and pushed the product select button, the machine would empty all of its change out at once.

We did this a few times and got $20-40 each time!”

3. Raking it in.

“1 Credit Card point for every dollar spent.

But up to 5X for every dollar spent abroad.

I’ve been on a 6 year “holiday” abroad and they haven’t brought it up.”

4. Smart move.

“I was visiting a hospital on a daily basis for many weeks ( premature twin babies) but they didn’t do multi-use discounts. “There’s the hours you were here – pay up” type of thing. And it was costing something like £5 – £10 per day

Until a few days in I realized that the hospital had only recently appointed the car parking company and they haven’t yet installed the “arrival time” machine at the car park entrance but had only put a temporary machine in the Hospital lobby . . . . which you were meant to use on your arrival.

And from that day on I got my “arrival time” ticket when I was leaving and only paid minimum stay.”

5. Never-ending pizza.

“This pizza place local to us had a glitch in their online ordering service for a while. You could technically combine 2 deals of 50% off. One was 50% off for any XL pizza of an order that was normally $30 or more, and the other was 50% off on a XL Pizza, with two 2-liter drinks, wings, and cheese fries at regular price.

If you put both of these coupons in, you only paid for the wings, cheese fries and pop which would be about $18. With delivery charge + tax it would be about $25. Plus 2 Extra Large Pizzas for literally free.

Normally this would be $70+. Any other coupon you could not combine, but this one worked together for some reason. For some other reason it would mark 50% off 2x on each pizza.

We discovered this when we were ordering food the day we moved in. Feeding our friends that helped us move in. We thought it was a 1-time thing. Tried it a few weeks later and it worked. We did this at least once a month for the year or so we lived there.

We always gave the driver a $10-$20 tip and he knew what we were up to. The place never said anything about it for years. Eventually they updated their site a couple years ago, and we had moved out by then.”

6. Hey, that’s pretty good!

“Had intermittent anemia in college that I was trying to improve. But the blood work was about $100 each time.

I started donating blood and if I was too low they’d turn me away and I’d keep trying to up my iron. If I was high enough, I got to donate to a good cause.

Win win!”

7. Extra cash.

“Opened an Amex credit card and the introductory offer was 10% cash back in restaurants for the first year.

I worked for a sh*tty chain restaurant as a server, so I would just stack a few of my large cash tables and put them on my card, then pay it off every week.

Made an extra $20-$30 a shift.”

8. Free burritos!

“There was a summer where I got free chipotle all the time. I had a gift card that had like 2 dollars left on it. I hadn’t updated the app yet so it still had the “use my gift card and pay the rest in store”.

However either the computer at the store said I already paid the full amount ahead of time or I always came in during a time that they were swamped so no one ever asked me to pay.

They also never charged my gift card. I got away with it until the app made me update it.”

9. Playing the system.

“Coming to school 3 hours late.

I found out that as long as you have a parent’s note, you could come in late unlimited times. The only restriction is that after 15 days missed for a class, you’d fail it.

So, at the beginning of the year I pressured my guidance counselor to move my two study periods to period 1/2 and a blowoff class (which I didn’t need the credit for) to period 3.

Came to school at 10-10:30am every day my senior year opposed to 7am. Extra 3 hours of sleep, bringing fast food into lunch, and avoiding the hectic metal detectors made it well worth.

Props to my grandma for writing 140 late notes for me at the start of the year. That my friends, is how you play the system.”

10. That’s a lot of tea.

“The Starbucks subsidiary Teavana (now out of business) would let you use your Starbucks rewards (“stars” or whatever they’re called) to get loose tea by the ounce.

However, there was an error in their point-of-sale system that only deducted 1 reward point, no matter how many you spent in a given transaction.

My wife and I spent 32 rewards on a couple pounds of the most expensive loose tea they had. She checked her rewards balance the next day, and holy sh*t, she still had 31 reward points left.

So we drove to a different Teavana and got a bunch of loose tea from them, and then another, and then another. We were in Los Angeles, so there were a lot of Teavanas within driving distance.

At retail price, we took a thousand bucks or so of free tea off their hands before the loophole was closed.”

11. School uniforms.

“My school had uniforms, it was kinda strict with those… but nowhere in the rules it stated that girls should wear the female uniform and boys the male uniform.

Sooooooo, I bought the male one and wore it. A lot of teachers wanted to give me detention, but when I went over the school rule book and sh*t, they had to stay steaming mad because I was not breaking any rules.

They assumed it was implied, but the only think stated was that the uniform was to be worn properly, be clean and fit well, but that’s it.

By the time I graduated, a lot of students were doing about the same sh*t I was.

That rule changed shortly after my generation went off to university. sorry kiddos, maybe you will find new loopholes to give the inspector an aneurism.”

12. Life hack.

“The Mc Cheapy.

McFlurries were like 4 bucks. All it is is ice cream in a cup with some shots of topping. They don’t even mix it.

So we asked for a soft serve, 30c, two shots of toppings, $1, a cup and a spoon (free).”

13. No permit needed.

“Not me, but my dad.

He was building a deck on their house. If the deck attaches to the house, you need a permit to build one in our city, since it’s considered an addition/improvement. If the deck doesn’t attach to the house, it’s a free-standing structure, and you don’t need a permit.

So he built the deck right up against the house, but it doesn’t actually attach to the house, so he didn’t need a permit.

All he had to do was add a few extra posts under the side of the deck nearest the house.”

14. Free refills.

“Years ago, Burger King sold mugs that you could refill for free any time at all. With soda or even shakes.

My friends and I would bring a single mug, go in and get a chocolate shake, go back to the car to move the contents to another mug, go back in and repeat until all of us got free chocolate shakes.

We did this regularly for about two years of high school.”

Now we want to hear from you.

In the comments, tell us about the various loopholes that you’ve discovered and exploited.

Please and thank you!

The post People Talk About Loopholes They Discovered and Exploited appeared first on UberFacts.