Author | Lightnews

Ben

@bennythegnome.bsky.social

260 followers 450 following 92 posts

Your friendly neighborhood forest gnome, baking persimmon bread and befriending stray cats to make the world a more beautiful place.✨ 🏳️‍🌈 📍SoCal 🏜️ 🤠 Language Lover 🇩🇪🇸🇪🇳🇱🇫🇮🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Hobbies 🪴📚📝☕🎮🎧📽️🏋🏼🏃🏼🚴🏼 Parent of 😺🦎🐍🐊 High School English Teacher 🧑🏼‍🏫 Proud Union Member 🌹✊🏼

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Ben @bennythegnome.bsky.social · 26d

Once the surprise fog dissipated this morning, I went on a much-needed hike. The alkali goldenbush is looking mighty pretty after the rains.

A field of blooming alkali goldenbush, with goldenrod flowers, bordered by poplar and mesquite trees. Desert hills can be seen in the background.

Ben @bennythegnome.bsky.social · 27d

More rain in the desert today. I've been appreciating the mild weather and the frequent rain storms this past month. Compared to previous years, it actually feels like fall.

The animals have been appreciating the rain, too. Here's a red diamond rattlesnake I met on the trail a few weeks ago.

A red diamond rattlesnake, positioned in a defensive stance underneath mesquite branches.

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Ben @bennythegnome.bsky.social · Oct 4

I haven't posted on here for a hot minute, but I'm hoping to change that. Hope y'all are well.

On a related note: check in on your teacher friends. It's been quite the year for us and, boy howdy, it's only the start of October.

Reposted by Ben

The Nucky Thompson of Going on My Phone @gonebabygone.bsky.social · Jul 18

I hate when someone unearths my pube-autograph to the world's most famous pedophile while I'm dying of cankles

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Ben @bennythegnome.bsky.social · Jul 8

Trust that California's public school system will be one of the first targets, which will mean that I'm screwed.

Ben @bennythegnome.bsky.social · Jul 8

"The Education Department...would strip the benefit from organizations involved in 'illegal activities,' with the final determination left up to the U.S. education secretary. A draft proposal...includes definitions of illegal activity that center on immigration, terrorism and transgender issues."

Student loan cancellation program could become Trump retribution tool, some advocates fear

President Donald Trump is revamping the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, sparking concerns it could become a tool for political retribution.

apnews.com

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Ben @bennythegnome.bsky.social · Jul 7

AP scores were released today, and there was a significant (18%) increase in my students' pass rate compared to the scores from the previous two years. No word as to how the dubious inclusion of "Stranger Faces" was scored, but I'm very proud of my students. ✨🧑🏼‍🏫

Ben @bennythegnome.bsky.social · Jul 3

If you see this, post a duel

Ben @bennythegnome.bsky.social · Jun 28

Now watching:

Ben @bennythegnome.bsky.social · Jun 25

It really is. The digitalization of curriculum didn't help, especially when platforms offer excerpts in lieu of the whole text. Luckily, I've noticed positive changes in the last few years, so here's hoping that things continue to improve.

Ben @bennythegnome.bsky.social · Jun 25

As an English teacher, I wholeheartedly agree. One of the most frustrating and tragic developments I've noticed in the curriculum is the tendency to manipulate texts so that they're supposedly more "accessible" for students, often at the expense of context and purpose.

Ben @bennythegnome.bsky.social · Jun 24

Rebooted Morrowind and made it all pretty (and quirky, as shown with the mudcrab helmet). It's been ages since I played it, but the story and lore have stuck with me over the years. As have the memes. Looking forward to seeing how the modding community made this masterpiece even greater.

Cirion, an Altmer, is standing on a bridge in the middle of the swamps near Seyda Neen, clad in chitin armor and wearing a helmet made of a mudcrab carapace and decorated with crystals that are a deep indigo. Because Morrowind.

Ben @bennythegnome.bsky.social · Jun 22

Dive Bar Beauty Queen: Pride Edition. ✨🌈💃🏼

Ben @bennythegnome.bsky.social · Jun 20

Ben @bennythegnome.bsky.social · Jun 19

I'll start:

Ben @bennythegnome.bsky.social · Jun 19

Very good advice. As we teeter toward a war that has the capacity to be even more horrendous than either Iraq or Afghanistan, it's tempting to rage-skeet against that couch-fucking twat for trolling at the expense of trans kids. But ignoring him (and filling Bluesky with memes of him) is sound.

Maladroithe @maladroithe.bsky.social · Jun 18

This is a vital message: one of the larger reasons BlueSky is refreshingly free of alt-right shitlords is because in the early days we made a gentleperson’s agreement to starve these fuckos out and it worked. No likes, no quotes, no engagement. They got bored and left. Please keep the Old Ways.

Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · Jun 18

Vice-President JD Vance confirms he has joined BlueSky.

@jd-vance-1.bsky.social

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Reposted by Ben

erika @yeeeerika.bsky.social · Jun 17

this is what Posting feels like

A green duck puppet speaks into a megaphone next to a blue-haired puppet in a safety vest. Caption reads: “Attention, freaks. It’s me.”

22 2.3K 6.5K

Ben @bennythegnome.bsky.social · Jun 17

Also, if you haven't heard the haunting sound of the carnyx, here you go:

The ancient Celtic Carnyx.

YouTube video by William Marshall

youtu.be

Ben @bennythegnome.bsky.social · Jun 17

Doing some world building for a TTRPG setting that's been in my mind for a while, and I've decided that the Achaemenid-inspired dwarves in this setting play the carnyx into battle.

So metal.

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Ben @bennythegnome.bsky.social · Jun 15

PS - despite its reputation, the I.E. can be a beautiful place and deserves more credit. It has such a vibrant, diverse community and so many things to do. Now, if only we can get more public transit in place.

Ben @bennythegnome.bsky.social · Jun 15

After attending protests against fascism this morning, I ended up going on a hike in Rancho Cucamonga with a new friend that turned out to be lovely. We even found a Plummer's Mariposa Lily, which is a somewhat rare flower to find. All in all, a great day. ✨🌷

A picture of Etiwanda Falls on the Etiwanda Falls Trail in Rancho Cucamonga, CA.

A Plummer's Mariposa Lily in bloom. The petals are pink fuchsia at the ends, with the interior being white with fuchsia dots. The anthers of the stamen are goldenrod.

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Ben @bennythegnome.bsky.social · Jun 14

Even in 100°F heat, the protest in Cathedral City was sizable; I'd be interested to see the attendance estimate, but both sides of 111, including the median, were filled with protesters and immaculate community vibes. So proud to be working in and for this community.

No Kings Day protestors line street of Cathedral City

Hundreds of people gathered in the morning for the No Kings rally in Cathedral City in Southern California's Coachella Valley on Saturday. They lined the street near East Palm Canyon Drive and West Bu...

www.desertsun.com

Ben @bennythegnome.bsky.social · Jun 13

The honking and visible support from the tow truck driver was *chef's kiss*

Ben @bennythegnome.bsky.social · Jun 13

This is art.

mike taddow @miketaddow.bsky.social · Jun 13

this 48-second video of a protest in ontario, california is top-tier storytelling 🤌🏽🤌🏽

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Ben @bennythegnome.bsky.social · May 26

I do find value in the silver lining that's noted, but, given that this passage appeared on my students' AP English Language exam form, I'm still livid. Looking forward to dual-enrollment opportunities for my students in the near future.