Teacher’s Absurd Response to a Mother’s Note Sets the Internet on Fire

A mother who simply wanted to take her family to Disney World said the ordeal became a full-blown academic crisis involving her first-grade daughter. Olivia, a teacher herself, went viral for sharing the response she received from her daughter’s teacher about missing a few days of class. Olivia explained that the family was planning to take a trip to Disney World and that her daughter would be missing a few days of school. "Apparently, missing a few days of first grade is going to result in some serious academic consequences,” Olivia posted on social media. 

 

If that wasn’t enough, the teacher that said she would be sending home a 37-page makeup packet for the child. The email quickly became a talking point, with some people finding the teacher’s response wildly over-the-top. “I’m 32 and never learned the life cycle of a pumpkin. Now I’m jobless and living on the streets,” joked one commenter. Another wrote: “Does this first-grader attend MIT or something????” There's been no word on whether Olivia addressed the note with the teacher.

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Don’t Follow TikTok Advice About Mashed Potatoes

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, people are looking for ways to wow their friends and families with their mashed potatoes. Traditional mashed potatoes are already fantastic, but you can always count on someone posting a TikTok video about how to make them better. Unfortunately, the advice being given this year could be a big problem for some people. According to several TikTok videos, adding yeast to cooked mashed potatoes is supposed to make them fluffier and give them a savory, bready flavor. When yeast is mixed with milk and added to mashed potatoes, the carbon dioxide bubbles do their magic, changing the texture and flavor of the potatoes and making them rise into a fluffy mass. Unfortunately for some people, adding yeast to mashed potatoes can be dangerous. That’s because neither the mashed potatoes nor the milk gets hot enough to kill active yeast cultures, and digesting active yeast can cause gastrointestinal issues, including bloating, cramps, constipation and diarrhea. It may also increase the risk of fungal infections, especially in people who are critically ill or have a compromised immune system. The dangerous part is that some people may not realize that yeast has been added to the mashed potatoes, leaving them unaware that the fluffy mass might give them more of a surprise than they wanted.

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Chicago Schools Would Rather Lose Google Search Than Be Forced To Accept AI

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has blocked artificial intelligence tools — including, Google Gemini, ChatGPT, and Claude — on student accounts and district networks due to concerns about student privacy, safety, and compliance. Google announced a new policy stating that K-12 school accounts that ban artificial intelligence will lose access to Google Search entirely because AI Overviews and AI Mode are deeply integrated into the platform. The district has signaled that it will look for alternative search engines rather than accept forced AI on student accounts. Parents, students, and teachers unions are also protesting tech mandates in public education.

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The World’s Rarest Bus

If you live in the British town of Tavistock and fancy a day by the seaside, there’s a handy bus service that can take you to the coast. Make sure you get to the bus stop on time because if you miss it, there won’t be another one for 9 months. The 112 bus only runs from April to September on every fifth Saturday, when there is one in the month. The unusual schedule means there are only two return journeys per year. The 16-seat mini bus departs at 9:05 a.m., returning at 3:30 p.m., making 25 stops in total. The quirky 112 — which has been dubbed the “rarest bus in the world” — has become somewhat of a tourist attraction, so seats on the bus fill up quickly. Half of the seats are available to be pre-booked online, while the others are first come, first served. The bus service is powered completely by volunteers, which could explain why it’s so infrequent.

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