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My son’s teacher went to his soccer game. Her support meant more to him than mine did.

by with No Comment Xpandfy

The day we met my son’s fourth-grade teacher in late August 2024, she wasn’t the gentle, sweet personality I hoped for when my kids were little. When I’d dropped him at preschool for the first time, I wished for a warm, motherly personality to greet us, one that would hug away tears and calm separation jitters.

But by nine, he was talkative, curious, and stubborn. By now, I knew he needed structure, precise expectations, and someone who would push him to his potential. As she showed him around the classroom, authority radiated from her words. “You two can sit beside one another, but only if you focus,” she said to him and his closest friend.

At first, he wasn’t sure his teacher liked him

My son excels in math, always solving equations in his head while I search for a calculator. With a craving to learn, he enjoys school, but transitioning into a new school year — and returning after long breaks — typically triggers some angst, initiating an internal voice that tries to convince him school will suddenly become too challenging. So, it was no surprise that initially, he was mildly apprehensive.

“I don’t think she likes me,” he said one evening in early September after he’d been reprimanded for being chatty. A born negotiator, he exhibits the skills to persuade nearly anyone in his favor — but at the beginning of fourth grade, he learned you can’t bargain your way out of every dilemma. It took time for him to adjust to her strong personality after learning words weren’t always enough to evade consequences.

She came to his soccer game one day, and I saw his face light up

One Saturday morning, as we were talking about school, he informed me, “She’s coming to my soccer game today.” I worried he’d be disappointed. “She might be busy,” I suggested. “She has her own family.”

Before having children, I worked as a speech-language pathologist in an elementary school. I was thrilled to live a couple of towns over; seeing my students on Saturdays wasn’t my idea of enjoyment. But as we situated our chairs along the field line, there she was with her own husband and son.

“It’s your weekend!” I exclaimed. “You deserve time away from your students.” She said she encouraged the students to share the times and locations of games and performances, as she strived to support them all.

When my son spotted her from across the field, his face lit up. That was only the first of numerous games she attended that year. Each time his eyes locked with hers from a distance, his spirit intensified like a light.

Her support gave him confidence that mine couldn’t

When I told him how well he played, he responded, “You have to say that. You’re my mom.” But each time she arrived, my biased pride in him solidified. She didn’t have to show up; she chose to.

“Save my number,” she said one Friday after calling to check in. “You can call anytime,” she insisted, as if my child were as important as her own. In the classroom, she rewarded students for their interests. Discovering my son’s curiosity about the presidents, she had him recite them in chronological order to earn a movie for the class; she gave him a moment to shine.

The usual apprehension that had always churned within him before returning to school after long weekends dissolved as the months proceeded. A teacher who shows up when it’s not mandated shows she genuinely likes her students and who they are as people; with her on the sidelines, my son felt worthy.

Throughout the year, purchasing pizza with her own money, she organized small group lunches, so every student had the privilege of her attention. On the last day of school, she threw them a party to celebrate the most impactful year my son had at his elementary school.

When fifth grade began in September 2025, I knew he’d miss being in her classroom. “I wish I could be in 4C again,” he said on the first day of school. That morning, he stopped by her room to say hi, and every morning thereafter, he’s done the same. Beginning each day with her is a comfort he’s come to rely on.

At his championship soccer game this past fall — as he was adjusting to a new school year — a familiar voice caught my attention. Again, she filled him with confidence in a way I wasn’t capable of.

Last month, as we were wandering through the crowd to find our son after his orchestra concert, there she was amid the masses. “I can’t believe you’re here,” I admitted, tears pooling in my eyes. These children are no longer in her class — they’re preparing to move on to middle school — but she continues to emerge when they need her most. A mother herself, she has chosen to show up for our children.

“I hope they never forget me,” she said as students shuffled by with their instruments. “You’ll be the one they remember,” I promised.

Last night, I found a letter my son wrote her at the beginning of fourth grade: “It is very nice of you to go to people’s sporting events. You make me feel like everything will be alright.”

Because of her, my son knows he’s enough.




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Image of Lakshmi Varanasi

Claude hits No. 1 on App Store as ChatGPT users defect in show of support for Anthropic’s Pentagon stance

by with No Comment Xpandfy

While OpenAI locks down Washington, Anthropic is locking down users and rocketing to the top of the App Store.

Anthropic has been sidelined in Washington following a public dispute with the Department of Defense over how its AI models would be deployed. President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to phase out its technology.

Meanwhile, OpenAI has secured new ground, with CEO Sam Altman announcing in a Friday night post on X that it had reached an agreement with the Department of War to deploy AI models in its classified network.

OpenAI’s agreement has left some loyal ChatGPT users uneasy about OpenAI’s ambitions, prompting online debates about the ethical implications — and some saying they were defecting to its rival Claude.

As of 6:38 p.m. ET on Saturday, Claude ranked number one among the most downloaded productivity apps on Apple’s App Store, trailing ChatGPT.


A screencap of the app store

BI



Converts have taken to social media to share screenshots documenting their switch.

Pop musician Katy Perry wrote that she was “done” on X, alongside a screenshot of Claude’s pricing page, with a red heart around the $20-per-month “Pro” plan.

Another X user, Adam Lyttle, wrote “Made the switch,” alongside a screenshot of his email inbox with a receipt from Anthropic and cancellation confirmation from OpenAI.

On Reddit’s ChatGPT subreddit, dozens of users say they’ve deleted their accounts and are urging others to do the same.

“Cancel ChatGPT” has become a common refrain online, while some users have taken a more personal tone, saying Altman’s move “crossed the line.”

The agreement hasn’t polarized all AI users, however.

In one Reddit thread, several commenters said the news does not affect their choice of AI model, arguing that Anthropic’s work with Palantir raises similar concerns. In November 2024, Anthropic, Palantir, and Amazon Web Services struck an agreement to provide US intelligence and defense agencies access to Claude models.

After Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said he would designate Anthropic as a “supply chain risk to national security,” Anthropic said it would “challenge any supply chain risk designation in court.”

In his Friday post, Altman said the Department of War had agreed with two of OpenAI’s safety principles.

“Two of our most important safety principles are prohibitions on domestic mass surveillance and human responsibility for the use of force, including for autonomous weapon systems,” Altman wrote on X. “The DoW agrees with these principles, reflects them in law and policy, and we put them into our agreement.”

By Saturday afternoon, OpenAI published a more detailed description of its contract with the DoW, including the specific language it used surrounding the use of its models for surveillance and autonomous weapons.

On the topic of autonomous weapons, OpenAI said:

The AI System will not be used to independently direct autonomous weapons in any case where law, regulation, or Department policy requires human control, nor will it be used to assume other high-stakes decisions that require approval by a human decisionmaker under the same authorities.

On the topic of mass surveillance, OpenAI said:

The AI System shall not be used for unconstrained monitoring of U.S. persons’ private information as consistent with these authorities.

While some chatbot users suggested it’s all fair in business, war, and federal procurement, others suggested the Pentagon’s stance may have handed Anthropic a public relations win.

X user Tae Kim joked that Hegseth might need a new title: “Secretary Hegseth Chief of Claude Marketing.”




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kelly burch

My rare plants sell for five figures. The business helps me support my extended family, but I work about 100 hours a week.

by with No Comment Xpandfy

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Harry Luu, owner of PlantZaddyTherapy. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I’ve always been a gardener and enjoyed being around plants. While I was in graduate school studying math, my collection of houseplants grew. There’s an attention to detail and a hyperfocus that I found in both mathematics and plants, so my hobby complemented my academic career.

During the pandemic, my interest in rare plants blew up. I started getting a bigger collection and trading up for more valuable plants.

Eventually, my hobby transformed into a business. I finished my graduate degree and started teaching math in California, but three years ago, I left academia to sell plants full-time.

My academic career was a safety net for my family of 8

I grew up in Vietnam, and I’m the embodiment of the American dream for my family. They put all their eggs in my basket, which allowed me to come to America and study. Now, I feel it’s fair to return their investment. I support not only myself and my husband, but also my parents, my brother, my sister-in-law, my niece, and my nephew.

Leaving my job while supporting a family of eight in California might seem risky, but it was calculated. I had reached the point where I saw the potential for financial freedom from investments I had made during grad school that had very good returns. I had years of data on plant sales, and also knew I could return to academia if needed, so I had a safety net.

I price based on rarity and desirability, without going too high

I was already connected to the rare plant community, so selling increasingly expensive plants felt like a natural progression. I grew my platform on Palmstreet, an online marketplace.

This year, I had two record-breaking sales in one day. I sold a $16,000 plant (an Anthurium Variegated Forgetii x Heinz, one of only two in the world), then a $26,000 plant (the only specimen of the True Variegated Lux Albo Mother Plant).


Man holding rare plant

A $16,000 plant sold on Palmstreet by Harry Luu

Courtesy of Palmstreet



I’m a math person, so I use a formula to price. I calculate rarity and desirability and compare them with price data from the previous three years. These plants were both very rare and highly desirable, which drove prices up. However, I didn’t want to price them too high, because I’m thinking about the long-term viability for my brand: people have to be able to purchase what I’m selling. Given how rare the plants were, their five-figure prices weren’t too big a splash.

I want to be able to connect with the community more

Despite those big numbers, the business’s income fluctuates dramatically. My best single week was over $200,000 in sales, but other weeks I might have no sales. The market is seasonal, and winter is slow. I’ve had to adapt to not having a steady, reliable income.

The money comes and goes, but the work never stops. Right now, I spend about 100 hours a week on the business. We have plants in our home, and also a large greenhouse on our property. My brother does some of the maintenance care for the plants, but all the breeding decisions are made by me.

I’m on the cusp of the company being able to sustain itself without me working so much. I look forward to that — when I can step back from the business side and focus more on the joy of growing. I would like to share my knowledge about rare plants and take the plants on the road to connect with my community more, since that’s what got me hooked on growing in the first place.




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