u/aiden19181919

I’ve been wanting to get myself a simple necklace and matching earrings that I can wear daily. You know just something cute that works with casual outfits and doesn’t feel too special occasion only

Saw some lab diamonds options and thinking of getting them because, honestly, the price point makes a lot more sense to me than spending a small fortune on natural diamonds for something I plan to wear constantly. But I also don’t want anything that screams trying too hard or looks flashy

Basically, I’m leaning toward something subtle and timeless and maybe small studs and a delicate pendant, but I keep second-guessing myself because I want it to look effortless, not like I’m auditioning to be someone’s rich aunt at brunch if I can say so..

For people who wear lab diamonds daily, what styles actually look good for casual wear? Do you go for yellow gold, white gold, smaller stones, bezel settings, dainty chains?

 I'm at a loss. Second year in a row now where I assign reading from our textbook (standard intro level, nothing fancy) and half the class shows up having clearly not opened it. When I ask why, the response is often some version of "I didn't know what to read" or "I skimmed it but didn't get it." I've started giving them specific page numbers, guiding questions, even highlighting key sections in my slides. Nothing seems to help.

I sat down with a student during office hours last week and walked them through how to actually use the index and glossary. They looked at me like I had just performed magic. I don't remember having to teach college students how to navigate a textbook ten years ago. Is this just me getting old and crotchety, or are others seeing this too? I'm genuinely trying to meet them where they are but I also don't want to turn my class into a remedial reading workshop. How do you handle this without just ditching the textbook entirely?