Tonight at Five PM

 

Truth in advertising: the main reason I don’t write about something which is local, timely, and pertinent is that I am afraid I can’t do it perfectly. That’s almost always what stymies me. If you struggle with perfectionism you know the feeling. 

Today I’m going ahead anyway. 

Tonight WBAL begins a two part series on special education in Howard County Schools. Here’s a promotional trailer. 

WBAL TV: TOMORROW AT 5pm: 11 News Investigates has spent months looking into why one of the top public school districts in the state has a special education crisis, leaving students with unmet needs and teachers begging for help.

You may already know that the Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee (SECAC) gave a present the February 12 BOE meeting. You may also know that the Howard County Educators Association (HCEA) has raised the issue of understaffing in Special Education repeatedly in testimony before the Board. But that would mean that you follow Board of Education meetings. Not everyone does.  

If you don’t have children in the county schools, or you do but they don’t receive Special Education services, you really may have no idea what is going on here. I would suggest that it matters to all of us. We are only as good as how we respond to the most vulnerable students in our community.

At the risk of repeating myself for the thousandth time: they are all our kids. 

Here is where I am wading into imperfection territory. It seems to me that the biggest problem is that our special education programs are dangerously and chronically understaffed. This means that students don’t get the support they need (and are guaranteed by law) and that teachers and support staff are punishingly overburdened. This can create unsafe conditions and contribute to teacher/staff burnout.

If you know more on this topic please fill me in. I am aware that this is a very basic explanation. But I wanted to get this out there in case people could make the time the watch the WBAL piece and become more informed on this issue. More people need to know, and more people need to care. 

As you know, I had the great privilege of teaching music and movement to special needs preschoolers for twelve years in the RECC program. Those were some of the most rewarding years of my career and I will never forget the joys and challenges of striving to become an effective teacher with those students. The teachers and staff I worked with were highly skilled, empathetic, determined, and committed. 

I know things are overwhelming right now. It’s a lot for me to ask you to pay attention to one more thing. If you are able, I hope you will. 

Village Green/Town² Comments 

Humanity in HoCo

There are plenty of things that are bothering me this morning. It occurs to me that my readers would probably appreciate more than my daily laments and rants. We all have plenty of our own.

I have been wracking my brain to think of one positive local thing that I’m prepared to write about today. To be honest, the best thing that happened to me yesterday was that I went to a doctor’s appointment full of trepidation and came away reassured, largely because the doctor treated me like a human being. The doctor practices in Columbia so we’re going to count this as a local story - - okay? (Let’s call this artistic license.)

A brief sermon here: every time someone treats you like a human being or you treat someone else like a human being the good released into the world is powerful, no matter how small. It’s hard to keep that in mind right now, but it’s absolutely true. If you’ve read the blog for any length of time you are familiar with this quote from Aesop:

No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted. - - Aesop

Listening to and interacting with someone with genuine respect and empathy is a deeply kind thing to do. When we experience that we carry away a kind of a glow - - a reaffirmation of our own self worth. How desperately we all need that, especially today. 

I wonder how people develop the capacity to be so respectful and affirming. And why others just…don’t. 

Here comes some bonus content. As I left something sparkly in the waiting room caught my eye. It was a Christmas tree* in the corner of the room. Something like this.

On the very top was something I didn’t recognize at first. Something brown. With googly eyes?

Holy moly, it was a poop emoji pillow*. But that’s not all. It was wearing a hat.

It was a hot pink sequined cap* that looked rather like a shower cap until I realized it was meant to be a surgical cap. 

Could it be that I was looking at a colonoscopy tree? I mean, it was a gastroenterologist’s office.

I did not laugh out loud but I definitely chuckled all way to my car. 

*****

Are there places in Howard County where you routinely come away with the feeling that you’ve been treated like a human being? Feel free to give them a shoutout.

Village Green/Town² Comments

*These are not my photos. All were found using a basic Google search.

Mental Health, Medication, and Mayhem

 

Heart-wrenching conversations I never thought I’d see are taking place right now about young people and mental health care.  Parents are terrified that newly confirmed Robert Kennedy Secretary of Health and Human Services will make good on his threats to strip doctors of the ability to prescribe medications for depression, anxiety - - even those for ADHD. Yet again we see an insistence to interfere with doctor-patient relationships and the desire to prevent parents from doing what they know is best for their children.

Almost beyond belief are Kennedy’s proposals to send these young people to so called “wellness farms” in lieu of allowing them to be supported by medically vetted and time tested treatments. 

With these conversations on my mind it’s not surprising that this post on Instagram caught my eye.

Howard County Association of Student Councils is hosting a Mental Health Panel event in collaboration with Nourish Teens at the Elkridge Branch Library in February 22nd from 3:30 - 5:30 pm.

If you are interested in mental health and psychology, come to the HSI mental health panel to learn from professionals and pre-med students and ask questions! If you cannot attend in-person, there is an online option. Snacks and service hours are provided.

From the Library Events page:

Nourish Teens: Teens Teach Self Care Fair

Hockley Room, Elkridge Branch

Saturday, February 22, 2025

3:30pm - 5:30pm

Program Type: Community Events, Health & Wellness

Age Group: Teens

Registration for this event will close on February 22, 2025 @ 3:30pm.

Program Description:

Teens develop leadership, teaching, and interpersonal skills while making a meaningful contribution to their community. Gain access to engaging, age-appropriate lessons that inspire curiosity and promote healthy habits.

Nourish Teens is a Teens Teach program, developed, planned, and presented by community teens.

A shout out to Board of Education member Jolene Mosley who shared this information on Instagram. Her posts have consistently alerted me to local education-related issues and happenings.

You must pre-register. Here is the library’s registration form.  But HCASC also has their own registration form and they are not identical. The latter is more comprehensive so I’d use that one. Please note that there is a remote option in case teens can’t make it in person. 

This program was probably planned before the current challenges to teen mental health care by Kennedy. I hope there will be accommodations made to address young people’s concerns on that topic.

Do you have concerns about how these proposals could impact young people in Howard County? Let me know.

Village Green/Town² Comments

Where’s My Dinner?

 

We did not lose power as a result of last night’s storm and high winds. You can bet I am suitably grateful about that. We had a perfectly boring, rather retro suburban dinner planned and I was able to cook it without any difficulties. 

It used to be that a good deal of Columbia felt insulated from power outages due to our lines being underground. That hasn’t been as true in recent years, or, maybe I’m imagining things. That being said, I’ve certainly observed a fair amount of smugness over the years from the Columbia contingent when the topic of power outages comes up.

So I went to bed feeling grateful that the power outage gods had passed over us and this morning I woke up feeling like an idiot. I’ll tell you why. 

Last night I saw post after post from folks looking for restaurants that hadn’t been impacted by the power outage. Eat in, carry out, delivery - - you name it. Sadly, there were plenty of posts from restaurants announcing that they’d be closed for the evening due to power loss. My heart hurt for them because I knew they’d be impacted not just by the loss of business but because all of the perishable food they had onsite might be rendered unusable, too. 

So something about those inquiries from the public looking for dinner irked me. All of these poor restaurants suffering losses and all they care about is their own personal dinner? They don’t care as long as their own Sunday night dinner plans are accommodated?

“Where’s my dinner?”

When I went online this morning a light dawned : our desperate restaurant seekers didn’t have power, either. Perhaps what they had planned to eat was now an impossibility.

Duh.

How often have I done that? How often do we all do that? We take the information that we have and form an opinion based on our own personal experiences and inclinations. A lot of the time that works for us but sometimes we are very, very wrong.

In this case I kept my short-sighted opinions to myself and my skewed perceptions didn’t harm anyone. But it has really set me to thinking about how much harm is done in our community and even more broadly when people are content to form opinions and act on them with only a limited amount of information, plus: the general resistance (inability?) to rethink once more information becomes available.

Frankly, it creeps me out.

Village Green/Town² Comment 

Getting Back to Nature in Columbia

 

Today the Robinson Nature Center is hosting their first-ever Bird Bonanza. It’s a family -friendly event presented in cooperation with Howard County Recreation and Parks:

Join Robinson staff, volunteers, and the Howard County Bird Club to celebrate birds and contribute to the worldwide community science effort of the Great Backyard Bird Count. Stop by tomorrow between Noon-4pm to come get a picture with our Osprey friend and enjoy fun activities, live animals, and bird walks.

This event will be held rain or shine.

Image from Robinson Nature Center social media 

What to expect:

• Bird-themed crafts, games, and activity stations. 
• Meet a live raptor. 
• Gather at the campfire and warm beverages 
• Guided bird walk with the Howard County Bird Club 
• Help with the Great Backyard Bird Count. 
• Beginners encouraged! 
• Children must be accompanied by a registered adult.

For ages 3 yrs +. Located at the Robinson Nature Center. $6 for center member, $8 for nonmember.  You need to preregister and buy tickets for this event. Please note that they intend to hold it even if it rains. 

Bird Bonanza, Sunday, February 16, 1-4 pm

I must say I really like the words “beginners encouraged!” I wish that more experiences in life came labeled that way. 

A recent article in the Baltimore Banner featured another event at the Robinson Nature Center:

The women who spent a sweet morning learning about maple sugaring in Columbia, Jess Nocera

The article mentions that one of those in attendance grew up in Northeast Ohio, “a big maple sugaring area.” I did, too. I have happy memories of attending the Maple Festival in Chardon and sampling molten syrup “stirs” that we stirred into maple cream candy. If the nature center ever hosts an all-out maple festival, I’ll be the first to sign up.

One piece of information about the Robinson Nature Center that I’ve been meaning to share. I learned this a while back but hadn’t figured out how to work it into a blog post. 

The nature center is a participant in a program called Museums for All, which enables visitors showing a SNAP EBT card to receive free admission. This program is a way of removing existing barriers for people who might otherwise be barred from museums. This means that they are welcome to experience the opportunities that museums in their own communities are offering. 

This reminded me of the commitment that the Inner Arbor Trust has made to provide free programming in Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods. I like it. 

What do you have planned for this wet February day?

Village Green/Town² Comments 

Black History, Frank Turner, and the Importance of Remembering

Yesterday, like many of us, I learned from reading the announcement by Howard County Executive Calvin Ball that former Delegate Frank Turner had died. Turner was the first Black delegate to represent Howard County in Annapolis in the General Assembly. He was elected in 1995 and served until 2019.

Let me just pause for a moment here. Howard County had its first Black delegate in 1995? I’m appalled by that but perhaps not surprised. 

If you are able, please read Turner’s obituary in the Baltimore Banner.

Frank Turner, Howard County’s first Black delegate, dies at 77, Jess Nocera, Baltimore Banner

I did not know Mr. Turner personally and much of what I read in his obituary was new to me. I knew that he was a local legend but I didn’t have any in-depth knowledge of his life and career in public service. As we are seeing such a concerted effort to completely erase Black history and accomplishments in this country I hope our community will take some time to learn more and contemplate Turner’s important role in Howard County history as an advocate, educator, and public servant.

Right now would be an excellent time. Before someone decides to suppress it. 

I read many heartfelt tributes yesterday which came from Howard County folks who knew and/or worked with Turner throughout his life. It reinforced to me how little I knew and how inadequate I feel to the task of remembering him here. If you are reading this - - I’m putting the word out to find someone better qualified to write a guest post about Turner’s life and what he meant to our community.

Would that person be you? Do you know someone you think I should reach out to? Let me know. 

*****

Today from 11 am to 4 pm: Howard County’s Black History Expo 2025. The Theme is African Americans and Labor. The event is open to the public and admission is free. 

Village Green/Town² Comments

F ³: Valentine’s Day Edition

 

I hadn’t exactly expected to receive a public service announcement from the discount store Five Below, but: here we are.

Image from Five Below social media 

PSA: Flowers fade, but plushies are forever.

As someone with a longstanding itch to adopt and love adorable stuffed cuddly creatures, I never thought I’d say this. They’re right: flowers fade, but plushies are forever. And maybe that’s why flowers are the better option. Or, rather: do we really want to celebrate love and romance and Valentine friendships by purchasing more stuff that cannot be recycled?

Flowers at least can be composted. Most stuffies will eventually end up in a landfill. (Boy, am I ever a killjoy today!) Now, flowers may not be your thing nor even remotely affordable around Valentine’s Day. That’s okay. What other ways do we have to celebrate and express affection that don’t eventually cause environmental harm?

Many Valentine cards can be recyclable but you need to avoid certain materials if that’s your intent. Then there are consumables like chocolates, baked goods, and special meals. Next up are gifts that can be used again and again and then even passed on to be enjoyed by others, like books, a well-made item of clothing, or a work of art.

Finally - - the truly waste-free Valentine gift: shared experiences. Going to a concert, the theatre, or the movies. A walk in nature. A home cooked meal. I know a few folks for whom a therapeutic massage would be a perfect Valentine gift. It seems to me that if you really know someone and care about them, the possibilities for shared experiences are practically limitless. 

The absolute best Valentine gifts are not necessarily physical items which can be unwrapped, but the ones that show you are paying attention. Who says that you can’t show that you’re paying attention to the environment, too? 

One last thing. In case you wonder what is going on in the Five Below advert at the top of this post…it’s a video tutorial showing you how to make a bouquet out of plushies. What an indignity for our stuffed animal friends! Would you want someone to attach you to a stick? If you’re going the cuddly toy route for Valentine’s Day, perhaps a little more tenderness than this is in order. 

A while back I wrote about a company in England called Loved Before which refurbishes plush toys and resells them with great love and imagination. On this Valentine’s Day I’m happy to share that Loved Before is on the verge of announcing their new United States branch. Teddies are en route as I write this. 

Image from Loved Before London social media 

Whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day or are just hoping for better days ahead, I hope you have a wonderful day today.

Village Green/Town² Comments