Village Green/Town²

As promised, a platform for Higgledy Piggledy in Howard County: We believe in having more candidates for election than residents. We oppose the foolish adherence to consistency, "the hobgoblin of little minds." We affirm the necessity of extremely long 4th of July parades during election years. We demand the right for candidates to participate boisterously in the July 4th parades, even if they may have been eliminated during the Primary election on June 24th. We stand for free exchange of ideas. We sit for discussion. We sleep during the recap. We oppose and condemn good orderly behavior if there exists a possibility for fun, exhuberant behavior. (With malice toward none.) Therefore, we urge all candidates in Howard County to consider our Higgledy Piggledy platform as the reasoned product of Higgledy Piggledy voters: not straight or narrow, but Higgledy Piggledy. "Higgledy Piggledy in the streets! Higgledy Piggledy every d*** day!" Enjoy your...

So, Tuesday evening, this happened: It came from online discussions with local political news enthusiasts who were geeking out about details of who had filed to run for office. geek out (third-person singular simple present geeks out, present participle geeking out, simple past and past participle geeked out) To enthuse about a narrow topic, not realizing that most people listening will fail to understand it. To do geeky things; to act geeky; to speak of geeky things. The conversation looked something like this: "After looking at the HoCo and Maryland Board of Election websites when the deadline passed, it's clear: there are more candidates in this state than voters." "Well House District 13 sure looks interesting. And I remember Atterbeary from 2010, when she ran in District 18. What else? Just two dozen Howard County Democratic Central Committee candidates, 13 Board of Education candidates and 10 Democratic HD 12 candidates. Going to be some long 4th of July parade...

One cold morning this Winter I talked about "the dread argument of the individual case." Well, here we go again. Although this time it could be called "how personal connections make a difference." Yesterday this letter came up in my Facebook feed. I tend to be a very private person, but..... Today marks the 90th day for me on the 1A waiting list for a heart transplant. The "average " wait time for someone with my blood type is 83 days. There is a shortage of donor hearts available, and my team has had a very dry spell in the availability of suitable donor hearts since August 2013. If you and your loved ones are registered organ donors , thank you! Please continue to encourage friends , family, neighbors, co-workers to register now . And don't forget one VERY important thing: Please let those nearest and dearest to you KNOW your wishes should the time come . Many more lives could be saved IF the medical team knows! Thank you! Love, ...

It's February. If you woke up this morning and discovered that Allen Dyer is running for the Board of Education, you might have been tempted to check your calendar. To see what year it is. Thanks to local Education reporter Sara Toth, background information on his run is here . Anything else you want to know ask Lisa B, Mrs S . She knows everything. I'm a little concerned by the assertion that the board members should not see themselves as individuals, but rather as a part of a collective. I'm also concerned that board members have no incentive to be responsive to particular districts, because it is clear that some areas are mightily underrepresented on the board. "Welcome to the hive mind. We represent some of the children in Howard County." * How can we get excited about an election when it is set up in such a way that we don't feel that one person can make a difference? How can we make ourselves follow the race, turn out for candidate forums, read all th...

I came out of the house yesterday, saw something, and immediately wanted to photograph it for the blog. But that made me think about Dennis, and his many "Scene This Week In..." gems . I went back in the house and let myself be sad for awhile. But here I am again with the same scene and the same desire to share. This picture indicates how hungry the deer have been this winter. This picture indicates the height of the deer. ***** I highly recommend Googling "Scene This Week WordBones." You can even search by month, which is how I got the snow scenes I linked to above. I also found this , which highlights a party for bloggers in 2008. So much has changed since then. But at least bloggers are still getting together. I'm looking forward to the upcoming event on Thursday. We miss you, Dennis. We love you, Mama WordBones. Scenes may change but you are a part of us forever.           Posted with Blogsy

Last year I wrote this post about how I was feeling sorry for myself because I couldn't afford a ticket to the Howard County Library event , "Evening in the Stacks." I devised an ingenious plan to save up, little by little, so that I'd be ready this year. And then I wasn't. Yesterday morning I was beating myself up as I saw friends posting pictures and anecdotes of their preparations for the big event. And I wasn't going to the Royal Ball. Again. It hasn't been the greatest year for me money-wise, because every time we have a delay I miss an entire morning of work. A snow day is a full day of work that I'll most likely never get to make up, because scheduling between sixteen schools is a nightmare. I have the kind of job where I get paid for exactly what I do: no more, no less. And, I do love snow days, but... So I was going about my daily activities yesterday, thinking and thinking about where all the money goes. As I passed the table by the front d...

So some local blogger referenced my piece on Wednesday about changes coming to arts education in Howard County. However, he didn't have the decency to name me or link to the article. More than that, he didn't let his audience know that I am a teacher, hcpss parent, and a music professional. Well, you know...bloggers. What do they know? The problem is that this blogger is an elected member of the Howard County Board of Education. So, as a professional courtesy, I am going to name him and link to his post. This post by Brian Meshkin might give you a good feeling about what is going on in our local school system. And I must say it paints a rosy picture of Mr. Meshkin's diligence as a board member. The problem is that I happen to know that it contains errors and omissions which make it less than helpful in assessing the situation. Do I think this local blogger did this knowingly? No, I don't. I think he just doesn't know. And I think there's a lot more of that go...

Today's word is " stakeholder ". stakeholder, n 1. a person or group owning a significant percentage of a company's shares 2. a person or group not owning shares in an enterprise but affected by or having an interest in its operations, such as the employees, customers, local community , etc (emphasis mine) Let's talk about the local community which elects the Howard Board of Education. That's us. Adult voters who live in our county, whether they have children or not, have a vested interest in the education of the community's children. A high-quality education benefits everyone as children learn, grow, and become successful members of that community. We elect the Board of Education. In turn, the Board of Education hires the Superintendent of Schools. Whose schools? Our schools. We elect the Board of Education, we pay taxes to support the school system, and many of us provide our most precious "assets": our children. We are the stakeholders. D...

Yesterday I exhorted readers to take action against a plan to cut arts education and eliminate differentiated instruction for instrumentalists at the elementary level. These actions would destroy the strong foundation Howard County provides its students, and would be felt both short term and long term throughout the school system. Excellence in arts education supports students across all content areas. After all, a violinist in elementary schools may very likely grow up to be...an Olympic athlete. Children who study music in school grow up to be musicians, and doctors, and scientists, and teachers, and inventors, and salespeople, and contractors, and...well, you get the picture. And do you know where all those musical people want to go? Merriweather ! Columbia awesomeness advocate and all-around energizer Ian Kennedy reminds us that significant improvements to Merriweather Post Pavillion were promised as a part of the Downtown Plan, and as yet, nothing is happening. Go like their Face...

My whole family loves music and we are so grateful for the excellent music education our daughter is getting in Howard County. So I was surprised to learn that the new elementary school, Duckett's Lane, has been piloting a new scheduling model that it is being expanded to five more schools next year. I went to last night's meeting of Howard County Parents for School Music to learn more. In order to introduce Departmentalization and World Language Instruction at the Elementary level, the following changes will be made: 1. Kindergarten-2nd grade general music will be cut by 15 minutes per week, a 25% reduction in instructional time. This also will apply to art classes. 2. 3rd-5th grade general music will be cut by 30 minutes per week, a 50% reduction in instructional time. 3. Small group instrumental instruction (known as pull-outs) will be terminated. All sessions will be large group. I want to make this as concise as I can. Data presented on Duckett's Lane model: None (s...

I'm suffering from a bit of blog-lag after a week in San Antonio for a Music Educators' conference. Writing daily is a crazy act of faith and when I stop, even for a bit, everything seems to turn to cement. But two things appeared in my sights this morning and came together in such lovely synergy that I had to share. First, this story on the usefulness of the SAT's. It appears that a student's high school grades are a more accurate predictor of college success than his or her scores on this standardized test. (Well, duh.) So we have a whole testing industry and a "prepare for the test" industry which use up a boatload of money and time and are very likely of little use. Does this remind you of anything? Well, I'm not going to leave this up to the imagination. If this massive testing system which is used to evaluate college preparedness is less valuable than the student's actual high school record, the why on earth would we rely on high stakes testing...

The top five items on my Facebook feed this morning are as follows: PTA potholes problem-solving pork pies personality type I'm seeing a pattern here. Today's blog is brought to you by the letter P, and by the number 5. Saturday evening Margo was at a party which left us with an unexpected opportunity for a dinner date. We didn't have a lot of time, so we chose from amongst the many fast-casual establishments nearby. After ticking off quite a few, we settled on Baja Fresh. Which brings me to one of my pet peeves : the parking lot at Dobbin Center. No matter how many times I go there, I can't shake the feeling that there is something intrinsically wrong with how the parking is laid out in relation to the shops and restaurants. It is difficult to navigate in and out of the lot itself. It takes forever to maneuver around the lot, and the most desirable spaces are inevitably filled. I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's a soul-sucking experience, but deflatin...

Reprinting this post on real estate from last year. Look for an update at the end. **** THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013 Real Estate Lucy Van Pelt: I know how you feel about all this Christmas business, getting depressed and all that. It happens to me every year. I never get what I really want. I always get a lot of stupid toys or a bicycle or clothes or something like that. Charlie Brown: What is it you want? Lucy Van Pelt: Real estate. *************************** I sat across from my daughter in the Nordstrom Cafe yesterday. We chatted over perfectly seasoned chicken, grilled vegetables, fresh fruit, and peach iced tea. The occasional "ladies who lunch" experience is a treat for us, a mother-daughter splurge. We talked about writing, her upcoming job interview, and the House Hunt. George and Alice got married in September. They didn't have any immediate plans to buy a house. They rent a spacious condo that meets their present needs. But then two things happened. George got a rais...

@AdamMendelson: MSA bill hearing summary: Educators, BOEs, local supes, students, & many legislators want to get this right...but MSDE wants to ignore them. @heidlovesmath: @AdamMendelson so what can we do next? @AdamMendelson: @heidlovesmath Call, write, or email your legislators. You can email them here: http://t.co/8yJdUFF4eI @Teachbaltshaw: @AdamMendelson as a collective our voices should be stronger than that of MSDE. We must demand better. #edreform @AdamMendelson: @Teachbaltshaw Couldn't agree more. Demand better & deserve better.   Adam Mendelson is the communications director for the Maryland State Education Association . I have been following him on Twitter since the evening of the Howard County Board of Education budget meeting. I found his live-tweeting of Wednesday's hearing in Annapolis on the topic of requesting a waiver for this year's MSA testing to be extremely informative. So, as @heidilovesmath asks, what can we do next? "Call, write, or e...

If you are a parent, you know the drill. When you have a sick child who cannot go to school, you have more than one problem. First, of course, you have a sick child. Second, if you have a job, you have a conflict. Many of us have been the parent who wondered if the illness was borderline enough that a little over the counter medicine would get them through. Many of us have been the teacher shaking our heads at the parents who send the child to school sick. It is complicated. So many jobs don't take into account sick children. American culture doesn't honor family needs. Period. I have reached a point in my life where I can, if absolutely necessary, stay home with a sick child. I hate letting my schools and students down, but it is understood within the early childhood world that sometimes you have sick kids. I get paid only for the classes I teach, so my paycheck suffers. But I now have enough financial stability, largely through marriage, to be able to take small cuts here and...

Some things make me so angry that I want to leap upon the blog page and send forth a lightning bolt of words to let everyone know. To set everybody straight. But anger like that gets so big that it prevents me from saying what I really want to say. I have taken a number of deep breaths this morning and I am going to try, bit by bit, to face what set me off and make sense of it. This morning, fellow blogger and friend Bill Woodcock at The 53 Blog takes a moment to dwell on the Howard County School System budget issue. My take on what he says is that HCEA president Paul Lemle rubs him the wrong way, but that all in all, teachers probably deserve more than .5 raise. Breathe. First, about Paul Lemle. I guess we don't all have to like him. But, like it or not, he is the elected president of the HCEA. He is doing his job. But, consider this. We live in a society which has come to criticize and distrust teachers just for being teachers. Professionals with both experience, education, and ...

Things I want to know: 1. Why, with all our technological advances, have we not invented an Insta-Thaw Windshield? 2. What do they really want you to write on those report card envelopes on the parent comment line? 3. Did you know you can support Talbott Springs Elementary School today, just by eating at Bertucci's? Well, you can! @Hoyafan_1994: Support TSES at Bertucci's in Columbia, MD. 4 Feb. from 11am-10pm. Flier needed. 4. Why are there only five Special K chewy bars in a box? My family goes through scads of them every week! 5. Why do I get so excited about this new product when I know, deep down, it won't help me get any more organized than anything else I already have? 6. Friend Wendy Scherer (of Finding Blanche ) asks, "Am I the only one who thinks a name change is in order? Storm Warning. Storm Watch. Which is which? Which is worse? I ask myself every time. I propose 1) Winter Storm Possible but you have time to go to the store and get TP an...

Philip Seymour Hoffman: an actor whose work I have to admit I have never seen. But that didn't matter to me yesterday when I heard of his death. It was heartbreaking, no matter who he was. He was someone's partner, someone's dad, someone's friend. This comment on Facebook drew me up short: He was easily among the very greatest actors of my generation. Though we'll tut-tut the tragic loss, let's also say this: narcotics users are selfish. He just stole from us all the brilliant roles he will never now perform . Selfish? I responded: Addiction is horrible. He really, really tried. Can't agree with you on this . He replied: Perhaps he tried. But he tried too late. "If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny." Soon after, @LisaB.Mrs.S. retweeted: @knottyyarn: How about believing survivors. How about compassion for addicts. How about not indulging that blame-placing urge & remembering humanity. Yes...

Yesterday was a busy day at Panera. So busy in fact, that when I got to the front of the line the young cashier was leaning wearily on the register with both arms. I smiled, encouragingly, I hoped, and placed my order. The first thing I told her was that it was "to go." At the end of the transaction she asked, "Is this for here or to go?" I said again, "it's 'to go'." A while later, as we walked to the car, I got a bad feeling. I stopped and looked in the bag. My husband's toasted everything bagel with cream cheese was not there. We trudged back inside to see the clerk. There, sitting on a plate, was my husband's order. You didn't give us the bagel," I explained, holding up our brown paper bag. She smiled and pointed to the plate. "Here it is." "But the whole order was to go!" "Oh, sorry." She moved away to get the now cold bagel wrapped to go. The young man next to her explained that anything...