Village Green/Town²

Frequent readers of this blog will be surprised to learn that I loved high school Biology. It's true, though. I loved Biology because I had a brilliant teacher who made it engaging to everyone, and who clearly loved the subject. And although I dreaded the labs at first, when I realized that the table of guys behind me were waiting to see two girls get squeamish and fail, I dove in with gusto. Funny how that works. Of all the exams I took in high school, my favorite was the one in Biology, which was called a "lab practical." As a hands on, multi-sensory person I found the lab practical set-up fascinating. We moved to different stations around the room to complete different tasks based on real examples. We even had to close our eyes, stick our hands in a bucket of soapy water, and guess by feeling what was inside. Cool, right? When I think about what has happened in American education since then, I shudder. The continuing move from authentic teaching and learning to dail...

It's time to announce this week's winners in citizen responsiveness! On Wednesday, after I wrote a blog post outlining my concerns about the Oakland Mills Village Board and their proposed Sports Complex, I sent some letters. First, my letter: Dear __________,   I am taking the liberty of sending you a link to my blog post today because of a sincere concern for the future of my Village, Oakland Mills.   ( http://villagegreentownsquared.blogspot.com/2015/01/i-just-don-get-it.html )   I do not support plans for the development of a Sports Complex in Oakland Mills for several reasons:   It is predicated on a desire to displace poor and minority residents and diminish opportunities for affordable housing.   It is a poor use of available funds.   It detracts from major projects which are vital to the future of Oakland Mills.   This is what I do support:   I support a pedestrian, bicycle and transit bridge project known as Bridge Columbia as outlined her...

Blame it on my sister. First class of women at Yale (1972). Topped off with a Masters of Divinity, Masters of Sacred Music, and a PhD in Religious Studies, all at Yale. Her speciality was the Roman Catholic Liturgy. Yes, she was the sort of person who would write course papers so good that the next term they would be added to the syllabus as required reading. So, it is her fault that I know words like anamnesis and epiclesis. I understand what it means for a priest to be "bi-ritual". I have been invited to historical re-enactments of ancient liturgies and I have eaten dinner while listening to accounts of the martyrdom of Felicity and Perpetua. Thanks, Pam. Anamnesis, in a Christian context , "has its origin in Jesus' words at the Last Supper, 'Do this in memory of me.'" My sister would be quick to point out that the exact translation is "for my recalling." And this is not the passive reminiscing of, "Oh, I recall Jesus..." but rath...

I recently was accepted into a Facebook Group called Clarksville Happenings. As an overall cheerleader of local communities, I thought it would be good to see more than my own backyard . And, of course, I'm always looking for a good story. It turns out that a good story rose up to hit me in the face a whole lot sooner than I expected. On January 25 th a member shared this letter, reprinted in full. (Sorry so long.) Dear Lifetime Sports Advocate, Are you interested in seeing a 50 meter indoor pool, an new ice skating rink and/or a sports center in Howard County? Are you tired of driving yourself and your kids to other counties to allow your family to fully participate in the sports you all love? Ginny Thomas promised to keep you informed on our vision for Economic Development for Oakland Mills because it presents a major opportunity for participants in lifetime sports. She has been hearing from swimmers, skaters, runners and others who lament the lack of good facilities in Colu...

You'll probably be surprised to hear this, but: I did nothing. That's right. The Oakland Mills branch of the Columbia Bank is closing, and I did absolutely nothing to prevent its demise. When you think of all the energy I have spent advocating for The Second Chance Saloon, encouraging folks to try the Food Lion one more time, lauding the efforts of the Oakland Mills Village Staff to make our village a better place--well--it's kind of horrifying to think I let this one pass me by. My village is losing its only bank, and I did nothing. Why? Because I had absolutely no idea until I got the letter in the mail. I know a lot of incredible people in Oakland Mills who send out the call and get to work when it comes to helping neighbors, schools, local businesses and organizations. Am I naive to think we might have been able to help our village bank, had we only known? After all, a place like the Second Chance is a mom and pop operation. The Columbia Bank is merely a purchased...

How much of your schooling was dominated by the words "compare and contrast"? As high schoolers we used to groan when we saw the term come up again in yet another English essay. And, although they may not have been explicitly named, there was plenty of comparing and contrasting to be done in math, science, social studies, even in music classes where we listened to and evaluated performances. Having the ability to compare and contrast was considered to be an essential part of my high school education. Why? Because it is essential in life to be able to evaluate and make choices. Life choices. Major purchases. Political candidates. Family budget allocations. Ah, budget allocations. Let's talk about those. Have you seen this petition ? It states: The citizens, parents, and staff of HCPSS want to preserve school based staff who directly support student instruction and academic success. Stop the proposed elimination of secondary library media staff and kindergarten para-edu...

A sampling of delicious bloggery from the past week. From Kirsten Litkowski Coombs, how one bumper sticker makes you think about a lot of things: Bumper Sticker Politics , Kirstycat's Meow! (and sometimes Growl!) From Tom Coale, a look at how important it is to allow our heroes to be truly human: Our MLK , HoCoRising From Krista Threefoot, a tender and bemused look at what motherhood does to your brain, which reminded me of those months when I became besotted with Magnum, P.I.: Mom Brain , And Another Thing, Hon From Eric Freed, probably the best articulation I have ever read of why music education is a crucial part of our children's development and an excellent investment for a healthy, happy life: Give the Band a Hand, Away from the Things of Man In closing, I want to note the success of The Pick Me Up Foundation, created to celebrate the memory of Howard County student Aaron Reed. Instrument Drive Raffle Winner , The Pick Me Up Foundation Missed the donation? No...

I just got back from serving breakfast to a group of middle schoolers at a youth group overnight. Apparently they call them lock-ins these days. The last one I went to, the youth pastor was playing his old Cat Stevens records to wake us up. Well, anyway. Serving breakfast to a group of teens really means laying out everything on a table and backing away. You sit across the room. You try to have your own conversation with other adults and refrain from observing your child too closely. Gone are the days where one must be at the ready to help put straws in the juice boxes. No adults will be needed to help two children negotiate a plan for the last chocolate donut. There will be no tears, no massive spills, no one sneaking food off your plate. It's a different world. Do you remember needing to step into a side room at the preschool where you could observe your child's interactions without being detected? There'd be a mirrored window so you could actually see what they did ...

One of the biggest things I have learned from being involved in the local blogging scene in general, and from Jessie Newburn in particular, is the value of social capital. In short, social capital is using your social media communications to "pay it forward." It is based on the assumption that those communications have a value. Case in point: recently the Columbia Whole Foods hosted a tasting night for local food bloggers to try out new menu items for The Counter, the full-service lunch counter in their store. In return, the bloggers used their social capital by writing about their experiences, and also sharing information through tweets and status updates on Facebook. Here's where I come in. I read this post on AngieKozBlogs and it made me hungry. I hadn't yet tried The Counter, but I had been curious. And now I was convinced. So on Wednesday, as the snow began to make its picturesque descent around town, I took my older daughter ( HoCoHouseHon ) for a lunch time...

Yes, Mom and Dad, it is time to have that little talk with your children. I know you've been putting it off. I know you feel uncomfortable talking about it. You think, "The kids think they know more than I do. They'll think I'm lame. I'm not really comfortable with the subject matter. And besides, they probably won't listen." I don't care what you think. It is your responsibility, and you need to face the music. You need to talk to your kids about Twitter. Yes, Twitter. Recent weather events have brought out high school students in droves. @katiefromtrap: @HCPSS if I fall and break my neck lord knows yahll dead @Smatribe: @HCPSS It's so slippery outside I could moonwalk with boots tied to concrete blocks covered in Stickum on the grass. @easternpebble: @HCPSS my mom just fell on ice and hit her head and I'm now taking her to the ER. really??? do you want this to happen to all kids in HC? @swagmaster_7: @HCPSS Real live I'm gonna f**...

"Come away; poverty's catching ." --Aphra Behn, English Restoration dramatist Councilman John Grasso, who supported colleague Derek Fink’s bill, was not impressed. "When I came out of high school, I had two full-time jobs and a part-time job," Grasso said. "So my heart doesn’t go out to any of you with this problem." Grasso went on for a minute and a half, his voice rising as he concluded, "You get out of life what you put into it. You save your money, and if you can’t afford it, you can’t live there." -- Who Gets to Live Where? By Lawrence Lanahan "Not in my backyard." Even if these matters do not invoke you to demand change and bold action, one must consider the economic outcome. If we fail to fix some of the problems in the ‘other’ MCPS, those problems will ripple into other parts of the county. House values may plummet, county budgets may unnece...

I just found out that it is No Name-Calling Week. If you want to learn more, go to GLSEN for a description, history, lesson plans, and helpful links. From the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network page: No Name-Calling Week was inspired by the popular young adult novel entitled The Misfits by popular author James Howe. The book tells the story of four best friends trying to survive the seventh grade in the face of all too frequent taunts based on their weight, height, intelligence, and sexual orientation/gender expression. The friends create a new political party during student council elections and run on a platform aimed at wiping out name-calling of all kinds. The No-Name Party in the end, wins the support of the school's principal for their cause and their idea for a "No Name-Calling Day" at school. Motivated by this simple, yet powerful, idea, the No Name-Calling Week Coalition created by GLSEN and Simon & Schuster Children's publishing, consisting of ov...

I read this one first. It is entitled "Product Review: The Invisible Backpack of White Privilege from L.L. Bean" by Joyce Miller. (12/18/14) It's a painful read. Today, on our national observance of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I went looking for this essay to reread it. At first I couldn't find it. What I found was this : "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" by Peggy McIntosh. (1988) Wait, what? This essay has been around since 1988? But I had never heard of it. It took the summer of Ferguson and beyond to knock this concept into my consciousness. In the past 27 years our invisible backpacks have been doing their jobs and the truth of this essay has made little headway. Our society feels more segregated than ever to me. Our children may go to school in the same building but often are moved along very separate tracks. The law may prevent discrimination in housing but the invisible forces at work separate us from one another. It ...

I am obsessed right now with the fact the I seem to be the only one at my house who changes the toilet paper when the roll is empty. Over and over again, I come to find a roll with half a piece of paper clinging to it, or a roll that is getting low where someone has placed a full roll on top of it, postponing the inevitable. Sometimes it's just a plain old empty cardboard tube, naked as the day it was born. Now, at our house we buy large packages of toilet paper which don't really fit handily under the sink, so they stand guard out in plain sight in the bathroom. So, on the one hand, I haven't actually been left high and dry in these situations. On the other hand, if the new roll is right there, how hard could it be to change it? Gah! I wrote once about how repetitive household tasks, like cleaning the bathtub, can be a quiet and sustaining act of love. And that can be true. But sometimes, my friends, it is that tiny thing, over and over, which becomes the insurmountable ob...

Last June I took a mini-van full of seventh grade girls to see The Fault in our Stars at the AMC theater at the Columbia Mall. I gave all of them mini-packets of tissues, just in case. I didn't realize that I would need one for myself. Around me in the theater the sound of teens crying was actually audible. They cried for young love thwarted by the horror of a disease that cares nothing for the beauty of human existence. But when I cried, quietly, tears sliding down my face in the dark, I cried the tears of a mom. That could be one of my daughters, my heart said to me as I looked at Hazel Grace. What would I do? How could I live if that were one of my children? I am thinking of that moment today as I write. I am asking you to help out an Oakland Mills family that is living their own version of that story. From the Oakland Mills is Awesome FB page : Remember when I said it was a good day to care for your neighbors? And remember that article that said that Columbia is one of th...

"Dr. King said 11 a.m. on Sunday morning is the most segregated hour of the week," Anderson said. "The church of Jesus Christ is the last bastion of self-selected racial segregation." -- Dr. David Anderson I can't get this out of my head. It's from Luke Lavoie's article "Howard County Martin Luther King celebration seeks to keep the dream alive". Self-selected racial segregation. It's true more often than not, and admitting it it makes me uncomfortable. When I was in sixth grade chorus, we had to sing, "Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me." I loathed it. It was dopey, and treacly-sweet. And my just-about-teenaged self felt that it was pretty likely that we had to sing it so that adults could ooh and ahh and say, "Listen to the lovely sound of innocent children's voices calling for peace and brotherhood." I'm adult now. Oh, we all say "Let there be peace on earth" but the "le...

Our kids are going to high school. "Can you believe it?" we say to one another, shaking our heads. We read the forms from school, talk about scheduling and attend orientation meetings. We try to make sense of it all. We know it will be a big change (for us!) and for our children. We pay attention, perhaps even take notes. And we talk amongst ourselves. First impressions of the high school are, overall, positive. The only thing I thought was unnecessary was the science teacher, who kept saying over and over again, "If they are not exceptional they shouldn't even try the class." Exceptional is a rather hard start to live up to. If you start from there, where can you go, I wonder? This discussion started yesterday on Facebook and the thread ultimately ran to fifty-two comments. If I could I'd print the entire discussion here, because it was that good. But that would be too long for a blog post, and I haven't asked permission. It's clear that Facebook is...

Two headlines are on my mind this morning. The first : Plan to build 150 Clarksville homes approved The second : Kittleman, advocates listen to concerns about proposed Jessup homeless center It's no surprise that in this world there are the haves and the have-nots. But there are plenty of folks out there that believe Howard County is all about the haves. I was in a meeting the other night where someone said, "They want to work with us because when they see Howard County they see dollar signs." Dollar signs go both ways. A high cost of living combined with a low minimum wage may not affect some, but cripples others. Why does HCPSM seek donations of instruments? For students whose families could never afford buying or renting an instrument. For schools whose PTA's can't raise additional funds for music programs. Why do the residents of Oakland Mills and the students at Stevens Forest Elementary School have an ongoing food drive? To make sure their own neighbors won...