Village Green/Town²

Facebook has the nifty little feature that tells you each day if you have "memories" from that particular day. I find it both fun and informative to take a look back. I can see what life events I was going through, my commentary on local happenings, and hints at the evolution of my daughter's childhood. Many themes that run throughout my posts remain the same today: family life, my teaching, the local blogging scene, my village of Oakland Mills, Columbia "politics", Howard County government, education and the antics of our Board of Education. Suddenly I had an idea. Perhaps more like an idea for a piece of premise fiction--what if Facebook woke you each morning with posts from your future? One year from today-- Two years from today-- Three years from today-- Weird, eh? What if Facebook could analyze all of your information and somehow send you the opposite of memories: news of the happenings that haven't happened yet? If the old French express...

If the Fourth of July happens and there are no elections coming, will anyone be there to notice? Yes, I know, Independence Day is about our great nation and something bigger than local elections. But, holy mackerel, the last election put a lot of pressure on all those local parades and picnics. Whatever will they look like without scads of electeds and wannabes and supporters in matching t-shirts? What will the people who turn out be celebrating? I was raised to believe that the freedom we have in the United States is the freedom which allows many kinds of people, many kinds of ideas, many kinds of religion. In fact, if I was raised with any notion of American exceptionalism it was this: that we were a great experiment in the world, allowing such a beautiful variety of citizens. Conversely, it was clear that when our country did not provide equal freedoms for all that we had failed. So, for me, the events of this week have been an affirmation of that great experiment. Although we ...

Yesterday the story of Bree Newsome's climb up a flag pole to take down the Confederate flag in South Carolina was national news. But here in Howard County, and especially in Columbia, came the realization that she was one of ours: a graduate of Oakland Mills High School. Reporters from the Sun got to work and started pulling out her local roots. This sto ry in their archives dates from her middle school years, when she was composing music for the Owen Brown Middle School Band. And here's the article about when she won a scholarship from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 2003. Reporters found this parody video from the 2012 election, as well. The sum of their work yesterday can be found in this piece , "Bree Newsome, who removed Confederate flag, known as principled leader." As you read the stories you begin to get a picture of where Ms. Newsome comes from, how she got from a student in Columbia, Maryland to the top of a flagpole in Columbi...

So what was happening yesterday at that mythical place where Columbia and Howard County intersect? Some folks still complaining about Merriweather County Exec offers then withdraws loan idea for rehabbing older homes Friday night means movie night at the Lakefront Fresh produce stand reappears at Kendall Hardware Colonel Gateway is having a poetry contest Folks party at UUCC from 7-9 It's the last one that intrigues me--a local event tied to news of national import. While our lives are immersed in the very local day-to-day, sometimes something bigger reaches right down into our neighborhoods. That was yesterday . For a while on Friday, all our hyperlocal cares slowed down a little bit as we took in the news from the Supreme Court. Okay, maybe a lot. My day pretty much stopped for this, but I am on vacation. And my social media feed is pretty well trimmed at this point as I witnessed no outrage or complaints. I did, however, see a woman post her joy along with a fearful a...

When I was in the third grade we had an election each month for class president. I don't really recall what duties the office entailed, just that it was a big deal. These elections always came down to the boys versus the girls somehow. And the boys always won. And then one day the teacher sent the boys out to recess and met with the girls privately to give us a valuable piece of information. The boys always pick just one candidate and the they all vote as a block. You all often have several candidates, so your vote is split. But there are actually more girls than boys in the class. If you united behind one candidate-- Aha! The lightbulb went off. Of course it was still difficult for us to negotiate the pickup of one candidate. We weren't used to doing it that way. So we agreed that we would all take turns. Of course it was really about popularity, power, and the pecking order. And so the year ran out before it ever got to be "my turn." But it was a valuable lesson. I...

Yesterday we received my daughter's final middle school report card. And some other kid's test scores. Yes, everyone makes mistakes. These envelopes are all hand-stuffed by real human beings and the turn-around time is short. I get it. It's just the crowning touch on a year when my daughter (and our family) has felt less than valued by the school. Of course, we care less than two hoots about the majority of standardized tests that kids are forced to take throughout the school year. We glance at the numbers, right before we throw them out. But it would be nice if they were actually her numbers. After all, data about some other child is technically personal and should be protected by some measure of confidentiality. Oh, yeah, and data about our child, too. Imagine that. I wonder who got her scores? From the NWEA (creators of the MAP) website: Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) creates a personalized assessment experience by adapting to each student’s learning level—...

Bumped into an old friend in an unexpected place on Monday.   You may recognize her as one of Ginger Bread Girl's many friends and relations from Clark's Elioak Farm -- originally from the Enchanted Forest. I was quite surprised to see her at the Inn at Norwood in Sykesville, but I guess everyone needs a little getaway now and then.   Speaking of things I wasn't expecting, the terrible news of Governor Hogan's cancer diagnosis comes to mind. I was both gratified and confused to see Democrats stepping forward on social media with good wishes for recovery. Yes, wishing someone who is gravely ill the very best in care and healing is the right thing to do. But it also feels weird to see some of the Governor's most outspoken opponents in such a hurry to say something nice.   Tom Coale's post on HoCoRising addresses this well, I think. In "The First Human Governor" he states:   In an instant, Governor Hogan went from a man of policy, slogans, ...

No blog today. Chillin'. See you tomorrow.  

The house is quiet. It is the first Monday morning of summer vacation. In a house with one student and two teachers, we should all be asleep. The precious, delicious extravagance of sleeping as late as one wants on a Monday may be one of the finest delights summer has to offer around here. I am drinking my coffee iced instead of hot. My head is filled with ideas for household projects, not lesson plans. And one more thing. I am looking for a job. After twelve years teaching music and movement to preschoolers with special needs in the Howard County Schools, I am moving on. I'm grateful to the Office of Early Intervention for all of their support through the years and for the amazing work of RECC team members with whom I have worked. If teaching music for the RECC Program could be a full time job and, dare I say, in only one location, I would never, ever leave. Music has always been my first love and working with these students has been a joy. I created the RECC Music program with...

I'm at a loss for words this morning. Father's Day and Mother's Day are both complicated days for me. Maybe they are for everyone. It's easy to look around and think other people are having the Normal Life that we feel we are missing out on. It's all relative. (Sorry, that was unintentional.) My own dad was shy, insecure, highly intelligent, and dyslexic. He never felt like he fit in. He had a distant relationship with his own father. He didn't know what to do with his three daughters. But he was really good at working. He poured everything into his work. We rarely saw him. He was an outsider in his own home. Throughout my life I have picked up bits and pieces of fatherhood from many sources. My father was my first example but there was a lot missing for me. Luckily life gives us more chances to love and be loved. So today's column is dedicated to my own father, Byron Jackson, and also the following people who have helped me define what fatherhood mea...

Today in Long Reach Village Center: ARTreach . I can't think of a better way to spend part of the first official day of Summer vacation. It's a free community arts festival. Here's a schedule of events. This article in the Sun will tell you more. Back during the revitalization process in Oakland Mills, the idea of becoming a hub for the arts was on the top of many people's lists. For a variety of reasons, those ideas did not turn into reality here. It's both exciting and bittersweet to me to see them pop up again at Long Reach, as the community seeks to reimagine their Village Center. I love this quote from the ARTreach page: The arts are vital to building positive, thriving places to live, work, and play. Help us engage the community and re-imagine Long Reach—the village with a heart—by infusing its center with visual, literary, and performing arts! You will have the opportunity to take a moment to enjoy the work of chainsaw artist Evelyn Mogren --she's fro...

How can we go on? How can this country go on while police target African Americans for violent treatment and a white shooter desecrates a black church with hatred and blood? How can we go on? I don't know. And yet we do. Mourners mourn, reporters report, politicians make statements and we just go on. NO. I want to shout. NO MORE. The majority of white people in this country, myself included, live their lives relatively or completely isolated from non-whites. Black people. African-Americans. People of color. Real integration should be more than coexisting in a crowd at the stadium or standing in an elevator. What about true friends, close friends, social media friends, trusted coworkers, the best friends of your kids? Your favorite neighbors? Whether we are racists or not, open-minded or not, we are leading separate lives. No, not everyone. But many. This is what allows these horrific violations of human rights to go on in this country, because they are happening to people we ...

I was shocked by what I saw at the Middle School Promotion ceremony. As I watched the students process to their places, the wide spectrum of growth and development was clearly apparent. Some looked ready to go out and get a job, others were still waiting for that big growth spurt to arrive. The range was huge. I needn't have been shocked, because it was something I knew cognitively, in the back of my mind someplace, but seeing it in such a vivid way was stunning. From a presentation entitled The Middle School Student, Physical Development: Heights of students can range from students under five feet to someone over six feet. Body changes can result in students being awkward and clumsy. The rapid changes in body sizes and shapes may cause embarrassment to students. Middle school is absolutely the most obvious time where the phrase "one size fits all" is a laughable construct. Therefore, a dress code cannot be based on a one-size fits all mentality. It must be child-ce...

My husband and I seized the opportunity to have dinner, just the two of us, when our teen chose going to a pool party with her peers rather than dinner out with the family--go figure. Since my husband had received gift cards to Cheesecake Factory, that's where we went. (Yes, gift cards from students are a special treat in teachers' families from time to time.) I am happy to report that we were seated right away, had excellent service, and the food was delicious. But that bit is incidental to the heart of my story. After dinner we stopped by Seasons 52 to pick up a gift card for my one of my daughter's teachers. Granted, they were busy. It was a little after seven pm. The hostesses seemed to be caught flat-footed by my request. "I have to get a manager." A moment later. "The manager is speaking to another guest. Do you want to wait?" My husband was circling the mall in the car. "Do you know how long it will be?" "Do you want to have ...

There are surveys , and then there are surveys . Link number one takes you to a post about my very own fledgling survey about CA Pools and Health Club facilities. Link two takes you to the presentation given to the CA Board on a survey undertaken by Club Intel about the very same thing. Cool. (Spoiler alert: their survey was way better.) I was alerted to this info by CA Board member Andy Stack, and it's really fascinating. There's a lot to process here, and in fact there's going to be a follow up presentation in the Fall. I found these two pieces of information interesting: There is a significant group of people who maintain two health club memberships. Survey found that most people don't have a warm emotional connection to their participation in CA facilities. Hmm...I'm amazed that anyone could afford more than one health club membership. And I'm interested in the whole emotional connection angle. I know that there was a time that CA was the only game in town a...

This is a bulletin board in the Ducketts Lane RECC. Each member of the staff--teachers, therapists, support staff--has been photographed holding a sign announcing her "strength" as determined by the Gallup Organization Strengthsfinder online assessment tool. (I have altered the photograph out of respect for their privacy.) These people are my people: my colleagues. Some have become friends. I wrote about them earlier this Spring when I learned that their Regional Early Childhood Center was being discontinued due to space issues at their (brand-new) school. I can tell you from personal experience that they have some pretty amazing strengths and they didn't need an online tool or a bulletin board to validate that. It costs a lot of money to open a new school. Two years ago this school opened with a brand new team ready to meets the needs of special needs preschoolers. Before that happened there were applications, interviews, hiring procedures, orientation, and training. A...

Friday, on the Facebook page for Downtown Columbia , a link was posted for the weekend's activities at Lakefest. Beneath the post was one simple response from someone I believe to be a hardcore member of the "You Know You Grew Up in Columbia, MD When" Facebook community. I guess that I'm okay with Wholefoods now. The decision to reuse the old Rouse Building as a Whole Foods grocery store came under a lot of attack on that Columbia Facebook page. I'm not a member, since I obviously didn't grow up here, but I do peek in from time to time to see what people are talking about. And many felt that the decision to move forward with this project was wrong and they weren't shy about listing their reasons. Fast forward to yesterday. My family and I made our yearly trek down to Lakefest to enjoy the music, stroll around, view the work of artists and artisans, and to sample some festival food. By the time we had made the complete circuit, though, we were overpowere...

Last night I watched the final episode of Phineas and Ferb with my daughter. The summer we thought would never end is over. The episode, entitled "Last Day of Summer" aired, ironically, just as we are about to get out of school. Real summer beckons. But for Phineas and Ferb, the rollicking 104 day ride is over. There was a time when we watched every episode religiously, many multiple times. We downloaded music from the show, even acted out Rollercoaster: The Musical. My daughter practically memorized the Wiki. But in recent years, as my daughter moved away from childhood, watching the show was more of an afterthought, something she did more for me than anything else. Phineas and Ferb has been a five-year hymn of praise to ingenuity, creativity, unstructured time, and belief in the innate goodness of childhood curiosity. In an era where your child can get taken by Child Protective Services for playing outside alone for ninety minutes, Phineas and Ferb feels almost revolutio...

This article by Andrew Michaels taught me two things: yes, people still read the newspaper, and, some people are incredibly tone deaf when addressing our community's issues. In reference from sound coming from Merriweather Post Pavillion on concert night, Town Center Board Member Helen Ruther said, The thumping you hear is the heartbeat of the millennials. Oh. My. Word. How witty. How acerbically To. The. Point. Ms. Ruther was taking a very public swipe, on the record, at this letter to the editor by Town Center resident Dylan Goldberg. As a 24-year-old who has grown up in Howard County, I find myself envious of friends who live within walking distance of their work, their late night bars, and farmers markets among other things. As I de bate whether or not to leave downtown Columbia to satisfy this envy, I remember that Merriweather is in my backyard. While I sat on my porch late Sunday night, preparing for an early Monday morning, I listened to a world-famous musician perform...

We love to win things here in Howard County. Why, just earlier this week, I was adding my vote in a poll to promote Merriweather Post Pavillion. And there are plenty of polls and surveys and awards about our community and our schools. We just love winning. In general I take a dim view of these "awards". In fact, I have written before about the local tendency to suck up the accolades without contemplating the consequences. So today I present to you a contest we didn't win. In fact, we came in at sixth place. Yes, Columbia/Ellicott City came in at an almost anemic sixth place in the Money Magazine 2014 poll for Best Places to Live. And I absolutely do not care. Why? Well, because here is the winner: McKinney, Texas. Yes, that McKinney, Texas. So, about that First Place designation in the Money Magazine poll. Which do you think defines them more accurately as a community--a magazine poll or a pool party gone terribly wrong? Do I think that we are perfect here in How...

From our new HoCoTimes reporter, Andrew Michaels, comes this article about the forming of a new bereavement group for family and friends of those lost to addiction. (Yes, that could really be a much better sentence but, at the moment, that's what I've got.) Addiction kills. And it leaves its own particular path of damage and destruction behind. Michaels writes: After the loss of her boyfriend to a heroin overdose in March, Columbia resident Arielle Sokoll-Ward, 24, is creating a new chapter of the Grief Recovery After a Substance Passing organization. The Columbia group will be GRASP's fourth Maryland chapter alongside Perry Hall, Pikesville and Cecil County, and will meet the first Monday of every month starting July 6 at the Central Branch library. The article has a lot of good information, not just about grieving and the stigma of drug addiction, but also about how people are getting hooked in the first place. Many begin through the misuse of prescription drugs. Whe...

Confession: I don't hang out at Howard PublicEd. I am wary of this particular group because some participants play fast and loose with the truth and some seem to encourage toxic thinking and conspiracy theories, which alarm me. Not everyone, of course. And I appreciate that there are people there who read my blog, but I have made several requests that they not reprint it in full without a link or attribution. I am hoping they have ceased this practice. But yesterday Board of Education member Cynthia Vaillancourt posted a rather interesting screenshot taken from the listserv. What you see here is an email from Board of Education member Ann DeLacy requesting that listserv member Jack start a conversation with a specific line of thinking, supplied by her. This particular line of thinking is anti-union and slams local Democrats as well. We've got two problems here, and neither one is that I am offended by pot- shots to teachers unions and/or Democrats. 1. Trying to get o...

Last year on this date I was offering up prayers for my friend Justin. Today he posted this message: One year ago today, after a twenty month wait, I received the miracle of a new life when a donor heart, an almost perfect match, became available and was transp lanted! My weakened heart and semi-implanted life support system came out from here, and the donor heart was sewn into place. I am extremely grateful to my donor, whose identity is not yet known to me. I get to celebrate my re-birthday by having a stress test. I feel better than I have in years! Please consider becoming an organ donor if you are able. It is wonderful to live again! What a beautiful way to begin a Monday.      

It seems only fair that, having blogged about things "I just don't care" about, that I take a moment to divulge some of my guilty pleasures. Sure, this blog is mostly about community involvement, education, a variety of liberal points of view, Columbia and Howard County issues...But there have to be some skeletons in the closet, right? Here goes: The ABC show Once Upon A Time. A relatively recent discovery, watching one episode at a time on Netflix with my daughter. Yes, obsessed with characters played by Robert Carlyle. Ice pops/freezy pops. Have adored them since childhood. Now no one can tell me I can't have two if I want. Cat naps in the Lazy-boy with a soft, cuddly blanket. (When did this become my idea of fun?) The occasional Dollar Tree shopping binge. Despite conscious efforts to declutter and not encourage more plastic stuff in the world, about once I year I take about twenty dollars and go nuts. Play dough. And Model Magic. And Kinetic Sand. And jus...

There's a great article in the Sun by Amanda Yeager about what's going on in the HCPSS teacher negotiation process right now. In short, it focuses on a letter sent to teachers by Superintendent Foose, which HCEA feels is misleading and also a violation of the negotiation process. It's definitely worth the read. New local blogger HoCoRudkus has written twice this week about this issue. First, some commentary on the questionable math contained in Dr. Foose's letter about teacher salaries. Next, some musings on what it would take for teachers to be able to negotiate from a position of strength. In the process of brainstorming, the blogger suggests that perhaps a wholesale refusal to administer high stakes testing would be useful as a bargaining chip. It's an interesting concept. I'm no fan of high stakes testing. If the kids didn't get tested, they certainly wouldn't be missing out on anything of value. But I don't see this as a useful position i...

Quote of the Day: Every year at the flea market I have to buy back stuff from my childhood that my mother is trying to get rid of . -- son of ASLC Flea Market Chair It's that time of year again. Time for the shameless promotion of the Abiding Savior Lutheran Church Flea Market. It's Flea Market Time: Tuesday, June 9th, starting at 5, the "Great Unpacking." All ages welcome, especially those with strong backs. Pizza provided. Wednesday-Thursday , starting at 10 am, we will be pricing. Again--all are welcome. Bring your lunch. Friday-- m ore pricing, if needed. We will be buying grocery gift cards for the EMTs' communal meals as a thank you for their many services to members of our congregation. If you bring your donations this Sunday, we are hoping that teens can unload the cars during the Annual Meeting. What does this mean for you? Stop : see if you have anything you would like to donate. We don't accept clothing or large furniture. Books, CDs...

I wrote about our meeting to share stories about our experiences with the Howard County Schools dress code on Tuesday. Local Blogger Laura Solomon, also in attendance, wrote about it yesterday. Just read it. (Warning: it has some NSFW language.) Too much of what we do in our society seems aimed at rendering young women invisible. Do not be a distraction, do not stand out, do not speak up. None of that belongs in a school environment where we should be drawing out, lifting up, calling forth. Ms. Solomon says, speaking to young women and girls, This world needs your brain, your body, your heart, your spirit. You are worth-full, and you matter. We need you.   Shouldn't this be the message that all students receive at school?        

I know, I know. Reading the comments is not usually advisable. But in this case I am asking you to make an exception. I wrote about the rally for full-spectrum housing last week. I recommended the Sun coverage . Now here are some comments . Columbia Activist: These are James Rouse's people speaking - Howard Hughes Corporation should listen. MDisRed: @Columbia Activist pathetic....more low income housing will bring more robberies and break-ins. That's why I left that hell hole. Hmm... If you read all five comments, you'll see these points emerge. Columbia has plenty of affordable housing already. Why doesn't Western Howard County have affordable housing? Affordable housing = subsidized housing = drug dealers. It is necessary to have an influx of high-end housing to balance the market. Affordable housing will turn Columbia into Downtown Baltimore. It's an interesting discussion. And it is notable amongst most comment threads in that the worst word used is "pathet...

At the last minute, I was afraid no one would come. The skies had opened up and it was pouring. I worried that the topic wouldn't matter as much to others as it did to me. I needn't have worried. Forty people came out on a Monday evening in the pouring rain to share and listen to stories about the Howard County Schools dress code. The chairs were set up to form a very large circle. The circle was filled. We all learned how difficult it is to listen just to listen. It is so easy to begin listening, then think, "Ooh! Yes! I have this thing that riffs off your thing" and then we have stopped fully listening. Throughout the evening it was a work in progress: a desire to truly listen to and respect the stories of others in the circle, while straining to respond and speak out on a topic many felt passionately about. There were many stories. To the extent that they were stories where students were diminished and disrespected, I feel sad. But as a parent whose child has ...

This is Tiger. His tag said his birthday was June 1st. So, every June 1st we celebrate Tiger Birthday. Listen to the song and you'll know what we eat ... All families make up their own mythology, create new holidays and celebrations, tell and retell family stories. It is a part of being human. How exciting it must have been at the beginning of Columbia to be a part of creating the new mythology. And how affirming, then, to be a part of the tradition of re-enacting those cherished events of the past. Shared celebrations can help to hold us together, whether as individual family units or as a community. It's also exciting to be in Columbia now as so many new things are coming together or reaching towards completion. It gives us a chance to create new traditions and perhaps to see our community in a new way. And for those of us who weren't here when it all started it gives us a chance to participate in the beginning of things. When we participate, we feel a new sense ...