Skip to main content

Personal and Public



I received an email from a reader yesterday. I’m sharing it here because this isn’t the first time this has come up and I’d like to lay this subject to rest once and for all.

I also don’t have a child in school system any longer, but don’t you think it is a bit hypocritical to berate others? I heard from several friends that although you live in the OMHS district (which you often defend in blog and tweets) you chose to send your own child to RHHS - the most socioeconomically/racially segregated in HCPSS. You had a choice because of your husband’s position at RHHS but few others do.

 My response:

 I don’t berate others. I do speak strongly but there are very few people I would be moved to berate.  Only those who are outright racist or mean-spirited, I would think.

As far as my daughter is concerned, the choice we made as a family was very specific to her particular needs. Because of this, it is her own personal story to tell and I don't get to blab it around so that the general public understands why we made that choice. It would be a lot easier for me if I could. I respect her too much to violate her privacy in order to make things easier on myself.

Both OMHS and RHHS are excellent schools. The decision we made was due to my daughter’s individual situation and had nothing to do with affluence or race or ethnicity. I cannot control whether people believe me. I can only tell the truth and move on from there.

 So there you have it.

Make up your own mind. I’m officially done with this particular topic.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents.  When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...
1 comment
Read more

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more