The Opposite of Memories

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 expression is true, then there are plenty of hints to our futures in what we are doing today. And in Columbia this seems particularly possible, as some folks have been stuck in a feedback loop whose purpose is to recreate the past and shut out the future.

So, what do you think? Based on your knowledge of local happenings, what would Facebook be sending us? Especially in these areas: your neighborhood or village, Columbia/Columbia Association, Howard County Government, Board of Education/HCPSS. Based on what you know now, what will be happening:

• One year from today--
  
• Two years from today--
  
• Three years from today--

Are we in a rut that cannot be changed? Can the trajectory of future events be influenced, transformed?

How would you like to do that?

 

Of Human Events

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 will always be human, and, therefore, fallible, our Constitution and the rule of law allow us to fix our mistakes and move forward. This quote from Thomas Jefferson, fixed in stone in the Jefferson Memorial, has been making the rounds on the internet this week.

I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.

The Founders were pretty cool dudes, you know?

What will you do in Columbia/Howard County to celebrate the Fourth of July? I just might re-watch 1776 with my family. And I continue on my quest to find the best spot for watching the fireworks. But no matter how I celebrate, this thought will be on my mind: we really need to do a better job teaching Civics in this country.

After all, shouldn't we know why we are celebrating?

 

 

 

Fulfilling the Promise

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 story 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 Columbia, South Carolina. To me one fact is clear: anyone who thinks that music and arts education don't prepare you for life needs to take a look at Bree Newsome .

It looks like Ms. Newsome came from a great family and received excellent schooling. That cannot be discounted. In addition, one can see that the strongest thread running through her story is arts education: music, musical theater, writing, film. These are the places that she could take the things that drove her, that inspired her, and give them a voice.

Our educational system in Howard County has become so very literal that things that are not perceived to make one "college and career ready" are discounted. We separate and dissect skills from their greater context and claim that jumping through the hoops of standardized tests equals mastery. Powers that be do not question, "mastery of what?"

In light of the way we are educating children now, Bree Newsome should have been prepared for this event by practicing how to climb a flagpole throughout her academic career. Other subjects that didn't apply to flagpole-climbing would have been pruned away, as not relevant to her readiness goals. That's what our educational system is being reduced to. It's small-minded, and the premise ignores both how children truly learn and what education is really meant to do: to develop the capabilities to connect with and interact with a larger world.

The arts gave Bree Newsome the ability to see the Big Picture. She prepared to achieve many kinds of goals, not just one. Her mind received the kinds of challenges that supported her in learning to think for herself, how to work to turn dreams into reality, how to make a plan and see it through.

And so, when her plan was to remove a symbol of racial hatred and oppression from the South Carolina State House, it became necessary to learn how to climb a flagpole. So she learned. Two days before the event. No big deal, right? Because she already knew how to learn.

She was simply fulfilling the promise of preparation.

 

 

 

 

 

Crossroads

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 apology that she knew friends would be angry at her. Another woman posted something positive only to have her happiness dashed by a comment from her parish priest.

But overall my Facebook and Twitter accounts looked like this. And for that I am truly grateful. Because yesterday's decision was a joyful one for me and I wanted the whole world to celebrate along with me. Say what you will about the healthiness of encountering opposing points of view. A carefully curated social media stream can be a truly beautiful thing. After all, these are my people. People who:

• Love, and don't judge
  
• Have walked the walk, or
• Are committed allies
• Rejoice in others' joys
• Share the light

So, three cheers for the folks at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia who were ready at the drop of a hat to party. ("BYO Champagne and a snack to share.") I know a few of them and they are good people. Sometimes you just need to stop and celebrate. I hope they had a wonderful time.

 

Me? Well, we didn't do anything in particular. There were hugs, and smiles, and many virtual rainbows were exchanged. And we all went to bed feeling that marriage has been strengthened for everyone by acknowledging that love is love.

 

 

 

The Big Story

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. It was the first time I remember anyone pointing out that boys and girls were handling something differently and that simply understanding that gave me more opportunity, more choices, more power. This was in the Spring of 1969. Interesting. The first time I recall reading about and hearing about the "Women's Lib" movement was in 1969.

Now called Second Wave Feminism, the "Women's Lib" movement had been gathering momentum throughout the '60's but 1969 was the year it entered my consciousness. The assumptions of my middle class suburban world were being challenged. As a ten year old I didn't much know how to assess it all.

The media seemed to enjoy stories about bra-burning. I didn't get the point. I was looking forward to the rite of passage that meant being a teenager, wearing a bra, going on dates. (At this point in my life I'd happily participate in a bra burning, only it isn't a thing anymore.) But stories about wacky women burning their bras must have been easy for the male reporters in power to get their minds around. Hilarious, right?

The big story of 1969 for me was Mrs. Pollack, my third grade teacher, who took a little extra time to talk politics with the girls during recess. Do you have any stories like that?

 

smh

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—precisely measuring student progress and growth for each individual.

Right now, as I hang on to poor Billy Smith's* MAP scores, I find this rather ironic.

To be clear: I am not angry, I am just worn out. Attention to detail--well, we know the Devil is in the details. But I wonder: maybe our school should have focused more on protecting confidential information and less on censuring young women for perceived dress code violations. Or less time tweeting about how they're all aligning themselves with the Superintendent's Vision and more time actually getting to know the kids?

Yes, I know. It's just a clerical error. But it's been a loooong year.

*not the real name

 

 

Challenging the Expected

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, budgets, and vetoes, to a husband, father, grandfather, and man. And I believe that is true for both his supporters and detractors alike. I can say from personal experience that candidates are often treated as something other than human. Tired? Frustrated? Elated? Hurt? Keep it to yourself and stay on message. Larry Hogan was as much a symbol as he was a man. Until yesterday.

So does it take a diagnosis of cancer for us to allow a person of differing political views to be human? In the same way, does it take the murder of nine people in a church for us to allow an honest conversation of the legacy of slavery, racism, and all that the Confederate flag symbolizes? Why?

I realize that I am stepping way out of "where Columbia and Howard County intersect." Even a hometown blog can have questions bigger than its boundaries. Today, these are mine.