Village Green/Town²

What kind of a school parent are you? What kinds of parents do we have here in our Columbia/Howard County Schools? Well known school principal and motivational speaker Gerry Brooks released his most recent “driver’s seat” video addressing the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal. Instead of simply vilifying the transgressors, he holds a mirror up to everyone who decides that the rules are not for them. As he goes on you realize that could be you. Or me. Or any of us. Most of his videos just plain make me laugh but this one...well, you’ll just have to watch it. As for school rules, I admit that I have challenged some (think sexist dress code and too much high stakes standardized testing.) But Brooks is looking specifically at rule breaking that benefits the one child while hurting others. “You know who thinks that’s okay?” He asks. “Aunt Becky.” It strikes me that folks who want to control school boundaries with an eye to protecting property values and ensuring their ch...

Don’t complain. Do something! It’s as simple as that. Larry Pretlow, running for a second term on the Oakland Mills Village Board, is telling us that actions speak louder than words. There’s just one thing,  His own words are extremely problematic. When I wrote this post without naming him, I guess I was just complaining. Now I want to do something. I want to shine a light on Larry Pretlow. While serving as a member of the OMCA, Mr. Pretlow has also declared himself a candidate for County Council. The way he uses his position as an OMCA Board Member Clearly demonstrates a conflict of interest  And his public statements on this have been startling: And, more recently: Opel Jones is the biggest jerk on the face of the earth.  Man, I can't wait to KICK HIS ASS! This is why we don't need OPEL JONES  MATHEMATICS IN DISTRICT 2 OR ON THE COUNTY COUNCIL! How can he hope to work collaboratively and represent the Village of Oakland Mills ...

Woke up with a sore throat. Taking a sick day on the blog. See you tomorrow.

The lively music playing out in front of the new Halal Guys Restaurant for its grand opening weekend put me in mind of this issue playing out right now in DC’s Shaw neighborhood. Shaw’s Metro PCS store has been forced to turn off its Go-Go music, owner says   Rachel Kurzius, for DCist  In case you don’t know, Go-Go: ...is a popular music subgenre associated with  funk  that originated in the  Washington, D.C. , area during the mid-60s to late-70s. It remains primarily popular in the  Washington metropolitan area  as a uniquely regional music style (Wikipedia) Other headlines: Clash over outdoor Go-Go music shows effects of gentrification in DC “Don’t Mute DC’s Go-Go Music and Culture” What happens to a neighborhood when things begin to change? When gentrification threatens the established culture? Also, I wonder if anyone complained about the music at Halal Guys. Description Descr...

A new restaurant opened over the weekend. Halal Guys features chicken and gyro meats, either in sandwiches or platters. From their website : The Halal Guys legend began in 1990, when the three founding partners opened up a hot dog cart on West 53rd & 6th Avenue in New York City. As business grew, they recognized a huge demand from Muslim cab drivers looking for a halal food meal. That is when the famous platter of chicken and gyro over rice was born. And let’s not forget about the famous white and red sauces! We stopped in for dinner last night. Music was playing out front, and the line was almost to the door. The music and the balloons made for a festival atmosphere. It was the end of a lovely Spring weekend. People were out and about, enjoying the last hours of it. The crowd at Halal Guys was multi-racial, multi-ethnic and a mix of ages. A young woman passed by, walking her dog, looking curiously at the new restaurant.  I hesitate to use the word “vibrant” be...

Back in the days when I traveled from school to school teaching Music and Movement in the hcpss RECC Program, I spent a lot of time walking the hallways with my rolling cart of teaching materials. I passed a lot of people in the hallways. I made small talk with many folks in the Teachers Lounge. I learned where all the adult bathrooms were. I knew which vending machines took dollar bills if I were desperate for a Diet Coke and I didn’t have change. It was all a part of the gig. One of the people I got to know over those years was Ray Forton, the Vocal General Music Teacher at Bollman Bridge Elementary School. We had music in common, so it gave us something to talk about. I learned that, like most music teachers, he had a professional music life outside of school. He played ukulele. He taught ukulele. He even had a YouTube ukulele channel. Ray Forton At the time my husband had just started a ukulele club at his school as a response to student interest. It seemed as thoug...

This post is my response to the person who took aim at my writing last week with the following: I can never take you seriously because 95% of the stuff you talk degrades a white man even if it has nothing to do with race.  It's like you live a breath it.  After awhile people just dont pay attention to what you say anymore. Imagine how freeing it is to know that no one pays attention to what I say anymore. I could say anything! Recommended reading: (H/T Dan Reed, Just Up the Pike) Bethesda Magazine, Caitlyn Peetz Racial Equity Concerns Surface at Public Forum on School Redistricting  The Daily, a podcast from Michael Barbaro Why did New York’s most selective public high school admit only 7 black students? As we contemplate (yet again) the prospect of redistricting in Howard County, it’s crucial to put our purpose front and center. Does the redistricting process have a mission statement? It should. And it should be trotted out before each meeting and ...