Village Green/Town²

I honestly didn’t realize how pointed yesterday’s post had turned out until I saw one reader describe it as “spicy.”  Although I don’t want change anything (in light of that assessment) I do want to reassure folks that I think it’s perfectly fine to feel frustration, to ask questions about things don’t make sense, and to vent or complain when you are simply on your last nerve. That’s completely normal.  There are plenty of times that  I have questioned issues pertaining to the school system. Schools are not an unquestionable monolithic institution. But they are also not able to: … be magically prepared at all times for challenges that haven’t ever happened before and for which no immediate solutions exist …(from yesterday’s post) By all means question things which you believe ought to be within the school system’s ability to do. Or ask questions purely because you don’t understand. That’s not what set me off yesterday. My apologies if that was not clear. Speaking of que...

  The public is nothing if not consistent. Howard County has been trapped for over a week under snow which soon became ice, better known as “snowcrete.” Ongoing low temperatures have made it excruciatingly difficult to remove. Yet so many folks are irate that schools didn’t open “yesterday.” I saw one post about how there was no reasonable justification for closing schools “simply for cold weather.” Please give this person all the variables and constraints and make them come up with a workable plan “yesterday.” We talk a lot in early childhood education about logical consequences. That’s what this armchair critic needs, I think. This particular kind of response is related to so many others when it comes to schools.  Have you ever seen snow like this?  No. Have you ever struggled to remove snow like this?  No. BUT…Schools should have handled this already. This sounds a lot like the early days of COVID-19, doesn’t it? Have we ever encountered an illness like this?...

  Today is the first day of Black History Month. I’m devoting this space today to boosting the signal of Howard County’s Anti-Racist Education Alliance.  Follow them on Facebook  to learn more and to stay up to date on their local initiatives. Update: I just learned that the Monday event has been canceled. Will make a better correction once I know more .  This year’s Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action begins tomorrow, February 2nd. The Black Lives Matter At School Week of Action sponsored by the Anti-Racist Education Alliance, Inc. kicks off Monday, 2/2,  with our Restorative Justice event. Link to register:  Restorative Justice event Oratory contest: 1st place entry 6th through 8th grade and 1st place entry 9th through 12th grade will win $300. Speeches due 2/1 by 11:59 pm. Request a packet by emailing: antiracisteducationalliance@gmail.com . Tuesday, February 3: Fundraiser at Main Event. 6:30 pm - close. Wednesday, February 4th: patronize local B...

  Today’s post is all food. Here goes: There’s a new grocery in town. It’s called Triveni Supermarket and it’s in Ellicott City. They held their Grand Opening event on January 14th and you can even take a look around on their promotional YouTube video.  Triveni specializes in South Indian foods and even has a food court of ready made specialties. They are located at 8450 Baltimore National Pike, Suite 170, Ellicott City, Maryland, USA 21043. (Normandy shopping center.) ***** Thanks to all this crazy winter weather, the Howard County Restaurant and Craft Beverages Weeks event has been extended to February 8th. This page on  Visit Howard County  will tell you everything you need to know. There’s also a helpful explanation of the  LocalHoCo Open Rewards Program .  ***** I saw an announcement for a new venture called HoCo Thrive Markets which looks to be  in conjunction with the U.S. 1 Flea Market.  HoCo Thrive Markets was created with intention, care...

  I did not know about Swimmy until my daughter came home from preschool and told me his story. I don’t know why I didn’t know. The book Swimmy, by Leo Leonni, was published during my childhood so it may very well have been in libraries in my community. Somehow I missed it.  Maybe the picture on the cover didn’t catch my eye. Cover of Swimmy by Leo Leonni, Random House Children’s Books   That tiny little black fish - - that’s Swimmy. Possibly not leading man material. You won’t find his face plastered on lunchboxes. No Happy Meals, no Disney movie. Still, the illustrations won the Caldecott Honor Award.  A good thing that the committee didn’t judge the book by its cover.  For many years the most important thing about this book is that it marked the first time my child recounted a story book to me from memory. It had made enough of an impression on her that she brought it home, in her mind, to share with her mom. Her retelling was so convincing that I was motiva...

  Here’s the article that started it all: Two minutes of testimony can change the world. Here’s how to do it. Rick Hutzell, Baltimore Banner However, if you click this link you will notice that it now has a different title. “Hutzell: Testifying at the State House? You’ve got 2 minutes to change the world.” Have you noticed that newspaper articles that are printed and distributed online have this odd habit of changing their titles? What’s up with that? Anyway, that’s not the point of my piece.  Hutzell writes about Marylanders who come to Annapolis to give testimony related to legislation being considered during the current session. “You know, it takes a lot to come to Annapolis,” said House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk, a longtime committee chair before her election last month as speaker. “And then they have to wait for hours, right?” There’s limited public transportation, no free parking and lots of obstacles. Two minutes might not seem like enough. I enjoyed this article. I...

  Drumroll, please. There were six whole entrants to my contest and they were all wonderful. Creative reuse for the win: everyone gets a prize!  Many thanks to the following readers who were willing to be creative in the face of such a frivolous challenge. Here they are, in no particular order, with their great ideas: Donna Swope Turn turn it into a car bag for cold-weather things that we often forget, like chapstick, hand lotion, Kleenex, and crack-and-shake hand warmers, to be kept handy "just in case." Debra Flanigan  I think the best thing to do with this bag is to reuse it the next time a friend is having a bad day. Go buy them a donut or 2 and put them in the bag and give it to them with a note enclosed to pay it forward to a friend of theirs in need of cheer. It can be the traveling donut bag of cheer. Linda Lamppert  We all know how much kiddos love sprinkles. I think the best thing to do with this amazing bag is to donate it and a very large supply of sprin...