We Can, and Must, Do Better

Posted on March 24, 2024March 24, 2024 by Jenny

I was born and raised on the lower Eastern Shore of Maryland, attending Worcester County public schools. Worcester County is rural and working class, with a median household income that is roughly half that of my current home of Howard County. More than half of Worcester County’s student population county-wide receives free and reduced-price meals. Thirty years ago, Worcester County public schools had modest offerings. My high school offered only five AP classes. There was no orchestra, only...

Moms for the First Amendment

Posted on May 3, 2023May 3, 2023 by Jenny

set of condoms for contraceptive and protection against infection

Unless you've been living under a rock, by now you've probably heard about Moms for Liberty and their activism regarding sex education, library books, and LGBTQ+ topics in schools. As word spreads of a new M4L chapter recently launching in Howard County, with failed (phew) 2022 Board of Education candidate Tudy Adler serving as its vice chair, I sit in amazement about the fact that in the year of our Lord 2023, people still get all bajiggity about sexual topics being discussed in public schools...

Kids’ Lives are at Stake in the Board of Education Race.

Posted on May 16, 2022May 16, 2022 by Jenny

"One of the charges thrown against the book was that it promoted pedophilia — based on a single panel depicting an erotic ancient Greek vase. Others simply called it pornography, a common accusation against work with themes of queer sexuality. Queer youth are often forced to look outside their own homes, and outside the education system, to find information on who they are. Removing or restricting queer books in libraries and schools is like cutting a lifeline for queer youth, who might not yet...

Keep It Real

Posted on October 30, 2021October 29, 2021 by Jenny

I'm not a huge fan of social media, despite using it frequently as a blogger, activist, and mother of kids whose grandparents all live out of state. Setting aside all the shadiness that comes with social media companies whose only real product is its users, I dislike social media because nearly everything about it is fake. The pictures are carefully filtered and cropped to remove imperfections and enhance beauty; posts are judiciously curated to create the illusion of a happy, perfect life; and...

Farewell, Swansfield

Posted on June 9, 2021June 9, 2021 by Jenny

Today, my youngest child had his 5th grade promotion ceremony at Swansfield Elementary School. I'm all up in my feelings right now, not just because of the poignancy of childhood milestones, but also because it is hard to say goodbye to such a special school after seven years. People in Howard County tend to look down on Swansfield, having bought into the notion that test scores or a rating on GreatSchools.com is all that's required to determine a school's caliber and predict student outcome...