We are in the midst of a nor’easter and while many who live in other places are getting loads of snow, here in northern Rhode Island we are getting heavy rain and wind. Anyone who knows me 
well can likely predict that I am working and writing from home today, still in my pajamas, with my dogs by my side and a large pile of laundry shoved off to the corner of the bed. I am back from a glorious family vacation in which we laid by a pool, saw some movies, went to the beach, and saw an NBA basketball game. I read books and ate lots of french fries and even managed to get the freckles on my nose to come out with the sun. It was a blessing to unplug a bit, sleep a little later, and show off my new bathing suit in a place where nobody actually knows who I am. (In the photo to the right, I’m holding a bingo card to give you a sense of the pace of our week.)
This Week’s Moms!
It’s always an honor to share the work of fellow moms so this Friday round up has quickly become one of the favorite parts of my week and I’m so grateful to the countless mothers who bravely put their voices out there and take stands on behalf of other people’s children. So here we go:
Bernita Bradley of Detroit spells it out: she’d be willing to give up her her license to carry and her gun if it would make children safer.
In a Twitter conversation recently, I whole-heartedly stated, “If it meant that children’s lives were saved, I would gladly give up my Concealed Pistol License, or CPL. I would at the drop of a hat turn in my guns and ammunition, and never carry another firearm if I knew it would save lives of children who are being targeted by predators and sick-minded people.
What’s more important, the lives of our youth or the right to carry guns?
Shawnta Barnes of Indiana took her strong and brave voice to the statehouse this week to testify before the Senate as an educator and as a mother of twin boys on the issue of school discipline. She shares the story of her own suspension as a student as well as the suspensions of BOTH her sons when they were in pre-school. She also shares her thoughts as an educator and what works, and doesn’t work, when trying to get students to change their behavior. The questions she was asked after her testimony lead me to believe that what she said had resonated while this happened to be in Indiana, every state is grappling with the issue of student discipline. Bravo Shawnta!
Laura Waters of New Jersey was quick to get writing after the Miami superintendent turned a board meeting into reality TV and stunned the Mayor of New York and education world with the announcement that despite his “promise”, he would not be taking the job as the New York City Chancellor of schools. Laura has three guesses as to what made him change his mind.
But get it wrong we did. Buried in a fraction of the earlier verbiage were a few hints, like the overlooked nugget that Carvalho hadn’t yet accepted the job because he was waiting until this morning’s meeting of the Miami-Dade Board of Education and a mention among the breathless reportage that the Board was trying to dissuade their leader from moving to cooler climes. But, truly, the delayed commitment seemed like a courtesy.
So what really happened? Beats me. But here are a few guesses.
Three Guesses Why NYC’s New Schools Chancellor-to-Be Changed His Mind
Lynnell Mickelson of Minnesota takes issue with white folks, most of whom send their own children to highly ‘segregated’ schools, suddenly sounding the alarm when Black families do the same by way of a charter school. The hypocrisy she describes is not unique to Minnesota; it’s everywhere.
I mean, seriously, beige people? We designed entire school systems around our comfort and well-being? And now we’re alarmed when people of color try to do the same for their own children?
Daniela Felix, who lives and teaches in California, has thoughts about the idea of arming teachers in the wake of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
As news of school shootings continue to spread, my initial response is to shield her from the horror occuring in our nation. However, the media that surrounds us is discussing mass school shootings and ridiculous options that attempt to reduce them.
And I, Erika Sanzi, couldn’t resist writing this ‘mommy mayhem’ humor piece after a ding on my phone interrupted me just one too many times in a far too short period of time – the struggle of what is called “the mental load” is real, let me tell you, but laughing about it makes it easier to manage. Enjoy!