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Captured in a metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia primary school, this photograph depicts a typical classroom scene, where an audience of school children were seated on the floor before a teacher at the front of the room, who was reading an illustrated storybook, during one of the scheduled classroom sessions. Assisting the instructor were two female students to her left, and a male student on her right, who was holding up the book, while the seated classmates were raising their hands to answer questions related to the story just read.
A lesson to be learned from ugly school board races
November 1, 2024 -

Local school board elections have taken a nasty turn this year in some parts of Maryland as they have elsewhere across the country. No longer are the candidates chosen from the usual pool of school volunteers, retired educators and community activists — often running without opposition. Campaigns aren’t the amicable PTA-like chitchat about budgets or where to draw district lines or how to support teachers.

Read More: Ba
Maryland should hold ExxonMobil responsible for plastic recycling lies
November 1, 2024 -

Americans are being peddled misinformation about what happens to the plastic they buy and use in their daily lives, and Maryland taxpayers have an opportunity to fight back. California Attorney General Rob Bonta has sued ExxonMobil for the fossil fuel company’s pollution and track record of misinformation — particularly around the recyclability of Americans’ plastics.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Larry Hogan crowns himself King Waffle and other lessons from indecisive voters
November 1, 2024 -

By not picking, voters like Jeremy Gosnell just might help pick the next president of the United States. The Oakland, Maryland, property manager calls himself a loyal Democrat. He’s never voted Republican, but he can’t get behind his party’s presidential candidate. “Kamala Harris is a tough sell for me,” Gosnell wrote during our email conversation about his dilemma.

Read More: The Baltimore Banner
Carved pumpkin as face
Let’s have some good — and safe — fun on Halloween
October 31, 2024 -

As much as we fret that the preferred costume this Halloween will either feature orange makeup and long red ties or tailored women’s pantsuits in neutral tones, we have to express our fondness for the child-oriented, secular holiday with its playful nature. When else, particularly in these politically fraught times, are we encouraged to knock on the doors of neighbors essentially requesting a handout that is usually granted?

Read More: Ba
Let’s not give the game away – teacher career ladders need a timeout
October 31, 2024 -

With the return of college football comes an easy agreement on what to watch while completing house chores. My husband and I enjoy college sports for slightly different reasons. He enjoys feats of athleticism. The educator in me is drawn to the coaching staff. I’m interested in how coaches make decisions to lead, support and develop the athletes in their care. In the strategic reflective moments of a timeout, coaches can refocus a team to accomplish a goal.

Read More: Maryland Matters
Maryland parents should be able to choose where to send their kids to school
October 31, 2024 -

As Americans, we take pride in the freedoms we enjoy every day. We wake up with the liberty to pursue happiness as we see fit. We decide what time to rise, what to eat for breakfast, and which path our day will take. We choose where we work, who we spend our time with, and how we spend our leisure time. Our lives are shaped by a series of choices that seem small, but in the grand scheme of things, reflect the essence of our freedom.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
group of urban farmers harvesting vegetables from an organic rooftop community garden
How this hospital is treating food as medicine
October 30, 2024 -

Clinicians know that their patients’ health is determined not just by the care they receive but also factors outside the confines of medicine — employment, financial stability, safe housing and access to nutritious food, to name a few. That can leave many health-care providers frustrated and disillusioned. They want to help their patients, but how can they recommend lifestyle changes that are often outside of their patients’ control?

Read More: The Washington Post
Dan Rodricks: Are we on the way to being ‘better than this’? | STAFF COMMENTARY
October 30, 2024 -

Are we going to grow up and move on? Are we going to stop fighting the Civil War? Are we ever going to recognize that ethnic, racial and gender diversity is a plus for the country, fundamentally part of our DNA, not something to fear and demonize? In the current election, will we reject any candidate who takes us backward, into the mud of bigotry? Are we, to quote the late Rep. Elijah Cummings, going to be “better than this”?

Read More: The Baltimore Sun
We see the effects of hunger every day. Investing in Maryland farmers is a win for all.
October 30, 2024 -

We think of early fall as a time of abundance – the peak of the growing and harvesting season. But for many Maryland families, scarcity at the dinner table is the norm. Though it often goes unseen, hunger is a pervasive problem in our state. Right now, one in three Marylanders faces food insecurity – defined as a lack of consistent access to nutritious food. Scarcity of healthy food has been linked to challenges in school for children and chronic health issues for people of all ages. Hunger has massive implications for the future of our society and the strength of our economy.

Read More: Maryland Matters
Infrastructure spending: Biden deserves a victory lap
October 29, 2024 -

President Joe Biden hasn’t exactly been a stranger to Baltimore over the last four years. Our proximity to the White House and his family home in Wilmington, Delaware, along with the fact we’re served by Amtrak has a lot to do with it. But we must admit we are delighted he is coming back on Tuesday, at least in part, to tout the success of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Three years ago, the president came to the Port of Baltimore to celebrate its passage.

Read More: Baltimore Sun

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