Weekend Musings: Ocean City Edition
Ocean City, Maryland | 2017
Decided to head out to Ocean City for the weekend, not only to get away but also to meet up with my contractor to pick new siding and windows. Seems that 30-year old siding does not hold up particularly well to Nor’easters and it is time for something new. I've always hated the drab gray color, so am looking forward to sprucing things up a bit.
In an effort to add a bit more regularity to my blogging, I've decided to resurrect the idea of posting articles that have caught my attention each weekend. No promises, but we'll see how it goes.
We Remember 32 - Today is the 10th anniversary of when gun violence became real at my alma mater, Virginia Tech. It is also when I stopped watching national and cable news because of how appallingly bad and sensationalistic it was. I relied on the local coverage of The Roanoke Times and the Collegiate Times (Virginia Tech's campus paper, which was phenomenal in the aftermath of this tragedy.) On this anniversary, I am once again turning to local coverage by people who understand and for whom this was more than just a news story. We Remember 32 is a project of Virginia Tech's Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech (EMCVT), which includes the Collegiate Times, VTTV, Silhouette, Bugle and WUVT. They have come together to recount the events of April 16, 2007, the memories of the 32 students and faculty lost on that day and how Virginia Tech has grown over the past 10 years in the wake of this tragedy.
Daughter refuses help with her ADHD, but parents are afraid she’s wasting her potential - truly beautiful advice with an incredibly powerful reframing of the daughter's experience. And a reminder that when in doubt, focus on connection. A reaffirming message for anyone who has a child who is struggling.
It Takes a Suburb: A Town Struggles to Ease Student Stress - articles like these help me keep homeschooling high school and college applications in perspective and remind me of my ultimate goal...challenged but not stressed teens. There is a difference and it is vitally important that we parents help our teens navigate the conflicting societal messages.
This Article Won’t Change Your Mind - interesting discussion about why facts alone can’t fight false beliefs. I find it fascinating how different people can view the same information, yet come to completely different interpretations, depending on their worldview and personal experiences. If only the ramifications did not feel so dire lately.
Sync: Audiobooks for Teens - Audiofiles' free summer audiobook program for teens 13+ returns April 27, 2017. I've participated in this the past five years and have discovered some fantastic new titles. Each week, Sync gives away two audiobooks, a classic coupled with a newer title with a similar theme. No strings attached other than you have to remember to check each week because once the week is over the titles are no longer available. I noticed that the first week includes Feed by MT Anderson, which the boys and I listened to a few years ago. It sparked some fantastic conversations about the role of technology in our lives (and homeschoolers will get a kick out of a specific aspect of it, though I won't say what to avoid spoilers.) Highly recommended.
