This is not okay.

I haven't posted here in a while. Not because I don't have things to share, in fact I have many things to share, but because I didn't feel right sharing them until I wrote this post. I can’t tell you about the new presentation I'm pondering or math lesson ideas or how the day in the life project is going until I acknowledge the political changes that have happened, and the cultural changes that come with that. I have a platform so I need to share a message:

I'm not okay. This is not okay. Matt was tweeting a daily reminder that this isn't normal. Please heed that reminder.

Daily reminder that what's going on right now is not normal, and you should fight all attempts to normalize it. kthx.

— Matt Lane (@mmmaaatttttt) November 30, 2016

I will not teach my child that it is acceptable to fear people who are different. I will not let my students tell people their sexual orientation is a perversion. I will not be silent if anyone is harassing anyone else, whether that be based on ability, gender, race, religion or otherness of some other variety. People voted for a multitude of reasons, but for me the bottom line is making sure that the message our children hear is not that hate and fear are emotions that rule our lives. Politicians may be leaders but they aren't the only ones; if we surround kids with messages of compassion and respect we can overcome the negativity.

It's been a hard month. I don't see things getting easier. I'm working on taking care of myself- getting enough sleep and quality puppy cuddle time. And in between, I'm working on taking care of everyone else. Instead of annual donations I switched to monthly so the organizations I support* can make big plans. I'm engaging in conversations with Mount Holyoke alums to talk about empowering women. I'm thinking about how to make the day in the life project have an impact in the face of unsupportive ed secretary nominees. And I'm heartened that it's still possible to make a difference in this political climate - the people fighting to protect their land from the Dakota pipeline saw a small victory. Your voice does matter.

I'm going to try to return to a regular posting schedule. And while many posts will be about my normal math ed topics, even that is an act of political resistance. I may find myself feeling unappreciated, unheard and unimportant but I'm not quitting. I hope you won't either.


*Recent/Ongoing Donations:
Human Rights Campaign
Lambda Legal
Planned Parenthood
Nature Conservancy
Mount Holyoke
American Cancer Society
Habitat for Humanity
Teen Vogue (not so much a donation but a gift subscription)
Project for Awesome
My favorite podcasts: Radiolab and 99 percent invisible