Why Facists Fear Teachers (adult nonfiction)

     Remember we recently looked at a book that described all the ways oligarchies put almost all of us in serious peril? Why Facists Hate Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy looks at the crisis from another angle, offering a ray of hope in the form of public schools and teachers. Author Randi Weingarten, former teacher and elected president of the 1.8 million member American Federation of Teachers, speaking from history and the personal experience of herself and colleagues, makes a cogent case why we all have a stake in public education. 

     As I think you're aware, public schools and teachers are under attack on many different fronts. There are book banners gunning for unprecedented numbers of volumes, especially those having to do with LGBTQ+ issues and the lived experience of people of color, and historical revisionists diligently whitewashing curricula. There is the taking away of needed resources as in the dismantling of the Department of Education. There are the voucher and charter schools trying to dismantle and replace public schools. 

     It's nothing new. Facist regimes have always early on targeted schools and teachers. Weingarten starts the book off with a description of the courageous resistance of teachers and students to the Nazi occupation of Norway in 1940. So why do they do this? She goes into great detail on four reasons:

*Teachers teach critical thinking, a skill abhored by authoritarians and dictators;

*Teachers create safe, affirming, and welcoming communities for all children and provide the resources that will enable all to thrive;

*Teachers provide opportunities for all which is anathema to those who want to perpetuate a very unequal status quo.

*Teachers build strong unions. Unions are a very strong force against facism.

     In her conclusion Weingarten gives readers a path forward and reasons for optimism but not complacency. I see Why Facists Fear Teachers as a must read for all who care about the future of public education and participatory democracy. 

On a purrrsonal note, I think it's so important to show up for our beleaguered teachers and school librarians. Talk to them. Find out what they need whether it's supplies or advocacy. Let them know you're there for them. Attend school committee meetings and town council budget meetings and don't be afraid to speak up. And if you have the time and inclination run for school committee/board. All too often conservatives try to pack committees with banners, censorers, and other similar minded people. From my eleven years on the Veazie School Committee I can tell you that you do have power and can make a real difference.  

A great big shout out goes out to public school teachers and librarians and their allies. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Me and Eugene...

...at his birthday lunch. He was having a great time. But he does not like having his picture taken. I'm the opposite as you can see. It was a wonderful lunch. The food was divine. I really enjoyed the conversation. Truly a day to remember!

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All Is Calmish (adult nonfiction)

     I almost didn't request Niro Feliciano's All is Calmish: How To Feel Less Frantic And More Festive During The Holidays. I've skimmed enough of these how to books to anticipate bullet points and dogmatism. And under usual circumstances I feel festive rather than frantic. But almost everyone I know falls into the other camp. So I'm always looking for the exception...

     ...and in All Is Calmish I've finally found it. Feliciano starts by asking readers what we actually remember about the last holiday season. She admits that she generally has to look at the pictures stored on her smartphone to recapture any memories with "a warm holiday glow". 

     She says that few people escape holiday stress. One of the things I like best about the book is that she takes into account the intersectionality of the stress. It doesn't take place in a vacuum. Rather it compounds the stresses that may already be going on such as divorce, financial challenges, or a family member's precarious health. 

     "What if this holiday could be different? What if this year we didn't get sucked into the vortex of overdoing and decorating, overspending and stressing? What if we gifted ourselves a meaningful holiday full of memorable moments of joy--ones that we could easily call to mind, year after year?...And what if we held on to a perspective on what really matters every day for the next month--and try to let go of what doesn't?"

     Feliciano's season transforming advice takes the form of thirty-one conversational reflections. The topics they're centered around are ones most of us can relate to: the numerous holiday great expectations;  the unexpected interruptions that can come at the worst times; the dramas that can spoil extended family togetherness; ramped up anxiety; and really disappointing gifts. For each one she not only gives good advice, but personalizes the reflection with questions. On the one about holiday conflict she asks:

"*What is one boundary you need to set this holiday to preserve your peace or the peace of those around you?

*Who can help you hold this boundary or remind you of it?

*What conflict is not worth addressing this year?"

     My favorite reflection is the one in which she reminds readers of the total messiness of the event we celebrate: the unmarried young teen traveling 90 miles on a donkey only to give birth in a messy, smelly, far from sanitary stable. Nothing about it screams Martha Stewart Live.

     I would highly recommend All is Calmish to just about everyone. I know I found it very thought provoking. I just suggest reading it well before December. OK, I know Febuary is probably a bit much. But how about October? That way it's good advice has more time to sink in. 

On a purrrsonal note, growing up in Beverly, Massachusetts, I really loved Christmas and the events leading up to it: decorating the tree, baking and decorating cookies, going to Boston by train to see decorated stores, visiting Santa... But I noticed that it didn't seem as joyous to my mother who seemed to be obsessed with fulfilling obligations: writing Christmas cards to seemingly everyone she'd ever met who hadn't died, making an elaborate meal for just our nuclear family... So when I became a mom I had a toss the obligations and make the most of the subtle and spontaneous mindset that serves me well today. Then in 2023 a Christmas that had the potential to be anything but was joyous. It was the Christmas exactly 3 months after my stroke. I was confined to home like we were during the pandemic spending most of the time working on basic skills so I could be back in school spring semester. I had no presents to give even my nearest and dearest. But surprises kept breaking in. The librarians kept me supplied with books 📚. Amber gave me kids' ornament kits and an Advent calendar with dear little figures of popular toys. Eugene took me on an enchanting decorated trail and drove around to look at Christmas lights. My best friend, Lisa Morin, took me to a special end of semester event at UMaine where people were overjoyed to see me. On Christmas I finally able to ditch velcro footwear for a really awesome pair of high tops I could finally tie before going to the family Christmas party. And my big seasonal epiphany: I gave my family and friends the best possible gift by being alive and getting better. I did tweak my holiday practices. Now I do my shopping at thrift shops and yard sales and start in January. By Thanksgiving they are ready to wrap and deliver. It makes December so much easier. 

A great big shout out goes out to Feliciano for creating this fine book and getting it published. 

Jules Hathaway 

On a purrrsonal note, I had a truly amazing weekend. Saturday was the family birthday lunch for Eugene which was held at Amber and Brian's. Katie, Jacob, Adam, and Brian's mother also attended. Brian made delicious grilled cheese sandwiches, corn chowder, and low sugar carrot cake. We had a delightful leisurely lunch enjoying each other's company. Amber gave me a beautiful pair of cat earrings. 

Then Sunday was the Orono Community Potluck dinner where Black Bear Mutual Aid Fund was involved. We helped with set up and sold tickets to our Valentines basket raffle. At first people were making Valentines. Then there was the dinner which was delicious. I let myself have one miniature chocolate eclaire which was heavenly. As the official paparazzi I went around taking pictures and getting really good ones. It was definitely an evening to remember. 

A great big shout out goes out to all who participated in both events. 

Jules Hathaway 

     

     

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Operation Valentine

This picture shows what's at the ❤️ of Operation Valentine. A group (in this case commuter students) creates a huge Valentines Day card for a group they value/admire/appreciate (in this case the bus drivers), collects signatures, and delivers the card. Last year started as a pilot project with 2 groups. This year I think there are over 50!!! I never imagined it would grow so fast. I think it can become a UMaine tradition and people agree. For the next two weeks this has to be my major focus. 

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Fight Oligarchy (adult nonfiction)

"...Today, one man--Elon Musk--now owns more wealth than the bottom 52 percent of American households. The top 1 percent own more than the bottom 93 percent. And the CEOs of large corporations make 350 times more than their average employee."

     In other words, because people have enough money to spend obscenely huge amounts on what strikes their fancy--for example $3.88 million on a Star Wars poster--millions struggle to acquire or die for the lack of the absolute basics--food, shelter, medical care... And,  according to Bernie Sanders, the evils of oligarchy go much deeper than the wealth gap. In Fight Oligarchy, a volume the size of my hand and the thickness of my fingernail, he explains the very bad direction in which America is going including:

*what oligarchy is and the evils it spawns;

*Trump's rise to power;

* and oligarchies around the globe. 

     One paragraph in that chapter really was an eye opener for me. 

     "All over the world, hundreds of millions of desperate people are unable to access food, clean drinking water, adequate health care, decent housing, or education. Children by the millions die of easily preventable diseases. Meanwhile, the world's top 1 percent have become $33.9 trillion richer since 2015. That, by the way, is enough to eliminate world poverty twenty-two times over."

     But Bernie wants us to rise up, not give up. 

     "The most powerful tool the ruling class has to protect their interests is to make ordinary people feel powerless. Their message: You are alone and there is nothing you, or anyone else, can do to stop us. We have the wealth. We have the power. We will prevail. Just shut up and get out of the way."

     Bernie reminds readers of times in America's history when injustices were overthrown and gives us a blueprint for what we must do to turn things around. If you're anything like me--extremely anxious about the direction this nation and the world are going in--be sure to put Fight Oligarchy on your reading list.

On a purrrsonal note, Bernie would really approve of Black Bear Mutual Aid Fund which I'm deeply engaged in. It's this wonderful manifestation of community, interdependence, and solidarity that is a needed antidote to the ruthless sink or swim individualism that prevails in America. We raise money for students, faculty, and staff encountering financial crises, build solidarity on and off campus, and do volunteering like our weekly cook and clean at a homeless shelter. Tonight we're part of the community potluck at the Keith Anderson Community Center in downtown Orono (where almost 37 years ago Eugene and I had our wedding reception and where for years I participated in plays and open mics). I'm so looking forward to this. The food will be delish. And because of the friendships I've made during decades of volunteering there will be people taking my dietary restrictions into account. And the lines between town and gown will be erased as people freely mix and mingle. It will be a night to remember. 

A great big shout out goes out to my BBMAF crew and everyone who will participate tonight. 

Jules Hathaway 

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On Guard (juvenile graphic novel)

     Recently divorced parents behaving badly,  having to travel between two different homes, starting seventh grade alone because your former bestie has traded you for a cooler chum--there's a lot for younger readers to relate to in Cassidy Wasserman's On Guard.

     Grace's parents have divorced over the summer. The split is anything but amicable. Grace lives with her father with whom she's comfortable. But she has to spend a lot of nights with her mother who essentially ignores her. And mommy dearest is setting a room up for Grace in her condo so she can spend whole weeks there.

     Meanwhile school is torture. Before their split Grace and Ava had signed up for all the same classes. Now Grace has to watch Ava be all chummy with her replacement, Lana, all day. And she doesn't have anyone else. Her acquaintances are all Ava's friends. 

     Having nobody to sit with in the cafeteria, Grace takes her lunch to the gym. She's in for a big surprise. The school's Fencing Club practices there. It looks like fun. And they're in need of new members.

     With an engaging plot, lively illustrations, and relatable characters, On Guard is a good read, especially for kids facing similar challenges.

On a purrrsonal note, yesterday started out less than optimal but turned out memorable in the best possible way. Tobago woke me up at 2:15 when it was all black outside. Just before 7:00 my ride canceled because of an emergency. Under ordinary circumstances I might very well have decided not to go to campus. But it was the day of the student organizational fair--my best chance to recruit student organizations for operation Valentine. So I trudged my way through knee high ❄️ on the uncleared woods path and tried my best to lose feeling in my fingers waiting for the bus. But it was abundantly worthwhile. I got five pages of organizations. Blew way past my goal of thirty. And people were so thrilled and touched--I could see the enthusiasm on their faces. By mid afternoon when the fair ended I was floating on air. If I play my cards right this could become a UMaine tradition.

A great big shout out goes out to all the wonderful UMaine organizations who have signed on.

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Operation Valentine

Well today was the spring semester student organizational fair at UMaine. There was an amazing number and variety of groups. Good to know there is this level of engagement in Black Bear Nation!!! I just spent the past hours making the rounds and signing groups up for Operation Valentine. OMG!!! I have 5 PAGES of contact information!!! Originally I was shooting for 20 groups. I've way blown by that. And people are so enthusiastic. This could become a UMaine tradition. This is what I wore. Pretty appropriate I'd say.

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