On Resolutions and the Future

“The garbage reached across the state,

From New York to the Golden Gate.”

A garbage patch floats in the Pacific Ocean three times the size of France (Boone 2018). Mississippi lawmakers pass bill prohibiting local governments from passing ordinances regulating the use of food containers (Gates 2018). Texas Supreme Court hears case while could repeal local single-use bag ordinances (Winkle 2018). Not fake news! Scientists take measurements on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) periodically, but this week released data provide a more accurate estimate of GPGP size than ever before - “1.6 million square kilometers, weighs 80,000 metric tons, and is three times the size of continental France” (Boone 2018). Just the week before, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant signed Senate Bill 2570 into law prohibiting local governments from passing ordinances to regulate the use of food containers (i.e. single-use and reusable bags, cups, to-go boxes) (Parks 2018). The law goes into effect July 1, 2018. And, the environmental leadership and stewardship of Austin is called into question in the media and Texas Supreme Court (Richards 2015; Winkle 2018) So, why do I care? Because: I’m a human who lives on this planet?! Eighteen months ago, I made a resolution - a commitment to myself, my husband, my community, and my planet - that I would no longer bring single-use plastic bags into my home. My husband, who spent most of his teaching career in a science classroom, thought my idea was a good one. Living in the county, we make a monthly trip to the community recycling drop-off station. Our community only recycles plastics 1 and 2, steel and aluminum, paper, newspaper, and cardboard. No glass, no other plastics, no styrofoam. And, NO plastic bags - even though they are plastic 2. Being a household of two who recycle, we probably produce less real “garbage” than average - only putting our trash out for county collection every two weeks instead of weekly (as is indeed available for our location). The immediate issue - what to do with the closet FULL of bags? Solution: Recycle fully one-half of the “collection” and move the other half to a space in the garage and save for trash bags in the bathrooms and kitty litter disposal. Second, what do we do instead of the bags? As teachers, we already possessed an extensive collection of conference bags. As a multiple sclerosis patient who receives her monthly medication shipment in a styrofoam box, I had a collection of those as well. We kept two styrofoam boxes: One to place inside a reusable tote for grocery shopping, and the other in another reusable tote for quick evacuation of chilled medications during tornado warnings. I placed ten other styrofoam boxes in the trash over the next two weeks. It hurt my heart, but the boxes threatened to take over an entire half of the garage. And, I get a new box once a month! Now, I set out collecting fun, reusable grocery bags - a grizzly bear bag from Cenage/National Geographic Press, a tiger bag from Birmingham Zoo. Store bags from Bóksala Stúdenta Books - Coffee - Gifts and the Camp Verde General Store. Bags from concerts: Slaid Cleaves, Robert Earl Keene, a travel bags from the Grand Teton Association, and conference bags from the National Conference on Geography Education We keep the “bag of bags” in the car. I offer to bag my own groceries, adding the caveat that I will probably be slower. I take the bag into places to shop. I get frustrated by stores that require products to leave the store in their own plastic bag - Belk and Dick’s. My next feat is to abandon the single-use straw. I recently learned they were not recyclable. How can they not be? Seriously? And, why do you have to give me one whether I want it, or not. If you put it on the table, without my requesting it, it will inevitably be thrown away. I like a straw, but I can live without one. A good friend has a set of reusable metal straws, but she carries a much larger bag/purse with her than I do. For now, I plan to decline the straw. I plan to keep doing my part reducing, reusing, and recycling. I hope I can make a difference. References. Boone, A. 27 March 2018. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is Growing. CityLab. Accessed on 28 March 2018. https://www.citylab.com/environment/2018/03/the-great-pacific-garbage-patch-is-growing/556562/ Gates, J.E. 20 March 2018. New law will prohibit local government from banning plastic bags or other type containers. Clarion Ledger.com Accessed on 28 March 2018. https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2018/03/20/new-law-prohibit-local-government-banning-plastic-bags-other-type-containers/442256002/ Parks, R. 2018. Senate Bill No. 2570: Local entities; prohibit ordinances regulating the use of certain containers. State of Mississippi Regular Session 2018. Accessed on 28 March 2018. http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2018/pdf/SB/2500-2599/SB2570SG.pdf Richards, E. 15, June 2015. Austin’s Plastic Bag Ban Worse for Environment Than Bags It Outlaws. CNSNews.com. Accessed on 28 March 2018. https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/emily-richards/austins-plastic-bag-ban-worse-environment-bags-it-outlaws Shel Silverstein - Topic. 2015/1984. Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out · Shel Silverstein from Where The Sidewalk Ends. Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. https://youtu.be/-104x-t85G4 Silverstein, S. 1974. Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out. Where the Sidewalk Ends. New York: Harper Collins. pp70-71. Winkle, K. 11 January 2018. Could plastic bag ban be lifted? Texas Supreme Court hears case. KXAN.com. Accessed on 28 March 2018. http://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/could-plastic-bag-ban-be-lifted-texas-supreme-court-hears-case/1031510397

#MeToo and Me

From an extended FaceBook post last week. I decided it needed to be shared more broadly.

I said ‘God, don’t do this to me.’  And, God laughed. ~Tarana Burke

Sixteen months of being a liberal in a very conservative state has begun to take its toll on me.  I felt

better after a much needed visit with some strong women in my life over spring break. Last night, I

attended the University of Mississippi’s Women’s Empowerment Keynote Address

#UMWomensHistory2018 by Tarana Burke and felt compelled to tell my story.

Last year, I joined the Women’s March in Memphis, Tennessee, with two former students and their

friends.  I called all three of my Congressmen daily until the Senate confirmed the 45th President of

the United States’ nominee for Secretary of Education.  I rallied to support Massachusetts Senator

Elizabeth Warren when she was silenced in the confirmation hearing with what became the Feminists’

rally cry “She persisted.”  (I even replaced my pretty pink Otterbox phone case for a sleek “She

Persisted” watercolor case that didn’t protect my screen from a drop off the nightstand.)

When the allegations against prominent men in the entertainment industry morphed into the social

media #MeToo viral storm last fall, I paused.  I remembered fondly all of my former male supervisors

and colleagues in a myriad of workplaces and didn’t have anything to add. But then, I remembered

the cat-calls from construction workers as I walked home from middle school in the somewhat rural,

suburbs of northeast San Antonio.  I was 11, maybe 12. I reflected on two, very awkward, predatory

relationships in college. I was 21, maybe 22. I had never publicly spoken about these incidents. All

I could add to the conversation was “This happened to me, too!” #MeToo.

That is exactly what Tarana Burke meant when she started the movement.  That #MeToo implies that

YOU are a braver person than I am because you CAN tell the story that I cannot tell (at this time).  

#MeToo means that “I see you. I believe you. I hear you. And, I am you” creating an “exchange of

empathy.”

In addition to sharing statistics about female victims of sexual assault and harassment, Ms. Burke

reminded us that one in six (1 in 6!!) boys are victims of sexual assault and harassment, and that there

are no reliable statistics for gay, lesbian, and transgendered persons.  She asked all of us to think

about sexual assault and harassment as a disease. As such, how would we respond to a survivor?

Would we behave the same way? Thinking of the #MeToo movement this way reframes the

conversation into one that includes both sexes and all genders. Thinking of #MeToo as a “global

community of survivors” gives “power to our collective voices” and helps to “cultivate a culture of joy”,

a yearning for justice, and a decision to survive.

What hearing Ms. Burke speak about her own journey of community activism before and during

#MeToo has done for me is this -- I am empowered, energized, and willing to engage in the “radical

community healing” necessary for us to make it safe for victims to speak their truth.  Did you know --

Sexual assault is the ONLY crime that doesn’t rely solely on the verbal testimony of the victim to initiate

criminal proceedings? Process that for a moment!

So here I sit in my climate-controlled office on a university campus, sheltered by academic freedom

and tenure, pondering my role in #MeToo.  How do we move forward? Well, we do the Good Work,

the hard work, the dirty work of demanding to be part of the conversation and the solution.

If you take nothing else away from my post, take this - #MeToo isn’t just about wealthy, powerful men

in business and entertainment.  It is about everyone. #MeToo starts in preschool to create a culture of

empathy that doesn’t allow the narrative of hatred, bullying, and harassment to continue.  And, as

Ms. Burke explained last night - #MeToo doesn’t equate Bill Cosby and Emmett Till. To make such a

comparison disrespects the memory of Emmett Till - who categorically did not deserve the response

he received for whistling at a woman.  #MeToo isn’t about ending courtesy and compliments in the

workplace, but it should redefine how we think about our colleagues.

“Do Unto Others...” so someone doesn’t have to say #MeToo about you.

Real.Strong.Women of Distinction

Thanks to my Alpha Chi Omega sister, Cecilia Sierra Edwards, for nominating me for one of the Real.Strong.Women of Distinction Awards.  

In an effort to maintain an accountability in my writing, I share with you all my responses to the required questions for the nomination.

Please share the impact your Alpha Chi Omega experience has made throughout your journey to success.

Maximum Number of Words: 300

When I joined Gamma Rho chapter, I was a shy sophomore with a few friends 400 miles from home.  Alpha Chi Omega gave me the tools to come out of my corner with confidence and determination.  The skills I learned in Alpha Chi Omega were invaluable as I headed down my career pathway as an educator.  I never dreamed of leading a classroom, a department meeting, or national organization.

My sisters elected me Chaplain my senior year.  Through leadership development programs provided by the chapter, and informal mentoring by local alumnae, I learned more about organizing a band of women to impact the community than I ever thought possible.  Furthermore, Alpha Chi Omega fostered my creativity and gave me a passion for working with diverse groups.

I learned just how important the skills learned in Gamma Rho activities were when I entered the classroom as a teacher.  From project organization and leadership to public speaking, Alpha Chi Omega prepared me as well as my education course work for creating a learning environment that reached all students where they were and engaged them in the content.

My experiences in Alpha Chi Omega created a sense of self-confidence and reliance that allowed me to pursue and complete a doctoral program in geographic education.  I may have been smart enough to pursue graduate study, but Alpha Chi Omega taught me perseverance which is essential to advanced academic coursework and research.  Once again, the networking and organizational skills proved essential as I entered academia earning both promotion and tenure at the first opportunity.

From the high school geography classroom in rural south Texas to teacher preparation programs at an SEC flagship institution, the skills I learned in Alpha Chi Omega have lasted and continue to help me foster change in our world.

Tell us about your accomplishments as they are applicable to your successes.

Maximum Number of Words: 300

After leaving Texas Tech and Gamma Rho Chapter, I earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from Trinity University and taught high school social studies in south central Texas six years - moving from novice teacher to co-lead geography teacher of a group of 13 geography teachers.  In 1999, I won one of the Target Teachers Scholarships to further my education.   

I coordinated the Texas Alliance for Geographic Education’s 2001 Geography Awareness Week (GAW) program and traveled to Washington, DC, to work with other GAW coordinators at the National Geographic Society.  I made connections with award-winning educators and so many others.  I received the runner-up in the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) Natoli Dissertation Award in 2007 for my research on underrepresented students’ perceptions of careers in geography.  

I mentored students on projects that have been accepted for publication and/or presentation at nationally recognized conferences such as the National Council for the Social Studies, the ESRI Education Users’ Conference, and the Applied Geography Conference.  The Mississippi Geographic Alliance Steering Committee nominated me for an NCGE Distinguished Teaching Award in 2012.  

Additionally, I worked with ETS on the Praxis II National Advisory Committee for Geography, and as a table leader for the Advanced Placement (AP) Human Geography exam.  The APHG community helped me more clearly see a future for geography in the K-12 classroom.  Through their eyes, I see a future beyond place-name geography.  

In 2009, I was asked to fill the unexpired term of the Recording Secretary.  I served NCGE in that capacity until my election as Vice President of Curriculum & Instruction.  As President of the NCGE Board of Directors in 2016, I helped implement a more modern system of governance for nonprofit organizations and led the organization through a strategic planning process for the next five years.

Flood Them in February!

 A group of concerned voters from north Mississippi met today and drafted the following letter. Please share widely among your networks.

Thanks,
e


Dear Mississippians:

The 2017 legislative session is in recess, and the legislature has yet to decide on an educational funding formula for Mississippi schools.  The likely next step is for the Governor to call a Special Session of the legislature, which under the rules of a Special Session, would allow the Governor and Speaker of the House to bypass all rules, regulations and deadlines in the legislature.  

For those concerned that all Mississippi schools and students receive adequate educational funding, please write postcards to your State legislators.  Let’s Flood them in February! Postcards work best when they are respectful, short and state that you live in their district.  Important points to cover:

1. The Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) is not flawed; it has been fully funded only twice (e.g. 2002 and 2007) since its passage.  
2. Urge your legislator to advocate for total transparency about the funding debate.  
3. Last year the Educational Enhancement Fund allocated $36 million dollars for classroom supplies, but only $12 million dollars reached classrooms.  

This is step one in an what is likely to require ongoing action steps. You may choose to write to one or all three points, but above all personalize your message to maximize the impact of your note.  To be successful, send your postcards by February 28th.

We recommend you direct one note to Senator Tollison as Chairman of the Senate Education Committee.  Then, let your legislators know how you feel,  and let your friends know how they can help.

Most sincerely,

Fund Education First!

Legislative Contacts

Senator Gray Tollison  

Chair, Senate Education Committee

Room: 404-A

P.O. Box 1018

Jackson, MS 39215

(601) 359-2395

District 8

Representative Trey Lamar

Room: 201

P.O. Box 1018

Jackson, MS 39215

(601) 359-3343

District 10

Representative Nolan Mettetal

Room: 205-A

P.O. Box 1018

Jackson, MS 39215

(601) 359-3331

District 12

Representative Jay Hughes

Room: 400-F

P.O. Box 1018

Jackson, MS 39215

(601) 359-3339

District 13

Representative Steve Massengill

Capitol:

Room: 400-E

P.O. Box 1018
Jackson, MS 39215

(601) 359-3353

District 23

Representative Jim Beckett

Room 205-C

P.O. Box 1018

Jackson, MS 39215

(601) 359-3335

If your Representative is not listed above, visit: http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/members/h_roster.pdf

House Education Committee:

   John L. Moore, Chairman; Rob Roberson, Vice-Chairman

     Members: Toby Barker; Richard Bennett; Joel Bomgar; Randy P. Boyd; Charles Busby; Credell Calhoun; Gary Chism; Alyce G. Clarke; Carolyn Crawford; Dana Criswell; Becky Currie; Scott DeLano; Jarvis Dortch; Bob Evans; Mark Formby; Jeffrey S. Guice; Ashley Henley; Gregory Holloway, Sr.; Steve Hopkins; Chris Johnson; Vince Mangold; Carl Mickens; Orlando Paden; Rufus Straughter; Sara R. Thomas; Brad Touchstone; Kenneth Walker; Sonya Williams-Barnes; Cory Wilson

The full Senate roster can be found at: http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/members/s_roster.pdf

Senate Education Committee:

   Gray Tollison, Chairman; Chris Caughman, Vice-Chairman

     Members: Kevin Blackwell; David Blount; Terry C. Burton; Eugene S. Clarke; Angela Burks Hill; W. Briggs Hopson III; Billy Hudson; David Jordan; Chris Massey; Sollie B. Norwood; John A. Polk; Brice Wiggins; J. P. Wilemon, Jr.

Disgusted by Our Administration

Edyte and I met in 1982 at John H. Wood Middle School.  Time and distance pass, but we are still the best of friends.  I feel blessed to be part of her life.  

Edyte is a first generation American, a mother of multiracial two (now grown) children, an artist, and a teacher.  Her parents' story of emigration from Hungary to the United States is a powerful one.  I hope she shares it with the world one day.  

I share Edyte's piece with you so it may be shared with a broader audience.  

I'm proud to call her friend!

#Resist #NoBanNoWall #ScienceMatters #BeTheChange #WomensMarch 

By Edyte Hargita Parsons * Sunday, January 29, 2017

I am signing up on the Muslim registry, if it actually comes to fruition. I will sign up not because I practice any religion but because I stand by my fellow Americans. I know too many beautiful, wonderful, amazing, dynamic Muslims. The school I teach at has a good proportion of Muslims and I stand by them. If they intern my little Muslim students, I will stand with them; go with them if need be. I will continue to educate them the best that I can. They shouldn’t be there alone.

I will support my nation’s children.

A Jewish registry will find my name on it as well. Not only because my grandparents ran during the war, uncles and aunts passed away during that horrible time, but also because our nation has had incredible contributions from this community that I refuse to ignore.

I will stand by these beautiful, strong people of our nation.

If there is a registry for any denomination of Christianity, I am registering with them as well. I do not practice any Christian religion but I stand with them regardless. We all have the right to practice our choice of religion and I stand by their choice.

I support all the people of this wonderful nation, regardless of their religious orientation.

When there is a registry for LGBTQ, I am signing it as well. There are too many close, personal friends and family in my circle that are LGBTQ that I cannot let them stand alone. Our great nation was built on their contributions as much as any others.

I support all the people of this great nation, regardless of their sexual orientation.

If there is a registry for people of color, be it brown, red, black, purple, green, or any other color, my name will be on it. This little red-headed freckled woman stands by all the people of any race because like most of us, I am a mix of all races. If I do not sign up, I will be denying a part of me and there is no part of me that I am willing to negate. There are too many people, past and present that have offered too much for this nation for me to not support them.

I support all the good people of my country, whatever their race.

Lists of any ethnicity will find my name on it as well. My family ancestry spans the entirety of Europe and Asia and beyond. People originally from America, from Ireland, Poland, Ukraine, France, Italy, China, Japan, Kenya, Ecuador, Mexico, and every other nation in the world are here to build an amazing country we call home.

I stand by their accomplishments and hard work. I support all Americans, regardless of their ethnicity.

I am signing a registry if it comes out for all those that are immigrants or first generation immigrants, legal, documented, or otherwise. Being first generation American, I am most likely already designated for this list but am proudly signing my name for whatever comes along. Alongside every other immigrant, my family has helped build this nation, which, aside from indigenous nations of First Peoples, is every person here.

I support anyone that comes to this nation to build a better life for themselves, their families and this country.

For those that are impaired in any way, I hold my hand up high and volunteer to join that listing as well. My grandparents were both deaf, so perhaps that is why they were running for their lives from Hitler’s regime? I don’t know and frankly, I don’t think it matters. They, and every other person, with or without a disability has made their own lovely contribution to the world we call home.

I support all the people of our America, regardless of ability. I am already part of the “registry” of women and am proud of it. Without women, none of us would be here. No amount of misogyny will diminish the strength I feel in my womanhood. I stand by all the women in this amazing nation.

I support all the people of the country I call my own, no matter what gender they profess. If scientists are held to a standard and become attacked for their profession, I stand by them as well.

I believe in the scientific method. If there is a list of climate change believers, of environmentalists, of conservationists, I will sign it as well. We are a people of intellect and diminishing truths cannot make the country better, rather it will mire us in self-destruction.

I stand by those working to make this a better world through science and knowledge.

What I will not stand by is bigotry, xenophobia, misogyny and hatred. I will not stand by as people are attacked, and ridiculed and hurt because of who they are, not what they have done. I will not stand by people condemning the good individuals of our great nation due to race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic backgrounds, belief systems, gender, origin or profession. I will support love and acceptance, hard work, tolerance, forgiveness and perseverance. I will support respect and loyalty, family and comradery. If this means I am on every registry so be it. If it means I am subjected to an internment camp, I will be there to support my people and to educate the children until the confinement is over. And I will keep fighting after.

I stand by the America I love.

Longtime Gone

So, it's been a busy almost four years since my last post here.

Lots has happened, and I wrote a mostly-monthly blog as President of the National Council for Geographic Education last year.  You can see those in the NCGE.org Archives.  Here's a link to the last one of 2016.

I dusted off the Blogger account to: 

1. encourage my own writing ethic which I developed over the past year,
2. elaborate on interesting posts in social media in more than 140 characters,
3. create a space for creative non-fiction writing which may not fit my employer's acceptable use of their Google Sites,
4. share my own path of resistance to the current administration (federal and state), and
5. stand with my friends and colleagues as we fight against oppression and suppression of our inalienable rights.

Enough for now. 

Strength, healing, and peace to you all.

ejf

You can follow me on Twitter @ellenjfoster

#NoBanNoWall

#Resist

#NoMuslimBan

#ScienceMatters

#WomensMarch

Lots of travel in October!

 October is always a busy month, and October 2013 is no exception.  I spent the first part of this week at a Grosvenor Center for Geographic Education and National Geographic Society "Reading the Road Map" conference.  It was a fast and furious two days drafting a series of responses to the NSF-funded Road Map to Geographic Literacy Research Committee report.  More photos to come from my Mississippi Council for the Social Studies Fall Conference in Natchez, Mississippi later this week.

L to R: C. Frazier, S. Hume, and E. Foster

 

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue at 6:30 a.m.