Calm Before Me

Enough is Enough: The BPS Transportation Crisis is Stealing Our Children’s Future & Why BPS Transportation is a Documented Disaster For a decade, I’ve stood at bus stops in South Boston. What began as "first-week jitters" in K2 has devolved into a permanent, systemic breakdown. This past Tuesday, I stood before the City Council at the Emergency Hearing on BPS Transportation to testify to this reality. But I haven't just been vocal this week; I have been a persistent voice for many years, demanding that BPS stop treating our children as an afterthought. No More Broken Promises In October, during Mayor Wu’s "State of the Schools" address, the message from the city was one of progress. But for the parents on the ground, the reality is far different. No more broken promises. Our children need to be in school on time, not hours late. It is completely unacceptable that in 2026, we are still hearing the same excuses we heard in 2018. A "State of the Schools...

Reflecting on Dever’s Digitizing Day: A Legacy Etched in Iron The intersection of Mt. Vernon Street and it felt a little heavier—and a lot more meaningful—on March 26th. As the community gathered for Dever’s Digitizing Day , the atmosphere wasn't just about a school closing; it was about ensuring that decades of history didn’t simply vanish when the doors locked for the last time. The highlight of the event was the unveiling of the new street sign, a permanent marker for the Paul A. Dever Elementary School . For those who have walked those halls, the sign is more than a navigational tool; it is a testament to the generations of families who were shaped by the "bricks and mortar" on Columbia Point. A Voice from the Community During the ceremony, the personal weight of this milestone was captured in the dedication speech: "It’s an honor to be here for Dever’s Digitizing Day and the unveiling of the street sign. They say all roads lead through the Dever, and for my fami...

Recovery, Resilience, and the Power of Community I wanted to share an update on how things have been going since my surgery just under a week ago. For the first few days, I felt like I was on the right track, but things took a turn Friday evening. I ended up in the ER with a suspected blood clot. A Health Update I am so thankful that the clot they found was small. Interestingly, the ER focused on a chest CT rather than imaging my leg. While that ruled out a major Pulmonary Embolism (PE), the scan did show something unexpected with my 5th and 6th ribs—likely an echo from a past issue that I’ll need to keep an eye on. My blood levels were also quite a bit "off," showing that both my HE and Hemolytic Anemia are active right now. My next step is getting back in with the blood specialist to get those levels stabilized. As for the surgical site, I had my one-week post-op checkup. Most of the incisions are healing well, though two spots are being a bit stubborn—one is still bleeding...

  For decades, the ritual has been the same. Every spring, a thick binder of budget projections is laid on a mahogany table at a School Committee meeting. Numbers are crunched, “efficiencies” are identified, and “difficult choices” are lamented. But outside those meeting rooms, in the hallways of Brighton High and the classrooms of the Curley K-8, those "choices" have a different name: Loss. As we move through 2026, the Boston Public Schools (BPS) budget is once again under the knife. With a projected $53 million deficit and the looming threat of 400 staff layoffs , we are told this is a matter of "enrollment declines." But let’s be clear: Every dollar cut from our schools is a withdrawal from the potential of a Boston child. Our students, our teachers, and our communities have suffered long enough. It has to stop. The Human Cost of "Hard Decisions" When the district talks about cutting 400 positions—including over 260 classroom teachers and 160 paraprof...

  Beyond the Noise: Why My Choice to Stay is Mine Alone Lately, I’ve noticed a lot of opinions floating around about my life—specifically about who I choose to keep in it. It’s funny how people who only see a fraction of your story feel qualified to write the chapters for you. But after much reflection, I’ve realized that I don’t need a jury to validate my personal decisions. I am choosing peace, and for me, that peace includes maintaining a deep, supportive friendship with someone many expected me to leave behind. The Power of the Second Chance We live in a culture that tells us to "burn bridges" the moment things get complicated. While that works for some, I’ve learned that life isn't always black and white. Yes, mistakes happened. There were hurdles and heartaches that we both had to navigate. But I’ve also learned that growth doesn’t always mean walking away; sometimes, it means walking toward a different kind of connection. Accepting a "second chance" at fr...

  The Brave Face: A Lifetime at the Dever and the Fight for Our Future This coming week is, in a word, heavy . My calendar is a blur of City Council chambers, school hallways, and pre-op appointments. But as I look at the schedule, I realize every single one of these moments is connected by a single thread: the choice to show up, even when the weight feels impossible to carry. A Lifetime at the Dever: "All Roads Lead Through Here" This week carries a special kind of weight as I head to the Dever to go over photos for the website. This isn’t just a school to me; it is my second home. For nearly 70 years, these halls have been a sanctuary for generations. I am forever grateful for my journey here—first as a student, then as a parent, and lastly as an advocate. But the clock is ticking. On June 30th, 2026, I will take my last steps in those halls, and the final bell will ring on a place that has been a home to so many. It breaks my heart, but I know one thing for certain: no ma...

  Imagine waking up to find that a dear friend—someone you’ve been supporting through their hardest moments—has been moved 90 miles away without a single phone call to you or their partner. This isn't a hypothetical. This is the reality currently facing a close friend of mine and his partner right here in Massachusetts. The Betrayal of Care: From Neglect to a "Quiet" Exile My friend was in the Emergency Department on Monday, March 2nd . During that time, we were explicitly told there would be an evaluation and that no decisions would be made until that process was complete. He felt safe and comfortable; he trusted the team there to help him stabilize. Instead, the hospital moved him in silence. On Tuesday, March 3rd, at 10:00 AM , they loaded him into an ambulance and sent him 90 miles across the state while we were still waiting for the promised update. There was no phone call. There was no consultation. In fact, the lack of communication was so total that his partner ar...

  Blood Like Glass, Heart Like Iron: My Triple-Diagnosis Journey Eleven years ago today, my world shifted. It was the day I learned that my son and I shared more than just a last name and a stubborn streak—we shared a rare genetic blood disorder called Hereditary Elliptocytosis (HE) . What is HE? For most people, red blood cells are shaped like flexible discs. For us, they are shaped like ovals or cigars. The Good News: For many, it’s a silent passenger that causes little to no trouble. The Reality: For about 5–20% of us, those odd-shaped cells break down (hemolysis), leading to things like jaundice, gallstones, and an enlarged spleen. My son has a mild case; he sees his hematologist once a year, and we are so grateful for that. But my journey has been a bit more... complicated. The Battle of the Spleen I remember February 27, 2015, vividly. My spleen had enlarged to 15cm . My hematologist discussed removing it, but at that time, the risks were simply too high. That was the turn...

  Reflecting on Advocacy: A Journey for Educational Equity in Boston Public Schools 📍 As I look back on my journey as a parent advocate within Boston Public Schools (BPS), I am reminded of the profound impact advocacy can have—not just on my own life, but on the lives of countless families across our district. I have strived to be more than just a name within the BPS community; I have aimed to be a beacon of hope and a living example of what it means to stand up for educational justice. First and foremost, I am a devoted mother to my son, Landen, a proud BPS graduate. My role as his mother made me a fierce defender of equity. My commitment has always been to the children of BPS—especially the most vulnerable. Through my work—from navigating special education rights to leading the charge to Save the Dever—I’ve seen that parental love, when channeled into action, can move mountains. As I step down from my formal role, I reflect on the three pillars that guided my work: Empowerment, ...

The Domino Effect: How Budget Cuts and Closures are Unraveling the Fabric of BPS In my October opinion piece for the Boston Herald , "Mayor Wu’s words on BPS aren’t enough," I laid out a hard truth: a polished speech cannot hide a crumbling reality. While the "State of the Schools" address focused on the future, many of us in the community—especially at the Dever School —are just trying to survive the present. To truly understand why we are fighting, we have to look past the spreadsheets and see the human cost. When we talk about "reorganization," we are witnessing a domino effect that starts with a pen stroke in City Hall and ends with a heartbroken child in a classroom. 1. The Budget: A Foundation of Sand The administration often speaks of "record-level funding," but for those of us on the ground, that money feels like a ghost. We see a massive disconnect between top-heavy administrative costs and the actual resources reaching our students. Wh...