Ms. Taylor Says

I'm normal looking. I'm of average attractiveness. I think it says something about modern society that I feel the need to qualify that statement, that identifying yourself as average is seen as either saying something negative about yourself or is seen as a violation of the girl code that says you are to think you are hideous and wait for someone to disagree. Evidence below: Math was never my strongest subject, but being in the middle seems to be not that bad. And if I'm honest, it took me a while to even believe that I was average. As I'm sure many women have said before me, seeing only the most beautiful people on television, in movies, and in magazines, it took me a really long time to look around and realize that most people on most days don't look like that. And that's when I realized I was normal. These opening paragraphs might seem to be the start of an empowerment piece about how, once I felt like I fit in, I no longer felt self conscious about my

I think I'm probably not an unusual American when I say that I am horrified and terrified by what's going on in my country. And I think I'm even more horrified by how I've adapted to it. When Trump so heartlessly responded to the devastation in Puerto Rico, I wasn't even surprised. And while I was angry and fearful for the people in Puerto Rico, I didn't even know what to do. It seemed...dare I say it...normal. There is one thing I feel comfortable saying at this point. Trump's work in this country is evil. My quick Google search says that evil is defined as "profoundly immoral or malevolent" and I have no problem saying that his current actions and policies fit that definition. I also am now comfortable saying that there is no way to support him while claiming to expect Christian values from government leaders. But I say that with a heavy heart, not meant to condemn. I say that knowing that I often am inactive in response to his actions. I see p

So, my students will not come to school on Wednesday because so many teachers have scheduled to be off. This may seem like a victory of some kind, but all I can think is that those who will feel this the most have nothing to do with the reason for the protest. Here are some things I thought about as I read the email informing me that I wouldn't see students on Wednesday: 1. If a student currently is on the Free and Reduced Lunch plan, that student will not receive school breakfast or lunch that day. 2. If a parent of a student is not employed in a situation that provides sick days or vacation days, the parent will have to lose a day of pay in order to stay home with his/her child or pay someone to watch his/her child or leave the child alone. There may be a family member that can watch the child, but maybe not. 3. High school juniors are now about a week and a half away from a test they must pass in order to graduate from high school. Those students will now go a week without