For as long as I can remember, I’ve heard conservative Americans crowing about their patriotism. I’ve heard them bragging about their support for the military, telling lefties like me that “Freedom ain’t free” and that real Americans aren’t afraid to fight for it. I’ve read countless comments about what a…

Bear with me folks, I don’t think he meant it — I suspect that this article is going to get a lot of people all worked up, but let me explain. I speak a little bit of a few languages. In the course of my life, studying languages and language disorders, I have realized that one small linguistic faux pas can…

We keep ignoring the giant, deadly, murderous, elephant in the room — I have been shocked, sickened, and horrified for decades now. Decades. More dead kids, more slaughtered teachers. Cries of “We MUST do something!” echo through the hallowed halls of government where absolutely nothing has been done for those many decades. It is so infuriating, and so absolutely enraging, that a…

Does it matter? — I gotta tell you, some of the chatter on social media is really disheartening. And I don’t mean all of the right-wing climate deniers or the ridiculous references to peaceful tourists at the Capitol on January 6th of last year. No, this time what has me feeling down and confused…

I know, I know, I have to right to this feeling, but here it is. Well, here we are. On the cusp of summer. A time of relief, a time of freedom, a time of joy for every teacher on earth and almost every kid. Wahoo. But I’m not…

How the Left has allowed the Right to run away with the narrative — I love language. I love the study of communication. The nuances and subtleties of word choice and phrasing absolutely fascinate me. That’s why I am so incredibly frustrated by the way the conservative Right has grasped total control of the national narrative. Whether the topic is political or social, they…

What it’s like in school vs what they think it’s like — It’s May in public school. The standardized tests are over and the math books have been completed. The classroom is filled with cardboard boxes because the fifth-graders are working on the class play. Groups of kids are gathered in various corners of the room because the eighth-graders are putting the…

Barney is his name; comfort is his game. I live in a relatively rural place. It’s Massachusetts, so you know it isn’t all that wild. But for someone who grew up in Greater Boston and has lived, studied and worked right in the city, our part of the state is…

Luckily for Abbott and Cruz, I’m not a bad person — My heart and my soul are filled with so much anger and sorrow that I am not sure I can keep holding it inside. Yesterday I was with my adult kids, and talk turned to how we should best deal with the overwhelming crisis of gun violence in this godforsaken…