Delegate Ken Plum's "One Plus One May Not Equal Two"

May 18, 2022

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Commentary: One Plus One May Not Equal Two
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COMMENTARY

One Plus One May Not Equal Two

One plus one equaling two is about as basic as one can get in understanding arithmetic. In the current day, parental-rights, children-protectors, textbook-reviewers are challenging many basic concepts that we thought we understood about mathematics and other subjects in the kindergarten to twelfth-grade school curriculum as expressed in the textbooks that are used in the classroom.

If 1+1=2 is expressed as a word problem in a textbook, the book may be thrown out for the implications it might suggest. For example, if the problem is expressed as one man or one woman plus one man or one woman equals two men or two women, it may suggest in the minds of some of the reviewers that there is a same sex suggestion inherit within the problem that would be inappropriate for young children to know or to learn about. If the word problem is one man plus one woman equals a couple, there should be an explanation that couples are married so as to not promote promiscuity. If a textbook writer posed that one black person plus one white person equals two friends the question could be viewed as a divisive problem that is getting too close to being an introduction to Critical Race Theory!

These examples are extreme ones that I have created to make the point that in states like Virginia and Florida the extremists are attempting to dictate school curriculum and materials to meet standards that most educated people will find unbelievable. In Virginia, Governor Glenn Youngkin issued an Executive Order “on Day One to end the use of inherently divisive concepts, including Critical Race Theory.” In Florida, state education officials announced last month that 54 of the 132 math textbooks on its adoption list—most of them elementary level—did not make the cut. Some of the books did not align with state content standards, called the Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking—or BEST—or they included “prohibited topics” and “unsolicited strategies,” such as Critical Race Theory (CRT), officials said. Since they provided few specific examples, I imagined the examples I gave above. After all, who gets to decide what are “divisive concepts”?

In Virginia where Governor Youngkin seems to be trying to edge out Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis as ultra-conservative governor of the year, the Governor has included the new mathematics curriculum adopted by the Board of Education as being unacceptable for it violates his promise to take divisive materials from the curriculum and certainly Critical Race Theory. Since the Governor has not been able to offer any specific examples of his concerns, it is left to me and others to speculate what he has in mind other than to build on discontent by a small number of parents and to score political points.

I hope that others will come to the rescue of these two governors and show us how their political rhetoric will be carried out in practice and that my wild examples are not part of what they have in mind.

BULLETIN BOARD

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ViVa! Vienna! is Back for this Memorial Day Weekend!

May 28-30, 2022

The Rotary Club of Vienna has been running ViVa! Vienna! for over 35 years in concert with the Town of Vienna. Each year the proceeds from ViVa! Vienna! support over 70 local organizations. All the details are at Viva! Vienna!.

"Natural Habitats" Art Show at Reston Art Gallery and Studios

See the beauty of nature in scenes of local flora and fauna in the newest paintings by Sandra C. Dovberg, on exhibit through May 30, open every weekend from 12:00 until 5:00 p.m. Dovberg is also an award-winning silversmith and will bring a special display of her fascinating art objects when she is in the gallery on Saturday, May 28. Reston Art Gallery and Studios are located at 11400 Washington Plaza West, in Reston, on Lake Anne Plaza by the lakeside “ART” sign.

WHAT CAN I DO? CIVIC INVOLVEMENT

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Wednesday, May 18, 7:00 p.m., Fox Mill Rd/Post Forest Rd Intersection Improvement Project - Public Hearing. Find out about planned improvements at the intersection of Fox Mill Road (Route 665) and Pinecrest Road to relieve congestion and improve safety and traffic operations. Register here. Learn more, including how to provide feedback in other ways, at Fox Mill Intersection.

Friday, May 20, Bike to Work Day. There are nearly 100 Bike to Work Day ‘pit stops’ in 2022 in D.C., Suburban Maryland, and Northern Virginia. Most have morning hours. Some pit stops are held in the afternoon, while others offer both. Find your pit stop. Learn more at Bike to Work.

Friday, May 20 to Sunday, May 22, Tephra ICA Festival, at Reston Town Center. The Festival (formerly Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival) highlights more than 200 artists who are creating unique, handmade works in the fields of fine art and craft. Schedule and more information are at Festival.

Sunday, May 22, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., Vienna Parks and Recreation`s Wellness and Safety Expo, at Vienna Community Center. For adults 55+ to benefit from medical screenings and educational opportunities from local vendors providing a wide range of resources to enhance physical and mental wellbeing. This event provides a wonderful environment to nurture personal interests, learn something new, foster friendships and gather vital information. To learn more about becoming a vendor contact Kathy Blevins at 703-255-7801. Download a flyer.

Sunday, May 29, noon to 5:00 p.m., Luau on the Lake, at Lake Anne Brew House. Join us to fill the food pantry! Please bring canned goods, non-perishables, and personal care items to fill the bins. More is at Luau.

Tuesday, May 31, 7:00 p.m., Building Resilient Communities: Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Webinar. Learn how adversity during childhood affects the developing brain and body, and the impacts later in life. The presentation will present an overview of the original ACE public health study and how it can guide and inform us today to create communities that support resiliency for all. Register here.

Thursday, June 2, to Sunday, June 5, Herndon Carnival, at Northwest Federal Credit Union, 200 Spring Street. Enjoy over 22 carnival rides, games, delicious foods, free shuttle bus, and free admission. Learn more at https://herndoncarnival.net

Saturday, June 4, Reston Gardens of Note 2022, Self-Guided Garden Tour: 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Garden Party: 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Experience the sights, sounds, and fragrances of five notable private residential gardens in Reston on the self-guided 2022 Gardens of Note tour, including musical performances. Presented by the Reston Chorale in partnership with the Reston Garden Club and Hidden Lane Residential Landscapes; $20 in advance and $25 on tour day. Tickets and information are at restonchorale.org.

Saturday, June 4, noon to 6:00 p.m., 2022 Reston Pride Festival, at Lake Anne Plaza. Since 2018, Reston Pride has operated as a grassroots organization serving Northern Virginia focused on ensuring a truly inclusive Reston region through engagement with the community and providing quality education and resources about LGBTQIA+ history and culture to LGBTQIA+ persons and their allies. Information on this year's event is at You Belong Here.