Montessori Charter Advocates Drop Controversial Video

The cartoon video 'Montessori Madness' has become a flashpoint, angering defenders of public schooling.

Nobody’s born with political acumen. It develops, often painfully, from the experience-driven discovery that something you just did pissed off a lot of people. Which might resonate with the organizers of a group called the Maria Montessori Charter School Families. They’ve learned firsthand, at their own pace (in a very Montessori way, you might say), a hard lesson about selling their concept for a charter elementary school to public school officials. Namely: First beware of insulting them.

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Kicking Sugar for Better Health

Don't pour some sugar on me. Photo by Chip Scheuer.

Jill Escher had me at “clear skin” and “lifted brain fog.” Armed with a copy of her book, Farewell Club Perma-Chub: A Sugar Addict’s Guide to Easy Weight Loss, I hurled myself cold turkey into a sugar-free existence a few weeks ago, just as Girl Scout Cookie season commenced. And it wasn’t just the white stuff, either. All starches had to go.

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A Student’s View

It’s 4:30am Wednesday, not yet daybreak, at the intersection of Hagar and Coolidge on the UCSC campus. Already a few dozen intrepid protesters have gathered to block access to campus from the main entrance despite the chill of dawn and undoubtedly short-circuited sleep cycles.  Soon word comes from the other entrances: they have been effectively blocked, and the protesters have their first victory before the sun has even appeared on the horizon.

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