Rebecca VanderMeulen (she / her)

High school counselor. Occasional freelance journalist. Suburban mom. Michigan native. First-gen college grad.

[Rebecca VanderMeulen (she / her) @rebeccavm]

Well ... I've decided to leave Twitter. Sorry, X.

This platform was useful once upon a time but that ship has sailed.

Find me on Instagram @rebeccavm83 for the occasional photo of something that amuses me.

[Rebecca VanderMeulen (she / her) @rebeccavm]

@Prolife_Sam You're not making pro-lifers look good. These men seem to be loving parents and I wish the best to all three!

[Rebecca VanderMeulen (she / her) @rebeccavm]

@acnewsitics Once a colleague suggested that a parent have their child evaluated for ADHD, offering referrals. Parent heard "I am prescribing medicine that will give your child a heroin addiction."

[Rebecca VanderMeulen (she / her) @rebeccavm]

@iillini24 @MartinOdimaJr I'm a school counselor and sit in IEP meetings all the time at work. I know my son's services inside and outside of school. But ask me his reading level? "Um...really advanced." I'm not a reading specialist!

[Rebecca VanderMeulen (she / her) @rebeccavm]

Using Twitter for one of its original purposes: To link to the article I wrote, on page 12: https://t.co/EJcvC4w1Yj

[Rebecca VanderMeulen (she / her) @rebeccavm]

@sage_stage Every classroom gets something like this: https://t.co/0PTuLR43mC

Clear, so the kids can see their phones.

Students have to put them in the front of the room as they come in. If they're seen using any phone, whatever school discipline calls for.

[Rebecca VanderMeulen (she / her) @rebeccavm]

@tiltherapture @sage_stage If a student needs this for medical reasons, it should be allowed in their 504 accommodation plan. Like how one of my students with a 504 has an "anytime pass" for the restroom due to medical issues.

[Rebecca VanderMeulen (she / her) @rebeccavm]

It's a Sunday night in the fall. I haven't checked my work email since Friday around 3:30. I am completely fine with this.

Progress.

[Rebecca VanderMeulen (she / her) @rebeccavm]

Yesterday I asked an assistant principal to sign some paperwork. I commented on my amazement at how quickly he signed them.

"Whatever the kids need," he said.

Refreshing level of trust in my judgement.

[The Philadelphia Inquirer @PhillyInquirer]

Most school districts in Pennsylvania don’t have enough money to meet state standards.

See how much money your school district has for students with our latest interactive tool 👇
https://t.co/QONXfFXYmW

[Rebecca VanderMeulen (she / her) @rebeccavm]

This is the second time I've read articles about this search with references to "now I have to lock my doors at night / when I leave my house."

You weren't locking them already?

[The Philadelphia Inquirer @PhillyInquirer]

As the hunt for Danelo Cavalcante entered its seventh day Wednesday, Chester County residents who live near the area of the search for the convicted murderer expressed a mixture of wariness and fatigue.
https://t.co/VYIT7ko38T

[Rebecca VanderMeulen (she / her) @rebeccavm]

All this work and money when they'll be changing roommates how many times ...

[Bryce McKibben @bmckib]

Nearly 1 in 4 undergrads don’t have enough to eat. Three-quarters live off-campus. For them, decorating a dorm is the least of their worries. But there is one truth here— “cost of attendance” rarely covers the small things that help students feel welcome.

[Secular Pro-Life @secularprolife]

"It is not sophisticated, open-minded, thoughtful, loving, brave, empowered, responsible, reasonable, kind, just or humane to support the killing of human beings." - @nonviolentfem

[Rebecca VanderMeulen (she / her) @rebeccavm]

@aubreyjwhelan I hope this funding is redirected to education, rent assistance, and/or other social programs so women feel as if they can continue their pregnancies.

[Rebecca VanderMeulen (she / her) @rebeccavm]

TFW you watch the school board meeting recording just to make sure your new job is officially approved ...

And it was! Looking forward to starting at a new school next week!

[Rebecca VanderMeulen (she / her) @rebeccavm]

@MrDanielBuck Everything in moderation. A mental health day every week is avoidance, but one every few months can be healthy and even necessary.

[Rebecca VanderMeulen (she / her) @rebeccavm]

@Mary4gentleness @MrDanielBuck Yes, one of my best memories from high school was watching this in Humanities class. Led to lots of discussion about what it means to be human. Yes, it was educational.

[Scott Bayer #THEBOOKCHAT co-founder @Lyricalswordz]

A comprehensive list of the benefits of chattel slavery to enslaved people.

A thread 🧵

[Rebecca VanderMeulen (she / her) @rebeccavm]

First-gen @AmericanU alum here. Perhaps the most important lesson I learned there was how young people with more privilege navigate the world. Intel I pass along to my students. (Didn't pay sticker price either.)

[Brent Grinna @brentgrinna]

Tweets like this are straight up misinformation. I’m guessing Nick knows it and is mostly engagement farming. Maybe he doesn’t. Either way, this is the PR narrative that these (excellent) schools are up against. If you talk to their alumni, you’ll hear countless stories of life-changing experiences and the incredible power of philanthropy. If you look at the data, you’ll see compelling outcomes. Education is THE #1 ticket to social mobility. The way education is delivered has and will continue to evolve and the business model will change. But it is still one of the highest ROI decisions most people will ever make. And the “list price” means less than in any other sector, especially at top tier institutions like the ones mentioned below.

[Justin Schenck @JustinTSchenck]

Sometimes the bad things that happen in our lives put us directly on the path to the best to the best things that will happen to us.