Learning Heroine LLC

09/08/2026

From Dr. Jennie Young of Burned Haystack:

Reminder for anyone interested that this thing is tomorrow evening (7:30 EST/6:30 Central). RSVP is required to attend, which can be in person, virtually in-real-time, or you can watch the stream afterward (I know this is not a convenient time for group members in Europe and I'm sure other parts of the world as well!). You'll receive the webinar/livestream link in your email after RSVP'ing. 😊 We're taking questions from both in-person and virtual audiences --- hope to see some of you tomorrow! ❤️
https://www.mcenter.org/event-details/productive-disagreement-how-to-engage-and-when-to-walk-away?fbclid=IwY2xjawUMI41wZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAGJyaWQRMVJtSmtDZlBqaENVWU1aMm1zcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEem3X7VRt6CWeNNnMOmAOLTq6oF5nzuSIJ1mE2ON8Fdv6Dzj-2LGqxC1dJqbM_aem_jRhGDx0yHz4wkR7aEfL7Dw

This event will be hybrid -- in person at the Mauthe Center and livestream on Facebook Live and Zoom. No registration required for FB Live: https://www.facebook.com/events/1613995537102665

09/04/2026

The magazine arrived in our mailbox this summer, featuring the rising costs and staffing constraints facing special education. That same day, I learned that the current war in Iran has, so far, cost taxpayers $37.5 billion.

I’m not a policy wonk. I’m not someone who knows all the intricacies of education or defense spending. I know we need to defend our nation. But I also know that we’ve spent tens of billions of dollars wreaking havoc on another nation. And we’ve done so while also cutting programs to benefit kids growing up within our shores.

For twenty years, our daughter Penny has been the recipient of therapies and educational instruction through Early Intervention and the public school system. It has certainly required more people and more money to educate Penny than her typically developing peers. I could argue that other students have benefitted from having Penny in the classroom. I could argue that her education will enable her to contribute to society as an adult. But these aren't the reasons we should educate and welcome students with disabilities and pay whatever it costs to serve them well.

We should educate all our kids with an attitude of abundance because we value who they are as they are.

Providing education, community, and care for kids with disabilities is part of creating a society that values caring for one another. When we say there isn't enough money to support people in need, we begin to devalue each and every one of our lives.

We have a posture of abundance when it comes to the military and violence, but we maintain a posture of scarcity when it comes to caring for children.

Penny is heading back to school this week for her third year in a college program at a local university. She has submitted her application to the ClemsonLIFE program. She has received the best that special education has to offer.

Let’s offer that same education to all our kids who need it.
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There's more. Read my full reflection: https://amyjuliabecker.substack.com/p/what-could-375-billion-pay-for?r=2byk42&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
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[image description: 2012 photo of Penny and a friend walking hand in hand across the road to a yellow school bus]

09/03/2026

Come to Josie Blunkosky’s and my session Tuesday September 15th! We’ll be discussing how to build your own whole life learning plans in home and community settings for all ages learning:) Hope to see you in Charlottesville!

08/30/2026

https://san.com/cc/whats-behind-the-vanishing-safety-net-for-families-with-disabled-children/

Across the country, families say securing respite care is becoming increasingly difficult as low wages and staffing shortages persist.

08/30/2026

08/27/2026

By learning about how our Irish ancestors grieved, mourned, and honored death, we can be supported and inspired to meet our grief with reverence.

Collectively, we are living through immense times of grief, heartache, and collapse. Genocide, ecological change, and polycrisis are at the forefront of our global struggles.

Instead of turning away from these realities, can we learn to be with our grief?
Can our ancestral traditions support us in these grieving times?
Can grief water the seeds of change, and inspire us to live differently?

These are some of the questions that Mary and I will be exploring in our upcoming event on Thursday August 27th — Keening: An Irish Tradition to Support us in these Grieving Times. (If you missed the live call, the recording link is at the bottom of this post.)

In this 60-minute book launch event, you'll learn about the ancient Irish practice of keening; a grief ritual once held by the Mná Caointe (Keening Women) in rural Irish communities.

Mary is an elder in these traditions and holds a huge amount of expertise, which she's compiled into her forthcoming book, The Irish Keen: Grief Rituals and the Otherworld.

We look forward to sharing this time with you, and sharing some of Ireland's surviving keening songs.

If you missed the live call, you can access the recording here: https://vimeo.com/1221902427/f32b12a27e?share=copy&fl=cl&fe=ci.

Le grá,
Tara

08/27/2026

08/24/2026

Too funny 😂