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Feeding Your Family When SNAP Disappears
When SNAP Disappears, millions of working families will feel it first at the dinner table. I’m one of them. I’m a mom, a teacher, and a pantry scavenger who’s learned to make soup out of onions and hope.
No time to cry, I'm starting my survival guide right now. Here’s how I’m feeding my family, holding onto dignity, and proving that hope still has flavor.
Meridith Byrne
1 day ago3 min read


Why Logic Doesn't Win Hearts — and What Might
We argue with logic, but our beliefs come from emotion. The Righteous Mind shows how six moral foundations—Care, Fairness, Loyalty, Authority, Sanctity, and Liberty—shape what feels “right” to each of us. Take the Moral Compass Quiz to see which values guide you and how they compare across America’s moral landscape. Curiosity might just be the bridge we’ve been missing.
Meridith Byrne
Oct 54 min read


Empathy Is the Cure
Wordrise graphic defining “empathact” as taking action motivated by compassion and empathy. Illustration shows one child helping another stand up. Example sentence reads: “Our community empathacted to start a food drive when my neighbor lost her job.” Boxes explain why it matters and word history.
Meridith Byrne
Sep 113 min read


Stay Sharp, Stay Free: Advice for Students in the AI Age
Being real: school can feel like a burrito explosion—messy, confusing, sometimes even hostile. But education is still your sharpest defense against people who want you docile. Frederick Douglass said, “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” That’s the survival skill. AI won’t replace your brain, but if you use it wisely, it can help you learn faster, think sharper, and protect your freedom of thought.
Meridith Byrne
Sep 23 min read


Truth, Data, & Love — Preventing School Violence
Commentators are seizing on the Minnesota shooter’s transgender identity to fuel culture-war attacks. The evidence tells a different story: supportive school climates, restorative practices, and safe gun storage prevent violence. Scapegoating trans kids does not.
Meridith Byrne
Aug 295 min read


Teacher-Led, Chatbot-Supported: AI in the Classroom
AI won’t know your kids—but it can help you prep smarter, adapt lessons, and even brainstorm feedback when your brain is fried. The trick is steering with better questions. This post explores how teachers can use AI as a copilot—saving time, sparking ideas, and modeling responsible use for students. Don’t panic. AI isn’t replacing you—it’s waiting for your instructions.
Meridith Byrne
Aug 282 min read


In AI, It's All About the Questions
AI isn’t magic—it’s a tool, like a car, and it only goes where you steer it. The real secret isn’t in faster answers, it’s in asking better questions. From dinner ideas to lesson plans, the sharper your question, the sharper the result. We may be in the democratized age of AI, but access isn’t the same as power. Don’t panic—practice curiosity, clarity, and courage in your questions, and remember: you’re the human.
Meridith Byrne
Aug 272 min read


Relax, Guys: South Park's Season 27 Satiric Opener reveals Narrative Diffusion
Relax, Guys – South Park Reveals Narrative Diffusion in its wild Season 27 premiere, using satire, shock, and Satan to expose how mass gaslighting works. From Trump in bed with the devil to the tactics of audience asphyxiation, this episode doesn't hold back, inspiring me to do the same.
Meridith Byrne
Jul 254 min read


Raised by PBS
Before I had the words for grief, neurodivergence, or belonging, PBS gave me a window into what community, curiosity, and kindness could look like. Now that Congress defunded public broadcasting, I want to say thank you to the shows that raised me.
Meridith Byrne
Jul 187 min read


💔 When the Water Rose: Tragedy, Truth, & Media Literacy
Over 100 lives were lost in the Texas flood—many of them children. As the waters recede, we're left with urgent questions: What caused this? Who’s responsible? And how do we separate truth from noise? This post explores the tragedy, the media's response, and why learning to verify information isn’t just smart—it’s compassionate.
Meridith Byrne
Jul 85 min read


The Residence on Netflix - a No Spoiler Review of a Satisfying Murder Mystery
I pressed play on The Residence expecting a clever White House whodunnit. What I got was a slow-burn mystery that reveals a mirror held up to power, perception, and the people caught in between. Uzo Aduba leads a phenomenal ensemble in this sharp, stylish limited series from Netflix. No spoilers here, just a high recommendation and a closer look at the twists that turn murder into satire.
Meridith Byrne
Jul 32 min read


This is Not a Game
It’s not just a game—it’s the illusion of one. Behind the flash and sleight-of-hand, real lives are wagered while the rules stay rigged. This post unpacks the voice of middle-class morality used to distract, divide, and blame the vulnerable, all while power consolidates behind the curtain. Step right up and watch the show—just don’t forget who built the table, who stacked the deck, and who profits when you play along.
Meridith Byrne
Jul 11 min read


Alan Turing: Difference, Discomfort, and the People We Discard
Alan Turing helped end WWII early by cracking the Nazi Enigma code. His reward? Arrest, chemical castration, and eventual suicide—because he was gay. His story reminds us: being different isn’t the danger. Erasing difference is. Comfort isn’t morality. Kindness is.
Meridith Byrne
Jun 234 min read


Be Educated or Be Controlled: What Frederick Douglass Knew -- & Why Attacks on Education Should Terrify You
Frederick Douglass knew the truth: literacy makes people unfit for slavery. As Juneteenth approaches, here's why real education still threatens unjust power.
Meridith Byrne
Jun 163 min read


For the Love of Country: It’s About to Get Bigly
This summer, patriotic Americans are showing up to demand justice without exception. Learn your rights, stay safe, and speak truth like it’s your job (because it kinda is). This post introduces The Demonstrator’s Field Guide—a free, downloadable tool with legal tips, chants, multilingual cheat sheets, and survival smarts for resisting with heart. Plus a few extra safety tips to help you protect your body and your voice.
Meridith Byrne
Jun 123 min read


Don't Try: What Teaching Bukowski is Teaching Me
Teaching high school poetry brought me back to Charles Bukowski. Thirty years ago, saw him as edgy but cynical. Now, I see something else: a brutal kind of honesty about survival, pain, and what it means to live honestly.
Meridith Byrne
Jun 93 min read


☀️ Read What You Love: Joyful Summer Reading Picks for All Ages
Summer reading shouldn’t feel like homework—it should feel like freedom. This joyful guide shares fun, engaging picks for all ages and celebrates the kind of reading that builds lifelong habits: relaxed, curious, and totally self-chosen. Read what you love. Love what you read. And pass it on.
Meridith Byrne
Jun 33 min read


Unfinished Work
Our town’s Memorial Day parade is a beloved tradition—marching bands, neighbors gathered, veterans honored. But this year, as a student read the Gettysburg Address, I felt the weight of Lincoln’s words in a new way. We remember those who gave their lives for this country—and we must also remember civilians who died fighting for justice here at home. The work they began is not finished. The work is ours still.
Meridith Byrne
May 273 min read


From “Nevermore” to “Not Today”: Thunderbolts, The Void, and Why Showing Up Still Matters
Last week, I wrote about The Raven and the feeling of sinking into sorrow. This week, Thunderbolts offered a counterpoint. The newest Marvel film doesn’t show heroes at their best—it shows them broken, grieving, still healing. And it reminds us that showing up anyway is powerful. In a time when mental wellness support is being stripped away, we need stories that say: you still matter. Even in the dark, you’re not alone.
Meridith Byrne
May 133 min read


Two Weighty Words & One Gentle Lion
In a world cracking under pressure, the election of Pope Leo XIV—a humble, listening former math teacher—feels like a breach worth watching. This reflection explores two weighty words, synodality and breach, and what they might signal about the future of the Church, leadership, and the quiet power of walking together toward change.
Meridith Byrne
May 82 min read
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