Finding Gratitude in the Little Gifts of Online Learning

I hope you’ll read the full column linked below. But here’s an excerpt:

“Remote learning is a gift beyond keeping kids safe. It’s a gift to the children to do something out of the ordinary. My son doesn’t have to wear his uniform shirt and he can see the big smiles of his teacher and his classmates since masks aren’t needed. It’s definitely a gift for me to be able to witness some of my child’s learning. The pandemic has prevented me from volunteering in his classroom and meeting his school friends.”

Read more from Bonnie HERE and HERE

Family, and Country, Divided

This was a hard column to write

This week’s column was really hard to write which means I had to do it. Plus, I’m fairly certain, I’m not alone. I hope you’ll read this one.

“That’s the hardest part. When it comes to hashing it out so we can be siblings again, I’m just not worth it to him. Cutting me out of his life and moving forward was his better option. I don’t think he likes the person I grew up to become and perhaps he prefers the echo chamber that like-minded people can provide.”

Read more from Bonnie Jean HERE and HERE.

The Disruption This World Needs

Bonnie Jean with her son at the park

“We like to talk about “getting back to normal” which feels like a comfy old shoe. On the other hand, a “new normal” was thrust upon us, born from necessity with masks, sanitizer and social distancing. However, the pandemic has carried on long enough that I no longer crave getting back to some pre-COVID-19 before times “normal.” Something in me has crossed over.

“I want more from life.

“Humanity is in a collective existential crisis.

“Our mortality is being showcased, and we’re all coping in real time in our own way. Whether that’s in denial, in faith, through science or ritual, we are all taking a hard look at what it means to live.”

Read the whole column at the link below.

Read more from Bonnie Jean HERE and HERE.


Parent choice for masks isn’t helpful in the classroom

Teaching a class of 25-plus kids requires some uniformity and consistency in expectations for the day to run smoothly. Why then, are people advocating for “parent’s choice” when it comes to school mask mandates?

Read the full column linked below

Read more from Bonnie Jean HERE and HERE.


Vaccines: They’re Worth the Trouble

Getting my COVID Vaccine in April

“Beyond the pandemic deniers, the pushback to getting vaccinated boils down to fear. Fear of rare side effects. Fear of missing work. Mistrust in the vaccine’s speedy approval process, big government, corporate medicine or overall long-term unknowns. This fear prompts justifications for concerns and then settles on a decision that the vaccine is just not worth the trouble. But it is.”

Read the whole column at the link below

Read more columns from Bonnie HERE and HERE

Mother’s Day. It’s Not for Everyone.

This year, Mother’s Day is especially painful. Thanks to COVID-19, we have lost loved ones at an alarming rate. So, if this Mother’s Day is hard for you for the first time, I’m here to tell you it’s OK to sit this one out. It’s OK to say no to this holiday that feels like everyone is celebrating “at” you.

Read full column by clicking below

Read More Columns From Bonnie Here


Op-Ed Makes the Difference for Public Hospital Records

After a seven-month legal battle, the courts ruled and then Ohio Department of Health continued to stall. I was super frustrated. Each email from ODH angered me. You see, I was a wrier on the Eye on Ohio project that aimed to report hospital capacity numbers for the public during this COVID-19 pandemic. Our whole team was tired and frustrated for having to continue to argue with the ODH lawyer to gain access to what the courts had confirmed was public record.

I decided to write an op-ed. I am a freelance writer but I’m also a columnist on the Editorial Board of the Cincinnati Enquirer. So, I wrote the op-ed linked below to specifically call out the Socrates Tuch, the ODH Lawyer who insisted on giving us a hard time. The op-ed appeared on Saturday, November 21, 2020.

Read that Op-Ed Here:

The following Monday, November 23, 2020, ODH Press Secretary Melanie Amato sent an email that stated:

Here is the latest information on your public records request. Moving forward, please send your requests to me for I will be supplying you with the information.
Please stop sending to the legal counsel for they have other things to continue to work on.
I appreciate the help. 

Melanie Amato

Magically the data we requested started rolling in and Socrates Tuch was taken out of the loop.

Don’t ever underestimate the power of an op-ed column.

Now, the citizens of Ohio have a clear understanding of what the hospitals in their state are facing with COVID-19. Click the link below to check on the capacity of each hospital that is reporting data. It will help individual communities cope with what’s happening in their area.


freelance writer
Bonnie Jean Feldkamp

Bonnie Jean Feldkamp is an award-winning freelance writer and columnist. She is the Communications Director for the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, member of the Cincinnati Enquirer Editorial Board, and a board member for the Cincinnati Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. She lives with her family in Northern Kentucky.  Find her on social media @WriterBonnie.

Eye On Ohio Got Records from The Ohio Department of Health…Sort Of

Despite an October 20 court order issued by the Ohio Court of Claims, the Ohio Department of Health still had not released complete records as of late Wednesday night, claiming they needed several days to release information from a database that is updated daily. Read the full story below.

This came after winning the court battle for access to important hospital data. Read that story below:

This all started seven months ago when we first tried to report data in real time as a service to the public during a pandemic. Our attempts were blocked by ODH. Read that story below


Read more pandemic Coverage from Bonnie Jean Feldkamp HERE.

COVID-19 Coverage: Internet Is Crucial for Children with Special Needs

Leigh Taylor takes photos of the Maddox Family for article about Internet being crucial for families with special needs.
Leigh Taylor takes photos of the Maddox family for the article.

The Coronavirus Pandemic has transferred everything online making internet crucial in the home. This means that for children with special needs, even some therapies needed to switch to online “teletherapies” which required another layer of adjustments. But for those who don’t have internet access, or those in rural communities who must rely on data, it meant therapy was expensive or all together unrealistic.

An innovative and technological future that provides services during extreme times while underscoring services regularly, is an ideal that comes at a cost to populations already underserved. 

Read my linked below. I talked to Clinical experts as well as education experts about this very real Internet inequity for the Appalachian region of Kentucky and what professionals and families are doing to bridge the gaps now and into the future.


If you like this article you may also like more COVID-19 coverage from me that looks at how this pandemics is affecting kids:
CDC Guidelines: 10 Quarantine Do’s and Don’ts for Teenagers
Asymptomatic Teens and Mental Health Concerns
Grow Flowers and Foster Mental Health: The Benefits of Gardening
Stocking Your Pantry to Cook Take Out Favorites at Home

Thanks for reading! You can also find a detailed catalog of my work by clicking the Articles and Clips tab in the menu bar.