A Note While I'm In X-ile

I keep thinking that this must be what it’s like when you die. People might momentarily think, “What a witty person she was,” and carry on with their lives. I know I’m being melodramatic, and I wish it didn’t bother me as much as it does, but the fact that my X account was hacked a week ago and I have been in “X-ile” ever since is really bugging me. Not only do I feel violated and helpless as someone else controls and posts on my account, but I feel completely cut off from so many of the people I have learned so much from during my brief time on the platform.

I reluctantly joined the platform when it was still Twitter about five years ago. My daughter encouraged me to take the plunge as she watched me get more involved in education advocacy. It wasn’t long before I found some outstanding educators who invited me to join their private group. From there, I began blogging about different issues and used the platform to share the pieces. As a former public school teacher and stay-at-home mom, I never dreamed I’d be submitting writing pieces to an education outlet, much less have people read and respond positively to them.

Twitter ignited something in me that I didn’t expect. While I enjoyed using it to share my thoughts, I appreciated it even more for the opportunity to read other people’s thoughts on education. I owe it to Twitter for introducing me to the beauty of classical education, the importance of introducing students (and adults) to great books, and the value of understanding the cognitive science of learning and how that knowledge can improve teaching.

As Twitter transformed into X, I connected with even more people who made me think about life, exposed me to beauty in places and things I never knew existed, challenged me to do more than just post on social media, and forced me to organize my thoughts and defend my views to articulate them well. Before I knew it, I was engaging with people around the world and gaining followers who were interested in what I had to say.

I have X to thank for paving the way for the opportunity to be a fellow with the Independent Women’s Forum, which eventually led to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to testify before the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government in Washington, D.C. Once again, this former public school teacher and stay-at-home mom found herself in awe and overwhelmed with gratitude for the connections made on X.

As I connected with more educators and education reform advocates on X and learned from them, I created a Substack to share my thoughts in a more comprehensive format. While my account is still minimal in terms of followers, a few of my blogs garnered quite a bit of attention thanks to my ability to share them on X. The best feedback I got from them was that they encouraged others to think differently about something they’d always taken for granted. I took that as a compliment and used it as motivation to post and write more.

Just before my X account was hacked, I had written a piece describing my recent visit to a classical school near me and questioning why we had ever stopped teaching that way. It resonated with many people, and I was optimistic about where the conversation with my nearly 11,000 followers would lead. Then it all came to a grinding halt.

I received a link in my DMs from a friend that I thought was legitimate. My naivety in clicking it was the beginning of my “X-ile”. One minute, I was engaging with friends and followers on X; the next, I couldn't access my account at all. While that part was disconcerting, waking up the next morning to see that the hackers were posting on my account left me feeling helpless and violated in a way I never would have expected.

In the days that followed, I was able to view trending topics on X and the conversations in the education community through my organization’s account. Still, I was unable to engage in those conversations or freely share my personal thoughts and opinions. It felt like I was looking down on a world I was no longer a part of, and it was a very isolating experience.

In addition to the isolation I felt by being unable to communicate on X, I also felt a bit of irritation by the fact that it bothered me so much. I know X is not reality, yet it often feels like the town square where important events and issues in reality are debated, discussed, and sometimes decided.

I realize there are other social media platforms. Still, they don’t tend to offer the level of intellect or the diversity of thought I’ve found on X. When I mention classic literature or classical education on other platforms, I tend to get little to no engagement. When I post about potentially effective education reform policies, it’s pretty much crickets. I get much more feedback when I post pictures of my dogs. They’re adorable, but they won’t do much to improve education.

I’m still hopeful I can regain access to my X account and resume the lively conversations about education, children, and the importance of family with all the great folks I’ve met in the past few years. If it doesn’t happen, I suppose I will just have to wear my family out with all of my witty “posts” in real time. Still, it feels a bit surreal to be in exile from a place I’ve spent so much time in.