I stumbled across a tweet from a high school classmate that resonated with me for a couple of reasons. First, this was something I emphasized to my teachers. Yes, we take the culture of our school seriously, and we do want to hold firm to our strict discipline policy; however, we are in the business…
The fight for Pre-K is underway across the country. Parents, educators, and policymakers all over are clamoring for high quality early learning programs claiming that the benefits of preschool are too great to be ignored. A federal-funded program study has corroborated their claims. A recently released report has found that preschool expansion yields academic gains….
“I’m not here to be liked.” This is a refrain that can be heard in classrooms across the nation. Usually right after a student says something along the lines of “I hate you” or “That’s why nobody likes you.” There are of course multiple variations of this refrain, too. The “I don’t need to be…
We are entering our third week of 2020, and I had a chance to reflect on my goals for this year, my goals as an educator and as a principal. I was never one for New Year’s resolutions, but in a year where I want different results as a principal and educator, I figured it…
When I was a kid, I experienced education at school and education at home. In our living room were two large bookshelves. On the shelves were books my parents purchased to expand our learning. Many of these books focused on black people and black history. When I became a parent, I quickly understood why my…
Today, we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On this day, we celebrate his life and his legacy. We remember and are thankful for how we have progressed as black people because of his leadership during one of the most challenging times in history. Even though it has been 51 years since he was assassinated,…
Homework can become a divisive topic in education. It’s a subject where there seems to be no middle ground. Some educators believe homework is necessary, and other educators believe it is a hassle and a waste of time. Which group of educators is correct? There are other stakeholders that should be considered such as parents….
Dear Kountry Kitchen, Let me tell you what you mean to me. Kountry Kitchen was my go-to soul food spot in Indianapolis. It recently became a place for me to clear my mind. A few months ago, I went through something professionally that had some personal ramifications, and it had me a little down. A…
When I first started teaching, around 2011, a new social media platform called Pinterest was all the rage. The basic idea is that each user would be able to create and save (pin) content to their boards. This site took off with many people, especially teachers. Almost overnight, teachers found an outlet and an audience…
Recently, I came across a tweet that resonated with my beliefs. @CocoCurls1517 tweeted: Teachers be quick to use all sources of getting in contact w you to tell you that your child is misbehaving in class, but lack that same effort to tell you that your child didn’t score well on a quiz/test or not…