Protests this summer brought to the forefront the need for social justice and racial equity. Many advocates and activists have been fighting this battle for decades. These advocates and activists aren’t only on the streets or at meetings speaking up for change; they are also inside of the classroom. Whether these educators are veterans or…
COVID-19 has not gone away, yet many schools are planning to return to in-person learning. In some places, cases have declined but many districts just view another quarter of e-learning as untenable. Most people have likely heard or seen the horror stories of online education or even experienced it firsthand. It’s this narrative that will…
Annually, from August to November, across the state of Indiana the College GO! Campaign takes place. One of the focal events is the College Application Week which is also called College GO! Week in some schools. College Application Week takes place during the last full week of September. This year, from September 21-25, students K-12…
A few years back, I spoke at the statehouse for the school discipline bill. Part of my testimony highlighted students being excluded from the classroom. Typically when data is pulled for exclusion, in school suspension and out of school suspension data are the metrics that are referenced. During my testimony, I highlighted other ways children…
Students in Washington Township started the 2020-21 school year 100% remote. As the school year progressed, district leaders proposed a reopening plan that was approved by the school board. The plan would not be implemented until data provided on the Marion County Public Health Department (MCPHD) COVID-19 School Guidance Dashboard showed a COVID-19 positivity rate…
As an educator, I have often knocked heads with others in my circle of peers. The source of the disagreement? Surprisingly, sports. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge sports fan. However, I am also a sports truther and realist when it comes to the potential harm it can have on the…
Tuesday, September 11, 2001 was the date when terrorists hijacked four passenger planes. Two were flown into the World Trade Center. One was flown into the Pentagon, and the fourth plane crashed, landing in a field. Nearly 3,000 people died, and more than 6,000 people were injured. Reflecting on these events 19 years later still…
There are few positives that come from COVID-19 from an education perspective. Millions of students had their academic, athletic, and social lives interrupted. Not only have students fallen behind but they are also missing out on critical services like food, counseling, and in many cases, medical attention. But if you had asked someone to give…
COVID-19 has brought many things to light. It has exposed weaknesses in our systems. It has exposed gaps in our planning. It has illuminated inequality. Much of the conversation has centered around the material gaps highlighted by the coronavirus pandemic. Things like internet and technology have come to the forefront due to the now ubiquitous…
I’ve only been pregnant once. Early in my pregnancy, I learned that I was pregnant with twins. I prayed to God multiple times to bless me with two boys and not two girls. I would have been happy regardless, but I really wanted to be a boy mom. God heard my prayer, and I delivered…