More than 150 young people gathered at Georgetown Cinemas on Jan. 24, but they were not lining up to see the latest Marvel flick. Derris “Dee” Ross, the founder of the Ross Foundation, rented the theater for a screening and discussion of “Just Mercy.” The award-winning film tells the heartbreaking true story of an inmate…
Lonnie Johnson is not necessarily the most famous of black historical figures. We typically think about this time as being reserved for civil rights leaders and abolitionists…which obviously makes sense given how important their contributions were. However, Lonnie Johnson’s contribution likely had a profound impact on your life or more specifically your childhood. Lonnie Johnson…
I want to be the best. Being the best takes time, energy, and effort. During the early part of my career, I put most of my time, energy, and effort into myself and my classroom. I did not care much about what was happening in anyone else’s classroom. Those classrooms had their own teachers. Those…
If you are a faithful follower of Indy K 12, you know that I work Tindley Accelerated School. If you are from Indianapolis, you are pretty familiar with Tindley and our discipline policy and the historical numbers of our suspension data. In my writing, I have always been transparent that I believe in the model…
This is my 14th year as an educator, and every single year I have been asked to complete an intent to return form. These forms tend to ask if educators are planning to return to the school the following school year and what they would like their role to be. Each year, I have watched…
I came across the blog post, “I Quit… Because I Deserve Better” that had gone viral. It was from a teacher who decided to walk away from teaching. The author left teaching because she was losing her peace of mind and turning into a person she didn’t want to become. I know the feeling because…
I wasn’t a good student. As a matter of fact, I barely got into college. I got in but only based on the strength of my ACT…certainly not my pedestrian 2.3 GPA. This might lead you to believe that I struggled in college, but nothing could be further from the truth. In my first semester,…
February 14 represents another fabulous day of Black History Month. It is Valentine’s Day. It is also International Book Giving Day. I believe it is fitting that International Book Giving the same is the same day as Valentine’s Day. Books can say so much. You can say much more to someone by giving them a…
In my first year of teaching, I was thrust into the role of a basketball coach. It was mostly because there was nobody else willing to do it. So, a former teacher and I took on the job. I remember thinking it was way more work than I expected. I remember resenting and calling out…
Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and several others were tragically killed in a helicopter accident last week. Normally, I would have started that sentence with a hook like, “unless you have been living in a cave or under a rock…” but I truly believe there is nowhere you could have been and not heard about his…