The city is known by many as the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement. Montgomery, Alabama is a historic place. University of Alabama historian David Beito says Montgomery nurtured the Civil Rights Movement. When people think of Montgomery they recall December 1955 when Rosa Parks did not give up her seat on the bus and…
I entered this teaching professional to impact students of color. I wanted them to see education the way that I saw education. Education was an escape. It is an escape from whatever life you are living. Education is also a gateway. It is a gateway to a brighter future filled with possibilities you might not…
The start of a new school year is here. It is an exciting time. We begin thinking about how to decorate the classroom with all the ideas we did not get to use last year. With a new school year, we welcome new students. We also welcome a new crop of teachers embarking on their…
It was freshman year of college, in Fall 2006, when I was first introduced in more detail to Songs of Solomon. Tuesday, Toni Morrison, who won a Noble Prize in Literature in 1993, died at the age of 88. She will be remembered as not only one of the greatest African American Women writers but…
One of the most critical components of students’ academic success is the relationship between home and school. It is just as important for schools to focus on the relationship with parents as they also focus on the instructional core of the building. It is essential schools are targeted in their approach for engaging parents in…
On Wednesday, July 17, 2019, over 100 people attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Pike Township’s brand new early learning center. The early learning center was named in honor of former Pike Township Superintendent Dr. Nathaniel Jones. Dr. Jones served as Superintendent in Pike Township from 2003-2016. He was one of the longest-serving Superintendents in the…
In this current era, the last thing you would think to see is an elected Democratic touring with an elected Republican. In a state like Indiana that historically has been a red state with the former State Governor now serving as Vice President of the United States, Indiana is the last place you probably thought…
Timing is everything. Twenty-two years ago Brandy appeared as Cinderella. Ten years ago, Disney gave us the first black Princess in Tiana from The Princess and The Frog. A little over a year ago we got Princess Shuri in Black Panther. We all know representation matters, and we want our black girls to see themselves…
This is my fourth summer as a principal, and I have interviewed many teacher candidates. June is what we call hiring season, and there are many teachers currently on the hunt for a job. Some teachers are embarking on their first teaching job search, and some are interviewing for a new school for the first…
Recently, I had the tremendous opportunity to sit on a panel at The University of Indianapolis. The panel was for school leaders to discuss trauma in schools and how we deal with it as principals. I was able to share some of the amazing work we are doing at my school to combat student trauma,…