Is it me, or is it concerning to see a low number of candidates running for school board this year? This is not an indictment on those running; however, I am slightly concerned with the lack of interest in serving on the school board for the largest district in the city and arguably the most…
Mike Tomlin is one of the greatest football coaches ever to live. He is the one NFL coach that players from other teams will say they wish they could play for. Coach Tomlin’s greatness has little to do with his success as a coach but with his mentality and mindset. During an interview on the Pivot,…
If you went to school in Indianapolis between the ages of 30-38, you remember the most popular Indianapolis substitute teacher, Mr. Blair. He was the cool white substitute teacher who rapped and recited poetry. He is arguably the most famous substitute teacher in Indiana. Whether you went to school on the west or east, Mr….
How often have you seen a Black male leading a pre-kindergarten classroom? I have rarely seen it. I led an elementary school and could barely find any Black males to teach at that level. The lowest grade I could recruit one to teach was 2nd grade, which only lasted one year. I want to see…
I recently wrote about The Rise of Black Educators in Indianapolis. The rise continues thanks to a considerable amount of funding given to education organizations that support Black children, Black teachers, and Black families. Thanks to a $100 million grant from the Lilly Endowment, The Indianapolis Urban League has partnered with the African American Coalition of…
Before you begin reading this, make sure you have read “Competing Against a Stack Deck” first. In that piece, I explain the problem. Below, I offer solutions. Solution 1: Pay Well Above Livable Wage Scale We must pay teachers more and ensure that minimum salary is much higher than the livable wage. There are a…
While walking through his corn field, a whisper from the heavens stopped Ray Kinsella dead in his tracks. The voice whispered, “If you build it, they will come.” The “it” referred to a baseball field, and the “they” was Shoeless Joe Jackson and seven other 1919 Chicago White Sox members. So, Ray built the field,…
If you have not seen the documentary Attucks: The School That Opened A City, I encourage you to watch it. PBS produced the documentary that tells the story of Crispus Attucks High School. The documentary tells the earliest history of the school and details how a school initially designed to isolate Black students produced the next…
The first time I stepped into the classroom as a teacher, I fell in love with teaching. I remember when I was excited about my opportunity to step outside the classroom and step into administration. My first leadership position outside the classroom was as a dean of students. I was a middle school dean. I…
I read somewhere that the purpose of education was never to generate people who trained for new jobs. The purpose of education was to yield more people who will have the potential to think for themselves and seek the truth. This purpose of education will ultimately lead people to a better life, which is not…