In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic shifted learning in schools overnight. What was clear is that online learning was not the best way for some students to learn. Additionally, due to online learning, parents were able to get a closer glimpse into what instruction was really like at their children’s school. This led parents across the…
This week, a school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas ended the lives of 2 adults and 19 children. As a Black woman, I am still feeling despair in my heart over the shooting in Buffalo, New York where Black people were targeted and killed. As I work to find a way to…
Last weekend, I facilitated a training about embedding diversity, equity, inclusion, and access into all that an organization does to move beyond checklist actions. Whenever I facilitate a training or a professional development, I share stories of my experiences and where I have failed to hit the mark. After the training, a participant thanked me…
Last Thursday, my sons attended a fifth grade field trip to Kings Island. Fifth grade is the final elementary grade at their school. In addition to being an end-of-the-year field trip, it was also an end-of-elementary school field trip. Mr. Barnes and I were two of the field trip chaperones. After the trip, I shared…
The old proverb says, “It takes a village to raise the child.” Here lately, it is not clear where the village is and if the village members still believe they have this duty. My fellow Indy K12 colleague, Andrew Pillow, shared the following earlier this month on Twitter: A school can fail students for years…
If you would have told me when I graduated from Purdue University in May of 2006 that I would eventually leave the classroom and start my own education consulting business, I would have laughed in your face and laughed hard. On May 11, 2021, that is exactly what I did. I started the education consulting…
Eleven years ago, I helped a child with a task, but he wasn’t getting it. I gave up and moved on to another child. That child also struggled and didn’t get it either. I felt like a complete failure. I kept wondering if there was a different action I could have taken to ensure success….
It is May! These three words for Hoosiers are synonymous with the Indy 500. However, to our border neighbors down south, May means it is time for the Kentucky Derby which is another great race. I was born in Kentuckiana … Jeffersonville, Indiana to be exact. Jeff, as it is commonly known by locals, is…
After a long day of work, where work is not bringing a person joy, that person may lament about work on social media. Sometimes those people are teachers. I have been one of those teachers, and I am known to still pop off online today. Some of my employers did not care, but others did….
Each school year the first full week of May is Teacher Appreciation Week. I never looked forward to it. Since April ends tomorrow, this means Teacher Appreciation Week will take place next week. The end of the school year is already hectic and tough and the last thing teachers need is an appreciation week to…