Let’s take a look back at Indy K12’s most popular pieces of 2020. 10. If You Want to Keep Educators Like Me, You Need to Think Beyond Your Diversity Quota by Educator Barnes Educator Barnes shared her experience of being called an affirmative action hire by a colleague where she ended up with a consequence….
Author: Educator Barnes
The Struggle for Black Gifted Education and Advanced Course Placement
Earlier this month, Indy Star published an op-ed by Jordan Smith who attended Sycamore School, a private school for gifted students located on the northwest side of Indianapolis. She attended school there K-8 and was only one of four Black students in her graduating 8th-grade class. She expressed that the underrepresentation of Black students in…
Barnes: My Education Wish List
What can I say? 2020 has been quite a ride. I know we all want to leave this ride and as it been said, “throw the year away.” Before that happens, it is important to think about the year through the lens of education. As we roll into 2021, here are my wishes for education….
Our Students Don’t Deserve a Teacher Sick Out During a Pandemic
Teachers For Good Trouble is a group that has formed to push back against standardized testing. According to their website, they are a group of educators “focused on reforming schools to build safe, nurturing, and justice driven school communities by eliminating standardized testing as a tool to measure performance during a pandemic.” How can there…
Indy Students Can Return to In-Person Instruction on January 4
Due to rising COVID-19 cases, all schools in Marion county, both public and private, were ordered to return to 100% remote instruction by November 30. This order was to remain in place until January 15. Due to updated guidelines from the CDC, the timeline has changed. In a press conference, Dr. Virginia Caine, stated that…
Leaders, It’s Time to Listen to Your Teachers’ Feedback about You
If you want to see the true measure of a leader, look at how the person operates in a crisis and under pressure. This school year, many leaders showed their true colors, some for better and some for worse. Currently, I am a middle school academic dean. My role was created by my school last…
ILEARN & IREAD-3 Must Be Administered In-Person
At the end of the 2019-2020 school year, students did not have to take standardized assessments due to the coronavirus pandemic. During this school year, although the pandemic continues, there have not been any signs to suggest the tests will be canceled again. Recently, IDOE released guidance for schools to share with parents to inform…
The Racists Aren’t All in Rural Indiana
We are finally in the final month of December. Although 2020 will be a year we all won’t forget due to the coronavirus pandemic, it wasn’t all negative. The pandemic forced everyone to chill for a moment. During those moments of being at home with access to activities we loved being canceled, we were forced…
The Teacher Who Couldn’t Read Isn’t a Story to Celebrate
Recently an article from 2018 made its rounds around social media again. The article focused on John Corcoran who shares his story of how he didn’t learn to read until he was an adult. No one should leave school without being able to read. It makes life difficult for those children when they become adults. …
What Teachers Can Learn from ‘Jingle Jangle’
“Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey” is a new Christmas movie on Netflix that premiered earlier this month. The movie begins with two children sitting in front of the fireplace and then their grandmother, played by Phylicia Rashad, enters the room to read them a story. “Ready for storytime?” “Can we please read ‘The Night Before…