It has only been 60 years since Ruby Bridges was the first Black child to desegregate an all-white school. Six years after the Brown v. Board of Education which mandated the desegregation of school in the United States, Bridges was the first child to do so. Thanks to the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis many Indy…
Author: Educator Barnes
Service to Our Country is a Viable Post-Secondary Option for Students
In education, there has always been a push for students to be ready for college. Then, the emphasis shifted to students being college and career ready. Now, many schools promote three paths: enrollment, employment, or enlistment as options after high school graduation. Despite the shift in language, more weight seems to be put on being…
Do You Know the COVID-19 Threshold for Your Children’s School Building to Close or Reopen?
During this election cycle, voting records were broken. People were more engaged in politics. This particular election included a presidential election which tends to get more people out to vote. Not only did citizens get to vote for who would be the next president of the United States of America, but many people also voted for…
What We Should Keep from Pandemic Learning: Outdoor Learning Spaces
When 2020 began, there was lots of talk about having “2020 vision” and seeing the future clearly. Little did we all know that a pandemic was on the horizon. The pandemic had a huge impact on many aspects of life including our schools. Now, the shift has been from “2020 vision” to “throw the whole…
What Educators Can Learn from the Technology Field
The coronavirus pandemic forced educators to quickly shift into navigating technology. Administrators and teachers had to learn as they went along. Technology proficiency, for students or staff, was not necessarily the main priority for districts until they were faced with few other alternatives. One alternative, such as making packets for students to complete, did not…
We Need a Full Picture of School Board Candidates Before We Vote for Our Choice?
Almost every time I am watching a television show and there is a commercial break, I know I am going to see an advertisement for either Victoria Spartz (R) or Christina Hale (D). These women are running against each other for Indiana’s 5th Congressional District. A couple of weeks ago, my son inquired why people…
Pause Before You Have That Halloween Celebration
The coronavirus pandemic has definitely taken a toll on everyone. Schools are trying to find small wins to bring joy into students’ lives. Even though this is important, it is also important to think about the why before a plan is put into. This includes Halloween celebrations. This might not be a popular opinion, but…
Did Social Justice Summer 2020 Make DEI Work Easier or Harder Inside of Our Schools?
The protests this summer focused on the importance of acknowledging racism, demanding police reform, and showing that Black lives do matter. School districts across the country felt compelled to release statements acknowledging the social unrest. Some of these statements mentioned actions these districts had already taken and what these districts were going to do moving…
If District Leaders, Principals, and Educators Aren’t Auditing Lessons, How Do They Know They’re Diverse or Inclusive Enough?
Students in Indiana study Indiana history in fourth grade. One assignment Hoosier 4th graders typically complete is research about a prominent Hoosier. Unfortunately, the list of Hoosiers students are provided has not changed much over the decades, and most of the people on the list are white. There are nearly 1.2 million students in Indiana….
Graphic Novels are Real Novels Worth Reading
American writer Susan Eloise Hinton, who is commonly known as S.E. Hinton, caused controversy when responding to a person about her well-known novel, “The Outsiders.” Educator Christie DeHart tagged Hinton on Twitter and made the following request, “Please consider writing a graphic novel version of The Outsiders. My students love your novel, and I know…