I love the term Black Excellence because it highlights the fact that Black people can also achieve at high levels. We know this, but Black adults know that Black children need these reminders and some of our non-Black counterparts need to be reminded as well. However, Black Excellence can become a double-edged sword and put…
Yesterday the Indiana Senate killed House Bill 1134. The bill was aimed at banning or limiting conversations on “divisive concepts” like race, religion, sexuality, and gender. Proponents of the bill say that it would give parents more input and guarantee that students were not being made to feel responsible or uncomfortable in the classroom. Opponents…
28 days (29 when there is a leap year) are not enough to cover the depth that is Black history. Since Black history is American history, there is no reason why this history should cease just because the calendar moved from February to March. Earlier this month, I talked to a teacher about the book…
Black History Month is a great time to learn new information. It is also a great time to unlearn information that is false and even detrimental. Today, we are going to debunk the mythology around “Uncle Tom” and why its usage as a slur makes no sense. Almost every Black person has heard the term…
As if teaching during a pandemic is not already hard enough, Texas teachers have been given another task. This task threatens to damage their relationships with students and their parents. Earlier this month Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton released an opinion on Texas law. This opinion stated that gender-affirming medical care for children is a…
School turnaround work is the hardest work any educator can participate in whether they are an administrator, a teacher, or part of the support staff. The Neighborhood Charter Network (NCN) believed it was up to the task of turning around schools. Its motto is “all children can and will learn.” Unfortunately, children didn’t learn. NCN…
It’s February which means it is Black History Month. This month is a great opportunity to teach students about the contributions of Black people to society. Though there are a lot of people who aren’t fans of the month, most schools will, at minimum, offer some token gesture. Many schools will actually teach Black History…
Black joy, Black girl magic, and Black excellence are all phrases that have been used to uplift members of the Black community and shine a positive light on Black people for non-Black people to see. At times, these words are used so much that it might not be clear what they mean in different settings…
At tonight’s school board meeting Assistant Superintendent Dr. Sean Taylor requested that the school board eliminate the mask mandate in Washington Township. This recommendation comes after the Indiana Department of Health released updated COVID-19 guidance for the K-12 setting. After a few follow-up questions and clarifications about what the complete changes would be, the board…
As an actual history teacher, I don’t do anything particularly special for February because I teach about everyone all year long. However, this isn’t the case at every school so Black History Month can be a great opportunity to teach students about the contributions of Black people to the world they live in today. Yet,…