David McGuire, principal of Tindley Summit, was recently featured in “This American Life,” a public radio show. The episode, “The Case of the Well-Prepared Elementary School,” narrated by Chalkbeat Indiana bureau chief Stephanie Wang, follows McGuire as his students return both in-person and remotely. This episode shows the challenges schools and families face right now…
I am a mother of Black children, and to be honest, I am emotionally exhausted. The last six months have been a complete worldwind. Part of this had to do with the fact that my two college students suddenly returned home, full-time, earlier this year, and I was overseeing my 7th graders e-learning. However, trying…
Dear Students, We are in an unprecedented time in our country. This will be one of the defining moments of your life. When you are an adult, you will remember this moment in history. Many of you were not old enough or even born when we witnessed the first Black man as President of the…
It is easy to say that the American system is broken, but can something be broken if it is working exactly the way it is designed? I can provide countless facts and moments in history where people of color, and specifically Black people, were mistreated in this American system. For those that say you want…
As COVID-19 expands and retracts across the country, schools are engaging in some vastly different learning environments than they are used to. Many schools are online only, and some are hybrid, but even the schools that have their full array of students have not returned to “normal.” The CDC and various state and district guidelines…
The classroom is a microcosm of the outside community. The thoughts and feelings students have based on events that happen outside of the classroom are inside of students when they enter into the classroom. Educators can pretend as if the outside world does not exist, or educators can lean in and embrace the reality and…
When he took up the mantle of T’Challa, The Black Panther, he gave us one of the first Black superhero movies. Anyone who interacts with kids knows how important representation can be. That was on full display while Black Panther was in theatres: Inner-city schools taking field trips to see the movie. Folks showing up…
When George Floyd died after a police officer had his knee on his neck for over seven minutes, protests happened around the world. In addition to protests, organizations felt compelled or guilted into putting out a statement to address the situation. Some statements were vague stating the organization supports humanity, diverse people, and peaceful protest….
COVID-19 isn’t over yet but school has started back. For some schools that means resuming in-person classes but for many others that means the start of e-learning. E-learning happened at the end of last year, but it is different when you are starting school. Many people know what e-Learning is like from the perspective of…
My sons attend school in Washington Township. Their school district leadership decided to reopen all schools remotely. My twin sons’ first day of school was July 30, and we have had highs and lows. Although my husband and I tried to take what we learned from our children attending school remotely when school buildings closed…