In January of 2023, a 1st-grade teacher, Abigail Zwerner, was shot by her student; the bullet tore through her left hand and collapsed one of her lungs. Zwerner described the situation as a “monstrous event.” According to her statement: “He pointed the gun directly at me… I lost myself. I can’t teach again. I’ve lost […]
Rann Miller
Rann Miller is an educator and freelance writer based in Southern New Jersey. His Urban Education Mixtape blog supports urban educators and parents of children attending urban schools. Miller is also the author of Resistance Stories from Black History for Kids, with an anticipated release date of an expanded edition on February 4, 2024. You can follow him on Twitter @RealRannMiller.
Randy received both his bachelor of arts degree (2005) and master’s degree in public policy and administration (2008) from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.
Why The Fight Against Critical Race Theory is Rooted In America History
The masses of teachers aren’t teaching Critical Race Theory. Roughly 80% of teachers in the United States are white – I can almost guarantee you that they’re not teaching Critical Race Theory. Many of them are uncomfortable teaching about enslavement, do you think they’d be comfortable, let alone knowledgeable, enough to teach Critical Race Theory? […]
Got Discipline? (Charter School Diaries)
Year 2 Week 3- 1/21 – 1/25 One of my roles as an assistant principal is school disciplinarian. I loathe this role. My charter school uses a lottery system to enroll students. There are no requirements to apply to the school; prospective students are vetted somewhat, however we do not reject any applications. We have rules, […]
Educators Must Avoid Isolation (Charter School Diaries)
Year 2 Week 4 9/23 – 9/27 [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] Educators in urban schools are constantly trying to figure out how to get students to perform better academically. Some establish strategies that help children […]
Parents, Teachers, and Conflicts of Interest (Charter School Diaries #28)
Year 2 Week 3 9/16 – 9/20 [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] One of the things that I loathe about my position is dealing with unhappy parents. One of my job duties concerns student discipline. I […]
Administrative Frankensteins (Charter School Diaries)
Year 2 Week 1 (9/9 – 9/13) [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] So I took the plunge this year and decided to jump into school administration. I still teach and I am a department head, but […]
New Year, Same Song (Charter School Diaries)
Year 2 Week 1 (9/2 – 9/6) [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] The beginning of any school year marks the chance to start over… students who wish to earn good grades and actually learn something; teachers […]
Graduation! (Charter School Diaries #25)
Week 6/24 – 6/28 When I think about the process of schooling in America, the ultimate culminating event for any and every student participating in that process is graduation. I can remember just about every graduation I’ve been a part of and as I contemplate reentry in graduate school, I fanaticize about a potential walk […]