On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown, an unarmed Black teenager, was killed in the streets of Ferguson, MO. On August 11, just two days later, school was scheduled to begin. As I watched the story unfold over the weekend, I was met with an anger and frustration I had not experienced since Trayvon Martin was […]
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Posted inHBCU
Sixteen states identified where land-grant HBCUs are underfunded
In a letter sent to 16 governors, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack emphasized the over $12 billion disparity in funding between land-grant Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and their non-HBCU land-grant peers in their states. “Unacceptable funding inequities have forced many of our nation’s distinguished Historically […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
My Morning Routine As a Teacher
I recently read Benjamin Spall and Michael Xander’s book My Morning Routine, and I was relatively impressed with the content (and recommend reading it – it’s an easy read in a couple of hours). The premise is essentially based upon an interview with many magnates of industry, from General Stanley McChrystal to Arianna Huffington, discussing […]
Posted inAdult Learning
Traveling Teacher: National Museum of African American History and Culture
I was recently able to attend a conference earlier this February in the nation’s capital, and the hottest ticket in town is the National Museum of African American History and Culture, or NMAAHC for short. In the span between its opening (September of 2016) and Valentine’s Day, 2017, 1 million visitors have walked through the […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
The Bathroom Battle Is Coming to Your School – Are You Ready?
When the U.S. Dept. of Education issued its “Dear Colleague Letter on Transgender Students,” it essentially asserted that transgender bathroom rights will be an issue that schools are expected to solve. This upcoming fall will no doubt make school bathrooms a boiling issue. Will you be ready for it? Schools have not been asked to take up a rights’ issue of this magnitude since Brown […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum
A Year of Third-Grade Activism
[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”] My sixth year of teaching is behind me now, and like every year, I’m thinking about what to celebrate and where I need to grow next year. Each day I come home from […]
Posted inCommon Core, From the Front Lines, Uncategorized
Ed Reform's Atari Problem
My cousin, John Michael, had the first Atari I ever saw. Not long after, my cousin Philip got one. I went to their houses every chance I got, and while I was there I hogged their video game machines as much as I could. I still remember the spongy feel and new plastic smell of […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Opinion, Uncategorized
What Educators Learn From Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson
[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”] On March 22nd, 2012, A&E launched its first episode of Duck Dynasty. The show, which is about Phil Robertson, his wife Kay, their children, grandchildren, their multi-million dollar company, and their […]