My first Monday Musings of each month will include links and my reflections about all my Indy/Ed posts from the previous month.
I began writing for Indy/Ed, an education blog that is part of the Citizen Education network, January 2017. This network includes blogs in L.A., D.C., NOLA and Memphis. I am humbled to be part of a network of educators and/or parents who are advocates for the least of these in the world of education.
MSDWT Safety Fair 12/4/2017
The Metropolitan School District of Washington Township is hosting a free Safety Fair in memory of Faith Promise Demak, a former student who died in a tragic accident.
Topics to be covered at the fair are: mental health, home, water/fire, medical, transportation, community, technology, community, and bullying.
Children don’t come with a guidebook. The world parents are raising children in is different than the world they were raised in leaving parents many times unequipped to keep their children safe. I glad the district where I reside held this event.
Partners in Education: Eric Parquet 12/7/2017 &
Partners in Education: Keana Parquet 12/8/2017
SB: What advice do you have for other educators considering principalship?
EP: You have to have a passion for students and student learning. You have to believe all kids can learn and be successful even ones from difficult backgrounds; you must show love.
KP: It is important to make sure you know how to balance work and home especially if you have little kids. This job requires a lot of time away from family. It might be best to wait until your kids are more self sufficient because you get pulled in all different directions: state mandates, the district, staff, parents, and students. You also have to know who you are and then stand firm in your beliefs.
I began writing a new series for Indy/Ed featuring educators who are married. I began the series December 2017 starting with my sons’ principal and her husband. I can’t wait to featured more married couples in 2018. If you know of a couple I should include, please let me know.
Indiana Chinese Lantern Festival 11/26/2017
Winter Break Option: Winterlights 12/10/2017
Winter Break Option: The Children’s Museum on Christmas Eve 12/22/2017
Winter Break Option: Kwanzaa Celebration 12/24/2017
Yes, parents want to spend time with their kids, but when they are at school there is a nice schedule of activities for them to complete and topics to learn. When children are at home, the responsibility of scheduling the day falls to parents. Throughout the next several weeks, I plan to highlight options, free and for a fee, parents can take advantage of during the winter break with their children.
I worked on a second series during December that I began writing at the end of November about activities parents could enjoy with their children during winter break. I try to keep my boys active during break because if I don’t my home could erupt into chaos. I wanted to share local activities I enjoy with my sons in hopes of helping out other parents.
IPS Innovation Restart 12/16/2017
Innovation Restart: Heart to Heart 12/19/2017
Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with IPS Innovation Officer Aleesia Johnson. The more we spoke about my series, the more I realized there was so much to navigate. Where should I draw my focus?…I plan to follow the innovation restart process of Washington Irving School #14, the school I attended in kindergarten and Wendell Phillips School #63, a school where I previously worked as literacy coach in hopes of bringing a better understanding of this process to the greater community.
The third series (yes a third) I began writing in December was IPS Innovation Restart. After hearing from several readers and speaking to people in the community, it was clear people did not understand the process of restarting a school under the innovation model. Restarting a school is a huge undertaking and change in a community and I believe the community where this happens and the education community at large should have a clear understanding of the process.
We Need Solidarity to Improve School Lunch Programs 12/20/2017
If we know some children have no other options, why are we okay with the options being so bad?
Chris Stewart aka Citizen Stewart is the great mind behind Citizen Education. He wrote the article, “Should I make my kids participate in the school lunch program as a form of class solidarity?” for Huffington Post. After reading it, I understood his perspective, but I saw another angle I felt important to lift up. Don’t get me wrong, I was a little nervous about writing this response or you might say rebuttal piece to our head honcho’s piece, but I’m glad a I did. I heard from quite a few people and it started conversation around school lunch. Now. we need to move from conversation to action.
I’m looking forward to beginning year two as a Citizen/Ed writer. Let’s make 2018 the best year yet for our children.