Indy K12 – 2018

In January 2017, I began writing for Indy K12 (formerly called Indy/Ed), an EdPost publication.  After being a writer for Indy K12 for a couple of years, I moved into the role of Editor-in-Chief.

Indy K12 was in existence from 2016 through February 28, 2023. EdPost decided to move away from having multiple publications under its umbrella. Since the Indy K12 website is now inactive, the articles have been converted to PDF.

Last, the writers from Indy K12, myself included, decided to create an independent nonprofit called Indy Kids Winning. Through a collaboration with EdPost, we were able to transfer all of our articles to the IKW website. If you google any article title, you will find it on the IKW website.

However, I prefer to have the PDFs on my website to make clear which publication my articles were originally written under.

I was blessed to be part of a team of educators turned journalists who are advocates for the least of these in the world of education.

Below are the articles I wrote in 2018.

To read my work from other years, click on the year: 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, & 2023, or go to the drop down menu under the publication tab on my website.

Last, I should note I went viral for this Indy K12 article, “Teachers Quit Principals, Not Schools.” When it was first published in 2017, it was viewed over one million times. It also started circling again during the COVID-19 pandemic.

12/29/2018	2018: Indy K12 Top 12
12/27/2018	Obama Era Discipline Guidance is Gone, but We Can Still Fight Discrimination in the Classroom
12/24/2018	All I Want for Christmas: Shawnta Barnes’s Educator Wish List
12/23/2108	Winter Break 2018: Michigan Road Library Branch
12/22/2018	Teacher Attendance Does Matter, but I Still Unapologetically Take Days Off at My School
12/19/2018	Black with Kids: The Adultification of Black Children in School
12/18/2018	It Isn’t Happy Holiday for All Students
12/17/2018	Winter Break 2018:  Lights at the Brickyard
12/16/2018	Indy Town Hall: School Choice is the Black Choice
12/2/2018	If Dr. Ferebee Stays or Leaves, Some People Will Be Mad Either Way
11/23/2018	5 Tips for Teachers to Make It to Winter Break
11/22/2018	Stop Romanticizing Thanksgiving
11/21/2018	I’m Not a Costume: The Truth about Thanksgiving and Implementing Diverse Cultures Throughout the School Year
11/19/2018	Winter Break 2018: Winterlights
11/18/2018	If We Want to Diversify Professions, We Have to Provide Mirrors to Our Youth
11/17/2018	Body Safety Education in the Era of #Me Too
11/15/2018	Noblesville School Shooter Sentenced
11/10/2018	Indianapolis Education Association Union President Resigns After Being Accused of Mismanaging $100,000
11/4/2018	Review: Pipeline
11/3/2018	Teachers Who Dress as Mexicans and the Border Wall Have No Place in Education
10/26/2018	Birthday Invitation Policy Gives Students False Sense of Reality
10/25/2018	College Goal Sunday
10/24/2018	Do Schools Need a Book Character Day in October?
10/20/2018	Is the Student Lazy or Does the Student Have Dyslexia?
10/19/2018	Parents are Needed to Help Students Deal with Bullying (VIDEO)
10/18/2018	5 Tips to Have a Successful Parent/Teacher Conference
10/15/2018	When the Bully is Your Teacher
10/10/2018	Adults Need to be Role Models in Helping Children Develop Mental Resilience
10/5/2018	World Teachers’ :Day 2018 – Every Child Deserves an Education from a Qualified Teacher
10/2/2018	National Custodial Worker’s Appreciation Day (VIDEO)
9/26/2018	College Application Day
9/25/2018	Banning Books Silences Stories and It Kills a Love of Reading
9/24/2018	Say and Spell My Name Correctly Challenge (VIDEO)
9/23/2018	Do Fountas and Pinnell Care if Children of Color and Poor Children Can Read?
9/21/2018	Cafeteria Food Sucks for All Students, so When are We Going to Address This Issue in Schools?
9/20/2018	If We Don’t Support the Whole Child, Violence in School Will Continue
9/19/2018	Should Corporal Punishment Make a Comeback in Schools?
9/15/2018	School Leaders Need to Pay Attention to World Afro Day
9/2/2018	Regulating Black Hair is a Way to Control Black People & Traumatize Black Children (VIDEO)
9/1/2018	Black with Kids:  When Will Having a Black Teacher Become the Norm Not the Exception? (VIDEO)
8/30/2018	Black with Kids:  Teachers, If You Value Us, We Will Support You (VIDEO)
8/20/2018	Life as a Black Educator:  When You are Asked to Answer for the Black Race (VIDEO)
8/19/2018	If Schools Don’t Like Black Hair, We Shouldn’t Give Them Our Black Children
8/18/2018	Arsenal Tech High School Fight – The Community was Right
8/16/2018	Compensation is the Reason Teachers Hop from District to District in Indy
8/14/2018	Black With Kids:  When Your Child’s Teacher is Afraid of You (VIDEO)
8/13/2018	To Improve Education, We Need the Entire Story
8/12/2018	If You’re a Struggling Educator, It is Okay to Admit You Need to Find Another Profession
8/9/2018	Being Culturally Responsive Starts with Pronouncing Names Correctly (VIDEO)
8/5/2018	Teachers, Male or Female, Who Engage in Sex Acts with Children Have No Place in the Classroom
7/31/2018	ISBA Provides Guidance to Support Indiana Metal Detector Program
7/31/2018	Black With Kids:  We Have to Build Up Our Black Children Because the World Won’t
7/28/2018	Dear Elementary Teachers, Stop Taking Away Recess
7/27/2018	Teachers Need to Dress Professionally
7/24/2018	Parents, Have You Prepared Your Child for Next School Year?
7/17/2018	It Isn’t in My Blood to Walk Away from Education
7/13/2018	Smiling Faces are Sometimes White Allies Who Don’t Tell the Truth
7/8/2018	How Parents Can Partner with Their Child’s Teacher
7/6/2018	Address Old Issues before Implementing New School Models
7/4/2018	What, to People of Color & Immigrants, is your 4th of July?
6/29/2018	Four Reasons Teacher Harriet from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood is Awesome.
6/28/2018	Want to Find a Good School? Pay Attention to Where Teachers Send Their Kids.
6/27/2018	Departing IPS Teacher Leader Answers Your Questions
6/23/2018	Why This Teacher Leader is Leaving IPS
6/19/2018	Juneteenth:  Children Should Learn about this Day in School
6/17/2018	“At Least You Are in the Picture” – A Father’s Day Reflection
6/16/2018	Black with Kids: Representation Matters so be Intentional about It
6/11/2018	Mental Health Remains Stigmatized in the Black Community While Black Youth Continue to Die from Suicide
6/7/2018	What’s in a Name? Identity!
6/3/2018	Ethnic Studies Course Feedback is Needed
5/28/2018	Noblesville School Shooting:  Too Close to Home
5/26/2018	Is a School Boycott a Realistic Way to Change Gun Laws?
5/21/2018	So, You Graduated. Now What?
5/20/2018	IPS/IEA 32nd Annual Multicultural Festival
5/17/2018	Lynhurst Center International Festival
5/13/2018	Don’t Forget How Important Mothers are in Education
5/11/2018	Broad Ripple Rockets Forever
5/11/2018	National Charter School Week:  IMSA
5/8/2018	Mrs. Dingman, Thank You for Helping Me Find My Confidence
5/5/2018	If Your Child Doesn’t Like to Read, Try Comic Books
4/30/2018	El día de los niños/El día de los libros
4/26/2018	New Law Kicks Some Indiana Kindergartners to the Curb
4/19/2018	Why I Write: Shawnta S. Barnes
4/11/2018	National Library Week
4/8/2018	Your Spiritual Leader Does Not Need to Be Your Educational Leader
4/4/2018	Dr. King’s Assassination 50 Years Later:  Looking Back and Moving Forward, George Geder’s Perspective
4/4/2018	Dr. King’s Assassination 50 Years Later:  Looking Back and Moving Forward, Sue Wright’s Perspective
4/3/2018	Dr. King’s Assassination 50 Years Later:  Looking Back and Moving Forward, Mildred Guyse’s Perspective
4/3/2018	Dr. King’s Assassination 50 Years Later:  Looking Back and Moving Forward, James Stockton’s Perspective
4/2/2018	Dr. King’s Assassination 50 Years Later:  Looking Back and Moving Forward
3/24/2018	Is it White Flight or Class Flight?
3/22/2018	Phenomenal Indiana Woman:  Cherie Sanders
3/20/2018	Does DeVos Really Want a Safe and Nurturing Environment for All Students?
3/15/2018	Phenomenal Indiana Woman:  Nikia D. Garland
3/14/2018	Student Activists Should Be Well Informed
3/11/2018	Read Across America Day Should Not be Celebrated on Dr. Seuss’ Birthday
3/9/2018	Get Racist Teachers out of the Classroom
3/6/2018	Educator Barnes Speaks to the Indiana Senate about School Discipline
3/1/2018	Five Lessons I Learned from Michelle Obama
2/25/2018	#ArmMeWith Respect!
2/20/2018	We Need Wakandan Principles in Our Society
2/16/2018	Whose Child Has to Die for Gun Reform to Take Place?
2/11/2018	Indianapolis Celebrates Frederick Douglass’ 200th Birthday
2/9/2018	National School Counseling Week:  Jennifer Schaffer
2/8/2018	Are We Building Up Our Black Children to be Young, Gifted and Black?
2/4/2018	Take Your Child to the Library Day
2/2/2018	Indiana is One of Eight States Where Parents Pay Textbook Fees.  When Will This Change?
2/1/2018	World Read Aloud Day 2018
2/1/2018	Crafting Policy Takes Time, but Nothing Will Change Unless You Get Involved in the Process
1/26/2018	School Choice Week:  Stop Shifting the Focus from Great Schools for All
1/24/2018	Indianapolis Classical Schools Show How Choice Can Create Diverse Schools (originally published on Education Post)
1/23/2018	We Must Hold Each Other Accountable for Our Children’s Education
1/21/2018	More Educators of Color Need to be Involved in Education Policy
1/19/2018	Is Your School District Graduating All Students at a High Rate?
1/15/2018	We Need More Dreamers
1/12/2018	Innovation Restart:  Potential Partner Presentation
1/10/2018	Dear President Trump, Children Aren’t Bargaining Chips
1/6/2018	Do We Need to Mandate Cursive Writing or Should We Mandate Keyboarding Instead?
1/3/2018	DeVos’ Department Gives Feedback in Response to Indiana’s ESSA plan