Indy K12 – 2019

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

I am humbled to be part of a network of educators and parents who are advocates for the least of these in the world of education. Below, you can read what I wrote in 2019.

To read my work from other years, click on the year: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2018, & 2017.

Don’t forget to check out my viral piece, “Teachers Quit Principals, Not Schools” which has been viewed over 1,000,000 times.

12/30/2019	Indy K12’s Top Ten of the Decade
12/27/2019	Pressing on Through Winter Break Blues
12/26/2019	Indy K12’s 2019 Top Ten
12/23/2019	Educator Self-Care During Winter Break
12/19/2019	My Administrator Christmas List
12/16/2019	Teacher Mentors Matter
12/15/2019	3 Tips to Finish Strong as Winter Break Approaches
12/6/2019	Education is a Regretted College Major
12/4/2019	Consider Your Students Before You Put up a Classroom Christmas Tree
11/30/2019	We Shouldn’t Need Laws to Stop the Policing of Black People’s Hair
11/30/2019	Teacher and Students Request McGraw-Hill Change Its Textbook
11/29/2019	Indiana Association of School Principals Awards 2019 are #SoWhite
11/28/2019	3 Ways to Show Your Child’s Teacher Gratitude
11/24/2019	Teacher Confessions: A Student Threatened to Kill Me and was in My Class the Next Day
11/20/2019	Teachers Can Fight for Higher Pay without Attacking Charters and Canceling School
11/17/2019	Teacher Confessions: I Love and I Hate Red for Ed
11/11/2019	Veterans Day: Enlistment Should be Promoted as a Viable Post-Secondary Option
11/10/2019	We are Still Here: The Importance of Native American Heritage Month
11/3/2019	Teacher, Do You See Me?
10/30/2019	If You Implement What Black Teachers Want, They Will Stay
10/28/2019	Be Mindful about Halloween Celebrations at School
10/24/2019	Why Teachers Need to Check Job Boards Even When They Aren’t Looking for a Job
10/22/2019	Teacher Confessions: I’ve Never Followed Any Curriculum with Fidelity
10/21/2019	Using Chosen Names and Pronouns for Students is Important
10/20/2019	Parents Need to Observe Their Children at School
10/14/2019	Taking Back the Narrative: Indigenous Peoples’ Day
10/10/2019	The Stigma of Mental Health in the Black Community & the Increase in Black Children Suicide
10/5/2019	World Teachers’ Day 2019
10/3/2019	Finding the Truth Behind a Student’s Lie
9/26/2019	Parents, Are Your Prepared for School Conference Time?
9/25/2019	When Your Child Becomes a Victim of Bullying
9/22/2019	Indiana College Go! Week
9/21/2019	Why is Black Hair Still Being Policed?
9/15/2019	When Teachers Traumatize Students at School
9/13/2019	Teachers Need to Keep High Expectations Even When There’s a Full Moon
9/11/2019	9/11: Tackling Tough Topics in the Classroom
9/8/2019	Grandparent Support is Needed in Education
9/5/2019	No Matter the Assessment, Indiana Schools Struggle to Close the Achievement Gap
9/3/2019	Give Students the Freedom to Choose What They Read
8/31/2019	How School Gardening Can Benefit Children Outside of the Classroom
8/29/2019	Parents, Here’s How You Can Help with Homework
8/26/2019	Parents, Stop Complaining about Community Classroom Supplies
8/23/2019	Are We Maximizing Every Minute for Instruction Minute at the Expense of Building Strong Student Relationships?
8/20/2019	Indiana Teacher Compensation Commission: “We are tired of telling you how to fix teacher pay.”
8/17/2019	Using Toni Morrison’s Picture Books in the Classroom
8/12/2019	Frontloading Vocabulary is a Key to Reading Comprehension
8/11/2019	Hard to Staff Schools and TFA Tears
8/10/2019	Who is Really in the Teaching Trenches?
8/3/2019	School Leaders Need to get Comfortable with being Uncomfortable
7/26/2019	A Final Ask: Please Acknowledge the Indianapolis Teachers Society
7/23/2019	Former Indianapolis Teachers Union President Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement
7/22/2019	Mental Health Days for Students
7/21/2019	Don’t Bring Back Desegregation Busing
7/20/2019	Transitioning to a New School as a Veteran Teacher
7/19/2019	The Benefits of Living Near Your School
7/18/2019	Preparing Your Child for Next School Year
7/14/2019	Teachers Do You Have a Plan to Avoid Burnout for the Upcoming School Year?
7/13/2019	Should Teachers also Drive the School Bus?
7/9/2019	“Not My Ariel” Sound Similar to “Not Those Schools”
6/29/2019	African-American Excellence in Education Awards
6/23/2019	Catholic School Takes Stance Against Firing Gay Teacher during Pride Month
6/22/2019	Opinion: Aleesia Johnson Can Move IPS in the Right Direction
6/20/2019	Interview:  Lloyd Wright, the New Principal of Charles A. Tindley Accelerated School
6/19/2019	When Will Juneteenth Come for Black Students?
6/18/2019	What is a Good School?
6/15/2019	IPS Releases Names of Superintendent Candidates
6/11/2019	What Schools Can Learn from the SZA Sephora Incident
6/8/2019	Creating a Literacy-Rich Environment for Your Children
6/7/2019	Let’s Keep it 100; Summer Reading is Important
5/30/2019	Dear Mrs. Smith
5/29/2019	Why I’m Unapologetically Pro School Choice
5/26/2019	Educators, It’s Okay to be Firm with Kindergarten Students
5/14/2019	National School Charter Week: Purdue Polytechnic High School
5/10/2019	Black Teachers Matter
5/6/2019	Five Ways to Show Teachers You Care During Teacher Appreciation Week
5/5/2019	Parents, Have Your Children Caught You Reading?
5/4/2019	Let Your Kids Read Comic Books!
5/3/2019	Parents, Don’t Let Up During the Last Month of the School Year
5/1/2019	Indiana’s Kindergarten Entry Date Will Change for the Upcoming School Year
4/28/2019	Stop Policing Black Students’ Hair
4/28/2019	Summer Reading is Essential to Student Success
4/27/2019	What Will It Take to Address the Teacher Shortage in STEM Subjects and Special Education?
4/25/2019	I Won’t Stop Writing, Even If It Cost Me My Job
4/23/2019	Give Special Area and Elective Teachers the Respect They Deserve
4/17/2019	When Lesson Plans Go Wrong
4/14/2019	Principals, If Your Teachers Want to Leave, Let Them Go
4/11/2019	IPS Receives $1 Million Donation
4/9/2019	Removing a Teacher Licensure Exam as a Requirement Doesn’t Address Why Some Teachers of Color Aren’t Passing
4/8/2019	Your School’s Library Should be the Heart of Your School’s Community
3/26/2019	When School Discipline Goes Wrong
3/25/2019	Lawmakers Approve Bill To Improve Safety of Students Who Ride the Bus
3/24/2019	Relax Teachers and Enjoy Your Spring Break
3/22/2019	Indiana Educators Shot with Fake Bullets to Prepare for School Shootings
3/19/2019	Teachers, Keep Going
3/17/2019	Don’t Forget the Unsung Heroes of Women’s History Month
3/15/2019	How are We Empowering Girls in the Classroom?
3/13/2019	A Stolen Education
3/9/2019	When Schools Retaliate Against Teachers, Everyone Loses
3/6/2019	You Have to Teach Behavior Just Like You Teach Academics
2/26/2019	Educators, When Black History Month Comes to an End, Continue to Use Diverse Texts
2/22/2019	Battle of the Books Pros and Cons. Is This Competition Really Worth the Time?
2/21/2019	Teachers, Stop Provoking Students
2/20/2019	When Kids are Traumatized at School
2/19/2019	Beyond Black History Month
2/18/2019	Governor Holcomb, Where are the Teachers on Your Teacher Compensation Commission?
2/17/2019	Literacy and Libraries are Intertwined, so Why do Schools Keep Cutting Librarian Jobs Especially in Schools Where Students are Mostly of Color?
2/14/2019	Build a Love of Reading on International Book Giving Day
2/6/2019	Elwood, Indiana Superintendent Resigns
2/1/2019	World Read Aloud Day 2019
1/31/2019	Mentors Matters
1/29/2019	Educators Should Not Justify Blackface
1/24/2019	School Choice is about Doing What is Best for Your Children: It is Not about Public Charter Schools Vs. Traditional Public Schools
1/21/2019	My Dream for My Children
1/20/2019	What is Happening in Catholic Schools?
1/19/2019	If We are Going to Shut Down the Government, Shut it Down to Build Up Our Schools, Not to Build a Wall
1/15/2019	Parents, What is Your Family’s Academic Plan?
1/13/2019	Parents, Instead of Participating in #SurvivingRKelly Conversations Online, Have Body Safety Talks with Your Children
1/10/2019	What Will Happen to Indianapolis Schools Slated to Exit State Takeover?
1/8/2019	So You Let Black Boys Wear Dreadlocks, but When are You Going to Stop Kicking Them out of Class?