Indy K12 – 2021

indy k12

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 2021.

To read my work from other years, click on the year: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 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.

12/31/2021Applying Kwanzaa Principles to Education: Kuumba
12/30/2021Applying Kwanzaa Principles to Education: Nia
12/29/2021Applying Kwanzaa Principles to Education: Ujamaa
12/28/2021Applying Kwanzaa Principles to Education: Ujima
12/27/2021Applying Kwanzaa Principles to Education: Kujichagulia
12/26/2021Applying Kwanzaa Principles to Education: Umoja
12/23/2021Winter is Not a Synonym for Christmas
12/21/2021Winter Break is a Perfect Time to Make a Long-Term Self-Care Plan
12/13/2021Teachers Should Not Threaten to Exclude Students from Celebrations to Control Behavior Before a Break
12/10/2021Should School Districts Switch to a Four-Day School Week?
11/30/2021Native American Heritage Should Be Covered Throughout the Year
11/29/2021Coach Students Instead of Complaining About Their Behavior
11/27/2021Guessing is Not a Reading Strategy
11/25/2021Be Grateful for Progress
11/22/2021Teaching about Native Americans and Thanksgiving
11/20/2021The Consequences of Support Staff Subbing in Schools
11/15/2021Why ‘Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness’ Makes Some Parents Uncomfortable
11/10/2021Students Do Not Need to Be Pretendians to Learn about Native American Heritage and History
11/8/2021Implementing Student Led Conferences
11/7/2021Nearly 1 in 5 Indiana Third Graders Aren’t Proficient Readers
10/31/2021Parents, Don’t be Passive During Parent/Teacher Conferences
10/31/2021It Is Okay for Children to Feel Shame
10/30/2021Virtual Parent/Teacher Conferences Should Never Go Away
10/28/2021White Allies, What are You Really Doing?
10/26/2021School Culture Must be More Than Dressing Up for Halloween
10/15/2021You Don’t Need Mind Trust Money to Make a Difference in Education
10/11/2021Using Indigenous Peoples’ Day as an Opportunity to Move Beyond Land Acknowledgments
10/5/2021Teachers are the Key to Education Recovery
10/2/2021Carmel Clay Schools Calls Out Unruly Parents’ Actions
10/1/2021How Do You Teach a Teacher?
9/18/2021Suicide is Not a ‘White Thing’
9/17/2021Hispanic Heritage Month: Hoosier Afro-Latinos You Should Know
9/16/2021There’s a Big Difference Between Segregation and Safe Spaces
9/15/2021How to Work with Your Children’s Teachers When You Have Questions about Their Assignments
9/14/2021There are Few Regulations to Homeschool in Indiana
9/12/2021Leveraging Grandparents in Education
9/11/2021Looking Back on September 11, 2001
9/9/2021I Hope My Black Students Will Become Educators Too
9/5/2021Are Your Ready to Go Back to School While in the Classroom?
9/2/2021Executive Order Changes K-12 Quarantine Requirements
8/31/2021Indiana High School Students Will Have to Take U.S. Citizenship Test
8/30/2021My Education Birthday Wishes
8/29/2021Adding Masks Isn’t the Only Part of the School Dress Code that Needs Updating
8/28/2021The Importance of Principals Having an Active Role in Teaching & Learning
8/26/2021The Impact on Students When Teachers Create and Use Problematic Lessons
8/24/2021Why I Support Mask Mandates in Schools
8/18/2021More Indiana Schools Implementing Masks Mandates due to Rising COVID-19 Positive Cases
8/16/2021Learning Students’ Names is the Foundation of Building Strong Relationship
8/11/2021Washington Township Will Require All Staff & Students Wear Masks Beginning August 16
8/10/2021Ways Administrators Can Support Teachers
7/31/2021Being Proactive is the Best Way to Deal with Parent Pushback
7/29/2021IPS is Now Requiring All Staff and Students Wear Masks
7/28/2021Moving Forward After Leaving a Destructive School Environment
7/26/2021Why I Have Shifted My Stance on Community Classroom Supply Lists
7/24/2021Back to School Means Understanding the Updated COVID-19 Guidelines
7/21/2021ILEARN Scores Expectedly Dropped … Now What?
7/17/2021Are You Willing to Get into Good Trouble?
7/12/20214th Annual College Equity Report Reveals 1 in 4 Black Students Graduate High School with a Waiver
7/11/2021Ally is an Action Word
7/1/2021Laws that Go into Effect July 1 that Indiana Educators Should Know About
6/30/2021How to Start Equity Work in Your School
6/29/202121st Century Scholars Deadline End of June
6/28/2021Transgender Bathroom Ban Rejected in Virginia
6/27/2021Teachers Aren’t the Only Ones Leaving the Profession; Administrators are Leaving Too
6/23/2021Newfields Took a Step on Juneteenth but More is Needed
6/17/2021Juneteenth Becoming a Federal Holiday Does Nothing to Heal Our Wounds
6/15/2021African American Excellence in Education Awards 2021
6/12/2021The Importance of Recognizing Black Educators
6/11/2021COVID-19 Guidelines Adjusted for Marion County Schools
6/10/2021When Teachers are Criminalized at School
5/31/2021What’s Missing From Our Curriculum?
5/30/2021AAPI Book Recommendations
5/29/2021Be Mindful about the Impact of Memorial Day on Your Students and Staff
5/28/2021Schools Can Help Remove the Mental Health Stigma
5/25/2021Parents Should Take Time to Have Their Children Reflect on the School Year
5/24/2021Teachers Should Relax During This Summer Break
5/23/2021Have You Committed to Authentic Diversity in Your School?
5/18/2021Make Sure Your Children Relax and Read This Summer
5/12/2021School Nurses Deserve More Recognition
5/9/2021Moms Fighting Fiercely for Education
4/30/2021How to Opt Your Children Out of Standardized Testing
4/30/2021Remote Learning Continuing for Some Districts Next School Year
4/29/2021Help Teachers Make It to the Finish Line By Showing Some Appreciation
4/27/2021I Support Standardized Testing, but Not Enough to Send My Kids to Take It During a Pandemic
4/22/2021Get Children Involved During Earth Day
4/20/2021Finding Hope in the Midst of Fear
4/20/2021Don’t Tell Students To Stop Misbehaving; Show Them How
4/17/2021How Can Teachers Support Students During Ramadan
4/14/2021Zoom Detention Should Not Exist
4/8/2021Are Black Educators Heard and Supported at Your School?
3/30/2021How Indiana Schools Should Use Funds from the Indiana Rescue Plan
3/30/2021Partnership with Parents Is Key Our Students’ Success
3/27/2021Families Should Set Academic Goals for Their Children
3/24/2021Mask Mandate in Schools Will Continue Once Statewide Mask Mandates Ends
3/23/2021Is Your Evaluation a Tool or a Trap?
3/21/2021Black Boy Made to Kneel and Apologize to His Teacher
3/12/2021A Look Back at My Year Living Through a Pandemic
3/4/2021Indiana Teachers Can Now Receive the COVID-19 Vaccine
3/3/2021President Biden Wants Teachers Prioritized for COVID-19 Vaccine
3/1/2021Read Across America Day Has Moved Beyond Seuss, but Why Haven’t Some Teachers?
2/28/2021How Should Parents Address the Summer Slide?
2/27/2021What Educators Can Learn from the Mr. Potato Head Controversy
2/26/2021Standardized Tests During a Pandemic
2/25/2021Social-Emotional Learning, Self-Care, and Adults
2/24/2021Beyond Black History Month
2/21/2021DEI Work is the Responsibility of Everyone, Not Just White Educators
2/10/2021HSE Superintendent Dr. Bourff Misses the Mark When Addressing Black Lives Matter
2/10/2021Professional Judgment is Needed When Using Teachers Pay Teachers
2/7/2021For Black History Month, Start with Local History
2/4/2021Black Teachers Should Matter Even When It Isn’t Black History Month
1/29/2021Virtual School May Become Some Parents’ Permanent School Choice for Their Children
1/29/2021Will Hoosier Teachers’ Salaries Finally Become Competitive?
1/27/2021Every School District Needs a Community Coalition
1/24/2021Superintendent Accuses Parents of ‘White Supremacist Thinking’
1/22/2021Classroom Lessons Should Not be Based on Social Media Trends
1/21/2021Biden Dissolves the 1776 Commission
1/17/2021Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship
1/11/2021The School Employee at the Capitol Last Week is Just the Tip of the Iceberg
1/10/2021Prioritizing Teacher Diversity & Equity Should Be a Priority of the Newly Appointed Indiana Secretary of Education
1/8/2021U.S. Secretary of Education Resigns After Capitol Violence