Indy K12 – 2021

indy k12

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 2021.

To read my work from other years, click on the year: 2023, 2022, 2020, 2019, 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.

12/31/2021Applying 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