R. Rakeem Miller, Sr. is an educator with a passion for urban education and a heart for empowering students, families and fellow educators. He is also a husband and a father who is devoted to his family. He has served as a social studies teacher for the past 6 years in Camden City charter schools. He has experience teaching social studies to grades 5 through 12, mentoring first-year teachers, coaching, writing curricula, facilitating professional development and as an assistant principal of school-wide discipline. Currently, he is a director of a federally funded after-school program in the Woodbury City school district. Mr. Miller is honored to be married to his wife of 7 years. Their union has yielded 4 beautiful children. He and his family currently reside in Southern, New Jersey. Mr. Miller is also an author of two books and a contributor to one book. He is the author of The Double D's of Destruction: How Our Distracted and Desensitized Consciousness Is Destroying Our Communities and Failing Our Children and The Cooper Street Offense: A Philosophy for Reaching, Teaching and Discipling Black and Hispanic/Latino Students in Inner City Schools. He is a contributor in Black Male Teachers: Diversifying the United States' Teacher Workforce. He is a graduate of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey with a B.A. in Political Science and an M.P.A. in Public Policy and Administration. Currently, he is pursuing a doctoral degree in Public Affairs and Community Development at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
I was talking to good friend of mine on the challenges of homeschooling. He is the father of a 2 and a 4-year-old, respectively, and he spoke about the challenges of working while teaching and playing with his kids all hours of the day due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many parents, he’s used to … More Quarantined Fathering
This post marks the second part in a series of post designed to explore history instruction to assist history teachers at teaching history in more culturally inclusive, balanced, and responsive ways. You can read part one here. As an adolescent, history was nothing more than dates, events, people and places I saw in books. It … More Teaching History Part 2: Purpose
This post marks the first part in a series of post designed to explore history instruction to assist history teachers at teaching history in more culturally inclusive, balanced, and responsive ways. Teaching history is a major responsibility. I don’t minimize the other content areas, but teaching history is so important. However, there are some who … More Teaching History Part 1: Motivation
When you ask a teacher about lunch duty, they give one of two answers… either they think it’s cool or they hate it. Some teachers hate lunch duty for legit reasons. One reason is that their colleagues ditch it and their left with one or two less adults. Another reason is because there is little … More Lunch Duty
I waited to pen this post because much of the world was writing on Kobe immediately after his death. But I do believe there are some lessons that educators can impart on their students from Kobe’s life. I arrived at Wawa shortly after 2 in the afternoon to get gas on Sunday January 26, … More Lessons from a Lost Life
Not to toot my own horn (although I clearly aim), but I think that I do a great job when facilitating a professional development session; that’s what the attendees say on the evaluations. After each PD I facilitate, I always run down what worked and what didn’t work to improve for the next session I … More Ingredients of a Great PD
Without naming any names, I know there are folks in the workplace who disregard my suggestions. It’s okay… but understand that you’re not hurting me. It’s the students that you’re hurting. Here is an example… One of the awesome treasures at the disposal of the Delaware Valley and the Mid-Atlantic States is the Malcolm Bernard … More Stop Missing the HBCU Opportunity
I never asked to be a disciplinarian when I taught. But I was often thrusted into the role. To be honest however, I was good at it; very good at it. I took on a fatherly persona as a teacher. So, when it came to managing student behavior, I had relatively few problems. My colleagues, … More The Disciplinarian Has Left the Building
Have you ever considered jumping into administrative waters? Can you see yourself leading a school? First, you must have a principal certification. Also, you must meet the required years of teaching. But that is only the beginning of the process. … More So You Want To Be In Administration?
Teaching afterschool is an awesome opportunity for any educator. You and your students get to see each other in a different light. Also, you have the opportunity to provide students with opportunities to grow and mature in a way that can help them improve as students. Afterschool teaching also gives you an opportunity to improve as an educator. Just make sure if you decide to teach afterschool that you do it for the right reasons. … More The Afterschool Program
It is incumbent for educators, no matter their station, to cultivate the future leaders of our nation. That means striving to reduce ignorance; thereby reducing the potential of violence upon the various communities of our nation due to a lack of concrete knowledge rooted in historical truths. … More Hopes for the New Year
Many of us can recall a time when they walked into unfamiliar territory; whether it was a party, a new school or a new job. One of the first things we do when in that circumstance is scan for the familiar. Maybe there is a familiar conversation that you interject yourself in. Maybe there is … More Walk On By
The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone
Where Race and Sport Intersect at the Point of Commentary
A blog on race, equity, and urban education
... A Strong Rhyme to Step To
"To sting people and whip them into a fury, all in the service of truth."
Navigating Inner City Ministry in Real Time
