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
Teachers and administrators alike desire to increase the number of engaged parents it has within its school. When I taught, teachers frequently lamented that not enough parents would show up for parent-teacher conferences; administrators did also. I also heard educators lament that parents weren’t regularly involved in the school community; that the only time parents … More Straight Talk About Parent Engagement
Many educators, particularly school leaders love to use data to inform teacher instruction. The data movement is a popular one; particularly in the age of school reform. Decisions about curriculum, instruction, and assessment tend to be shaped and determined by data. Well, what is the data? Generally, the data consist of student test scores from … More Doing Data Mindfully
Months ago, the Education Trust released a report titled Through Our Eyes which detailed the experiences and feelings of Black teachers in American public schools. The revelations that Black teachers made in the report echoes many of the thoughts and feelings that I experienced while in the classroom. Most of my Black colleagues shared similar … More What To Know About The Black Teacher In Your Building
One of the more important things you can do with your student(s) is to prepare them for college. It is important that you, parent(s) and/or guardians, help with college preparation outside of school because your student(s) school may or may not do the best job at preparing your student(s). There are countless horror stories of … More College Preparation 2.0
I want to take a moment to discuss something that I saw on Facebook recently. Normally I don’t discuss specific items found on social media on the Mixtape, however what I saw disturb me and I want to give parents a heads up in case something happens where you feel compelled to take matters into … More In Decency and In Order
The Constitution of the United States is a powerful document. Not only does it lay out the rules for governing, but it is also the mirror by which we look at ourselves as a nation; for better or for worse. As a former history teacher, I may come off bias, however, to know and understand … More A Curriculum Teaching the Rules of Engagement
One of the biggest decisions that you will ever make as a parent is deciding where to send your children to school. Depending on your finances, you may have a choice between sending them to a public school or a private school. If you decide on a public school, most times than not, your child … More When Deciding Public Versus Charter…
Police officers do not belong in schools. However, you may teach at a school where there is probably a school resource officer on the premise. Depending on the population of your school, you may have multiple on the campus. School resource officers are police officers who are assigned to schools to maintain discipline. They are … More How To Handle A Fight
Parent-teacher conference time is stressful. It is stressful for students, for teachers, for administrators and of course, for you; the parents. Students, specifically those failing or endanger of failing, are fearful of their parents’ reactions when outed by their teachers. Teachers are stressed by the possibility of bad interactions with parents. Administrators are stressed by … More What To Ask At Parent/Teacher Conferences
As a parent of a child of color in any school district, communication with the school is a must. Too often, parents wait until back to school night to step foot inside a school. Unfortunately, there are those who may wait until the first sign of trouble for their student; parent teacher conferences, which usually happen after report cards have been mailed home. As a parent of child in school, you should strive to maintain regular contact with your child’s teachers and administration. … More Some Questions Parents Need to Ask To Teachers And Administration
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
Urban Education Mixtape 