ZIP Code May Not Be Destiny, But It’s as Hard to Fight as Gravity

One Saturday I was picking my daughter up from a birthday party at one of those modern-day upscale arcades, and I was surprised to run…

We Can’t Return to Status Quo When This Pandemic Is Over

Just by way of introduction, let me begin this post the way I have begun most conversations in the past month: I am both exhausted…

Teaching During COVID-19 Is Both a Gift and a Curse. Hear Me Out.

I took a course earlier this year called “Innovation in Education” and the first thing we all acknowledged was that education is the one industry…

Three Ways to Foster a Love of Reading in Students With Disabilities

When it comes to literacy, how do we help our students with learning disabilities thrive? The research is clear: Vanessa Chratian, a special education reading…

How Do We Bring Magic Into the Classroom? Georgia’s New Teacher of the Year Shows the Way.

For 2020 Georgia Teacher of the Year Tracey Nance Pendley, the road to teaching was not easy. Pendley’s mother was a drug addict who was…

If We Want to Retain and Recruit Teachers, We Have to Walk It Like We Talk It

I have attended a lot of educator conferences this year. A common theme I heard over and over again is the challenge of teacher shortages.…

I’ve Never Been Quick to Call Someone Racist, But I’ve Had Enough of This ‘Monkey’ Business

Outrage: We’re Not Your Monkey, Nigger, Niggah or Nigga I want to believe that everyone who “accidentally” says, “nigga,” “niggah” or “nigger” because their favorite…

5 Ways to Get Your Child in a Good School Without Paying Tuition

Parents everywhere ask themselves the same question I did: What are my choices when choosing a school for my child? Since moving back to Atlanta,…

I Was Lucky to Attend a ‘Good’ School, But What About the Kids Who Don’t

Let me tell you a tale of two schools. As the Georgia Teacher of the Year, I visit countless schools all across Georgia—observing instruction and…

My School Showed Me My Passion and Now I’m a Filmmaker

In Georgia, 84,000 students attended charter schools in the 2016-17 school year. My story is just one of thousands of success stories of students who…