Getting Pepper-Sprayed by School Police Shouldn’t Be a Part of My Job

I have only felt the terrible sting and discomfort of pepper spray one time, and that was when I was teaching and coaching teachers in…

It Will Take More Than a Name Change to Rid Your School of White Supremacy

There is a myriad of disparities and gaps that exist in our society, placing people of color at a disadvantage. We are seeing this play…

Here’s How You Can Prepare Your Children for Remote Instruction

This week, some Indianapolis students will begin the 2020-21 school year. This includes my twin sons. Their district, Washington Township, has decided to reopen remotely.…

Faced With a Global Pandemic, My Students Have Grown in New Ways

As school wrapped up this last year, several of my students joined my online “office hours” not seeking out help with the content, but instead…

Let’s Focus on Our Students’ Health and Humanity, Not on ‘Getting Back to Normal’

I almost forgot we were stuck at home. My daughter’s pre-K class was on a field trip to the zoo through a Zoom meeting and…

This Juneteenth I’m Challenging Educators to Emancipate Themselves From a Colonized Curriculum

When Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, this marked the end of slavery in the United States … that is what a lot of people…

Mayor Pete, If You Want to Be the Millennial Candidate, Support School Choice

Over the last 10 months or so, Democratic South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg has gone from affable unknown to the top of the polling…

Teaching Is Hard Enough, You Shouldn’t Have to Go Broke Buying School Supplies Too

As school starts back, one of the largest tasks for teachers is to stock up on all of the things they will need for the…

How Lewis Ferebee Is Shifting the Conversation Back to Students in Indianapolis

This is the fourth and final in a series stemming from a Chiefs for Change panel discussion at the National Charter Schools Conference hosted by…

4 Things Every Parent Needs to Prepare Their Kids for School This Year

Summer is winding down across the country and many have already returned school, or the beginning of the school year is right around the corner.…