Who is Umar Johnson?

I am behind in timeliness, but not in terms of relevance when I ask the question who is Umar Johnson?  Many folk saw his appearance on the Roland Martin show earlier this year where he was ambushed by Martin and his guests. Martin's stance was questionable given that Umar Johnson was on his show previously...

Black Educational Scholars

I have spent a lot of time over the past year, re-claiming my college years as a student and curious scholar. When I was in undergrad, I spent as much time reading  to feed my curiosity as I did reading for my class. Over the past year, I have re-read The Mis-Education of the Negro,...

Black Male Teachers Turned Campus Police

As usual my friend Chris Edmin beat me to the punch in his article Why Black Men Quit Teaching. The plight of Black males in education has been on my mind to lately. I am entering my 15th year working in the field. However, I am moving back into administration after a four-year stint back...

#COSEBOC10

I enjoyed the COSEBOC Gathering of Leaders last month. Ron Walker is a visionary leader, and I am eternally grateful for the space he has created for educators. I had to let the smoke clear from the conference to reflect to crystalize what I learned. I have a few takeaways that I would like to...

Black History as aWeapon of Self-Esteem

I think every Elementary teacher should teach a unit on Black Inventors.  When you talk about suppression and lack of appreciation and knowledge of Black accomplishments, this is the awesomeness of a people who are in a asleep state. Here are some of the inventions we discovered as a learning community: mop  ironing board super...

The Meaning of the 2%

I had the opportunity to attend the Teaching and Learning Conference a few weeks ago in Washington, DC. I was given a special invitation paid for by the Carnegie Foundation.  Peggy Brookins, CEO of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, petitioned the Carnegie Foundation to pay for Black men to attend the conference in an...

Touring Black History Month

  Our recent #SOBTC chat topic was the touring of Black History Month as opposed to deep-seated learning and appreciation of its historical significance. One of the things teachers and educators have to guard against is unpacking the Black History box. The box with the timeline of great African-Americans, the stock photos of Tubman, Jackie...

STAR WARS: SOBTC Edition

I love Star Wars. I grew up watching the movies and love them even more now. Unlike many Star Wars nerds I like the prequels. Revenge of the Sith (Episode 3) is my favorite by far. I was re-watching it in anticipation of The Force Awakens, and I had a startling discovery. I painstakingly empathized...

All Boys Schools? You’re Kidding Right

I was at a special event in this weekend listening to people pitch ideas for school innovation. I pitched the idea of more all boys schools. Most people looked at me like I had two heads. I find this ironic because I was in a room full of teachers and parents. One lady called me...

Closing The Opportunity Gap: Teacher Preparation

Closing the Opportunity Gap? I was reading about new teacher training programs. How we prepare teachers is a hot-button education issue. One website said that teacher quality is the number one issue effecting the opportunity gap. (I would name the company but I have not really researched them so I am not sure if they...