At work, I have been told that I am a “stir stick”. Meaning that I am one inclined to stir things up. This is one …
Hip-Hop and School Culture
One of the hardest things I ever had to do as a teacher (and maybe as a grown man) was to detach my culture from …
Wishing Bad
After legendary black cultural icon Tupac Shakur passed away in the fall of ’96, his hip-hop archnemesis, rapper Biggie Smalls, was quoted saying, “I would …
All These Certified Teachers
I take my job very seriously. I have since the day I became a certified teacher. I think a teacher plays an important role in …
Equity Tech’quity
I took a day off earlier this year because my back was beyond mangled. I woke up one day and it felt like some surgeon …
Emotional Intelligence
We need to come to our senses when it comes to teaching. I’ve been told that teaching kids to memorize their times-tables don’t matter anymore. …
3 Things You Need To Know About Teaching Black Boys
I’m neither an expert on the subject of teaching black boys nor am I a child psychologist that specializes in the mindset of the adolescent …
Detentions
I can’t remember ever giving a student a detention. And I know for sure that I’ve never given detention to an entire class. When I …
I Think My Neighbors Think I’m Selling Dope
Millionaire rapper, J. Cole, made a song titled Neighbors “inspired” by a SWAT raid on his house after his rich white neighbors called the police …
Teaching During Ramadan
In the last few years of my life I’ve found it increasingly difficult to burn off that late night pizza slice or the friday burger …