Imagine a doctor knowing vital, life-saving information about your health, but not sharing it with you. It would be not only unacceptable, it would be grounds for dismissal. Choosing not to act, when the data shows that the...
Archive - June 2018
My friends, Ismael and Ashley Jimenez, describe an haunting encounter they had while #ParentingWhileBlack at a movie theater a few days ago. The police were called on them in order to harass and intimidate them. Meanwhile, what...
Mastery Charter School – Shoemaker Campus. The Class of 2018. Our 8th graduating class at our turnaround charter school. While Shoemaker used to be second most violent school in Philadelphia, and likely Pennsylvania, today...
I want to introduce you to one of my heroes. I have many, but this young man, Tamir Harper, is one of my favorites. We were so impressed with his work and voice, that a few years ago, we asked him to join The Fellowship: Black...
Last year, when our school social worker told me about a new series, “13 Reasons” I was incredulous. To me, it was yet another example of how children in America are bombarded with unhealthy messages. The popular show...
Freedom fighting heroes come in all ages. At Mastery-Shoemaker, we have been blessed to have several students who lead and serve in their communities on a consistent basis—in small and huge ways. Recently, one of our students...
My friend, André-Tascha Lammé, is a suicide survivor. He always gives me additional things to think about in regard to my students’, friends’, and family’s mental health and well-being. Although I had never...
Everyone who knows me well, knows my deep desire to have a stellar debate program at my school. Either as a standing class, an extra-curricular program. Something. So, this article gave me deep satisfaction (and forlorn regret...
This article was originally published by Mike Friedberg on Education Post’s blog page. The enslavement, segregation and brutality of Black communities has been the bloody heirloom to White America for centuries. And...
Each year in May, America observes Teacher Appreciation Month — a time when we pause to reflect upon and honor the life-changing impact that educators have on our children, and the important contributions that educators make to...