General
August 30, 2018
Two summers ago, I wrote an essay called “The challenges of being a black Principal in today’s racial and political climate.” It was a reflection of […]
October 22, 2017
So many say that the principalship is the hardest job in education…and I couldn’t agree more. Being the inspiration, visionary, coach, sounding board, disciplinarian, advocate, negotiator, […]
October 22, 2017
It’s 7:15 a.m. and it’s raining. The weather doesn’t matter however, because he is standing outside every day…rain, sleet, or snow, like the postman…greeting students as […]
March 3, 2017
It never occurred to me that I couldn’t be anything I wanted to be. As I child, I dreamed of being Diana Ross, a doctor, an […]
January 12, 2017
2016 was certainly the year of talking about equity around this country. Through data, the media and some brave storytellers, we figured out that students of […]
January 5, 2017
So much has already been said about the current election. People are disappointed. People are in shock. People are in fear. As a school leader, I […]
January 5, 2017
As we dive head first into this school year, I urge teachers, parents and leaders to think deeply about the mission of schooling and the mission […]
September 20, 2016
When the principal of an Oak Park middle school writes an essay as blunt and passionate — on topics as key as the gap and discipline […]
September 5, 2016
I was traveling in October of 2015 and met some engineers from Canada who were talking about the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer, a ceremony […]
March 30, 2015
Culture of Winning…What does this mean? I was having a chat with my 10 year old about is “place” in 5th grade. I was hoping to […]
March 29, 2015
I was reading an interview that Chris Rock did and he talked about how stand-up comedy is the only job where your work is public and […]
March 29, 2015
I tell students all the time that success is “on purpose”. You accidentally trip and fall…but success is on purpose. In my mind, success and winning […]