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Meet Rann Miller

The education of Black children matters to me.

As a Black child, my education mattered to my parents immensely. Because of their concern, I attended parochial school for the entirety of my K-12 career. The education I received and the relationships I built with some faculty and friends prepared me for my career in education. Being a Black student is spaces where neither the faculty, administration or curricula did not reflect myself or my community prepared me as well.

I wasn't the "troubled student" from a tough background. Rather I was the smart student from the two parent household. I was the anomaly. However, I wasn't cultivated for success; not because the educators I came across were blatantly negligent, but because their approach to treating everyone the same assumed that I could succeed if I adapted to the status quo. For some teachers, my success was predicated on spiting who I was. When I became a teacher, I knew that wasn't what I wanted for the students entrusted to my care.

I sought to make the classroom a place for learning, growing and even healing. It was important for students to know truth, to both navigate society and be empowered to change the injustice they saw and even experienced. As my students were learning, growing and healing, so I was. What came out of that was a passion for supporting educators, students and parents as a writer, speaker, and training facilitator as well as a teacher.

It continues to be my goal to use my writing, teaching and speaking to support the education community with teaching Black children, using research and testimony to inform pedagogical as well as policy changes for the benefit of all Black students. It continues to be my hope that my words, spoken or written, resonate with educators of Black children. So long as I have breath in my body, I will continue to write, speak and teach to and on behalf of Black students.

For all inquires concerning my potential commentary / Op-Ed contributions to your media platform, my facilitating your professional development workshop / session, serving as a guest podcast for an upcoming podcast, serving as a featured speaker for your event, or for general questions, you can reach me by clicking the "Contact Me" link to the left of the page and following the directions there.

Help wanted: How the national teacher shortage impacts Philadelphia

Don’t teach about MLK from a whitewashed playbook | Opinion

Rann Miller in his office at Camden Promise Charter School in Camden on Oct. 27, 2021. Miller is the head of diversity, equity, and inclusion for his Camden charter school district and is reshaping the curriculum to include important perspectives from the BIPOC community once left out. Read more This month, the nation remembers the life, message, and contribution of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Next month is Black History Month, where children nationwide learn about the history and contr

'Will I Get Fired For This?' Rejecting White Supremacy Has a High Cost in Education | Opinion

In early October, just before Indigenous Peoples’ Day, I sent an email to my whole school district to offer resources to my colleagues for discussing Christopher Columbus with their students. I included links to articles, book recommendations, and peer-reviewed journal articles. After I hit the send button, I wondered: Am I going to get fired for sending this? A question originally posed to myself as tongue-in-cheek suddenly became serious as I considered the gravity of what I did.

Teaching Black History Year-Round Requires Rigorous Sight

Dr. Carter G. Woodson is best known for his creation of Negro History Week, which became Black History Month. The genius of his creation was in his desire for it to culminate in a weeklong celebration after a year of learning about the accomplishments of Black people. Negro History Week was never meant to be a one-off acknowledgment, recognition, and celebration of Black history. It was meant to serve as a short period for students to display what they’d learned about the history of Black peopl

Teaching Juneteenth in schools is crucial amid debates about how to tackle U.S. history | Opinion

The month of June is very important in Black history. Mother Bethel AME was founded in Philadelphia on June 10, 1794, by the Rev. Richard Allen. June is also Black Music Month, thanks to Philadelphia’s own Kenny Gamble and the Black Music Association in 1979. But maybe most important of all Black history commemorations this month is Juneteenth. Juneteenth marks the occasion of June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce all enslaved peoples were free upon the surr

There’s a Lesson for Educators in the Life of DMX

Rest in peace to Mr. Earl Simmons, popularly known as DMX. I pray that his soul is at rest. What fascinates me about the life of a person, particularly artists who become celebrities, are the events and moments that fueled the person they became. When I think of Earl Simmons and his untimely death, I can’t help but think of the adults who failed him. In a society where personal hardships are blamed on a lack of responsibility; it is easy to blame Earl Simmons for his shortcomings and ultimatel