UNPLUGGED
Desmond Williams @Nylinka
Saying Goodbye to #SOBTC Twitter Chat
Six Years of Impacting Black Male Educators
@Nylinka
Desmond Williams is a career teacher, principal, author and thought leader. The only things he wanted to do growing up were design Transformers and be a sitcom writer. After having many teachers tell him those dreams were stupid, he decided he wanted to teach because he knew children deserved better. He has spent his entire professional career serving as a special educator, classroom teacher, assistant principal and principal.
He received his bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Howard University in Washington, DC, and later received his master’s degree in Education and Human Development from George Washington University. He started his teaching career in DCPS as a special educator. He subsequently moved and became a special education coordinator because of his business acumen and understanding of children with special needs. Soon afterwards, Mr. Williams, worked in Central office for DC Public Schools in the Office of Special Education.
After leaving DCPS’s office of Special Education, he ventured into the world of school-based administration. He boasts many career accomplishments, but his biggest is creating pathways of success for disenfranchised communities. Desmond has spoken at multiple conferences across the country offering his expertise and insight in engaging inner-city students. He has worked with several independent schools and school districts. His focus is on educating boys of color. “They are the most marginalized and are in need of the most help. Teachers that serve them, tend to be the teachers that are in need of the most support.” His other passions include teacher development, leadership development, special education supporting school districts in becoming more equitable.
In 2015, he launched the #SOBTC twitter chat that brought teachers, educators, parents and practitioners from across the country together to discuss issues related to educating boys of color. #SOBTC, Send Our Boys To College started because I wanted those invested in the growth of Black boys to have a platform to discuss challenges and celebrate successes. It got much bigger than I ever thought. More importantly, participants were able to share, connect and grow in this work.
Desmond served six years at an all-boys school in Washington DC, teaching four years and serving as principal for two more years. “It had always been a goal to help other educators increase the level of engagement and investment in boys of color. That is why I launched Nylinka School Solutions. I wanted to leverage my experience and expertise to aid as many schools as possible. Our goal is to help children achieve their dreams by maximizing teacher skill and talent one solution at a time.”
He received his bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Howard University in Washington, DC, and later received his master’s degree in Education and Human Development from George Washington University. He started his teaching career in DCPS as a special educator. He subsequently moved and became a special education coordinator because of his business acumen and understanding of children with special needs. Soon afterwards, Mr. Williams, worked in Central office for DC Public Schools in the Office of Special Education.
After leaving DCPS’s office of Special Education, he ventured into the world of school-based administration. He boasts many career accomplishments, but his biggest is creating pathways of success for disenfranchised communities. Desmond has spoken at multiple conferences across the country offering his expertise and insight in engaging inner-city students. He has worked with several independent schools and school districts. His focus is on educating boys of color. “They are the most marginalized and are in need of the most help. Teachers that serve them, tend to be the teachers that are in need of the most support.” His other passions include teacher development, leadership development, special education supporting school districts in becoming more equitable.
In 2015, he launched the #SOBTC twitter chat that brought teachers, educators, parents and practitioners from across the country together to discuss issues related to educating boys of color. #SOBTC, Send Our Boys To College started because I wanted those invested in the growth of Black boys to have a platform to discuss challenges and celebrate successes. It got much bigger than I ever thought. More importantly, participants were able to share, connect and grow in this work.
Desmond served six years at an all-boys school in Washington DC, teaching four years and serving as principal for two more years. “It had always been a goal to help other educators increase the level of engagement and investment in boys of color. That is why I launched Nylinka School Solutions. I wanted to leverage my experience and expertise to aid as many schools as possible. Our goal is to help children achieve their dreams by maximizing teacher skill and talent one solution at a time.”