I'm Batman

I'm Batman!!!!

Ok, maybe not. I am Dennis Griffin Jr., an elementary school principal. To be honest, I would prefer to be the Incredible Hulk, but we can save that for another time. Do you know the real reason why people are enamored with superheroes? Everyone always thinks it has something to do with their powers. Their individual powers are cool, but they have a power that is often overlooked. The most tremendous powers that superheroes possess are the symbolic representations of hope and belief that they will overcome any obstacle and save the day no matter what the cost (notice I did not say “can”, I said “will”). Conflict is inevitable and superheroes take it upon themselves to protect and serve those that cannot do for themselves. The legendary superheroes inspire others to become the next generation of heroes. The city could be your school or classroom. The conflict could be fear of relationships or finding the slope of a line. As #EduGladiators, we are telling the world that we have taken the charge of ensuring that every kid will be prepared to overcome obstacles to obtain their goals and dreams on this journey called life. This cannot happen without a strong relationship, which Rita Pearson can tell you all about.

Understand that our parents give us their most prized possessions. How would you want someone to treat your most prized possession? Would you want it nurtured? Protected? Valued? Prized possessions indicate the immeasurable value that each and every kid in our schools possess. I make it a point to eliminate human nature to judge and I refuse to let any kid feel they get “on my nerves”. They can't, because of how I value them. They did not create their circumstances. I am here to serve them and meet their needs. How can a kid with unlimited potential and value get on your proverbial nerve or feel unwanted? How can they not experience success and growth? This is impossible to me because as superheroes we defy the odds. Our belief in them gives them the courage to cross the bridge of hope to their future. This is our superpower. I also remember that I was a kid once and I made numerous mistakes. What about you?

At the end of your senior year, you have a moment of reflection (at least I did) and you think about all of the educators that prepared you for this challenging world. There were certain educators that stood out more than others for various reasons. I vowed (and I told this to my students) that when it is all said and done, they would consider me to be one of their top three educators of all time. I say top three because honestly, it is hard for me to compete with any kindergarten educators. I made it a point to give each and every student that crossed my path a reason to go home and talk about school on their own accord (you would be surprised how many kids go home and do not talk about school after 8 hours of school). After 10 years in education the age of my students is quite diverse; however, when I run into my students, there is one consistent theme that is shared, “Thank you Mr. Griffin! You were one of the few teachers that really made an impact on my life!" Notice they did not just say EDUCATION, they said LIFE!!! They talk to me about the obstacles they were faced with and how they overcame them.

  

I always asked myself, “what if our kids truly saw what I saw deep within them and the unlimited potential of their future to change the world?”  More importantly, what if they saw it within themselves and believed it? I believe in them. We have prepared for the conflict that undoubtedly will present itself and they have the courage to persevere. I know my impact exceeds the one to two years that I have the honor of educating them in my classroom/school. I have the superpower to impact the rest of their lives. Insert Uncle Ben telling Peter Parker, "With great power comes great responsibility!" When my kids leave me I willingly give them a piece of me to let them know they will never be alone because I am with them. I decided to make this my gift to ALL students. Together we WILL accomplish our goals. We WILL change the world. Upon deeper reflection, my students give me a piece of them that allows me to persevere and make sure that we are successful, because I know what their futures may hold if I fail; therefore, failure is not an option for any student. My success is predicated on their success now and in the future. We will be forever linked with a common bond; change. They are on a mission to pay it forward as they mature and take the mantel to become the next generation of superheroes. As #EduGladiators and #EduHeroes you become part of something greater than yourself. 

Do you care to join us on our mission to save the world against insurmountable odds?

I'm Batman was released on July 11th, 2017 at EduGladiators.com

Green Lantern Corps

Green Lantern Corps

There are times that even superheroes have to be cautious; however, we should not be cautious to the point where we become paralyzed to take action in our quest to serve others.

Do you have willpower? If so, when and how does your willpower manifest in your leadership? Willpower is the source of the Green Lantern Corps Power. The Green Lantern Corps have the power to construct the mental images in their minds to help them succeed in their battle to protect the innocent. The stronger their WILLPOWER, the stronger the CONSTRUCT!!! The Green Lanterns real power has never fully manifested in the DC comic universe, and when you take the time to think about it, it makes perfectly good sense. Who would be able to defeat a unified team that had the willpower to overcome any obstacle?  What would happen if our willpower was strong enough to bring the constructs of our mind to reality as educators?

Willpower is synonymous with heart, a power source we tap to enhance our emotional intelligence and increases our capacity to build relationships and inspire others. As a society, willpower is often manifested and glorified in the sports arenas when an injured player decides to play and makes an outstanding play to win the game. For the past ten years, I have had the unwavering willpower that all of my students will succeed. It did not matter if they did not believe it or if someone else doubted them. Why you may ask because I had enough willpower (heart) for everyone until they believed in themselves. I know that my students are who I believe they will be and therefore, I would never doubt their abilities for a second because they are the epitome of greatness. Consider it the Pygmalion Effect. Our words power our hearts that create the constructs of our minds.

The antagonist of willpower is doubt better known as fear. Human nature causes us to have willpower in areas that we are comfortable in and doubt when we are on the verge of a new endeavor that will ask us to leave the safe confines of our comfort zone. I can relate to this situation with my first Blog post, “I Am Batman.”

Would anyone read it?

Who cares what I have to say?

Who am I to write anything?

What if nobody likes it?

I am not ready (which translates into, what will happen if I fail?)

I have delayed sharing any of my thoughts through writing for years not because I was cautious, but because...I WAS AFRAID TO FAIL! Rather than fail, I decided to make excuses to pacify my mind. Maybe you have experienced similar internal conversations regarding your capacity.  

The phrase 'I am not ready' presented the greatest challenge to my willpower.  Often, it is not the challenge of the new responsibility that we question, rather it is what will happen if we fail or even fall short of the expectations that we have set for ourselves? How will others view me and more importantly how will I see myself? Once again, False Expectations Appearing Real, better known as F.E.A.R. reared its ugly head.

 Willpower would challenge this line of thinking through the belief that our one action might ignite the passion that helps bring change to a person’s life, community, even the world. This is why we need WILLPOWER (HEART) to overcome the fear (doubt) of the world. Our willpower has to be greater than the sum doubt of any entity that would paralyze us to respond to our call to action. When you are confronted with F.E.A.R. you ultimately have two choices, Forget Everything And Run or  Face Everything And Rise. Your choice will ultimately determine your capacity to be a SUPERhero. I know As members of my PLN, I have found strength in the willpower you have in yourselves and in, me. The consistent nudging of @literacyloverPT, @jodiepierpoint, and @mgrosstaylor helped me shine my light in the sphere of F.E.A.R. that encompassed me. I hope that one day I will be able to be that light for all of you as well. The worst feeling in the world is not necessarily failure. It is allowing years to pass and living with the uncertainty of not knowing what could have happened if you would have attempted to step outside of your comfort zone to impact change.

There is one last thing that I need to let you know about the Green Lantern Corps, and it is critical that I share this with you. You can not choose to be a member of the Green Lantern Corps. When a Green Lantern ceases their role, the ring chooses the next bearer based on their willpower. In the current age of education, it is often said that we made a choice to be educators. I disagree. I believe you answered your calling to be an educator to serve the members of our society and bring about the change our world needs through enlightened minds.

At the end of my podcast on the EduGladiators You Tube Channel, I shared that I had a challenge for everyone.  The Green Lantern’s mantra is utilized throughout the galaxy as it enhances their collective willpower to eliminate the doubt within their minds. What false evidence appearing real are you challenged with for the 2017-2018 school year? Is it a student that you heard negative reports about? Maybe you are transitioning to a different grade level or school. 

So the challenge is enhancing our collective willpower to ensure we Face Everything And Rise so we make the positive constructs of our minds a reality for the students and families that we serve.  What is our mantra that will be the light that shines and eliminates the educational darkness that attempts to enshrouds our world?

Thank you for reading my blog post and supporting me. This experience has stretched my thinking in ways that you can not even imagine. 

Batman signing off.

Green Lantern Corps was first released August 4, 2017 at EduGladiators.com.

My PLN Is My Justice League

Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman are three of the most iconic members of the DC comic book universe. Each member is equipped with a unique skill set that they utilize to combat the forces of evil. However, there always comes a time when their powers are stretched to their capacity and are not enough to claim victory on their own. When this happens, the individuals unite to form The Justice League, one of the most formidable teams to grace the comic book universe. When the Justice League unites, they utilize all of their gifts to find a solution to a problem that is aligned with their purpose. I am part of a Justice League that is better known as my Professional Learning Network (PLN). I can tell you that the members of my #PLN are the mightiest force around whose battle to ensure learning for ALL (this includes students, adults, and community members) through building the leadership capacity of each other comes second to none. 

Last week, I had the opportunity to present #TweetsThatLead at the #SLATEInWI Conference (School Leaders Advancing Technology in Education) on #TwitterChats and the power of Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) with Jenny Restock (@jrestock3). Let me begin by saying in no way shape, form, or fashion are we Twitter experts. We were faced with two problems that exceeded our capacity. First, how could we generate the authentic power of Twitter with our audience during our session? On many occasions we listen to the presenter make a personal connection with their subject matter that does not always resonate with the audience because they have not tapped into that experience. When this happens we are asking the audience to trust the word of the presenter. We knew that we needed to eliminate the bias from our perspective and experiences with Twitter. Secondly, we wanted to make sure the experience was interactive and that everyone that attended our session would indeed feel the power of engaging with individuals that did not reside within our four walls. 

Our solution to our first obstacle was to ask members of our #PLN to use #FlipGrid to share the power of Twitter and Twitter Chats. 

Jay Posick (@posickj)                                              Sharin Teebo (@virgilalligator)

Rachelle Dene Poth (@Rdene915                            Chris Cooper (@cooper1503)

Two Guys (@twoguysde)                                         Cory Radish (cradisch_wc)

Jodie Pierpoint (@jodiepierpoint)                            Paul O'Neill (@PaulOneill1972)

Bethany Hill (@bethhill2829)                                  Josue Falaise (@josuefalaise)

Marlena Gross-Taylor (@mgrosstaylor)                  James Varlack (@JV_Lack)
Kathy Miller (@KMillerSAIL)                                Rich Czyz (@RACzyz)

Colleen Skiles (@sckiles80)                                    Elaine Mendez (@ElemCoach)

Jessica Johnson (@PrincipalJ)                                 John Miller (@mexusmx)

Barbara Gruener (@BarbaraGruener)                      Valerie Tilton (@valerietilton) 

If you want to contribute, please click on this link and leave your response.

Then it dawned on me as I was reaching out to my PLN to solicit feedback on the proposed questions, "if we genuinely wanted to demonstrate the power of a PLN why not invite members of my PLN to the chat?" I knew this would be a stretch considering the time of day and work schedules but what was the worst thing that could happen? My PLN did not disappoint and they were more than excited to answer the call. These members of my PLN helped facilitate an authentic Twitter Chat experience at the #TweetsThatLead session:

Marlena Gross-Taylor (@mgrosstaylor)                    Rachelle Dene Poth (@Rdene915)

Paul O'Neill (@PaulOneill1972)                               Colleen Skiles (@cskiles80)

Jim Smith (@MrDataGuy)                                        Pam Hubler (@specialtechie)

Elaine Mendez (@ElemCoach)                                 Dr. Josue Falaise (@josuefalaise) 

Cory Radisch (@cradisch_wc)                                  Kathy Miller (@KMillerSAIL) 

Andrea T. Gabbadon (@ILM_Consulting)               Naomi Austin (@AustinELA8)

Mollie Haubenschild (@mheilberger)                       Jodie Pierpoint (@jodiepierpoint)

Laura Busch (@llbusch)*                                         

Laura Jennaro (@Laura_Jennaro)*
Jay Posick* (@posickj) (Dave Burgess (@burgessdave) responded to Jay in the chat :)

This does not include the numerous educators that gave me words of wisdom and encouragement leading up to the presentation and inquired to how the presentation was received. 

Honestly, due to the collective experience and knowledge of my PLN, the smartest person in the room was the room. Our collective intelligence was utilized to introduce people to Twitter, connect new educators, and grow our PLNs. The Justice League has an infinite number of members with unique gifts and talents and we should as well. Twitter has allowed me to remove the artificial barriers that often confine educators to a box and feeling of isolation. Very similar to my alter ego, "Batman" I remember there was a time that I shunned being a connected educator. If I accomplished anything, I wanted to make sure it was off of the sweat of my brow or based on my own merits. What I have come to learn is that my own merits were a fallacy that protected me from the fear of depending on others and/or letting others down. The true growth to achieve my morale imperative was linked to my ability to belong to a collaborative team. Nothing great was or ever will be accomplished in isolation. Mr. Too Legit To Quit himself, Kevin Honeycutt (@kevinhoneycutt) asked the audience, "what is your digital footprint?" If I google you, what would it say? Who are you connected to, because this work can not be done alone and our kids need us now! I have to reiterate, the task of leadership and educating the future is far too great of a mission for any one individual to shoulder alone. 

A few days after the presentation I was contemplating what would be the next steps for #TweetsThatLead when I received a Vox from fellow #EduGladiator Core Warrior Paul O'Neill. Paul asked, "what would #TweetsThatLead do for an encore?" Paul went on to say that, "he is sure that we are doing great things for our students, families, and staff members within our buildings on a daily basis. However, are we reaching our full potential?" This moment was a defining moment of a PLN for me. PLNs see the potential within you and push you to manifest that potential in your service to others. Members of your PLN help you step outside of your comfort zone and take risks. Members of your PLN mobilize to support as you navigate the uncharted terrain of your journey that will light the path to new horizons. My PLN is still growing and challenging me to not become content with the status quo by extinguishing the shroud of isolation around my leadership. I have grown immensely due to each and every one of you. I hope that I will be able to return the support to you in the future. Thank you PLN for being my Justice League. Batman signing out.