If I Can't Be Batman, Then Who Can I BE???

Last week, I was talking to a 5th grade young man in front of my office door when he said to me, "Mr. Griffin everyone calls you Batman here at school. I do not want to sound racist (as he begins to loose eye contact with me, I encourage him to keep going), but... Batman is white in all of the movies, and well um, you are kinda not white, you're black!"

I smiled at the young man and shared with him that first and foremost, you are not a racist. You did not do anything to harm me, you did nothing to degrade me, or make me feel bad about who I am as a person. You are not racist, you just made an observation. Here is my question for you, what does Batman stand for as a symbol?

The young man stated that, "Batman stands for doing what is right. Batman protects others."

I said, "Exactly, and as a symbol, I do the same thing for each and every student and teacher in this building when it comes to education."

He stated that, "I guess you're right!"

There were many questions that entered my mind when I reflected on this conversation that included but were not limited too:

How many of my other students think this way (Honestly, I am surprised I have only had two conversations around this topic with students)?

What impact did my alter ego of Batman have on the way this young man viewed the world?

How do we continue to shift the paradigm of heroes in our world when kids aspire to be who they see through the media?

If I can't be Batman, then who can I be?

Colorblindness

The topic of colorblindness always baffled me for as long as I could remember. I am a huge comic book fan and an avid Saturday Morning Cartoon enthusiast. Growing up, I played with superhero toys and games and was always enamored with them. Around the second and third grade I realized that the characters did not look like me. On the occasion when I would see someone that looked like me they had a limited role or they played the villian. I recall asking my parents why didn't any of the superheroes look like me? To this day I can not remember their exact answer to that question, however, I remember them always telling me that I can be whatever I choose to be and that the color of my skin will not limit what I am destined to achieve. They definitely supported my aspirations and guided me with their wisdom, that included the fact that I will have to be two to three times better than my peers on my journey. This was because they knew there would be times when I would have to prove to others that I am more than the pigmentation of my skin.

At a young age, I was able to see the depictions of color through the media and of those around me. Guess what? My student did not use the barometer of occupation, wealth, status, political connections, or family to question my ability to serve as Batman. He did not even challenge the fact that Batman is a fictional character. He used the color of my skin. As adults we can no longer claim that we do not see the color of our students, our colleagues, or members of our community. The decision to not acknowledge the cultural differences of our community, is a decision that for far too long has cast fear and doubt into the hearts, minds, and spirits of our society. The lack of understanding has given life to stereotypes that live without substance due to an inability to become vulnerable and learn from one another.

Symbols

I am proud of the fact that I have established the relationship with this young man that he felt comfortable sharing his thoughts with me. A few of my colleagues shared with me the significance of my role as an African-American principal. Dennis, you have to understand there are many individuals that have never truly interacted with a person of color. The only thing that they have to go off of is the perception and stereotypes that the media portrays of people of color. Each and every day you prove that those stereotypes are not true. Not only are you challenging and shifting paradigms, you serve as an advocate for all students, especially your students of color. Dennis, you serve as a symbol of what students will aspire to become in the future.

I can only hope that I can live up to such an expectation as an #EduHero. I choose to wear the mask on this journey and that decision has often led me to be the only person in the room that looks like me. June 9th, 2017 I became Batman to more than 400 students. I can only hope that when the symbol of Batman is mentioned on their journey they will envision Bruce Wayne and Mr. Griffin; their African-American principal. In turn, my aspiration is that they will heed Dr. King's words, and look at the content of a person's character and not the color of their skin. This is how we pass the mantel of leadership to the next generation.

The Belief In Your Heart WILL EMPOWER Your Students

I strive to empower students in order to change the trajectory of their future outcomes. In order to empower anyone you must believe in them. Empowerment without belief is the equivalent of swinging at a baseball with an imaginary bat, you will never get a hit. This year will culminate with the graduation of the last class of students I served as an educator. I had the opportunity to serve these students for two consecutive years. My classroom was very diverse and was often lacking in confidence. My students came to me at various levels and with different abilities. This never mattered to me because my moral imperative aligned with the belief that education was about my students ability to overcome obstacles and participate in a democratic society thus proving the skeptics wrong in regard to their predetermined outcomes.

This blog is about one young lady that would come to my class and say that she hated math. She would tell me that she was never going to be good in math and therefore she would never do any of the math work or participate in class. She even told me that, "she was not scared of me like these other kids." I shared with this particular student that, "she had no reason to be afraid of me, I care about you as a person and our classroom is built upon respect for one another." I saw the potential inside of her but rather than unleash her talent, she would attempt to have outbursts and disrupt the class in hopes that I would have her removed from class. She shared with me that I was not like her other teachers, because the other teachers would have kicked her out of class by now. I smiled and shared, "I never kick kids out of my class. It is my job to make sure you learn and I can not do that if you are not here. You are a part of my school community and I am responsible for your future. I have to make sure you are ready for college. I will never give up!" She replied, Mr. Griffin, I do not like school now, I will never go to college. I smiled and said we will see.

After the first month of school we came to an understanding and I started to see the changes within her. She would often tell me that I was doing too much by having high expectations for her and the quality of her work. I emphasized that there are no shortcuts. There was one occasion she voiced this phrase the week prior to to Spring Break by saying, "Mr. Griffin, you know you are like the only teacher in the building teaching, right? Everyone else is watching movies and having fun." Now, I know she did not literally mean this but you get the point. I shared with her, "remember I am preparing you for your future and I do not have a second to waste." After two years together, she made sure that I was the first person she took a picture with at the 8th Grade Celebration.

Fast Forward Four Years

My former student tracks me down three different ways (social media, email, and via phone). My secretary delivered a message from her and said she sounded very professional over the phone. It is important for me to note that I have not interacted with her in four years. I have not communicated with this particular student since the 8th Grade Celebration, and I am beginning to think that something is wrong. I call back and she says to me, "Mr. Griffin, I want to say thank you for never giving up on me. I wanted to let you know that I am graduating from high school this year and I am going to college. I have been accepted into three different colleges." Not only did she get accepted to college, she even received a scholarship. I heard her mom saying thank you in the background. I told her, "I promised you back then that we will always be connected and that we are on this journey together. Thank you for entrusting your daughter's education to me." My former student than said, "Mr. Griffin, my graduation is a big moment in my life, and I wanted to invite you to attend because you played a major role in my life. I wanted you to share this moment with me." 

Belief Plants The Seed

This is a special school year for me as it will culminate with the graduation of the last class that I had the honor to teach. I can not believe how fast time has past by. Every year, I take the time to reflect  about my former students and contemplate how they are progressing. I reflect on the lessons they taught me that made me the educator I am today. The number one lesson that my students taught me was to have an unwavering belief in their potential and more importantly, their futures. In our world, we have become so obsessed with immediate gratification that we have associated delayed gratification with a lack of progress. In the world of education, the fruits of our labor may not manifest for 10 - 15 years in the future. In the interim, as EDUCATORS, we must believe that our actions will empower our students to persevere in the face of adversity as they strive to become productive members of our democratic society. The task that we are charged with is not easy nor is it for the faint of heart. I believe with all of my heart serving our students is worth it.