Why I #Tribe?

I began blogging due to the support and encouragement that came from Patreece Terrell (@LiteracyLoverPT), Jodie Pierpoint (@jodiepierpoint), and Marlena Gross-Taylor (@mgrosstaylor). On numerous occasions, they said that I should share my story with others. Like many others, I had to fight the doubt in my mind that I had something worth sharing. I am not sure if it is the doubt of having something to say, the fear that the writing will not be received well, or the possibility of conflict that stops many of us from sharing our thoughts through writing.

When I joined the #CompelledTribe, I was stuck in writing my dissertation. I had a conversation with Jodie and Jennifer Hogan (@Jennifer_Hogan), and they believed that blogging could help me with my dissertation writing. It has. The funny thing is, Dr. Janice Stone one of my doctoral professors, encouraged our cohort to blog as well (I was hesitant even to back then). The #CompelledTribe adds an additional level of support to share my thoughts. I have grown as a writer, thinker, reader, and leader with each of them. Allow me to share a few additional reasons why I blog.

I Am A Practitioner

This summer I participated in a Sunday Morning Facebook Live Session by Principal Kafele (@PrincipalKafele), and he commented that leaders need to be readers and writers. I commented with the emoji regarding being a writer, and Principal Kafele responded to me by saying (the gist of the response was), "Yes Dennis, You must become a writer. You must become a writer because you are a practitioner." I highly doubt that he will remember that statement, but it resonated with me. As a practitioner, you have the ability and the responsibility to share your experiences with other educators in your field. Practitioners are valuable as they test various theories and hypotheses while engaging in research. You never know what you may discover let alone how your learning will impact others.

Share My Story And Reflect

Writing has afforded me the opportunity to reflect on my journey. It has allowed reflection not to be a culminating event rather a part of the day-to-day process that enhances my ability to learn and lead. Blogging allows you to clear your mind, organize your thoughts, plan your next course of action, and eliminate stress. When we remain silent about our experiences, we allow others to create the narrative. By sharing your story, you provide an experience or a perspective that might have only served as an afterthought to most people. The National Center for Education Statistics indicated that less than 2% of America's three million teachers are African American males (as cited in Echols, 2009). In 2011 - 2012 the NCES reported that only 10.6% of 90,470 principals identified as African American. I have heard Principal Kafale advocate for more educators of color to share their thoughts through writing. I have spoken with Dr. Rosa Perez-Isiah (@RosaIsiah) and Jessica Johnson (@PrincipalJ) about articulating my thoughts due to the disproportionate numbers that I shared from the NCES report.  My voice and perspectives do not speak for everyone, but they have the power to add a diverse perspective to the conversation. 

Inspire

Patrick Lencioni in the Five Dysfunctions Of A Team stated that "it is the conflict that engages the audience at a movie." The audience waits in anticipation to see how the protagonist overcomes the conflict whether it is internal, with another person, or a worldly entity. Blogging allows me to share my successes and failures. I can only hope that my story can encourage someone to keep moving forward on their journey. Jason Bretzmann (@jbretzmnan) encouraged me to share one of my stories in the book, Stories In Edu. The story began as a blog, however, I was able to go into much more detail. Jason shared with me that he shared my story and it changed the conversation for a group of educators during their professional development. If my story helps one person or creates a new thought that helps to shift one paradigm, then I would consider that a success. To create change in our world, someone had to share their thoughts on an opinion that went against the current times or the status quo. It is important to know that when you make that decision, you are not alone.

Learn

I am an avid learner. I genuinely enjoy the opportunity to learn through the connections that I make with others. One of the pillars of Education ReImagined that validated my thinking was that all learning is social. Twitter, Voxer, reading blogs, listening to podcasts, and watching the webinars of many of my colleagues has enhanced my ability to learn and shift paradigms. Reading has enhanced my abilities as a leader. Writing about my thoughts allows me to capture the moment and reflect on my journey.

Thank you for accompanying me on this journey. I look forward to writing more and sharing my experiences with you. I can only hope that you will consider doing the same.

References

Echols, C. (2009). Challenges facing African American principals: A conversation about coping. Retrieved from the Connexions website: http://cnx.org/content/m13821/1.1/

Lencioni, P. (2002). The five dysfunctions of a team: A leadership fable. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

National Center for Education Statistics. (2011). Digest of education statistics 2010. Washington, DC: Author.