Let's Not Become The, "Oh, I Helped You Once Society."

We often have a tendency to help someone in dire straights and then believe that when a sense of normal returns we feel we did enough. As a matter of fact, we often think that normal means everything is okay. There are even times when normal comes back that we say, "I helped you already, what more do you expect me to do?" Do we ever stop to think that maybe the individuals we helped should not have been in that situation in the first place? Just maybe, helping should not be seen as a sacrifice or some form of charity, rather it should be seen as doing your part for the greater good.

When help is seen as being done to others distrust may be created from the person received the help. How many times have we witnessed or been a participant in the infamous, "I helped you before, now you owe me motif?" This train of thought creates a cycle where people will be apprehensive to receive assistance from anyone. If they have the capacity to create new circumstances for themselves there is a chance that they have been indoctrinated into a pull yourself by your bootstraps mentality and will negate the ability to be a helping hand towards others in the future. The problem with the pull yourself up by your bootstraps doctrine like Colin Powell (I can not remember which book), and my mentors Dr. Howard Fuller and Ken Williams have shared with me in conversation was, "what if I never had bootstraps to begin with?"A Wikipedia search indicated that this phrase originated in the early 19th Century and was used to describe an absurdly impossible action. What do you think bootstraps would be the equivalent to in our current pandemic? This is a reflective question just for you. I will let you fill in the blank. Furthermore, I have never witnessed anyone accomplish anything great on their own accord. Help from others is essential.

See, the COVID-19 pandemic has provided support for Fullan's theory of change. He classified change in two forms. Think, analyze, change was the first form. I tend to be more of this theory. Then he stated, "most people must see, feel, and then they will change." Inequity existed. Everyone was aware of it even though the degree may have varied. The COVID-19 pandemic has made us see inequity, have the empathy to feel the impact that inequity has on others, and make changes at this moment to try to curb the inequity. The question remains, what will happen after this? One day, the pandemic will end. We will be able to go back outside. We will be able to drink coffee and eat lunch together in restaurants. We will be able to shop in stores versus depending on Amazon. Educators and students will return to their school buildings.

This right here is the problem. We will assume that everyone's normal is at a minimum our normal. The reality is when normal returns there will be people without food, without access to technology and the internet, or without the means to provide for their families without working two or more jobs. In some cases, the world will look to jump upon the inequity that happened when a family could not afford to pay their bills during this time and place a greater degree of stress and strife upon our fellow humans. We will still have students who return to classrooms that will not be academically, emotionally, or socially at the same level as their peers. As a matter of fact, the gaps have a chance of expanding.

The worse part about this scenario is that the people that were often helped have a tendency to be ostracized and vilified for the fact that they needed help.  We say what more can we expect others to do for other people? We want to know, how will this get paid for? Who is responsible?

Newsflash...WE ARE RESPONSIBLE!!! If we created the system that does not mean that we have to allow the system to define us (Blanchard, 2018). WE can CHANGE the SYSTEM!!!

The reality is, we live based off of a Western philosophy of wanting to know intricate details of HOW versus emphasizing the WHY (Knoster, 2000). Simon Sinek (2009) expressed, "people do not buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it!" When we start with the WHY the how and what will follow to create a true movement of change based on a shift in our values and beliefs.

Normally, I would leave a few suggestions of next steps in my blog, but this time I will leave these open-ended questions for your reflection:

What will we do when normalcy returns?

More importantly, why will it return to normal of why will it change?

What role will you play?

As always, thank you for taking the time to read my blog and supporting Hear2MakeYouThink.

References

Blanchard. K., & Broadwell, R. (2018). Servant leadership in action: How you can achieve great relationships and results. Oakland: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Incorporated. 

Fullan, M. (2003). The moral imperative of school leadership. Toronto: Ontario Principals' Council.

Sinek, S. (2009) Start With Why: How great leaders inspire everyo9ne to take action. New York: Portfolio.

Villa, R. A., & Thousand, J.S. (2000). Restructuring for caring and effective education: Piecing the puzzle together. Baltimore, MD: P.H. Brooks Pub. 

Duality: The Power of Choice

Good vs. Evil
  Love vs. Hate

     Yin vs. Yang

       Glass Half Full vs. Glass Half Empty

 Work Balance vs. Life Balance

When we look at duality, we often look at it from abstract concepts that draw upon our ability to visualize an image that aligns with our values, thus creating a story that we wanted the image to fit. If you do not believe me go back and look at a few of the examples. What image entered your mind? Why did that image appear? Why did one image appear over the other? You guessed it, your values were connected to the imagery that entered your mind for these abstract concepts. Duality was defined as an instance of opposition or contrast between two concepts or two aspects of something (Yes, another Google search. I am intentional at this time about using the internet to define words for this series of blogs). Duality has always existed and always will. It is ever-present in our day-to-day lives. Duality surfaces the most when we have a clash of values. In the book Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It, James Kouzes and Barry Posner state that "it is unlikely that people can behave consistently with each one of their values all of the time (pg. 61)." The conflict and clash of internal values and the idea of overcoming this internal struggle lay at the heart of duality. Why may you ask? Duality speaks to our ability to have a choice.

Yes, choice is a determining factor in our ability to live our values. Sir Issac Newton, in his third law, stated, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The problem is that we have applied the third law of motion to our decision-making processes and operate in a conventional and reductionist way when faced with making a choice. We tend to think linear and in isolated parts of our system. It is vital to remember this because as we make a choice based on our values, we will see that each of our decisions has ripple effects that transcend to those around us. Peter Senge, the author of the 5th Discipline, speaks to how our solutions of today will create our problems tomorrow.

The problems of tomorrow created by duality are often the result of unintended consequences. For example, Brown v. The Board of Education (1964) might be heralded as one of the most monumental cases known in American History. In policy, the decision integrated schools and ended the Separate but Equal Doctrine of Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). It is important to address that a shift in policy occurred versus a shift in values. The deeply embedded values that people held created the fiery resistance against integration. I have benefited from the sacrifices of various icons such as Thurgood Marshall, George Hayes, James Nabrit, and Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren that have allowed me to be educated in a diverse setting. Not only have I benefited, I believe those that shared my learning environments have also benefited from a diverse environment. The adverse effect of the Brown decision was that many African-American principals lost their jobs and the ability to influence the educational trajectory of their communities, thus impacting the teaching pipeline of today. It is difficult to become what you can not see. Currently, African-Americans make up 6.7% of the teaching workforce in America with 2% comprised of African-American men (National Center for Education Statistics).

One of the lessons that I had to learn was that no matter what the situation, every decision I make has a high level of duality that will positively or adversely impact someone else. I was a victim of thinking that my choices that were made would only produce positive results. I honestly did not understand that there would be intended and unintended consequences from my decisions. I did not truly understand that my choices could adversely cause someone to experience a sense of loss. During these times, we see people show their passion. At times, we interpret this passion as negativity (and sometimes it is), but there are times that it is in the form of duality and a clash of values in the way of man vs. self, man vs. man, and man vs. the world. The open clash of values creates a feeling of conflict that is often embedded with fear and causes many of us to choose inaction. Inaction provides a choice to turn a blind eye and not allow our values to speak for us. Inaction is often disguised as neutrality in order to protect our perceived values and shift the responsibility of action onto others. Remember, inaction is a choice that duality provides.

Duality haunts us because hindsight is 20/20. When we have experienced a particular outcome of our decisions we often ask ourselves, "what would have happened if we would have made another choice?" The question is how do we refrain from having a bias towards action (DuFour, Fullan 2013)? At work, as a team, we make it a point to examine what the potential ramifications of our choices could potentially be in the future. We make decisions based on the information that we currently have. We must understand that going into the process that we will never have a perfect outcome. Duality will never allow for perfection due to our ability to engage in critical thinking around our values and the current events and outcomes that our systems produce. This concept of duality applies to our personal and family lives, as well. Duality gives us the power of choice, and the choice is ours.

Thank you for reading the second edition of my #threewords. I apologize for the delay as I was confronted with duality yesterday. The third and final word for 2020 will be Leadership. Leadership is the bridge between our values and the conflict of duality in our lives.

Here is the link to Word One: Values, Morals, and Ethics: Where do we begin in 2020?

References

DuFour, R., & Fullan, M. (2013). Cultures built to last: systemic PLCs at work. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press. 

National Center for Education Statistics

Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (1993). Credibility: How leaders gain and lose it, why people demand it. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Senge, P. (1990). The fifth discipline: the art and practice of the learning organization. New York: Doubleday/Currency.

Values, Morals, Ethics, where do we begin in 2020?

This year, I had an epiphany that has made a profound change in my outlook on life. I decided to stop debating and arguing about ethics and morality because I believe that these elements do not exist as standalone concepts in the world that we live in. At the core of morality and ethics is the idea of values that are epitomized through the results that we receive in the human systems and constructs that we have created. If you do not believe me ask yourself the following questions:

1) Is it morally or ethically just for an achievement gap to exist that has the potential to ultimately dictate the life expectancy of children as early as the third grade? Is it morally or ethically just for a parent to tell me that they do not want their child to be a statistic? With an increasing achievement gap amongst our students of color, how do we make sense of morality and ethics in education?

2) Stealing is wrong. Is it morally or ethically just to penalize a person that stole to feed their family if they did not have access to any other options? Is the actual problem hiding within the fact that morally and ethically, we have individuals that could not obtain the food to feed their family to begin with?

3) Taking another life is wrong, morally, and ethically wrong. Does this concept apply when countries were engaged in war? What about if the life was taken in self-defense? Is the consequence the same based on our morality and ethics?

These three questions, if based on Morality and Ethics, would be crystal clear. We have this desire to create a world that defines the outcomes without identifying the source of the problems. Based on the concept of Morality and Ethics, we would take proactive measures to ensure that the root cause of these problems would not exist in our society.

A quick Google search produced the following definitions:

Values were defined as "the regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something" or "a person's principles or standards of behavior; one's judgment of what is important in life."

Morality was defined as "principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior.

Ethics was defined as "moral principles that govern a person's behavior or the conducting of an activity." The term ethic added to this definition by placing an emphasis on, "a moral set of principles, especially ones relating to or affirming a specified group, field or form of conduct."

Values, Morality, and Ethics are often seen as interchangeable and synonymous with one another. However, a quick google search demonstrated the interconnections and created an order that I believe to be Values, Morality, and then Ethics.

I believe that values provide a definition for our lives that is validated by our experiences. This is why we must connect with one another. It is only through our connections that we can create shared values that enhance our society. Please do not assume that we have the same values because we work for the same organization or that there is a policy in place. Shared vision comes from an alignment of interconnected individuals towards a common goal. Our interconnections allow us to learn from one another and garner another perspective. We will not always alter our values, but we may be able to understand one another, and that in itself has the power to impact our ideology of morality and ethical behavior.

This year, with my staff, we assessed our values by doing a value self-assessment. A value self-assessment allows you to understand your espoused values and your values in action.
Then we wrote personal mission statements using our values.
We shared our mission statements.
From the shared value self-assessment and personal mission statements, we will be able to create a shared vision based on the values of the individuals in our organization.

This year, I will be choosing three words like my Courageous Leadership Partner Jennifer Hogan. My second word is Duality. I will be sharing that with you tomorrow.

HEAR To Make You Think?

Hear To Make You Think

Last January, I had the opportunity to serve as an adjunct professor at Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin. I was responsible for educating 11 young men and women that took the course: Service in a Cross-Cultural Setting, Cultural Barriers to Social Justice, Milwaukee which was better known as CCS-300.  Leading up to the class, many individuals shared with me that this was always a course that was difficult to teach since many students put the course off until their junior or senior year and came in with preconceived notions. This part was not foreign to me because the truth of the matter is, we all have preconceived notions that create our schemas, better known as our biases.


At the beginning of the first class, I stated to them that "I am not here to change you, I am here to make you think?" Just for a point of reference, I always add a question mark after the word think because I believe that thinking requires a strong ability to ask questions. I believed firmly in this ideology because change is often the byproduct of challenges that lead to shifts in paradigms or belief systems. Maya Angelou once stated, "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." This can only happen through deliberate and intentional thinking.

Thinking is the catalyst of change that allows us to challenge the status quo. Here are six themes that stood out to me from John Maxwell's book, How Successful People Think.

1) Remember that people want what was, not what can be. (10)

2) If you want to become a good thinker then start preparing yourself for the possibility of becoming unpopular. (83)

3) Popular thinking loves the status quo. It puts its confidence in the idea of the moment, and holds on to it with all its might. As a result, it resists change and dampens innovation. (86)

4) Sharp people sharpen one another, just as iron sharpens iron. If you want to be a sharp thinker, be around sharp people. (XII)

5) Reflective thinking enables you to distance yourself from the intense emotions of particularly good or bad experiences and see them with fresh eyes. (73)

6) Good thinking is hard work. If it were easy, everybody would be a good thinker. Unfortunately, many people try to live life the easy way. They don't want to do the hard work of thinking or pay the price of success. It's easier to do what other people do and hope that they thought it out. (83)

CCS-300 was a huge success for me. Many of my students encouraged me to teach a four-credit course or at a minimum teach this course again because I challenged their way of thinking. I was able to bring first-hand accounts of various Cultural Barriers to Social Justice and they decided to shift their belief systems. This was accomplished by creating a learning environment that accepted differences of opinions but challenged conventional stereotypes and belief systems. The students engaged in philosophical debates where they were responsible for creating an equitable system that would promote social justice.

The class mantra of, I am not here to change you, I am here to make you think stuck with me. I decided to apply it openly in all arenas I ventured into. My mother shared that this did not come as a surprise to her, because as a child, I always asked questions and sought the purpose behind all actions. It is no surprise to me that my daughters are very similar. A special group of educators, that I had the pleasure of working with, shared with me that I taught them how to think critically. Rumor has it, that they would rehearse the potential questions I would ask with other educators prior to a meeting. The true power in this level of thinking was their ability to refrain from solving adaptive problems with technical solutions.

Welcome to my updated blog site, HEAR To Make You Think? HEAR is a play on words. I believe change comes when we embrace the opportunity to have our paradigms challenged by truly hearing what people have to say. Paradigms that have been challenged/shifted require us to decide on a course of action. That decision is yours, and yours alone. For that reason, I could not think of any better way to relaunch my blog than beginning with one of my favorite quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Thank you for HEARing me and remember, I Am Not Here To Change You, I Am HEAR To Make You Think?

Sources

Maxwell, J. C. (2009). How successful people think: Change your thinking, change your life.

Courageous Leadership is not bravado. It’s leading from the heart, and aligning one’s actions with beliefs. It’s doing the hard stuff because it has to be done, and being truthful through the process. I believe it’s one of the most important qualities of a leader.
~ Jennifer Hogan

Below is a collaborative post from Dennis Griffin and me. Dennis reached out to me on Voxer after reading my e-book, and after a few conversations, we knew that we wanted to create an opportunity to collaborate with others around the action of facing our fears as we lean into courage in the new year. We hope you will join us!

I (Jennifer) used to think that courageous leadership meant being willing to make decisions that people wouldn’t like. Also, in my naivety, I thought that courage was something that had to be summoned up… called for, if you will, before doing the things that others didn’t want to do. Now, as I have grown in my leadership experience because of my connection with others via my online PLN, I realize that courage is not the opposite of fear. We all have fears, and we can all be courageous. As I have explored the concept of being a courageous leader, I had to research fear and how fear drives many of the decisions we make as humans and social beings. Being able to share what I have learned through my writings and empower others through coaching to name, claim, and face their fears have been some of the most rewarding experiences of which I have been a part.

What is Courageous Leadership?

I (Dennis) have to admit the media had greatly influenced what I thought Courageous Leadership was. Courageous Leadership had been depicted as the protagonist looking fear square in the eye and overcoming conflict that had a definitive right and wrong. Of course, in the movies, the protagonist was always on the side of righteousness. Our world has taught us that righteousness is not always the determining factor in what many deem as leadership. Power, privilege, and personal perspective have often dictated decisions that have not necessarily served the greater good.

On my leadership journey I have questioned, how was it possible for so many individuals to take the same leadership classes, read the same leadership books, and turn around and allow so many injustices to go unaddressed and empower the status quo? Gus Lee, the author of Courage: The Backbone Of Leadership, may have summarized what stops courageous leadership when he stated, “being isolated in a relational society feels like death.” We live in a society where people want to belong to something. I can remember as a student there were times when I acted differently to be accepted by my peers. I am glad that I experienced that for now I truly appreciate being the authentic version of myself.

Along with Jennifer and the book study group, I hope to answer this question: Is it possible that our ability to empower others (which I believe is the highest level of leadership) to make change is directly connected with our fears of how we think society will judge us?

We are cordially inviting you to come and learn with us during the month of January for the Courageous Leadership Book Study at the following times:

Sundays

7:30 - 8:00pm, CST

Week 1: Chapters 1-2  January 6

Week 2: Chapters 3-5  January 13

Week 3: Chapters 6-7   January 20

Week 4: Chapters 8-9  January 27

We have three primary goals for The Courageous Leadership Book Study:

1. To create a space to learn and share about Courageous Leadership.
2. To build our capacity to be Courageous Leaders.
3. Develop a #PLN of Courageous Leaders to counter the effects of isolation.

One way or another, your leadership will make a difference by creating change or by reinforcing the systems that are currently operating and defining our world. Fear, doubt, and conflict will always be present as you begin to venture into the unknown; however, your Courageous Leadership is not just for you. Your Courageous Leadership can potentially create a life-altering difference in the lives of those you serve on our journey to a better tomorrow.

We hope you will join us as we kick off the new year facing our fears!

References

Lee, G., & Elliott-Lee, D. (2006). Courage: the backbone of leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Hogan, J. (2016). Handbook for Courageous Leadership. Birmingham, AL: http://thecompellededucator.com

Real Life Monopoly: A Discussion On Equity

                                                      

Hello Friends,

As always, I want to thank you for taking the time to read the Chronicles of Griffin. On Tuesday, October 9th I held and #OnTheTableMKE discussion at Prairie Elementary School in partnership with the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. The attendees from left to right included: Joe'Mar Hooper (CommonBond Communities Market Leader), Tahereh DeLeon (Elementary School Principal in Waukesha), Jen Townsend (Director of the SEE-KS Program), Aaron Perry (Alderman for the 12th Aldermanic District in Waukesha, and has two scholars that attend Prairie Elementary), and Naryan Leazer (Edward Jones Financial Advisor, My Former Marquette University Advisor, and Mentor). This blog is special to me as two of the participants were willing to allow me to share their experiences from the #OnTheTableMKE discussion. I hope you enjoy. 

   

                                                   Aaron Perry's Reflection

I recently had the honor to be invited to a roundtable to discuss equity with other parents, friends, and leaders. We all knew the topic and after introducing ourselves to each other, we did what kids do. We played a board game. It was fitting because we were meeting in an elementary school classroom and we played monopoly which of course deals with equity. Or sometimes not. 

The 6 of us made it to just 3 turns total and the realization was evident. Our meeting had nothing to do with playing a game. It was about having a discussion. An important one. A vital one. Mr. Griffin set the table (literally) for us to talk. Get to know each other and break down any walls we might have walked in with. We didn’t only discuss equity, we talked about equality, opportunity and action. What have we done to make our communities better for everyone? And what can we still do by communicating and working together? 

I was particularly happy to take a tour of the school with Mr. Griffin with the group. We very well could have met at a restaurant or coffee shop. Instead we were front and center viewing education, inclusion and educator collaboration. And they got to see us! I’m not a “look at me” kind of person but I am an advocate for exposing the good and showing a good example. Scholars need to see adults working together. Having thoughtful discussions and sharing ideas. 

Lastly, I won the monopoly game by the way. But only because of a roll of the dice. We all won by making the time to meet at Prairie Elementary School and due to Mr. Griffin’s leadership. But that “roll of the dice” is about more than just a board game. It represents equity. We all understand some will inherit a better roll of the dice than others. With that recognition we need to take action to help our neighbor. Take their hand and help them, befriend them and teach out kids we should always treat others as we would like to be treated. God has called on us to do so, regardless of your faith. 

Regards,

Aaron Perry

Jen Townsend's Experience

There’s something that happens when a person decides to truly be seen...other who want to notice will see you for who you are rather than see you based on their own perception bias. What do I mean by perception bias? I mean your social status persona, race, gender, body type, wardrobe, transportation, position title … the list goes on and on and on; it causes a judgement about someone else and at times may be an unconscious act that changes your actions towards and about someone else based on these factors. I often ask myself “how will I be seen”, “do I want to be seen” and will I emit the transparency of myself to be vulnerable, to be noticed?

I had the opportunity to play a game of Monopoly with four other adults who had one common denominator, a gentleman who invited us all to the table. He presented a traditional game only it was anything but traditional; he had changed the rules. We were not all equal at the start rather, we were given our ‘place’ in the game by a simple roll of the dice; a three could mean you start with two-hundred dollars and no property where a six could mean you start with two-thousand dollars and three properties. Fate, destiny or just plain chance, I’m not sure but it felt a lot like the society in which we live, where at times we are presented with an opportunity and yet we may not have enough resources to capitalize on it. We were playing Real World Monopoly.  

Why can’t someone capitalize on a opportunity? In the past I may have consider a response to this question that directly related to a person’s willingness to do something with it and now I  have reconsidered my response which will be twofold, is the person willing to do something AND does the person possess, at least the minimal amount, resources to carpe the diem (resources defined as a stock or supply of money, materials, people, and other assets that can be drawn on by a person in order to function effectively). I am confident that prior to playing this Real World Monopoly I would never have considered access to resources to be a barrier to a presented opportunity. Now, that I have this awareness I am not quite sure how to process my thoughts, so I will start with a reconsideration of my own perception bias.

Given Real World Monopoly’s predetermined start (based on a roll of the die) I realized we were no longer just playing a favorite childhood game rather we were playing with factors of reality, life; by creating societal injustices that cause prejudice between classes of people I came to a realization that I may have never seen before. It’s not about a person’s unwillingness to do better, to be better for oneself, rather it might just be about the opportunities that are limited by resources. If I truly want to do more than make a difference and to be the difference I must continue to move forward with open eyes to how and why opportunities have limits and consider how and what I can do to make a positive impact, to notice what is; within society, within others and most importantly within myself. I am eternally grateful to the gentleman who invited me to the table and will continue in my journey to learn, support and advocate for equity with access for all.

Regards Jen Townsend

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.