Generating GeniusLiving the Dream of Educating, Empowering, and Elevating Brown Boys to Greatness!By Craig Martin, M.Ed
I had to pinch myself when I
realized that I was front and center stage with my dream of molding brown boy
potential before an audience of the world.
Granted, this may not seem so special when you acknowledge the great work
being publicized about Urban Prep Academy in Chicago, The Eagle’s Academies for
Young Men in New York, and Nativity Prep of Boston. All three educational juggernauts are positioning
African and Latino American males to excel, flourish, and transcend stereotypes
and statistics of the American Prison Pipeline.
My dream cast happens to immortalize in a small public school urban
classroom in Boston.
Inside Room 204, 26
charismatic 3rd graders pour into our all-boys classroom only to
drop their bags and dash into the class library where they can pour through Ripley’s
Believe It or Not for the twentieth time.
It appears they can never get enough of the man who had a 200 pound
tumor, the man who can balance 20 soccer balls on his tongue, or the woman with
the giant golf ball eyes. Others find
themselves debating whether or not an octopus would beat a squid in a battle
royale from the Magic Tree House Sea Monsters’ read for homework. And a number of others lie on the rug
enjoying the new graphic novel additions of The Lunch Lady, Bone, Secret
Science Alliance, and Geronimo Stilton, captivating them to a reading stupor. “Mr. Martin…I NEEEEEEEEED that new Diary of a
Wimpy Kid!” cries Adam as he pulls out his collection of books one through six
and begins to re-read his favorite section to a peer.
My Architects of Change
are in for a roller coaster of an experience, because for most of them, I will
be their first male teacher, first African American male adult who is not a
coach or administrator, and first African American male teacher who happens to
lead an all-boys class to success. On
the first day of school, as we rehearse how to walk quietly in a line and are
cultivating ideas on what the number of the day could be, Steven quietly stops
near me as says, “Mr. Martin, I like you…you embrace happiness like me. This is going to be my best year ever!” And he just walked past me through the
hallways beaming with thoughts and emotions.
My role in their lives is
illuminating in possibilities as their surrogate father, coach, referee,
counselor, cheerleader, mentor, and more.
I represent a mirror reflection of who they could be and my main mission
as their teacher is to pull out their best light and help shine it so that the
world can see them as someone invaluable to the framework of our communities.
“Mr. Martin, is everyone we are
going to read about going to also be an ‘Architect of Change’?” queries Rafael,
after we completed reading a fable on a little brown boy who sought knowledge
from an elder who sent him on a mission to help out many members of his
community in hopes of receiving the wisdom he so desperately wanted. From our discussions on 14 year old African
American scholar, Tony Hansberry, who patented his own surgery technique, Damon
Weaver, 8 year old African American news reporter, who interviewed President
Obama, and even King Tut who became leader of Egypt as a teenager, I find ways
to illustrate how each person can make a tremendous difference in some way. It is imperative that they witness and
experience successes that counter the narrative that they will become victim to
violence, illiteracy, and/or poverty. “Rafael,
that’s a good question. Time will
tell. But I think you may already know
the answer. Let’s see what happens” I
retort.
This journey is grand
with promise. My boys are the smartest
in the city and they will work extremely hard to prove it. However, it will take reprogramming them to
believe in who they are and who they can be.
It will take facing years of people telling them they were stupid or
slow or trouble makers. It will require
pouring into them love, support, and advocating resources to stand in the gap
when challenges arise. I look forward to
what tomorrow will bring as I recount the daily recitation of our creed:
We
are Architects of Change!
We
believe in ourselves, our school and family, and in our potential!
We
are not statistics. We are the Standard!
We
will achieve, defy the odds, and fly high like eagles!
We
are brothers, bonded, built strong, and ready to make a difference in our
community!
We
are ARCHITECTS OF CHANGE!
Yes…
We are Architects of
Change!
…and the world is ours!
