when I say that I’m an educator there’s
often the assumption that I’ve always
had a love for learning my response no
in fact I can remember when I was in the
eighth grade
my mom would say parent-teacher
conferences I waited all evening for her
to get home because I knew that she
would found out that my grades were
terrible Bemis is saying when she got
home I was nowhere to be found I tell
people I graduated from high school
without knowing the difference between
there there and there I don’t think I
read one book in any of my classes
entirely it wasn’t that I didn’t have
great teachers because I did I just
didn’t take school that seriously
growing up in fact I would say that any
educational accomplishments I had to
that point I could largely credit to my
mother who willed me to be successful it
was until I got to college and I took an
african-american studies course in
English literature course that I began
to like learning this might turn to a
love and it’s love turned to my wanting
to be an educator now as a higher
education administrator I’ve spent the
past decade thinking about all things I
read things like what is access to
college really mean and who has it how
do we make the best and most inclusive
environments to help our students be
successful how do we help our students
learn but also get what they ultimately
came for a degree and the most important
question how do we make sure that our
students wake up in time for their eight
o’clock classes yeah I know that on
college campuses we have buzzwords like
educated and well-rounded we challenge
our students to take ownership and their
learning both inside and outside the
classroom but we don’t articulate as
well as we can sometimes the idea that
teaching and learning can happen at any
moment in more ways that most of us
think about on one side the colleague
asked me Brandon will you meet with
students why does it take so long I said
because every time I meet with a student
my goal is that they will leave knowing
something they didn’t know before that’s
the same what happened for me he said
that sounds good but that that takes too
much work I said if we’re not doing this
then what are we here for
well not leaving the students I make it
a point to give book suggestions to give
article suggestions I ask what classes
are you taking how can you educate me
and my personal life I ask my friends
and family what articles have you read
lately what books have you read
you see I believe that everyone should
be a teacher and everyone should be a
student so how do we get to this place
for teaching and learning can happen at
any moment I believe first we have to
listen I think Stephen Covey was right
when he said we must first seek to
understand then be understood I once had
a white student who had to meet with me
as part of his sanction for going around
his residence hall yelling the n-word
you should have seen this thing his face
when I was a black man said across from
him and said why do you think it was
okay to say this word I looked just like
that – his eyes were like whoa in that
moment I could have ridiculed him and I
really wanted to part of me wanted to
but I chose to give him the benefit of
the doubt I chose to listen by choosing
to listen I learned that he had never
had a meaningful relationship with a
black person that he thought the n-word
was okay because he had heard it said in
popular media by choosing to listen to
me he learned about the real impact of
that word and learned about the lived
experience of a black man we had several
conversations over the course of a few
weeks and I honestly believe they
impacted him in a positive way listening
provides opportunities for teaching and
learning to happen but it’s not just
about listening it’s about shifting our
paradigm and when we think teaching and
learning can occur Abraham Maslow said
if the only tool you have is a Hammer
Every Problem will look like a nail
similar if we allow our blinders to make
us think that teaching and learning can
only happen in a classroom or
educational setting that’s what will
happen however if we embrace this idea
of a global classroom we can learn in
multiple places most people who know me
will say I have fully embraced the
bowtie movement I like bowties because
when you lean over fool you don’t have
to worry about it getting caught I like
the style of bowties but most of all I
like bowties because I believe they make
me look good
as a matter of fact that’s the reason
why didn’t wear a bowtie today could I
see him don’t look too good if I wore a
bowtie before there were bowties there
were ties and I mean the first time I
learned how to tie a tie
my stepfather had been trying to teach
me for several weeks and of course this
was before YouTube so I wasn’t really
getting it and one day we were on a
metro Lincoln st. Louis headed to an
event and I was trying to tie my tie you
know the gentleman who came up to me he
looked to be of lesser means he wasn’t
wearing a tie he wasn’t particularly
dressed well and he said I can teach you
how to tie that time I looked at him
like you can’t teach me how to style
anymore in a time but I said ok and then
the most random of places I learned a
skill that I’ve carried with me
throughout the entirety of my personal
and professional life that was a great
moment not just because of what I
learned but because of who was there
Rayleigh blonde says you can learn
something every day
if you just pay attention I asked myself
Who am I paying attention to is it only
the people who I think can teach me a
lesson
or is it everyone I come in contact with
lately some of the best lessons I’ve
learned have actually come from my
little nieces and nephews I love talking
to them because they don’t care about my
educational accomplishments they don’t
care about what I do at work
all they care about is if I play with
them if I have gum or if I have money
and I tell them I never have money they
often teach me lessons about humility
they teach me how it’s important how
it’s more important to work to live and
not live to work they teach me how to
enjoy the small things in life how
powerful would it be if each and every
one of us tried to teach and/or learn in
every moment I think we can do it but we
just have to listen we have to give the
benefit of the doubt we have to treat
every place in every space like a
classroom and we have to believe that
each and every one of us has something
powerful to say thank you
you
often the assumption that I’ve always
had a love for learning my response no
in fact I can remember when I was in the
eighth grade
my mom would say parent-teacher
conferences I waited all evening for her
to get home because I knew that she
would found out that my grades were
terrible Bemis is saying when she got
home I was nowhere to be found I tell
people I graduated from high school
without knowing the difference between
there there and there I don’t think I
read one book in any of my classes
entirely it wasn’t that I didn’t have
great teachers because I did I just
didn’t take school that seriously
growing up in fact I would say that any
educational accomplishments I had to
that point I could largely credit to my
mother who willed me to be successful it
was until I got to college and I took an
african-american studies course in
English literature course that I began
to like learning this might turn to a
love and it’s love turned to my wanting
to be an educator now as a higher
education administrator I’ve spent the
past decade thinking about all things I
read things like what is access to
college really mean and who has it how
do we make the best and most inclusive
environments to help our students be
successful how do we help our students
learn but also get what they ultimately
came for a degree and the most important
question how do we make sure that our
students wake up in time for their eight
o’clock classes yeah I know that on
college campuses we have buzzwords like
educated and well-rounded we challenge
our students to take ownership and their
learning both inside and outside the
classroom but we don’t articulate as
well as we can sometimes the idea that
teaching and learning can happen at any
moment in more ways that most of us
think about on one side the colleague
asked me Brandon will you meet with
students why does it take so long I said
because every time I meet with a student
my goal is that they will leave knowing
something they didn’t know before that’s
the same what happened for me he said
that sounds good but that that takes too
much work I said if we’re not doing this
then what are we here for
well not leaving the students I make it
a point to give book suggestions to give
article suggestions I ask what classes
are you taking how can you educate me
and my personal life I ask my friends
and family what articles have you read
lately what books have you read
you see I believe that everyone should
be a teacher and everyone should be a
student so how do we get to this place
for teaching and learning can happen at
any moment I believe first we have to
listen I think Stephen Covey was right
when he said we must first seek to
understand then be understood I once had
a white student who had to meet with me
as part of his sanction for going around
his residence hall yelling the n-word
you should have seen this thing his face
when I was a black man said across from
him and said why do you think it was
okay to say this word I looked just like
that – his eyes were like whoa in that
moment I could have ridiculed him and I
really wanted to part of me wanted to
but I chose to give him the benefit of
the doubt I chose to listen by choosing
to listen I learned that he had never
had a meaningful relationship with a
black person that he thought the n-word
was okay because he had heard it said in
popular media by choosing to listen to
me he learned about the real impact of
that word and learned about the lived
experience of a black man we had several
conversations over the course of a few
weeks and I honestly believe they
impacted him in a positive way listening
provides opportunities for teaching and
learning to happen but it’s not just
about listening it’s about shifting our
paradigm and when we think teaching and
learning can occur Abraham Maslow said
if the only tool you have is a Hammer
Every Problem will look like a nail
similar if we allow our blinders to make
us think that teaching and learning can
only happen in a classroom or
educational setting that’s what will
happen however if we embrace this idea
of a global classroom we can learn in
multiple places most people who know me
will say I have fully embraced the
bowtie movement I like bowties because
when you lean over fool you don’t have
to worry about it getting caught I like
the style of bowties but most of all I
like bowties because I believe they make
me look good
as a matter of fact that’s the reason
why didn’t wear a bowtie today could I
see him don’t look too good if I wore a
bowtie before there were bowties there
were ties and I mean the first time I
learned how to tie a tie
my stepfather had been trying to teach
me for several weeks and of course this
was before YouTube so I wasn’t really
getting it and one day we were on a
metro Lincoln st. Louis headed to an
event and I was trying to tie my tie you
know the gentleman who came up to me he
looked to be of lesser means he wasn’t
wearing a tie he wasn’t particularly
dressed well and he said I can teach you
how to tie that time I looked at him
like you can’t teach me how to style
anymore in a time but I said ok and then
the most random of places I learned a
skill that I’ve carried with me
throughout the entirety of my personal
and professional life that was a great
moment not just because of what I
learned but because of who was there
Rayleigh blonde says you can learn
something every day
if you just pay attention I asked myself
Who am I paying attention to is it only
the people who I think can teach me a
lesson
or is it everyone I come in contact with
lately some of the best lessons I’ve
learned have actually come from my
little nieces and nephews I love talking
to them because they don’t care about my
educational accomplishments they don’t
care about what I do at work
all they care about is if I play with
them if I have gum or if I have money
and I tell them I never have money they
often teach me lessons about humility
they teach me how it’s important how
it’s more important to work to live and
not live to work they teach me how to
enjoy the small things in life how
powerful would it be if each and every
one of us tried to teach and/or learn in
every moment I think we can do it but we
just have to listen we have to give the
benefit of the doubt we have to treat
every place in every space like a
classroom and we have to believe that
each and every one of us has something
powerful to say thank you
you
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