By Derrick Brown (follow on Twitter @dbrowndbrown)
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Iron Man (A Quiet Return … A Different Beginning) (822 Words)
and
Empath Remixes #115 (Iron Man … The Day After) (760 Words)
Index
PUBLIC ESSAY #55: A Quiet Return … A Different Beginning (822 Words)
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Figure 1. Iron Man "Listening Circle"
I am not the same person I was a month ago.
Time has a way of doing its work … when we stop resisting it.
Distance from stress … creates space for wisdom to surface.
Showing Up With Less Weight
I returned to my small group … knowing that I was following through on an exit plan.
I also returned … knowing I was not finished bearing witness.
Leaving does not always mean disappearing.
Sometimes it means staying long enough … to leave well.
What Others Remember Matters
An elder student (CG) greeted me … and shared what he remembered from our last gathering.
His memory was simple.
“They just would not be quiet.”
That perspective reminded me that people process the same moment through different lenses.
Depth is not universal.
Awareness of that difference is part of leadership.
Learning From What I Would Do Differently
Looking back, I saw what I missed in the moment.
Certain situations require orientation before participation.
Others require deputizing leaders who can hold space when tension rises.
Preparation is not control.
It is care in advance.
The Role of Shared Leadership
A valued co-leader helped “sober aware” me.
Not by fixing anything.
Not by listening well …
By sharing perspective … both before and after our meeting.
Shared perspective displays humanity … generates clarity … and sets boundaries.
Signals Shape Culture
I distributed the last of the Christmas gifts to faithful members.
Not as reward.
As acknowledgment.
Public signals quietly teach people what is valued.
Consistency builds trust … without speeches.
Choosing Structure Without Shame
I divided the group intentionally.
Older, more self-regulated members in one space.
Younger, less self-regulated members in another.
I chose to work with the older group today.
I will work with the younger group in our next meeting.
This selective scheduling structure worked.
Not because of exclusion.
Because of readiness.
The Return of Fellowship
The room became quiet.
Stillness returned.
We spoke honestly about the previous month’s shenanigans … without accusation.
Truth restored peace where silence could not.
Entertainment Versus Formation
I named the tension plainly.
A constant need to be entertained weakens attention.
Formation requires patience.
Meaning requires posture.
Words rise only when the room is ready to receive them.
Hunger Changes the Room
We talked about fasting.
The room felt hungry.
Quiet.
Attentive.
Sometimes hunger opens ears better than enthusiasm ever could.
Sharing a Story Instead of Making a Case
I shared the cover of my book A Long Walk.
I told the stories inside the images.
Mirrors and windows.
Family.
Colleagues.
Students.
DW’s words named affirmation.
DH’s words named formation.
The counting game “21” named DW’s brilliance.
Just as it named CG’s brilliance in 2020.
Moments that shaped who I am becoming.
Stories did what arguments never can.
When Winning Is Redefined
Someone asked who won the “21” counting game me and CG played years ago.
I could not remember.
Because once understanding was shared, winning no longer mattered.
Some moments dissolve competition entirely.
Language As Invitation
I spit Re’sume’ Say a capella.
Then played the song’s video.
Then asked a simple question.
What do you remember?
They asked about these bars …
“mi gente” (ME) …
“they won’t assign you … so I’m [gonna] come and find you” (JA) …
“‘shuffle’ and ‘Sheneneh’“ …
“bebe” (ZL) …
“papi loco ballet” (ZL) (which let me share FLW’s recent feedback … that her 3 sons (the original Iron Men) recognized that I was both “kind” and “firm” in my teaching approach) …
“keep a cache’” (CG) …
“detour but no delay” (ME) …
Meaning surfaced slowly.
Dialogue deepened understanding.
This is LEarning … as shared discovery.
This is #TheSeeSayShow embodied.
Prayer As Alignment
We closed in prayer.
Not as escape.
As grounding.
As gratitude.
As rest.
The Moment That Confirmed Everything
After the session, a student (ZL) returned quietly.
He asked if I could teach him how to make a beat.
He had already written a song (with ChatGPT’s collaboration).
That question carried trust.
It also allowed us to briefly discuss AI-enhanced reflective thought partnership (AERTP).
Bearing Witness Without Demanding Recognition
I told him I would speak with his father (our newly installed pastor) first.
Not for permission.
Not for validation.
For relationship.
For witness.
Some doors open through patience … rather than urgency.
A New Beginning Without Noise
This was not a comeback.
It was a recalibration.
Leadership shifted from reaction to design.
Peace and authority coexisted.
The work felt lighter … because it was truer.
What I Carry Forward
I do not lead to be impressive.
I lead to be faithful.
I no longer rush to fill the room with sound.
I listen for readiness.
I am learning that reaching out sometimes means standing still.
Closing Reflection
Peace does not always soothe.
Sometimes it clarifies.
Sometimes it exposes what others would rather leave undisturbed.
And sometimes … quietly … it opens a door for someone else to begin.
PUBLIC ESSAY #56: Empath Remixes #115 (Iron Man … The Day After) (760 Words)
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Figure 2. Iron Man "Prayer Circle"
Scene One - Arrival
FACILITATOR
I am not the same person I was last
month.
I came today to follow through.
And to leave room for something new.
CG
Those guys just would not be quiet last month.
FACILITATOR
That is true.
And it is also not the whole story.
Both things can be true … at the same time.
Scene Two - Remembering Differently
FACILITATOR
When you say that, though … it helps me remember something important.
Not everyone reads the room the same way.
Not everyone carries the same message from a moment.
That matters.
CG
I did not think about it like that.
FACILITATOR
That is okay.
LEarning often starts there.
Scene Three - Reframing the Breakdown
FACILITATOR
If I could do it again … I would do one thing differently.
I would take the “special situation” students to a smaller room.
I would give them orientation first.
And I would let you help lead the rest.
CG
Me?
FACILITATOR
Yes … You.
That is called being deputized.
It means I trust you with the atmosphere.
Scene Four – Co-Leadership
JDB
I hear what you are saying.
It sounds like structure … not punishment.
FACILITATOR
Exactly.
Structure is care that shows up early.
Not control that arrives late.
Scene Five - Setting the Room
FACILITATOR
Before we start today … I want to say something out loud.
Last month was hard.
Not because people are bad.
But because attention matters.
GROUP MEMBER
We were just joking around.
FACILITATOR
I know.
But “just joking” … without listening … becomes noise.
And noise blocks growth.
Scene Six - Naming the Standard
FACILITATOR
I spit bars to raise the spirit in
the room.
But bars only work when the room has ears to hear.
Atmosphere decides altitude.
GROUP
Quiet.
Scene Seven - Hunger and Stillness
FACILITATOR
How many of you are participating in the fast?
GROUP MEMBER
I am trying.
FACILITATOR
Trying counts.
Hunger teaches us how to listen.
Silence becomes a teacher.
Scene Eight - Story as Bridge
FACILITATOR
Let me show you something.
This is the cover of my book “A Long Walk”.
Each image tells a story.
Mirrors and windows.
Who we see.
And how we see others.
GROUP MEMBER
Who is that with you?
FACILITATOR
That is my daughter.
That is my wife.
Those are other Black male teachers at our school.
Those are students who taught me how to see brilliance.
DW.
DH.
The counting game “21” named DW’s brilliance.
Just as it named CG’s brilliance in 2020.
Scene Nine - Redefining Winning
GROUP MEMBER
Did you win that “21”
game?
FACILITATOR
I do not remember.
Once understanding shows up … winning does not matter.
Sometimes both people win.
Scene Ten - Language and Meaning
FACILITATOR
I am going to spit something …
Listen.
FACILITATOR
[CHORUS]
Re'sume'
say …
I only teach a "bebe" …
go head and play-play …
‘shuffle’ and ‘Sheneneh’ …
poco loco cray-cray …
papi loco ballet …
creative array …
make way outta no way”
keep a cache
for a rainy day-day
hope_it_don't_stay
detour_but_no_delay
my antennae
make another essay
for the "maybay" (maybe)
do it for "mi gente"
[VERSE 1]
they won't assign you
so_I'm_a_come_and_find_you
try to remind you
to_deal_with_what's_behind you
howto stay blind to
haters_who_ain't_inclined_to
'try to malign you
define_you_and_confine_you
it's a design to
redline_and_intertwine_you
mess witcha tutu_
_bamboozle_and_hoodwink_you
grapevine and whine you
assume_you_and_opine_you
cap_ya_credit'
debit_and_then_decline_you
don't despair boo_
lament_can_sho_prepare_you
"sober aware" you
humble_up_and_square_you
offer a prayer to
they_who_may_ensnare_you
offer a prayer to
be_hurt_but_still_be_fair_too
offer a prayer_to
be_guarded_but_still_care_too
offer a prayer to
forgive_and_then_repair_too
offer a prayer to
someday_somehow_somewhere_to
heal and hope to
spare_and_reach_and_share_too
FACILITATOR
What do you remember?
ME
What does mi gente mean?
JA
Why did you say ‘they will not assign you’?
ZL
What is “papi loco ballet”?
ZL Is “be’be’” a “baby” … or something else?
CG
Is “cache’” spelled c-a-c-h-e?
ME
What about “detour but no delay”?
FACILITATOR
Those questions matter.
Language carries history.
Meaning lives in context.
Scene Eleven - Prayer
FACILITATOR
Let us pray.
Not to escape this moment.
But to seal it.
Scene Twelve - After the Session
ZL
Can you teach me how to make a beat?
FACILITATOR
Of course.
But first … I need to talk to your father.
ZL
Okay.
Scene Thirteen - Bearing Witness
FACILITATOR
This is how new beginnings arrive.
Quietly.
Without permission slips.
Without applause.
Just curiosity and trust.
Scene Fourteen - Closing Reflection
FACILITATOR
I came ready to leave.
I left ready to build differently.
Peace did not lower the standard.
It clarified it.
(The "Follow The Leader (changED - Volume 2)" Audio and Video Album / Mixtape is also available at TeachersPayTeachers.com)
(The "changED (Volume 1)" Audio and Video Album / Mixtape is also available at TeachersPayTeachers.com)
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