The BIG Picture: What Makes Clemson Special?

By Derrick Brown (follow on Twitter @dbrowndbrown)

Published at clemsonpaws.com (12/4/2015) ...

Great summary, Kraken. Your insights are making me a better football fan.

A few thoughts …

1. I am looking for big efforts from our North Carolina natives on Saturday (Hopper, Crowder, Thompson, V. Smith, Watkins, Fields).

2. Despite the recent injury, fatigue, and the internal / external “we’re #1” factors, this season (my 38th as a Tiger fan) is special.

Football analytics help us learn what might happen based on previous events. 

Faith, trust, knowledge, and will help us envision what might happen through our belief and inspiration.

Harnessing both provides power beyond measure.

3. Clemson has amassed physical talent that performs on par with today’s recognized powerhouses. Clemson’s real advantage, though, is belief and inspiration.

Deshaun Watson is a transcendent talent. However, I am most amazed and impressed by his calm confidence. It inspires me to believe he will make plays.

Dabo has become a media darling because of great sound bites (and not-so-great dance moves), but what sets him apart as a coach is his transparent enthusiasm, and his down-to-earth approach, and his positive perspective.

He knows that no matter what happens Saturday, Sunday will arrive right on time.

Y’all enjoy this Saturday and this season!

About Derrick Brown

 

I am Keisha's husband, and Hannah's father.

My *other* passion is empowering people via methods that balance skill & will, analysis & synthesis, ideas & execution, and activity & achievement.

I help people who help people.

Copyright © 2015 Derrick  Brown. All Rights Reserved.

Dear Hannah: Mentors Matter

By Derrick Brown (follow on Twitter @dbrowndbrown)

 

Dear Hannah,

Mentors are people who share their experiences.

Their wisdom is earned through lessons learned.

Then they pay it forward.

Dr. Robert Snelsire ("Dr. Bob") (1935? – November 16, 2015) was one of my electrical engineering professors at Clemson University.

But he was so much more than that.

He was a great mentor - in both overt and subtle manners.

Dr. Bob encouraged and affirmed - from recruitment to enrollment to graduation and beyond.

He loaned me books from his engineering library for some of my "rough" electrical engineering classes.

He let me use his office computer when I needed to lay low and buckle down.

He let me read the recommendation letters he wrote on my behalf.

He would ask sincerely during and after class if we understood what he had covered.

He gave objective advice on handling his colleagues.

We even had a candid discussion one day about why the Black students sat together in the lunchroom.

He was comfortable enough to ask, which made me comfortable enough to answer.

That all made Clemson feel a lot more like home.

Because of people like Dr. Bob, I devote a lot of my energy to mentoring, being mentored, and paying it forward.

Love,

Daddy

 

Copyright © 2015 Derrick  Brown. All Rights Reserved.

Dear Hannah: Marva Collins' Way

By Derrick Brown (follow on Twitter @dbrowndbrown)

 

Dear Hannah,

My heroes have always been teachers.

Marva Collins (August 31, 1936 – June 24, 2015) has had a mighty impact on the way I teach and learn.

I had the chance to interview her many years ago, and her answers have stuck with me.

Here are some of the more memorable ones from my notes ...


Her Approach ...

1. She teaches students, not subjects.
2. One gift a teacher gives students is to help them understand who they are (self-identity), and what they are called to (their purpose).
3. Another gift a teacher gives students is to help them master language. She used her school's required subjects to teach language.
4. Every student is special, and must be loved and affirmed into their "tomorrow".
5. Her students learn poems and proverbs that affirm their self-identity and purpose.
6. She likes to give one-hour lessons on single words like truth, honor, and justice.
7. She meets her students "where they are". She then brings them to her level, or ascends to theirs.
8. The teacher-student relationship requires reciprocal respect.
9. She has written over 30 journals that she will leave to her children.
10. She is frustrated by teaching advice from non-teachers.

Starting (& Funding) Her School ...

1. She started her school in her own home with her own money.
2. She had no textbooks or typewriters, so she handwrote textbooks and memorized them.
3. Her children attended her school, and were ridiculed by their former classmates.
4. In 1918, a first-grade reading book introduced 870 new words. Current books introduce about 60.
5. She accepts no federal funds or corporate grants.
6. In 1981, CBS aired The Marva Collins Story (starring Cicely Tyson and Morgan Freeman). She used the proceeds from the movie to move her school into a new building.
7. She obtained additional financing for her school by writing books (much like Booker T. Washington used the proceeds from his autobiography Up From Slavery to fund Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University)), and by giving lectures.
8. Prince (yes, Purple Rain Prince) was a good friend of hers who believed in her teaching methods. He played a benefit concert to raise $10,000 to train teachers in The Marva Collins Way.

Love,

Daddy

 

Copyright © 2015 Derrick  Brown. All Rights Reserved.

Dear Hannah: The Opinion Prayer

By Derrick Brown (follow on Twitter @dbrowndbrown)

 

Dear Hannah,

Salvation is free, but free will results in many costly decisions that oppose God's will. We will all like, dislike, and sometimes make these choices.

Understand the flaws of your opinions (and positions).

salvation is free
but my will can be
somewhat costly
when I choose to see
what pleases me
and who might agree
then declare and decree
its veracity
and sip iced tea
in victory.

perhaps the key
is to what degree
I grasp that we
must always flee
the absence of humility,
while honing the ability,
to recognize insanity,
enter my own "guilty" plea,
then redirect this energy,
into greater self-honesty.

Love,

Daddy

Copyright © 2015 Derrick  Brown. All Rights Reserved.

Dear Hannah: The Identity Prayer

By Derrick Brown (follow on Twitter @dbrowndbrown)

 

Dear Hannah,

The road to self-awareness and self-identity (who you are and how you are) is paved with pebbles, potholes, and progress.

They all help you grow - so keep moving - no matter what.

I am what my heart says
but my heart can deceive
so I guard it with care
'cause good sense can take leave.

I am what I think most
so my mind can assign
the ideas and attitudes
I view as bad or benign.

I am what I see
so my eyes stay wide shut
for they lead me astray
and even blind me somewhat.

I am what I say
and I say a whole lot
but try to listen more
'cause I don't know jack squat.

I am what I discern
and perceive by design
but read it wrong sometimes
thinking 8 and not 9.

I am what I feel
- good, bad, indifferent
the most severe wounds heal
peace can grow from dissent.

I am what I decide
- choices collaborate
to propel or hinder
- halt or accelerate.

I am what I do
- may my actions dictate
a life lived on purpose
showing love conquers hate.

I am what I eat
sometimes I eat too much
now this struggle is real
but it keeps me in touch.

I am what I desire
- may my "want" match my "need"
- may my good deeds exceed
my excesses and greed.

Love,

Daddy

Copyright © 2015 Derrick  Brown. All Rights Reserved.

KnowledgeBase's "Reach - Then Teach" Leadership Cohort Raises $2,500 Via KivaZip!

By Derrick Brown (follow on Twitter @dbrowndbrown)

 Visit Archived KivaZip Project Site

Thanks for your continued interest in our work!

On April 13, 2015 we completed a $2,500 fundraising campaign through crowdfunding site Kiva Zip to support the following efforts ...

1. Developing and launching a coordinated marketing effort via MailChimp, Facebook, LinkedIn, and SpeakerMatch. This effort will help us to recruit new cohort members, identify new problems to solve, and share our catalog of short films, gameshows, and classroom lesson plans with a larger audience.
2. Producing the "Now You Know History Quiz Bowl" - a "Jeopardy"-styled gameshow with episodes that share the stories of 26 ordinary people who accomplished extraordinary feats.
3. Producing "Bag Of Life" - a small-group relationship building activity that uses randomly drawn cards containing fill-in-the-blank sentences, questions, and words that encourage transparent self-expression.

Derrick Brown
Email: derrick.s.brown at att.net
Phone: 678-467-1256 
Blog: http://reachthenteach.com
Facebook: Reach - Then Teach
Twitter: @dbrowndbrown

About KnowledgeBase's "Reach - Then Teach" Leadership Cohort

KnowledgeBase’s "Reach - Then Teach" Leadership Cohort is a diverse group of 12 professionals who build relationships, increase capacity, and generate solutions by executing mentoring, conflict resolution, and problem solving projects.

We help people to help people.

We then help people *who* help people.

Since 2012, our cohorts have crowdsourced and delivered the following solutions ...

1. Produced and debuted "Now You Know History Quiz Bowl" - a one-hour "Jeopardy"-styled gameshow with episodes that share the stories of 26 ordinary people who accomplished extraordinary feats.
2. Produced and debuted "Bag Of Life" - a small-group relationship building activity that uses randomly drawn cards containing fill-in-the-blank sentences, questions, and words that encourage transparent self-expression.
3. Produced a four-minute video to explain the work of our leadership cohort.
4. Helped a church recover its financial and membership database after its server crashed.
5. Helped a homeowner's association create an online map of surrounding communities to support its outreach effort.
6. Developed and implemented a strategy to help a school prevent iPhones from overloading the campus network.
7. Used an AM radio to show a school the sources of electromagnetic interference that made their Internet service unreliable.
8. Written and delivered 120 funding proposals to a database of foundations (that we built) in 90 days.
9. Helped a school mediate 750 student conflicts during the academic year (an average of 1 per day).

KnowledgeBase Principal Consultant Derrick Brown (a publisher, filmmaker, executive coach & registered mediator with engineering degrees from Clemson and Georgia Tech) leads the cohort.

“Our previous 2 cohorts have teamed high school & college students with experienced professionals in creative, unconventional ways,” said Brown.

“For example, each member is a mentor and mentee – depending on our project. When we helped a local school keep iPhones off the school’s network, our younger members led that effort.”

“The older members led when we supported a homeowner association’s outreach effort by mapping its surrounding communities online.”

“Members are pleasantly surprised to learn that they are paid for their solutions. My mission is to coach each cohort to victory in ways that help our project partners reach their goals.”

“I love to engage innovators who like to solve problems and help people. I am the product of mentoring relationships, peacemaking, and problem solving. I am simply teaching what I have been taught, while continuing to learn from my students.”

In addition to the external projects, Brown also teaches and trains members by conducting workshops on diverse topics like creative problem solving, data analysis & visualization, conflict resolution, game design, and filmmaking.

“These workshops develop and sharpen our mental, physical, and strategic tools. This teaching, coupled with nurturing and guidance, produces personal growth and great fruit. The fruit is then used to feed and replant.”

About Derrick Brown (Principal Consultant)

 

I am Keisha's husband, and Hannah's father.

My *other* passion is empowering people via methods that balance skill & will, analysis & synthesis, ideas & execution, and activity & achievement.

I am the product of my mentoring relationships, peacemaking (and peacekeeping), and problem-solving ability.

I am a publisher, filmmaker, executive coach & registered mediator with engineering degrees from Clemson and Georgia Tech.

My education began when I finished school.

After school, I enrolled in a lifelong curriculum that includes the following classes ...

• ministry
• entrepreneurship
• literacy 
• numeracy 
• language 
• self-expression
• self-identity
• analysis & synthesis

KnowledgeBase is a ministry that has evolved from wisdom earned through lessons learned.

I want to share this wisdom to build teams of "triple threat" fellows - mentors, mediators, and problem solvers.

We will collaborate in simple, powerful ways that allow us to help people.

I now know that power is work done efficiently (with wise and skillful use of resources, interests, communication, and expertise).

Copyright © 2015 Derrick  Brown. All Rights Reserved.

KnowledgeBase's "Reach - Then Teach" Leadership Cohort - Kickstarter Lessons Learned / Next Steps

By Derrick Brown (follow on Twitter @dbrowndbrown)

 Visit Archived Kickstarter Project Site

Thanks for your continued interest in our work!

We did not reach our Kickstarter fundraising goal, but learned some valuable lessons, and accomplished the following ...

1. Developed and launched a coordinated marketing effort via MailChimp, Facebook, LinkedIn, and SpeakerMatch. This effort will help us to recruit new cohort members, identify new problems to solve, and share our catalog of short films, gameshows, and classroom lesson plans with a larger audience.
2. Launched a smaller fundraising campaign through crowdfunding site Kiva Zip - to finance our marketing effort.  

Over the next few months, we will produce and debut the following two projects ...

1. The "Now You Know History Quiz Bowl" - a one-hour "Jeopardy"-styled gameshow with episodes that share the stories of 26 ordinary people who accomplished extraordinary feats.
2. "Bag Of Life" - a small-group relationship building activity that uses randomly drawn cards containing fill-in-the-blank sentences, questions, and words that encourage transparent self-expression.

Derrick Brown
Email: derrick.s.brown at att.net
Phone: 678-467-1256 
Blog: http://reachthenteach.com
Facebook: Reach - Then Teach
Twitter: @dbrowndbrown


Press Release (January 20, 2015)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (1/20/2015):

KnowledgeBase Launches Leadership Development Kickstarter Project – Will It Change the Way Service Organizations Operate?

KnowledgeBase hopes its “Reach – Then Teach” Leadership Cohort can establish a new sustainability model to help people who help people.

Marietta, Georgia – January 20, 2015 – The 2015 KnowledgeBase “Reach – Then Teach” Leadership Cohort launches its Kickstarter campaign today to raise $31,000 by February 17, 2015.

The year-long cohort is a diverse group of 12 professionals who become a team by executing mentoring, conflict resolution, and problem solving projects.

The 2015 cohort will be chosen through a competitive application and interview process.

KnowledgeBase Principal Consultant Derrick Brown (a publisher, filmmaker, executive coach & registered mediator with engineering degrees from Clemson and Georgia Tech) leads the cohort.

“Our previous 2 cohorts have teamed high school & college students with experienced professionals in creative, unconventional ways,” said Brown.

“For example, each member is a mentor and mentee – depending on our project. When we helped a local school keep iPhones off the school’s network, our younger members led that effort.”

“The older members led when we supported a homeowner association’s outreach effort by mapping its surrounding communities online.”

“Members are pleasantly surprised to learn that they are paid for their solutions. My mission is to coach each cohort to victory in ways that help our project partners reach their goals.”

“I love to engage innovators who like to solve problems and help people. I am the product of mentoring relationships, peacemaking, and problem solving. I am simply teaching what I have been taught, while continuing to learn from my students.”

In addition to the external projects, Brown also teaches and trains members by conducting workshops on diverse topics like creative problem solving, data analysis & visualization, conflict resolution, game design, and filmmaking.

“These workshops develop and sharpen our mental, physical, and strategic tools. This teaching, coupled with nurturing and guidance, produces personal growth and great fruit. The fruit is then used to feed and replant.”

Brown hopes his leadership cohorts can demonstrate and catalyze a more sustainable operating model for service organizations.

“I have led and / or advised student organizations, churches, schools, and other nonprofit organizations for over 20 years. I have seen $50,000 of effort result in $1,000 of funding. This imbalance leads to burnout, turnover, and stunted growth. I believe that crowdfunding (which matches missions with supporters) and crowdsourcing (which matches problems with solution providers) together offer a better path to sustainability.”

Contact: Derrick Brown (Principal Consultant, KnowledgeBase)
Email: derrick.s.brown at att.net
Phone: 678-467-1256
Blog: http://reachthenteach.com
Kickstarter Project: http://bit.ly/rtt_2015

###

About Derrick Brown (Principal Consultant)

 

I am Keisha's husband, and Hannah's father.

My *other* passion is empowering people via methods that balance skill & will, analysis & synthesis, ideas & execution, and activity & achievement.

I solve problems.

Copyright © 2015 Derrick  Brown. All Rights Reserved.