Chapter 8
I Am Special
Pedagogy of Personal Leadership &
Character Development
EXAMPLE #4
 |
| Thresa Brooks 1951-2012 |
Professor Brooks—as her students called her—taught kindergarten through grade eight over the course of her teaching career. When I met her in 2009, she was teaching eighth grade language arts at Tapp Middle School in Powder Springs, Georgia. No one knew at the time that this remarkable educator and human being was just three years away from passing.
How incredibly blessed and fortunate I was to cross paths with her when I did!
Brooks received her undergraduate degree in Education from Northwestern State University in Louisiana. She also earned two Master's degrees in Christian Education and Divinity from the Morehouse College School of Religion in Atlanta. In addition to being a certified teacher, she was also an ordained pastor who founded The Church of the Lamentations Resource Center in Mableton, Georgia.
Prior to starting her own congregation, Brooks worked part-time in Georgia's Metro State Prison for four years (2004-2008). During that time, she counseled women convicted of murder, armed robbery, vehicular homicide, and other serious crimes. This counseling work was performed both one-on-one and in small groups. She also ministered to larger groups ranging from 28 to 200 people on alternating Sundays. Of the 200 prisoners released during her ministry, only one (1) returned to jail—an extraordinarily low recidivism rate that she was very proud of, and which impressively underscores the profound impact Brooks had on the lives of prisoners she helped to rehabilitate.
The day I visited Brooks' classroom at Tapp Middle School, I was substituting for her co-teacher. This afforded me the opportunity to observe Professor Brooks in action. Before sharing her remarkable story, I should note that Tapp is not a private school. Nor was it a well-endowed public school in an affluent neighborhood. At the time, it was a Title I school in a lower-middle to middle-class neighborhood on the southern side of Cobb Country School District, which was closer to inner-city Atlanta than the more affluent suburbs in the north. Much like Campbell High School, Tapp Middle School had a diverse student body with an African American majority and a White minority.
Having worked extensively with middle school students as a substitute teacher in Cobb County School District, I knew how challenging eighth graders can be—no matter what the racial or socioeconomic demographics. Nevertheless, I also observed that classroom behavioral issues were less common in suburban schools and more common in schools that were closer to inner-city Atlanta. As such, I was doubly awestruck as I visited Brooks' classroom and witnessed the masterful touch of her firm, but caring leadership approach, which bucked every imaginable demographic trend and stereotype I had ever read about, heard of, or personally experienced and observed on the middle school level.
It is, after all, no secret that eighth graders in general carry a reputation for being disrespectful, inattentive, loud, obnoxious, and rowdy.
Thus, you can imagine my shock and awe to beheld such incredibly well-behaved students responding so positively and productively to Brooks' extraordinary grace, poise, and success in every single class she taught—all of which were full of eighth graders! With God as my witness, that remarkable teacher had those students in the palm of her hand! In the totality of my experiences as both a student and professional educator, I had never seen anything quite like it. She was the most influential and powerful classroom teacher I had ever witnessed—before or since—including my own father, who was himself an unusually talented master educator who spent many years working with both high school and middle school students during his two decade career teaching English.
The respect that those students showed to Brooks, and the maturity they displayed in her presence seemed like an impossible feat—almost an otherworldly achievement. Indeed, Brooks' students behaved much more like advanced placement high school (or even college) students—or even mature adults—than the middle schoolers they actually were!
Whenever Brooks spoke, they listened quietly, respectfully, and attentively. Whenever she gave them an assignment, they dutifully obeyed her instructions and studiously completed their work.
Having struggled with my own share of rowdy middle school students as a substitute teacher the previous four years, I was astonished—even mystified—by what I saw unfolding before my eyes in Brooks' classroom.
It was a MIRACLE!
How did she do it?
Her approach was highly personalized and very unorthodox, especially for postmodern classrooms.
Immediately after the tardy bell rang, the first thing Brooks would say to her students was, in a peaceful and calming voice was: "Peace to the Scholars," to which the students would then respond back to her in unison: "Peace to Professor Brooks."
Then, in an atmosphere of complete silence (her students had been conditioned to be silent once the bell had rung), she quietly, but clearly asked her students the following rhetorical questions:
"Why am I here Today?"
"Whose Life will I Touch in a Positive Way?"
'What will I Do with the Rest of my Day?"
After pausing to allow her questions to sink in, Brooks would then continue by saying: "Heads up, hands together, eyes closed. You have 90 seconds to plan your day."
At this cue, the students then became even quieter than before as they proceeded to strictly obey her explicit instruction.
At the completion of this silent, mental planning session, the students and Ms. Brooks would then proceed to recite in unison—and from memory—the following poem, which Brooks had authored herself.
I Am Somebody
I am somebody,I am very special,
I am here today because
I want to learn something that I did not know.
I promise I will not cause problems for my teachers, classmates, school, friends, or myself.
She would then repeat this same process and pattern—verbatim—in every other class throughout the rest of the school day.
Everything about all of her classes was organized, intentional, meaningful, and thoughtful—and her students never stopped behaving like model students. In the two days I was there, I cannot remember a single student acting up or out. Indeed, if any student came even close to doing so, a gentle—but firm—reminder from Brooks reoriented the student to the behavioral expectation she had clearly established for every student in all of her classes.
I had never experienced anything like what I observed in Thresa Brooks' Tapp Middle School classroom.
It was astonishing.
It was breathtaking.
It was unprecedented in my experience.
And it was absolutely beautiful to behold.
I should note here that Brooks was not merely conditioning her students into obedient clones of brainless drones who would merely follow her every order. While the beginning of her classes were highly regimented and marked by rote routine, her lesson plans were much more open and flexible, thereby providing all students with a variety of thoughtful opportunities to develop and expand their critical thinking skills, contribute to classroom discussions, consider the impacts of their own thoughts and behavior, and make personal plans for future improvement.
It was absolutely REMARKABLE.
After the first day, you can imagine how entranced by—and curious about—this wondrous educational environment I had become. I simply had to dig deeper and conduct some Action Research to learn more about the impacts and influence this was having on Brooks' students.
In order to gain a better understanding of these impacts and influence, I created a questionnaire and surveyed 58 (about half) of her students. The results of this survey are located below.
Power of Words Leadership Questionnaire
Question 1: Every day you recite Professor Brooks' poem, I Am Special. How long did it take you to memorize it?
Answers: less than one week: 43 students. 1-2 weeks: 10 students. 1 month: 2 students
Question 2: Do you like reciting I Am Special each day?
YES (48 votes) NO (9 votes)
Question 3: If yes, then why? What benefits do you get from the poem and/or planning your day each class?
Note: To preserve authenticity, student answers are reproduced verbatim as they were originally written, including errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
"It helps me plan my day even though this is my last period."
"It gives me my time to get all my focus together so that I can be ready for the day."
"What I got from the poem planning the rest of my day and how to act the rest the day and believen myself."
"It makes me think about how my life will be different today and how Not only me, but others around me should be treated."
"It helps me to learn new things each day."
"Because it helps us relax and think."
"IT TELLS ME THAT I AM SPECIAL."
"I dont bother students (sometime) and I get my work done"
"It tells me that I am some body and I could always do my best.
"It lets me know that i am some body and I can do good for myself. And planning my day helps me know how to plan and what I choose to do."
"Being respfull, doing what I'm told and doing what I'm asked."
"Because I like how you get Plane yor day to Show how your futer is going be."
"It helps to guide me and try to do my best for the remainder of the day."
"It calms me down. It also let me know everyday I am somebody and I am very special."
"Because it helps me stay on track more."
"I get motivated and it makes me feel good."
"I get to think through what I've done, and what I need to do today."
"I get that the poem teaches me that I am somebody and I am very special."
"Keeps my confidence up"
"It calms me down when I am mad I Just get relaxed."
"because it helps me have confidence planning your day helps you stay out of trouble."
"I chose yes because it shows me that I am special and that when I plan my day I can achieve the things that I plan."
"Yes because, it lets me know that I can be whatever I want to be and that I am somebody im not invisible. I am able to plan my day and make wise choices."
"The poem Makes Me feel Special as a person, and it Keeps Me out of trouble."
Question 4: On a scale of 1-10, how much does Professor Brooks' poem, I Am Special, inspire or motivate you to be a better students and/or person? (Circle a number)
Number of student votes are in parentheses.
One (0 votes) Two (1 votes) Three (2 votes) Four (2 votes) Five (2 votes)
Six (5 votes) Seven (4 votes) Eight (10 votes) Nine (11 votes) Ten (21 votes)
1-3 motivates me a little (3 votes) 4-7 motivates me somewhat (13 votes) 8-10 motivates me a lot (42 votes)
Question 5: What is your favorite line in the poem?
I am Very Special (21 votes)
I am Somebody (11 votes)
I want to learn something I did not know (8 votes)
I will let nothing stop me from achieving my goals (7 votes)
I promise I will not cause problems (3 votes)
Left blank (1 vote)
Question 6: If you were to rank Professor Brooks' influence in your schoolwork and life compared to your other teachers this semester, what would that rank be? (Circle a number, with one (1) being your most influential teacher and seven (7) being your least influential teacher throughout your seven class periods).
#1 (22 votes) #2 (7 votes) #3 (5 votes) #4 (11) #5 (2 votes) #6 (7 votes) #7 (3 votes)
Most Influential: 1-3 (34 votes). Average Influence 3-5 (18 votes) Least Influential 5-7 (12 votes)
Question 7: When Mrs. Brooks has you recite her poem, or plan your day, do you mostly think it is: (Circle two items)
Cool (10 votes) Repetitive (4 votes) Helps me prepare for class (30 votes) Goofy (2 votes)
Inspirational (27 votes) Annoying (6 votes) Shows that she cares (26 votes) Funny (2 votes)
Positive Perceptions (93 votes) Negative Perceptions (14 votes)
Question 8: On a scale of 1-10, how much does Professor Brooks' teaching style and personality influence you to make good decisions in your schoolwork and life? (Circle one) Student votes are bolded in parentheses.
One (0 votes) Two (0 votes) Three (2 votes) Four (2 votes) Five (0 votes)
Six (4 votes) Seven (3 votes) Eight (6 votes) Nine (5 votes) Ten (36 votes)
Question 9: In the space remaining, write down a specific experience you had where something Professor Brooks said or taught you helped you make the right decision in your schoolwork or personal life.
Note: To preserve authenticity, student answers are reproduced verbatim as they were originally written, including errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
"don't try to be someone else its always good just to be your self. And dont talk about any body because it hurts."
"She said 'If you do not plan your day I will plan it for you.' Then I shaped up."
"She said that that if you got good grades then my parents will be proud of me."
"She said to listen it may save your life. When she said that I thought about because when we dont listen we get caught into some bad situations."
"I was about to get in a fight one day, But once I came in her class and did the Poem, I then thought about it, and didn't get in a fight."
"Sometimes when she tells the class about the times she goes to prisen to talk to and help the women that are there to be better. That tells me to be careful so that I won't end up in that position."
"treat others how you want to be treated and don't live in the past."
"When she told me that attitude is everything in life."
"Proffesor Brooks has told us to think before speaking. I did this once before saying mean words to my younger sister."
"Mistakes, directions, and choices I make in life."
"She told me if I believe it, I will achieve it. the I am Somebody motto it inspires me everyday"
"To do your hardest and focus on school and not Gossip."
"She said that the reason she is being hard on us is cause she cares. That made [me] think that I was special."
"Whenever someone does something wrong, she always has something behind it to tell us. That is a good thing. She always has a story to tell us and I just love Mrs. Brooks. She is like my mom but at school."
"She has inspired me, and told me things that can guide through my everyday life."
"When she tells us storys about jail it makes me wanna be always good."
"Rule your life don't let others control you. Someone tells you to do their homework u say no."
"She help me to do better on my class work and She also help me with me by making good choices."
"Telling the truth may save your life. Which tells me to always tell the truth, because you never know what's gonna happen."
"To not let others stop you"
"When I was taking the "CRCT" [Georgia's required standardized test] I remembered a proverbial she wrote that said "Alwase do more than is required of you" and affected my by me doing my best."
"Not to hang out with bad influence Because that can get you in alot of trouble and change you."
"Same thing that professor Brooks taught and helped me was her proverbials. they just mean something to care and be you."
"Some kids were making fun of me because my nose is big and I remembered: I am somebody, and I am very special. I ignored them and go to My Class"
"She told us to always be prepared and that helped me because one day I didn't feel like bringing my science book but I brought anyway and I had to do a project that involved my book and I got a 100"
"When someone was talking to me and I just egnord them and they STOP!"
It is illuminating—to say the very least—that a majority of her students either liked, or found value in, Brooks' strategies. For example, 48 of the 58 students surveyed reported that they actually liked reciting the poem each day (more than 80 percent).
Then, when asked how much Brooks' poem inspires or motivates them, 72 percent of the students circled an eight, nine, or 10—all three of which options fall in the "motivates me a lot" category.
Fifty-nine percent (59%) consider her to be among the most influential of their teachers, while only 19 percent view her as average and 21% consider her to be among their least influential teachers at school.
Question seven (7) asked: "When Mrs. Brooks has you recite her poem, or plan your day, do you mostly think it is: cool, repetitive, helpful, goofy, inspiring, annoying, funny, or shows that she cares," students had equal opportunity to describe the process negatively (4 options) as they did positively (4 options). Despite this numerical equality of opportunity to label the poem negatively or positively, an overwhelming 87 percent of the students selected positive responses.
This empirical data clearly reveals that a majority of Brooks' students not only liked her strategies and found them valuable, but were also able to apply both the principles and practices she taught to real-life decision-making processes both inside and outside of the classroom. Moreover, when asked, students were able to readily provide concrete examples of how Brooks' teaching style was influencing their academic work and personal lives in positive and/or productive ways.
These responses—and their scope and variety—suggest strongly that Brooks' students were not just going through the motions of her rote classroom rituals. They were empowered by those rituals, which were, in-turn, positively influencing and productively enabling their decision-making processes.
Is the message itself really that powerful? Or is there something else—a sort of metaphysical glue—that makes the repeated messages so meaningful to students? Perhaps there is something about Ms. Brooks herself that makes this almost magical difference. The following comments from students indicate that the biggest factor of all may have been the love of and care for the students that Brooks' so consistently demonstrated.
"She said the reason she is being hard on us is cause she cares. That made me think that I was special."
"Whenever someone does something wrong, she always has something behind it to tell us. That is a good thing. She always has a story to tell us and I just love Mrs. Brooks. She is like my mom but at school."
"She has inspired me, and told me things that can guide through my everyday life."
"She is true to us."
Brooks obviously genuinely cared about her students. This authentic love clearly magnified the influence of her tactical teaching techniques, giving added power to her words. Although she was a strict disciplinarian, Brooks was also quick to smile and shower her students with care, attention, and love. At the time of my interview, Brooks admitted that she could retire, but added: "I work because I want to."
Thresa Brooks' educational leadership and classroom teaching style was a unique mix of experience, passion, and her own personal touch mixed with rote learning, personal development, and character education. It worked wonders in her classroom and stands as the single most original, attention-grabbing, and results-oriented example of a Pedagogy of Personal Leadership and Character Development I have ever personally witnessed.
Extrapolating Principles vs. Mimicking Approaches
In sharing this case study of Thresa Brooks, Freedom Focused is not suggesting that all educators meticulously replicate her style and approach with copycat precision. Doing so may work for someone, somewhere, sometime—if they have a disposition and personality similar to Brooks herself.
However, I have learned from my own lifetime of experiences that trying to copy someone else's method exactly usually comes across as contrived, forced, and disingenuous. Furthermore, the same approach does not guarantee the same results for every person in every situation.
Successful educators are not automatons; nor should they seek to become clones of other successful educators.
Each educator must discover over time what styles and approaches work best for them and their own unique disposition, personality, and style.
The answer, therefore, is not found primarily in the pedagogical style or approach, but in the PRINCIPLES rooted in UNIVERSAL LAW. While each individual educator must ultimately discover the pathway that works best for them in terms of practices, all educators can and should apply certain key principles.
In light of this reality, there are at least four (4) key PRINCIPLES we can extrapolate from Thresa Brooks' highly capable educational leadership philosophy and classroom teaching style.
These FOUR (4) Principles are:
- Student success is predicated on the establishment of quality student-teacher relationships rooted in mutual respect and trust.
- Building quality student-teacher relationships takes time, effort, and consistent caring on the part of the teacher and student.
- Repetition is the KEY to a student's reception and skill.
- Successful educators view the classroom as more than just an environment for academic learning. They also see it as a laboratory for life skill, character, and leadership development.
Principle ONE points out the essential role that relationships play in any pedagogical process. Principle TWO, which is a corollary to principle one, is that building relationships requires time, effort, and genuine care and love for another human being. This requires more than just determination and persistence. It also requires patience.
Brooks explained that it would take her 3-4 weeks of diligent, focused, and concerted effort at the beginning of a school year to earn her student's trust and acclimate them to her highly regimented system. It did not happen overnight, or even in a week or two. She explained further that the payoff throughout the rest of the school year made this initial up-front investment in time, energy, and effort entirely worth it. According to Brooks, everything went much smoother once her students trusted her and were conditioned to her unique system. But, it never would have happened if she had been unwilling to invest this diligent, up-front effort.
Maintaining these quality relationships and sustaining her regimented system throughout the year still required continual effort, of course, as any system is subject to atrophy and failure if neglected; but, it was much easier to maintain and sustain after making that early, extensive, and determined up-front investment of time and energy.
Principle THREE is a reminder that repetition is a key to both learning comprehension and skill development. The process of rote learning in an academic environment is akin to the process of becoming highly skilled in any endeavor—be it academics, athletics, music, public speaking, relationships, etc. There is simply no shortcut to diligent practice and energetic effort when it comes to authentic achievement of any kind. You have to put in the time if you want to be successful. The mastery of any subject or skill requires significant investments of study, practice, and repetition over time.
There is no other way.
In the words of two professors of speech:
"Too many students try to study when half asleep, with most of the body inert and quite at peace. [But those who are] earnestly trying to learn ... are not content to sit down and take it easy. They exert themselves—head, hands, trunk, legs—everything that helps." (2)
Principle FOUR: Brooks fully recognized the classroom as being more than a laboratory for language, literature, testing, and grades. She saw it as an effective training ground for life, including future careers and relationships. In the words of one charismatic young African American girl in one of Brooks' eighth grade classes:
"I like Ms. Brooks because she teaches us about more than just language arts.
"She teaches us about life!"
Brooks was never content to let her students "sit down and take it easy." She required them to "exert themselves" in any way that might help them become better readers, writers, thinkers—and most importantly, human beings; and her results are largely inarguable. Ultimately, the reasons she was so successful was because she consistently practiced these four basic pedagogical principles, which are, for the sake of reiteration and therefore reception:
Thresa Brooks' FOUR (4) Principles of Pedagogical Success
- The success of a teacher's tactics and strategy is contingent upon the quality and trust of the teacher-student relationship.
- Developing quality teacher-student relationships takes time, effort, caring, compassion, and consistency on the part of the teacher.
- Repetition is the key to reception and skill.
- A really good (solid) EDUCATION is about much more than academics. It's also about LIFE.
At Freedom Focused, we don't ask leaders and teachers to incorporate Thresa Brooks' unique style into their own classroom repertoires. What we do ask is that you carefully consider how to incorporate Brooks' FOUR (4) principles into your own personalized approach and style. If you do, you are certain to succeed with most students most of the time.
Why are you guaranteed this degree of success?
Because these same PRINCIPLES will always be the foundation of any meaningful pedagogical approach that generates lasting success.
Thresa Brooks passed away on October 27, 2012, at the relatively young age of 61. She was 58 when our paths briefly—yet oh, so meaningfully—crossed at Tapp Middle School in Georgia. Despite our loss of this extraordinary teacher, her legacy lives on in the minds and hearts of her many students—and countless others (including me) who were positively touched by her dynamic character and electric personality throughout her incredible life and remarkable career.
 |
| Thresa Brooks Tapp Middle School Teacher of the Year 2008-09 |
- Why do you think Thresa Brooks was able to exert such tremendous influence over her students and classroom environment?
- Why do you think so many of her students responded positively to her unusually regimented and strict classroom policies?
- What is something other teachers could learn from Thresa Brooks that would have a significant impact on their own classrooms and students?
- For TEACHERS: What is one thing you would consider doing differently in your own classroom beginning tomorrow to better incorporate Brooks' four principles?
- When asked a question, the human mind naturally reflects upon possible answers to that question. What answers does your mind come up with for the three questions Brooks' posed each day to her students?
- Why am I here today?
- Whose life will I touch in a positive way?
- What will I do with the rest of my day?
- How might pondering these questions on a daily basis positively influence your thoughts, speech, behavior, attitudes, and beliefs?
—Dr. JJ
Author's Note: This is the 501st Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013 and the 287th consecutive weekly blog published since August 31, 2020.
Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 500 FF Blog Articles
Click HERE for a complete listing of Freedom Focused SAL QUOTES
Click HERE for a complete listing of Freedom Focused SAL POEMS
Click HERE to access the FULL TEXT of Dr. JJ's Psalms of Life: A Poetry Collection
.........................
Tune in NEXT Wednesday for another article on a Self-Action Leadership related topic.
If you liked this blog post, please share it with your family, friends, colleagues, and students—and encourage them to bookmark this blog to access a new FREE article every Wednesday.
No comments:
Post a Comment