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Monday, October 9, 2017

Dear Hannah: LEarning (The Declaration of Love)

By Derrick Brown (follow on Twitter @dbrowndbrown)

Dear Hannah,

Love seeks the highest good for others ...

... and works without fail to make it happen.

Love's challenge is best phrased this way ...

"I am decent at loving what I like."

"I am LEarning to love what I do not like."

Welcome to honesty.

Self-honesty.

Welcome to LIFE.

REAL LIFE.

LEarning to love what I do not like is not my nature ...

... it is my standard, though.

Love,

Daddy

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"LEarning (The Declaration of Love)"
By Derrick Brown
8-14-2017

Current events can distract me from "The Big Picture" - and the work required to make it happen.

I was born to love God and others.

What's love got to do with it?

Everything.

Love seeks the highest good for others ...

... and works without fail to make it happen.

So while today seems bleak,

I know that yesterday was bleaker.

I know that tomorrow carries today's hopes and dreams.

So God bless the dreamers.

And God bless the schemers.

Not the architects of arrogance, mayhem, and vitriol.

Not those schemers.

But the purveyors of purpose, power, peace ...

... patience, persistence, priority, pursuit ...

... passion, possession, and planning.

See, the only things that happen by accident ...

... are accidents.

Change and success are intentional, inspirational, strategic, and spiritual.

You might hear this music playing in the background, and you're like ...

"When is he gon start rapping?"

I've been rapping since the first word.

Shall I proceed - yes, indeed.

Love is a many-splendored thing ...

... that means it is full of magnificence and marvel.

It is also filled with challenges ...

... challenges that help us grow ...

... then know ...

... that we don't know ...

... then show ...

... that even though ...

... even though cashflow ...

... even though woe and sorrow ...

... we are a people who sow (we give) ...

... we are a people who sew (we fix) ...

... we are a people who go (get it) ...

... we are a people who flow ...

See, love's challenge is best phrased this way ...

"I am decent at loving what I like."

"I am LEarning to love what I do not like."

Welcome to honesty.

Self-honesty.

Welcome to LIFE.

REAL LIFE.

LEarning to love what I do not like is not my nature ...

... it is my standard, though.

It is my stature.

It is how I will stand taller than my greatest enemy.

'Cause when the enemy comes in like a flood,

The Spirit of the Lord will raise a standard against him. (Isaiah 59:19)

Hear me.

I am that standard.

Search me, Lord - and know my heart ...

... try me, and know my thoughts (Psalm 139:23).

For out of the abundance of my heart, my mouth speaks (Luke 6:45).

Guard my heart, Lord - for out of it flows the springs of life ... (Prov 4:23)

Then I will stand at my watch, and position myself strategically ...

... to see what God says, and what I will then do. (Habakkuk 2:1)

See, I do not care for the whims and ways of this world.

Furthermore, I do not care for the whims and ways of the church.

On their worst days, they are indistinguishable.

But I love this world.

Because we are the world.

I love the church.

Because we are the church.

That admission may be my path ... to LEarning to love what I do not like, huh?

When I face my enemy, then realize that on my worst days, I am my enemy.

Then my fight becomes less about defeating my enemy.

And more about loving myself and others.

It becomes more about strengthening my weaknesses.

It becomes more about asking God to change my heart.

The heart is the intersection of the mind, will, and emotions.

I will change my LEarning.

I will change my focus.

I will change my finance.

I will change my work ethic.

I will declare that ...

"When in the course of human events, I find that the rhetoric ain't my reality.

And the rules of engagement are unwritten, unspoken, unfair, unjust, and unchanged.

And I get tired of watching frogs sip tea, reposting quotes, watching videos, sharing pictures of food, explaining racism, and arguing with the wind.

It is then that I realize I need a strength greater than I can perceive or achieve on my own.

That strength is love.

Not that "lovey dovey", "groovy" kind of love, but that "bear all things", "decision" kind of love.

Love that will help me cross that wide chasm between who I am and who I need to be.

Then I will stop watching, lamenting, and commenting ... and will start planning, strategizing, organizing, creating and working.

Though change tarries, I will work for it while I am waiting.

And it will come.

Because it will begin with me.

Selah."

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 (serving people)
entrepreneurship (developing solutions that serve people)
stewardship (taking care of relationships, possessions, talents, body, mind, and time)
literacy (reading & writing skills)
numeracy (math skills)
language (communication skills)
self-expression (sharing "who you are")
self-identity (knowing "who you are")
analysis & synthesis (solving problems & sharing solutions)

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).

Monday, October 2, 2017

Dear Hannah: LEarning (Rhyme-In-Time)

By Derrick Brown (follow on Twitter @dbrowndbrown)

Dear Hannah,

I aspire to be a five-tool+ "standup storyteller" (AKA "griot") - poet, rapper, singer, teacher, orator, writer, producer, director.

I am still learning how to use my tools, but I am getting there.

LEarn to use your gifts.

Love,

Daddy

Buy The Rhyme-In-Time Video Guide (Poetry Song Lyric Speech Writing Project) At Teachers Pay Teachers!

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"LEarning (Rhyme-In-Time)"
By Derrick Brown
8-16-2017

Our greatest entertainers have "five tools".

This variety is what makes their performances dynamic and memorable.

Comedian Tracy Morgan considers Eddie Murphy as his hero and role model.

Morgan taught me that Eddie is unique because he has five comedic tools: stand-up, impressions, characters, singing, and acting.

I remember "Raw" 30 years after its release.

I remember his "Elvis" impression.

I remember all the characters from "Coming to America" and "The Nutty Professor".

I remember "Party All The Time".

Eddie could sing, y'all.

I remember "Boomerang".

Chance The Rapper is a five-tool emcee: rapper, singer, preacher, dancer, and conductor.

Conductor?

Yes, indeed.

Chance knows who he is.

He is very comfortable in his own skin.

He understands music.

He knows what he needs from the band.

He knows what everybody is supposed to be doing.

He leads them while he is on stage.

Like James Brown.

Like Kirk Franklin.

I read that Kirk is one of his influences, and I can see it on stage.

Stone Mountain's own Donald Glover (AKA "Childish Gambino") is a five-tool+ talent - writer, producer, director, singer, rapper, actor.

Check out old episodes of "Community".

He steals a lot of scenes.

I read that the show's writers started scripting him doing something improvisational and hilarious.

I aspire to be a five-tool+ "standup storyteller" (AKA "griot") - poet, rapper, singer, teacher, orator, writer, producer, director.

I am still learning how to use my tools, but I am getting there.

But I digress.

Today I want to focus on building language skills to enhance self-expression to beautiful, masterful levels.

Language is the key to self-identity and self-expression - which are the keys to the creation of beauty - which is what we call art.

Language is a system of communicating through sounds and symbols.

Self-identity is "who you are" ... how you describe yourself.

Self-expression is how you relate "who you are" to your audience.

Life is a story.

We speak life through our stories.

Hip-hop and spoken word are influential in our culture (really in many cultures) because they are used to tell our stories in a beautiful way.

Our stories become even more beautiful - and even more powerful - when we tell them with a command of language ... and a command of ourselves (self-control).

This command of language allows us to convey strong identities that bring forth strong expressions.

People feel that strength.

One strong verse generates the influence of 1000 sermons ... with power, passion, precision, popularity, prophecy, peril, style, and swag.

Anyway, I have this project called "Rhyme-In-Time".

It is an activity that I use to help me craft and refine song lyrics.

It is powered by a large list of word groups - 2 or more words per group - that rhyme in special ways.

Some are what I call "double rhymes".

These words rhyme phonetically (they end in similar sounds), but they also rhyme thematically (they relate as concepts).

For example, "nameless" and "shameless" comes to mind.

"Ruthless", "couthless", and "toothless" also comes to mind.

Some of the words are "homophones" - they sound the same, but are spelled differently, and have different meanings that can still be easily connected.

For example, "so", "sew", and "sow".

When I need a clever lyric, and my regular dictionary and rhyming dictionary are not doing the job, I go to "Rhyme-In-Time".

It never fails me.

Let's say I am writing dialogue for a play, and the scene is a tense school board meeting.

I am giving the first public comment before the official meeting starts, and I want to let the public know that there is an issue with a board member that will soon be brought to light - but I'm not that light.

I'm just tryin' to let you know what's comin' - like a soothsayer (or a truthsayer).

So I grab my "nameless" and "shameless" pair ...

Roll scene ...

"Madame chairman, our distinguished board, and guests ... we have a problem. A problem of both protocol and practice perpetrated by one entrusted to uphold the public's faith. I am not here to expose that individual. They shall remain nameless tonight, but will not remain shameless for long."

Or, picture this one ... I am trying to relate how Black people have performed a legacy of back-breaking (often involuntary) work ... and how it has allowed us to recognize that opportunities are often disguised as work.

So I break 'em off with a "so - sew - sow" verse ...

"had to cut and mow
had to stitch and sew
for Mr. So-and-So
so we could reap and sow"

Now, these groups don't always have to be used as rhymes, don't have to be used in any particular order, and multiple groups can be used together.

Let's try "vain" and "vein" with "reign", "sane", and "feign" ...

How about ...

"When I feign sane
confusion reigns
vanity and foolish pride
run through my veins."

OK - that still rhymes, but note how I used "vain" as "vanity" to maintain my rhythm and flow.

That's how I use "Rhyme-In-Time".

So what's next?

I want to use "Rhyme-In-Time" as the basis for a concept where "Def Poetry Jam" meets "Hamilton" meets "Who's Line Is It Anyway?" meets "The BET Awards Cypher".

Peep this ...

"DJ in the back
stacks of tracks
one man, one mic
spittin facts
stories to engage
the young, the old
improvised yet devised
bought and sold."

I am tempted to translate this - but if you get it, you get it.

This is "way down the road" (as they say), but we will get there by gettin' in the lab and cookin' up somethin', and by vibin' with live audiences ...

in both cases I will experiment with word groups combined with people and events from our heritage, and even ideas that can enhance our future.

Not sure where it all ends up, but I wanted to document today that I am gonna give it some serious attention, work it out, and who knows?

'Cause where the focus goes, the power flows.

Selah.

About Derrick Brown (Principal Consultant)

ministry (serving people)
entrepreneurship (developing solutions that serve people)
stewardship (taking care of relationships, possessions, talents, body, mind, and time)
literacy (reading & writing skills)
numeracy (math skills)
language (communication skills)
self-expression (sharing "who you are")
self-identity (knowing "who you are")
analysis & synthesis (solving problems & sharing solutions)

Monday, September 25, 2017

Dear Hannah: LEarning (The People In My Neighborhood (TPIMN))

By Derrick Brown (follow on Twitter @dbrowndbrown)

Dear Hannah,

As the name suggests, The People In My Neighborhood (TPIMN) is a project that helps me learn more about where I live.

It began as an effort to organize the neighbors in our subdivision, then grew into an effort to learn about our adjacent communities - then their adjacent communities, etc.

It has grown into a powerful storytelling tool.

Love,

Daddy

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"LEarning (The People In My Neighborhood (TPIMN))"
By Derrick Brown
8-12-2017

As the name suggests, The People In My Neighborhood (TPIMN) is a project that helps me learn more about where I live.

It began as an effort to organize the neighbors in our subdivision, then grew into an effort to learn about our adjacent communities - then their adjacent communities, etc.

About one year ago, I was able to formalize the project into a google map with several layers.

These layers include community building blocks like voting wards, subdivisions, apartments, schools, churches, businesses, and crime.

Based on recent direct feedback, nobody cares to be shown how the map was built.

Those are too many details.

Many folks, though, care about what the map reveals.

So, let's use the map to help tell a compelling story - by the numbers.

Let's tackle the numbers first.

I live in a voting ward with 3000 registered voters.

2000 are White - and live North of what I call our "Mason - Dixon Line".

1500 of those White voters live in 5 key "North Side" communities.

The other 1000 voters are Black - and live South of that "Mason - Dixon Line".

I am one of them.

There are two candidates vying to be elected as representatives of our ward.

They both live on the "North Side".

Political campaigns have limited resources.

I would not blame these two candidates if they both focused their resources on targeting the 1500 votes in the 5 "North Side" communities.

So far - neither of them seem to be making themselves visible on the "South Side".

I ain't mad at 'em.

But they are overlooking an opportunity that is hard to see ... unless you have a visual aid.

Roll the demo ...

[Tour starts]

There are 50 registered voters in my community.

As I leave my community to drive my daughter to school, I pass a second community on my left.

There are 50 registered voters in that community.

Nearing the stoplight, the subdivision to my left has 50 registered voters.

The apartment complex on the right has 90 voters.

After we make a right turn, there is an apartment complex to the left with 230 registered voters.

Then there is another to the right with 100 voters.

If you are keeping score, that is 570 of my ward's 1000 Black voters ... who live within walking distance of my house.

It's a long walk, but they live within walking distance.

[End tour]

What does this say, and what does that mean?

Here's what it says to me - by the numbers.

The two "North Side" candidates will share 2000 votes.

Let's explore the possibilities of how that might happen.

If they split them evenly (1000 apiece), they will have created an opportunity for a third "South Side" candidate who targets Black voters.

If one candidate dominates the other, the third candidate who woos the "South Side" Black voters may have a say in which candidate wins.

Those are the two extreme possibilities.

Lots of other possibilities exist between those extremes.

So, the word to the wise is to make an effort to attract and organize those 570 voters who live within walking distance of my home.

It might matter more than we realize.

Selah.

About Derrick Brown (Principal Consultant)

ministry (serving people)
entrepreneurship (developing solutions that serve people)
stewardship (taking care of relationships, possessions, talents, body, mind, and time)
literacy (reading & writing skills)
numeracy (math skills)
language (communication skills)
self-expression (sharing "who you are")
self-identity (knowing "who you are")
analysis & synthesis (solving problems & sharing solutions)

Monday, September 18, 2017

Dear Hannah: LEarning (Nine Men's Morris (9MM))

By Derrick Brown (follow on Twitter @dbrowndbrown)

Dear Hannah,

Nine Men's Morris is an ancient board game combining the speed of checkers, the strategy of chess and the simplicity of tic-tac-toe.

It is easy to play, but difficult to master.

Become a master.

Love,

Daddy

Nine Men's Morris (9MM)

Buy Nine Men's Morris Game Video Tournament Guide At Teachers Pay Teachers!

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"LEarning (Nine Men's Morris (9MM))"
By Derrick Brown
8-11-2017

Nine Men's Morris is an ancient board game combining the speed of checkers, the strategy of chess and the simplicity of tic-tac-toe.

It is easy to play, but difficult to master.

Opponents each start the game with 9 playing pieces.

The object ... is to either trap your opponent so he or she can no longer move or to capture all their playing pieces except for two.

The rules ... first person to play puts a piece over any of the white circles on your game board.

Then the second person does the same.

Your objective is to get three of your pieces in a row (which is called a "mill").

All the pieces in a "mill" must be on circles connected by lines.

In other words, diagonal mills don't count.

When you get a mill, you may remove and keep one of your opponent's pieces from the board.

The only time a piece can be removed from an opponent's mill is when there are no other pieces available except those in a mill.

Once both players have put down all their pieces (this is called the "placement" phase), they take turns moving their pieces along the lines in an effort to form a mill (this is called the "movement" phase).

You can only move one space at a time, and you can't move diagonally.

Also, you may only move to adjacent open circles.

You may not bump or jump an opponent's piece.

Remember, the forming of a mill allows for the removal of an opponent's piece.

If you plan well, it is possible to play a piece that forms two mills. If this occurs, you can remove two of your opponent’s pieces.

Play continues until a player can no longer move or is left with only two playing pieces on the board.

Whichever outcome, this person loses the game.

I can show you better than I can tell you.

Let's see how it is done.

Roll the demo ...

The game's speed, strategy, and simplicity combine to make it a subtle powerhouse.

Let me count the ways ...

1. Folks from similar and different generations can compete.
2. Games end in 5-10 minutes - so several games can be played simultaneously - or in succession - without folks getting bored.
3. "Gameboards" can be printed and placed in document photo frames from Dollar stores.
4. Game pieces can be formal game pawns (like the ones in the game "Sorry"), or any uniform household item with a flat bottom (pennies and dimes work well - so do colored applesauce caps).

These four elements I have shared allow Nine Men's Morris to be the centerpiece of a compelling, inexpensive, intra-generational event.

Imagine middle, high school, and college students - along with professionals and retirees - all playing each other in a large room with 16 tables.

Each table can host two games between two players simultaneously - this means 64 people can be engaged and play 32 games in the first round of a tournament.

Each game requires a gameboard - a printout of the Nine Men's Morris grid placed in a dollar store document frame.

These 32 gameboards will cost $32.

With games taking 5-10 minutes - each tournament round will take 20 minutes.

A 64-player tournament will require 6 "rounds" to crown a champion - which means 120 minutes are required for gameplay.

Add 5-minute breaks between every round - 25-30 minutes are required for breaks.

This means that 150 minutes (2.5 hours) are required to conduct a tournament with 64 participants.

Let's add 30 minutes for breakfast before the tournament.

So, on a Saturday morning from 9 AM - 12 PM - this game provides the main attraction of a great, inexpensive mentoring event.

Man, that is alright.

Selah.

About Derrick Brown (Principal Consultant)

ministry (serving people)
entrepreneurship (developing solutions that serve people)
stewardship (taking care of relationships, possessions, talents, body, mind, and time)
literacy (reading & writing skills)
numeracy (math skills)
language (communication skills)
self-expression (sharing "who you are")
self-identity (knowing "who you are")
analysis & synthesis (solving problems & sharing solutions)

reachthenteach

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Monday, October 9, 2017

Dear Hannah: LEarning (The Declaration of Love)

Monday, October 2, 2017

Dear Hannah: LEarning (Rhyme-In-Time)

Monday, September 25, 2017

Dear Hannah: LEarning (The People In My Neighborhood (TPIMN))

Monday, September 18, 2017

Dear Hannah: LEarning (Nine Men's Morris (9MM))

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