Good afternoon welcome to another edition of one door at a time concentric educational Solutions podcast live of napsi 2023 in norw uh we’re here we’ve been doing this all day it’s live you might be seeing people in the background people talking but we have a special
Edition about nothing but NES on the set NES who are superintendent NES who are leaders and directors and we just want really talk about the journey through education how they went how they become leaders their uh their push to give back and how we are to striving for
Achievement in every field of human endeavor shout out uh to our Founders 1911 uh I’m going to pass it and have a special guest host Dr William Blake who uh man we’ve 10 15 years now it’s damn it’s been a minute uh we have Dr Andre
Tanzel uh we got uh Brother G Jordon I mean I’m going to give it give it to you so you can introduce the brothers and talk about talk about the journey I mean it it’s really a journey I’ve known Dre now this is the first time this is where
I met you when you introduced me when you were in Boston yes as an assistant principal High School principal yes right yeah High School principal yes just met you brother Gordon as soon as I asked you to do this you jumped in Blake we’ve been going way back take it away
Blake yeah well first and foremost thank you for this opportunity thank you for this platform and welcome to the brothers of Kaa alasi Fraternity Incorporated as we are attending the 51st National convening of the National Alliance of black school Educators absolutely um so let’s just jump right
Into it Brothers uh first and foremost right when you think about the mission the Mantra and the motto of Kappa alpas side everyone knows that we are all about achievement right right so with that said talk to me about what does achievement mean for you and your position as a
Superintendent well first of all daveid don’t thank you for having us on here uh Dr John B Gordon the third PRI division superintendent of suffk public schools and it’s all about achievement in every Endeavor and when we take a look at that it’s not only making sure that we do
Things right for ourselves but that we also open up the doors for others to follow and being an African-American in this position is really all about making sure that you do the pathway that you become the Trailblazer because you know you’re under a different microscope than
Anybody else and so we have to make sure that we cross our te’s DOT our eyes a lot more than other people but at the same time we want to make sure that we’re excellent in everything that we do once we have that formula and are able to move forward success is always
Guaranteed to follow yeah I’d like to say first of all uh to me achievement doesn’t mean have so when you talk about achievement to me that means be the best version of yourself that you could possibly be I’m Dr Andre Town superintendent of Calvary County Public Schools and I’ll be honest
With you as a leader leadership is hard and it’s difficult and it’s not for the faint of heart and I say this all the time to young people what I’ve learned and I’ll be honest with you uh the job is hard and it’s difficult so how do you
Achieve when it’s hard is and is difficult what I’m asking people to do is not to wish it was easier just wish that you were better don’t wish for any less challenges wish for more skill do not wish for any less problems wish for more wisdom and don’t wish it took less
Work just wish you had more work ethic and if you’re not waddling in your own puddle of mediocrity to me that’s how you achieve awesome man I tell you man you all are coming in dropping these Jewels um because the achievement is what we do right so another history of
Lesson about Kappa alasi uh everyone knows that we have 10 amazing Founders but one of our Founders the the dreamer of our organization uh Elder Watson Diggs he was an educator right and Elder Watson digs he also was one of the first African-American principles in the state
Of Indiana right that was a major major achievement back in the year of 1909 no I mean 1911 so on right so with that right I want you all to reflect on what is your greatest joy or your greatest achievement in your role as being an
Educator you know I think you to nail on the head when you think about being the first I was the first African-American principal of James Monroe High School in fredburg Virginia and the year was 2009 I was also the first African-American chair of the Virginia High School league
100 Years of the Virginia High School league activities and Athletics and that was the first one so it lets you know that even though that was the year of 2013 that we still had a long way to go to answer the second part of your question I really believe that one of my
Greatest successes is when I see someone’s life that I’ve impacted reach their goals and dreams if it’s you know former assistant coaches of mine when I was coaching basketball for 10 years in the Richmond area that are now head coaches I retired from coaching in 2007 I still have three assistant coaches
That are High School coaches in the Richmond Virginia area and it kind of lets me know that my legacy on that end is still alive and well because I know they’re impacting so many men especially young men of color and trying to do what they’re what they really want to do in
Life so as long as you continue to find ways to inspire and motivate others those are the things that not only keep you going but they keep you young too and one thing I like to share is just change is inevitable but progress is optional so where you are right now
Is exactly what you did in the sum of The Last 5 Years so if you want someplace to be 2 3 4 5 years from now you would definitely arrive somewhere the question is where you would definitely become someone the question is who so the goal is to put information
In your mental Factory put information in your body and become the best version of yourselves in July 1 2022 and my school district’s over 300 year history I became the first black superintendent of Calvary County Public Schools progress change you know but it didn’t just happen because I just popped
Up and someone blessed me with an opportunity I came with some information under the hood I said this before what good is a brand new paint job on the vehicle but your vehicle is all jacked up under the hood right radiator busted tires bald oil needs changing window
Don’t work you dig like what does it you on the in a vehicle going to a destination but you broke down on the side of the road so I’m not saying just look good on everybody look good on there everybody got the suit on everybody got the crisp line up
Everybody got the fit it but what’s in your mental fact your do it toad iny yeah talk a little bit about that you’re from the you’re from the D what up though what up though burners pop all that stuff better made chips better made chips how you growing
Up the D impact who you are now as a leader oh man great question uh first and foremost shout out to my father my father this year would be 50 uh 51 years at Fort motor company been working for the same organization since he was 18
Years old so just coming from that Blue Collar grind background all my uncles Brothers we all we all work in the plant we work at the factory we all build houses we all do construction that’s just what I’m born from uh my my my ticket uh to the Collegiate world or to
Academia was through football play high school football my senior Year blessed with an opportunity I previously heard you talking to a superintendent about how that HBCU really nurtures that individual it took me 5 years but I got my bachelor’s degree and then that Bachelor degree turned to a master’s
Degree then that master’s degree turned to a doctoral degree in the rest is history so just coming from that hardcore grind of a background and just not wishing it was easier but just wishing I was better shout out to you am hey you how University how about your
Background you know so my background is a little bit different because I grew up straight suburbs because my parents were very active in the civil rights movement in Richmond Virginia and and the historical concept both of my parents went to Virginia Union University but my father actually was the probably the
Third African-American to ever attend the University of Virginia so when I went there you know I was a legacy student but then you had to fight that narrative oh you only got in because of affirmative action or you only got in because your father went here but that
Was the same damn thing that a lot of other individuals have been doing for hundreds of years so why was it different for us you know at the same time we had to make sure that we were going to use that as motivation you know the first time I was ever called the
Nword was on the campus University of Virginia you know my high school herish high school in Richmond very diverse School 60% Caucasian but they still understood but when you go to UVA and this that this is when you become a threat because now you’re on the same
Even playing field you have the same opportunity and those are the things that actually scare some of those individuals yeah I got a question for you your journey yeah right like so when I met these two brothers when I met you two brothers I knew there was a
Trajectory like I I I a lot of people go for Soups right to have the conversation with them I look for the people with the ambition who are going to be soups MH and I’m like y like I knew right when we first met you said it you spoke into an
Existence but your journey Blake yeah absolutely so when you think about like my journey it’s it’s a non-traditional route you know as most Educators to get to the superintendency right however it started out very traditional where I became a classroom teacher right after a classroom teacher teacher I became a
Peer mediator after a peer mediator I go become an in school suspension coordinator and then that led me to become an assistant principal which allowed me to then sit in the seat of being a school leader and being a principal leaving the principal ship you know uh you supposed to become an
Assistant superintendent a chief of schools Deputy superintendent then superintendent right uh but now I found a unique opportunity to redesign what the high school experience look like for students and kids right so I am currently the director of redesigned for the District of Columbia Public Schools
And this position believe it or not is going to set me up for that superintendent position because I am now redesigning what aundy old system has looked and sounded like for the last century that has been very archaic right so now I am developing a sense of tools
Where I will be able to look at a situation look at the district and identify you know what we’re not going to continue to do this problem to kids we are going to uh disrupt the problem with kids by allowing them to be a part of our
Processes question before we get out of here right because I know everyone’s short on time brother Gordon I got to ask and then we we we close out on this why kaai why Ka SI so first of all my father’s a noob oh damn okay my uncle’s
A n but at the same time there’s a certain level of confidence swag style that we have that no other fraternity does and we all know that 1911 is a good year we know there was another fraternity that was at the end of the year at the very end very end you
Know but the way we do things is different and I think one of the things that always probably came to the Forefront with me is the way that we treat each other the way that we treat women with great levels of respect and they love us too but at at the same time
I I really looked at the level of leadership in the tiwater area when I first became a superintendent three out of the four superintendents in my region were all caus ohow and so that told me with Eli bracie and George Parker and myself that told me that we’re
Definitely on to something when it comes to leadership so we’re not just speaking the Mantra of achievement in every Endeavor we’re actually living it every day y okay yeah man I’ll end on this man I mean bottom line is simple achievement I like to achieve I say it all the time
Set the bar meet the bar exceed the bar and ultimately raised that bar and all and just being a steward of true manliness and Fidelity achievement in every field of human endeavor and for me it’s simple um I’m a legacy note yo my dad has now been a member of our
Organization for over 40 years um I grew up for those of you all are in the Washington DC area I grew up in 1708 EST Street and um if you all know that address you all know that address it’s the address of the historic Kappa House
Of uh Kappa Al side the Washington DC 119 chapter and I just grew up in that house just watching um men of character watching Men of Integrity watching Men of achievement um inclusive of my dad and and I knew when I had the opportunity to uh be fortunate enough uh
To be welcomed into this organization I knew cap alasa was going to be that organization so for me it was coming out of prison going to Lincoln with nothing uh two very influential people uh Dr Charles Sutton was my history professor and Lincoln so small I mean we only had
Like 10 history majors um and then uh Dr Hershel barley he was director of upward bounds and in a small little office and they were both Epsilon brothers and Charles and uh Dr Sutton and Dr barley would take me to Pro uh to probation in Delaware every Wednesday and they would
Just rotate and these are these are cats I didn’t know and so I always feel like frats choose or history or your higher power chooses you and your pth to follow and that’s kind of what it and to me being being a nuke is sacred to me
Being a nuke is sacred I take I take our Brotherhood extremely seriously um you don’t know me that well good brother but you’re my brother so the minute that someone says oh that’s a n that that’s that’s validation like your your stance um Dre know this Blake knows I’ll be
Really quick to call a brother out right uh because I think we’re so much better than that that if a brother is in need all they have to do is ask once right and that is and that’s what I asked those Brothers before they were our brothers I need help to go to
Probation if not I was going to violate and they all it had to do was ask once and and that was it um I want to thank y’all I know definitely short notice but trying to get nson leadership we’re going to uh really just just continue to
Broaden this and sharpen each other yeah uh one of the things I keep I said I’ve said to you is no like we’re we’re we’re going to you’re going to be so much bigger than what you even think like we got to I know you’re you’re probably the
Secretary of Ed you know I mean you’re going to push it right we’re going to support vapsi like we really have to make sure that we sharpen each other yeah I want to thank you Brothers I want to thank all of you it’s been a long ass
Day this is the great thing for not working for a system I can curse and and uh I can just be me uh you brothers be politically correct allow me to take the heat I want to thank you for joining us uh for another episode of one one door
At a time our podcast always check us out download us view US subscribe to us concentric do world see you next time out live for Nola yo shout out to the N No
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