Early in his assembly at Poughkeepsie Middle School Monday morning, Keith L. Brown – known as “Mr. I’m Possible” – had difficulty with his microphone.
Though another was swiftly passed toward him, he waved it off and began addressing the students with just his voice.
“In this life, we’re going to have what we call ‘technical difficulties,’” he began, before sharing some of the difficulties he’s experienced – losing a child, a brother, a sister and two step parents to illness and complications, and caring for a mother with Alzheimer’s disease – and his childhood. “I was labeled special ed all my life. … They said I was in special ed because I talked too much. Now I get paid well to talk. Do you understand?
“That was a ‘technical difficulty,’” he continued, before summing up his point: “Never let anyone’s negative opinion of you become your opinion of yourself and never let anyone tell you what you can’t do, especially if they ain’t never done it.”
Brown spent all day in Poughkeepsie Monday meeting with students before a dedicated session with staff after-school. He’ll host a free parent empowerment workshop at 6 p.m. tonight at Poughkeepsie Middle School. Register at this link.
The opening assembly for the entire eighth grade and select other students was filled with energy, music, dancing and chanting, as Brown had complete command of the school’s gym and every set of eyes in it. Through a call-and-response style in which he repeated key takeaways frequently, the room of students remained engaged for roughly 90 minutes. Often, he had the room repeat a mantra:
“We can. We Will. We Must. We Got This!”
While Brown travels the country giving similar presentations, he kept several aspects of the assembly personalized to Poughkeepsie, winning the students over early on through spoken word rap that incorporated the motto of “Champions for Children” and the Pioneers mascot. He also pulled several students out of their seats for one-on-one interactions, asking about their goals and encouraging positive behaviors.
Brown acknowledged Teacher Appreciation Week this week and encouraged the students to thank their instructors. Then, he put them to work dancing behind him to the delight of the room.
Brown also addressed Principal Barrington Atkins and his staff directly, reminding them of the role they play in guiding the school’s scholars.
“What we do as administrators, faculty and staff – we build,” he said. “We are the champions and we’re building champions.”
The messages ran the gamut from perseverance to encouraging healthy habits and self-actualization. Often, those messages were delivered from high up in the bleachers among the students, or through individual interactions.
“You will never be great until you stop looking at life through other people’s eyes,” he explained after encouraging one student to wear his glasses.
The overarching theme, though, was the role of education and graduation in order to succeed in life and earn a comfortable living. A couple times, he asked for a show of hands of those who would like to improve their current economic reality.
“The main way to get out of your situation,” he told them, “is to get an education.”