Famous Parenting & Family Engagement Keynote Speaker
Dr. Adolph "Doc' Brown, III is known for CELEBRATING, APPRECIATING, & EDUCATING his audiences! Experience the best practice strategies in parenting, family engagement, and early childhood education with one of the top Parenting Gurus, Expert, & TV Talk Show Co-Host on The ABC prime time show “The Parent Test.” As The World's Greatest Edutainer, Doc Brown uses motivation & encouragement to lead and coach parents and guardians to support the premise that "It ALL starts at home!" -that teachers nor parents can do it alone! Dr. Adolph "Doc' Brown, III is known for CELEBRATING, APPRECIATING, & EDUCATING his audiences! when children come to school. And as educators, we know that the best learning builds on what students already know.
Without a doubt, Edutainer, Title One Schools and Parent Engagement, family and community seminar leader, parenting and family speaker and fatherhood keynote speaker Dr. Adolph Brown offers the most unique, relevant, value-added, entertaining, and fun yet challenging presentations in America. To ensure that the students of today are ready for the careers of tomorrow, parent, families, schools and community groups must work together to promote engagement that is systemic, sustained and integrated into school improvement efforts. Research over the past 30 years has shown that engaging families in their children's education increases student achievement and decreases dropout rates. As a child of a single-parent mother reared in the housing projects while spending summers on a farm in rural Virginia, Dr. Adolph Brown is an advocate of strong families & strong schools. It is as a result of his strong family and strong schools that he is now a clinical and educational psychologist, tenured full professor, author, businessman and research-scientist. Rearing the next generation is a shared responsibility. When families, communities and schools work together, students are more successful and the entire community benefits. As a parent, family and community engagement speaker, Dr. Adolph Brown is first and foremost a husband and a father of eight. Dr. Brown knows that rearing children is not easy and does not come with guidelines, instructions or a pause button. Dr. Brown has experienced many adventures in parenting not only as an early childhood education speaker, but also from parenting a child with special needs to parenting adult child ten. Dr. Brown has extensive experience working with students and families who live in and through the crisis of poverty and improving communication and relations across barriers of poverty. As a Title I Speaker, Dr. Brown's tireless efforts for Improving The Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged can be seen in countless schools. Effective family engagement is not a one-time program or the choice of a good school, but rather a set of day-to-day practices, attitudes, beliefs and interactions that support learning at home, at school, after school and during the summer. Dr. Brown shares what successful culturally-responsive family & community engagement looks like, how to do it, and its wondrous benefits due to his unique success in the practical training & fun application of family engagement and best practices in child development. As a parenting keynote speaker education series trainer, Dr. Brown's family and community engagement philosophy takes you to the frontlines of doing what’s best for children and inspires you to positively impact the world. He has also counseled diverse families in crisis and trauma (divorce, co-parenting, single-parenting, adoptive, gay or lesbian, immigrant, migrant, bi-racial, multi-racial, trans-racial adoptive, blended, broken, co-custody, extended, conditionally separated, foster and transnational families) for over three decades.
Keynotes
Commonly Known as a "Semester in an Hour" & “A Party with a Purpose” (depending on the occasion) includes all of Dr. Adolph "Doc" Brown's informing & inspiring Master Classes. EVERY Keynote, Virtual, Master Class, Breakout, Workshop, Seminar, On-site Consultation & Training Session is full of tons of learning, laughter, & practical takeaways!
Course Pre-requisites: Two senses are required for The Doc Brown Experience. They are common sense and a sense of humor!
Just One Visit from Doc Brown & You’ll Want Him Back Again & Again!
(ALSO Available in virtual and pre-recorded master classes, half-day seminars & full-day workshops)
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Mental Health & Trauma in Early Childhood
Doc Brown explains the reasons behind so many young children struggling with mental health issues and what can be done to help. Disruptive behaviors, tantrums, and hyperactivity have become more noticeable in childcare centers across the country and more urgent as time goes on.
Learning Objectives:
1. Participants will learn why mental health for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers is just as important (maybe more) than adult mental health.
2. Participants will learn what childcare providers, parents, and guardians can do to help the young children.
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Unpacking Fatherhood™
Being a dad comes with its fair share of challenges, and sometimes those challenges aren't directly related to parenting. Join Doc Brown as he facilitates the importance of addressing our own "brokenness" as fathers, so that we can prevent any brokenness from being passed down to our children. Together, we can create a positive and loving environment for our children to thrive in.
Learning Objectives:
1. Bring your community together to heal, grow, and become the best versions of themselves.
2. Use evidence-based best practices strategies to engage fathers to support and uplift one another on the journey of fatherhood.
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Silence is Violence!
Allow Doc Brown to take your staff, teachers, students, parents, and community stakeholders on a serious, yet loving and compassionate journey whereby all learn to have mutual respect for one another, and all feel physically, emotionally, and socially comfortable. Ultimately, everyone will feel they are valued, belong, and welcomed. A safe learning environment is free of threat of emotional, physical, and psychological harm and allows all to risk exploring difficult issues and express their viewpoints honestly. Schools cannot do this important work alone without the help of the home and community. We must create a community of collaboration and cooperation where everyone understands that "silence is violence."
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will be led to understand that students often see more than educators and parents and have a duty to "see something, say something!"
- Participants will understand the damage of supporting and encouraging a “culture of revenge.”
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We Got Your Back!
"It takes a village to raise a child" is an African proverb that means an entire community of people (educators, family, extended family, community members, etc.) must interact with children for those children to grow in a safe and healthy environment. Dr. Brown shares what this looks like and how it is accomplished with research, humor, practical advice, and tons of takeaways.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this program the attendees will gain the following:
1. Learn how to watch out for one another and be a second set of eyes for each other's children.
2. Learn how to look out for each other's best interests and let each other know if something was missed.
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Putting Down What You Are Carrying...& Preparing For The Tasks At Hand!
Our personal troubles, private challenges, and societal crises beyond our control can become baggage over time, and we risk dumping it on others. Putting down the baggage can be scary. It will require us to redefine who we are and what we are capable of becoming. Unresolved issues due to the disruption of the pandemic, unforeseen setbacks, societal unrest, neglected relationships, career failures, illnesses, or huge financial loss may lead to over indulgent and/or other unhealthy behavior in order to mask underlying issues. Our future success depends on our willingness to unpack and put down our baggage. Join Dr. Brown on this remarkable journey of “letting it go and emptying it out.”
Learning Objectives:
- Learn that once we rid ourselves of the limiting negative thoughts, feelings, judgments, experiences, we can experience fulfillment in our natural state.
- Learn that acknowledgement is crucial to unloading these issues and beginning the journey onward.
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Lead By Example
The mark of a great leader lies in their ability to "walk the talk." To lead by example means to guide others through your behavior as opposed to your words. Your intention is to inspire others to follow your example. The opposite of leading by example would be to "say one thing and do another." Dr. Brown humorously and insightfully demonstrates how leading by example can increase trust and team engagement. Participants will understand how individual leaders can positively influence the behavior and attitudes of others. Today's workforce wants to see that your actions mirror what you say.
Objectives:
1. Participants will learn alignment is at the heart of being an authentic and genuine leader, by correcting inconsistencies and contractions in their behavior.
2. Participants will understand the ultimate purpose of leadership, which is to be the change you want to see in your organization.
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Doing What's Best For Students...Walking The Talk!™
"Doing what's best for students" is a common phrase tossed around in education often without subsequent clarifying conversations. This master class will explore what it really means in practical terms to do what's best for students with the understanding that we all are fallible human beings. What is “best” for students is rarely a single, narrowly-focused strategy, approach, and/or philosophy. This is a journey that will require all to think beyond the "core curriculum" as well as self-reflect and possibly self-correct. From a developmental perspective, we know what is "best" can and will differ depending on the students' ages, background, community needs, etc. Students are happier, healthier, and better educated when given diverse and multiple opportunities for expression. To accomplish this we must work to nurture the soul as well as the brain. Rich opportunities for a variety of experiences help students become well-rounded adults. Participants will leave WOWED, STUNNED, and TOUCHED! Tears and Cheers will abound!
Learning Objectives
1. Create a learning environment that supports the delivery of content and wisdom with empathy, care, dignity, respect, relevance, and common sense.
2. Learning to treat ALL students as if they were the children of your superintendent.
3. Visualize your student's success.
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DocSpeaks Social-Emotional Learning (SEL): If we want students to love learning, we must create environments where it is safe to fail!
Dr. Adolph Brown has written a popular book titled Championship Habits or as many refer to as "soft skills" for those from ALL walks of life. Dr. Brown often refers to "soft skills" as essential skills or center skills. Dr. Brown believes if a student is an honor roll student, speaks multiple languages, and takes advance placement subjects but can't handle their emotions, deal with stress, or resolve conflict none of the other stuff is going to matter. His book and this facilitation focuses on such skills as critical thinking, empathy, creativity, and teamwork. Join Dr. Brown as he shares how decision-making, self-awareness, and self-correction are at the center of learning and life for students as well as adults.
Learning Objectives
1. Learn to start with, build from, and embed social and emotional learning (SEL) into safe, equitable, empowering learning experiences for all students.
2. Understand why it is mission critical that we are intentional and explicit in the weaving of SEL into the fabric of our everyday learning and life.
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Two Teams, One Dream...Student Success! Raising The Bar for Family & Community Participation
Provides reasonable, practical and effective strategies to maximize parental involvement, participation, and on-going support for parents, foster care parents and adoptive parents.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this program the attendees will gain the following:
- Focuses upon young people’s most important teachers: parents, adoptive parents, foster care parents, grandparents, etc.
- All in attendance will learn more effective methods to praise, honor parents and reinforce positive parenting.
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"What Might I Be Wrong About?"™ Understanding Human Perception
Dr. Brown believes that learning is the easy part, and UNLEARNING is the hard part. Join Dr. Brown on a journey of professional and self revelation. He incorporates elements of the sciences of neuroscience research, humanistic psychology, educational theory and cultural anthropology to help us overcome faulty perceptions, stereotype threat, ego-centrism and blind spots. You are sure to leave this session a better human-being.
Learning Objectives
1. Participants will learn about the concept of "psychological safety" in the workplace.
2. Participants will learn strategies to create and sustain healthy, supportive, positive and safe work environments. -
To Serve Well, You Must Live Well™ Self-Care For Professionals
Self-care is for all! We cannot control everything that life throws our way, but we can control how well we take care of ourselves. Self-care for professionals is about taking care of your own mental health and wellbeing so that you can effectively support people you work with, live with and love. This is an upbeat and eye-opening journey of reflection, connection and in many cases redirection.
Learning Objectives
1. Participants will learn 5 Self-Care practices for every area of their life.
2. Participants will learn the key to living a balanced life. -
Attitude Changes Everything!
Your attitude and work ethic are the two things you have total control over. You have the power to decide how you are going to see the world -- and how the world is likely to see you. You can allow your attitude to support you, or defeat you. Before you ever say a word, your attitude speaks on your behalf. Come along on this flight with Dr. Brown to really see how "Your attitude affects your cruising altitude."
Learning Objectives
1. Learn how to operate from inside a positive attitude whereby your body language sends out unmistakable cues of openness.
2. Learn how your attitude can infect the people who see you with the same behavior. -
Virtual Group Hug! Connecting Our Hearts In Trying Times.
Laughing together and connecting our hearts are as close as you can get to a hug without touching. Dr. Brown's "group hug" is the perfect gift for your team; one size fits all.
Learning Objectives
1. ALL in attendance will experience the empathetic warm, profound appreciation and grateful recognition of their efforts in trying times.
2. Understand and appreciate Dr. Brown's explanation of interdependence and the fact that "we are better together, even if we are sometimes apart." -
Father-Wanting Fathers. Learning To Be A Father Without A Role Model.
Engage and empower fathers to know the significance of their role in their children’s life. Researchers have shown that a father’s active participation and emotional engagement with his children leads to improved social, emotional, behavioral and academic outcomes. Fathers (inclusive of any adult primary or significant caregiver, including but not limited to stepfathers, uncles, mentors, grandfathers, etc.) will have the opportunities to have fun while learning and practicing lifelong relationship skills with their children. Also, this talk will educate school and parent leaders to create a more father-inclusive school environment.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this program the attendees will gain the following:
- Fathers will learn that their children will follow his example, not his advice.
- Fathers will learn that when one has not had a good father, one must create one.
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"REAL TALK" Parent Reminders. Parent's Night Out
Parenting and teaching are among the most important jobs in the world. This provides both "A Celebration & An Education for Parenting.™” Time is created to recognize, uplift, and support the role of parents in the rearing of children. As our nation faces the effects of family breakdown, youth violence, teen pregnancy and a host of other critical problems, this lecture re-examines our priorities and fundamental values. There is no more important calling than that of nurturing and rearing a child.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this program the attendees will gain the following:
- Through the power of true stories, anecdotes, and research, the audience will be reminded of the enormous impact that parents have to provide a super solid foundation for life.
- Participants will be invigorated as they build and/or maintain positive relationships with schools (teachers & administrators), while vehemently supporting school expectations
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Empowering Grandparents Rearing Grandchildren
In the United States, 2.4 million grandparents are responsible for most of the basic needs of over 3.7 million grandchildren in their own households (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2003). With a growing trend in the number of grandparents rearing grandchildren, Dr. Brown recognized the need to provide grandparent training to offer some assistance so that grandparents can navigate their way through a variety of family issues, including legal and custody, financial, and parenting skills.
Learning Objectives
1. Grandparents will learn how to help grandchildren deal with loss, abandonment and grief issues.
2. Grandparents will learn how to help grandchildren build self-esteem, improve conflict resolution skills, increase drug resistance strategies and make healthy decisions about sex.
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An Asset-Based Approach to Education for English Language Learners (ELL), Emergent Bilinguals & Students of Color
The main key in achieving equity in classrooms across the country is using an asset-based approach to education. Many efforts for equity and access erroneously focus on marginalized and underrepresented communities as if they needed to be "saved." With an asset-based philosophy, every community is seen as valuable; every community has strengths and potential. Join Dr. Brown as he demonstrates how diversity of thought, culture, language, and traits are positive assets and how to look at diversity and differences as attributes to be celebrated rather than things to overcome.
Learning Objectives:
1. Participants will learn to eliminate deficit thinking and harmful biases that hold back students, especially those with disabilities, English language learners, emergent bilinguals, and students of color.
2. Participants will learn to value what students bring to the classroom rather than characterizing students for what they may need to work on or lack.
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“Head, Heart & Hugs” Strategies to Successful Parenting
Head, Heart & Hugs Parenting educates and elevates parents using humor, short parables, research and personal stories to provide “reasonable, practical and effective strategies” to maximize parental involvement, participation, and ongoing support for parents.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this program the attendees will gain the following:
- Parents will learn how to create a “Culture of Character” in the home that extends into the greater society.
- Parents will learn the obstacles to successful parenting coupled with the “Most Fundamental Learning Outcomes” for every child.
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Single Parenting, Many Roles
Although researchers tend to ONLY focus on the negative consequences of "single-parenting," this workshop emphasizes the resilience and hardiness often found in children of this circumstance. Single parenting is also seen as a journey for the strong, not just a life full of struggles. This talk will highlight the valuable lessons that result from dealing with hard times and being reared in a household that is different from many of their peers. Although this may not represent the stereotypical "American family," there can still be lots of love and fun in the home.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this program the attendees will gain the following:
- More clearly see opportunities for self-growth and responsibility for children.
- Realize that your family can be successful as a single parent family!
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Foolproof Parenting for the Afterschool Program Called “Life!”
As parents, we must educate our children to take their place in the economies of the 21st century. Although we want our children to excel academically, we do not want our children to flunk "LIFE." Because neither life nor children come with instructions, we must equip our children to live happily and successfully in our absence.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this program the attendees will gain the following:
- Empower parents to make the most important job in the world simpler and more enjoyable.
- Assist parents to meet the crucial set of physical and emotional needs of today’s child. (Failure of the parents to meet these specific needs can have wide-ranging and long-lasting negative effects)
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On Being A Parent of A Child With Special Needs…
Having a child with a disability can be difficult. There are many moments you wonder if anyone will ever understand or get what it is like to walk in your shoes. Dr. Brown will share his family’s experiences, best practices research and his trials and triumphs in working with the schools. Parenting a special needs child isn’t for the faint of heart; it requires a heart that’s capable of containing all the love and happiness that comes with this special role.
Learning Objectives
- Participants will learn that the only true disability is when we can not see ability in everyone.
- Participants will learn to find help, hope and strength to parent & dance through the storms.
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Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover! Creating Safe Spaces & Psychological Safety for ALL!
Literally, one cannot tell the contents of a book by just looking at the material used to hold it together. A book with a torn and worn cover may be more important, more entertaining, or more useful than a book bound in a flashier manner. The same can be extended to relationships. The attitude of making decisions solely based on outward appearance could cost one the chance of a meaningful encounter. This is a journey that will provide opportunities for self-exploration of one's blind spots, the tools to adjust automatic patterns of thinking, and ultimately strategies to eliminate limiting behaviors.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this program the attendees will gain the following:
- At the end of the session, attendees will be able to avoid the “pejorative tradition” of falling into the trap of only looking at the surface of people, things, and ideas without taking the time and effort to delve deeper into them.
- At the end of the session, attendees will be able to utilize strict self-discipline, concepts of psychological safety, the empathy gap, and stereotype threat in putting vision with blindspots to look deeper into everything we do without "shaming and blaming."