About?
Context is everything. Take the word about, for instance. It can mean subject as in, “This site is about adult literacy” (Source: Merriam-Webster.com). Under this context, this page is meant to give an insightful explanation of what this organization is, does, and what it wants. InkShield Initiative is about spreading the gospel of English education through writing, reading, and audio.
But about can also mean almost or nearly, as in “I was about to finish” (Source: Merriam-Webster.com). For many years, I, Professor Brandt (Founder), was nearly a college graduate. I dropped out 8 hours short of an associate's degree. For all the naysayers out there, yes, it counts, and you are also allowed to be wrong. I almost made enough money to sustain myself. I almost convinced myself that I never wanted that degree in the first place. I almost abandoned every dream I truly cared for.
About can also mean vicinity, as in “Ideas flying about the room” (Source: Merriam-Webster.com). In this sense, I was always circling the work I was meant to do. I was never quite centered, but never far. I worked in restaurants, sales floors, and tutoring gigs, always brushing up against purpose without fully naming it. InkShield was born from those near misses. The mission moved about in my orbit long before I could articulate it. Now it's here, grounded in action, and moving outward in every direction we can reach.
I was no longer about (almost) to fail. And what had once looked like a series of negative outcomes now seemed as if opportunity was all about (vicinity) me. My options were not much different. My context had changed. So when I started teaching and tutoring on the side out of necessity, I also recognized the mission that was now before me. This organization was built for the students I never was. Students, lovely as they are, who came from a world I never lived in.
They would go on to great schools with the wind at their backs, helped along by parents who understood the process, could pay for the extras, or had simply been there before. You don’t need every detail of my life to understand this. But I want to help the 20-year-old Brandts struggling to get through classes because they are worried about paying the bills. I want to help the people who went to high school and didn’t learn about Edgar Allan Poe. They didn’t learn how literature can open the world to ideas they never thought possible. They deserve a chance to learn what school might have missed.
What if someone who saw the world the way I do now had been around when I was that age? What if someone had been there to guide me through going back to school in my 30s? What if someone who didn’t grow up in this country had the chance to learn from someone bilingual (Hablo español), an expert in failure, and an expert in English? This organization is different because of that context. I teach in a roundabout way because that is how I learned. Of course, structure is important, but so is understanding that learning does not come from just one method. And the best kind of learning is the kind that happens when you are not even fully aware it is happening.
In my videos, much like in my classroom, I will tell stories that seem like they’re not related. But then I’ll bring it back around to the subject I planned on all along. You’d be amazed at the parallels between working out and writing. Both are activities often associated with pain or discomfort. Both are best practiced when turned into a habit. And the trick to doing them well is finding joy in the process, while knowing some parts will never be pleasant. If you’ve ever felt disconnected from the world, congratulations, you’re a writer. And if you’ve ever felt reconnected, congratulations, you’re also a writer.
And as a writer, I’m asking that you help us rewrite stories. Maybe you let us help you rewrite your own. Maybe you will go back to college. Maybe you go get your GED. Maybe you can take some of our advice and improve yourself by writing for your mental health. And perhaps when you’re done, you throw us a little cash. So that we can help rewrite the next story. If you believe in that mission, if you want to help rewrite what education looks like for someone else, consider donating. It keeps the work alive, and the words moving.
When you came to this page, about seemed simple. You knew what you were going to read. But now I have altered your expectations. I’ve given you emotional context, a mission statement, and even a philosophy about not just education but life itself. You learned something here, whether you planned to or not. That is what we do. We provide context so that our students can learn how to learn. Literacy is not just reading. It’s not just writing. It’s understanding. And now you understand why our mission is so important. The pen may be mightier than the sword, but it could always use a shield.