Truth and Dare(devil)- Lee Martin’s P3

Lee “Daredevil” Martin is an elementary teacher in Niagara and an instructor with the Faculty of Education at Brock University. He is the winner of the Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence in STEM. He is also a consultant and researcher who has supported educators, organizations and companies from around the globe. Lee empowers his K-8 students to see themselves as makers of tomorrow and seeks to prepare them to change the world. Lee is also a passionate advocate for equity in education and demonstrates this commitment through his COMPUTERS4CHANGE charity which provides greater accessibility to educational technology for students and educators across the country.

Lee is on of our OEMConnect Mentors and has shared a lot with his mentee, Shelby Smith who is in the Faculty of Education at Ottawa University. “The OEMConnect experience has been incredible, from the support that I’ve received, from the increase in my safety net from connecting with other mentors and mentees, actually. I got extremely lucky with my mentee Shelby , who selected me as her Mentor.” They are both learning from each other and have become friends over this Phase 2 experience. You can follow a lot of their journey through #OEMConnect on Twitter.

Lee explained the Daredevil EDU aspect of his work. He sees every day as a new opportunity for learning. His superpower is his willingness to try anything that would “engage and empower his kids”. He found role models among the “daredevils” like famous stuntman like Evel Kneivell who embodied a growth mindset. Lee uses this as a strategy as a persona to combat anxiety, overcoming any stumbling blocks to do great work, present in front of large audiences or even come on radio shows.

Lee attributes the recognition he received through receiving The Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence in STEM to the many cheerleaders he has had including Robert Dunlop. Lee said this was the first time in the Prime Minister's Awards that winners have continued to work together afterwards, and he continues to collaborate with them.

COMPUTERS4CHANGE started a few years ago. Lee was at a conference where Ron Canuel spoke about rewiring his entire school system and getting everyone a computer. Lee heard this and believed he could do that, too. With the support of the Education Foundation of Niagara, they started a crowdfunding site for his board, and they generated enough money to supply his entire class with computers. It grew to supply resources to more people in his community, and they are now in a phase where they’re supporting Indigenous communities in Northern Ontario where they have connected with educators at North Spirit Lake First Nation. They are also supporting schools from BC to the Maritimes with “getting access to the tools and resources that they might not otherwise be able to get due to supporting other needs within their community.”

Lee had a “difficult” time preparing for his P3. He thought about it over months because “...you want it to be meaningful, and you want it to be a good representation of you. We have connections to music for so many different reasons, and it’s not always a literal connection to the lyrics. It might just be the way a song makes you feel.” When he shared his song choices with his family, they were surprised that there was no classic rock or punk in his selections. Lee spoke of the many aspects of himself. He added, “It was definitely a good reflective piece.”

Lee’s nostalgic song reflects his life coming into education. He said that he came from parents that instilled a committed worth ethic in him and his brothers. “I didn’t make it playing by the rules,” he reflected. Lee fell in love with an incredible woman who had a daughter. As they became a family, they struggled to build their lives and maintained a mindset to persevere and keep fighting. “We’ve definitely fought hard but now come out on top,” and they are grateful for that. He is amazed and inspired by his daughter who came through this journey with them. He related his story to the lyrics of the song as it’s about someone who focuses and works really hard to overcome his circumstance. Here is Trouble Man by Marvin Gaye:

Lee’s identity song was one that came to him through a suggestion from a parent. The version she had shared was the original reggae version, but the message connected with him. “The whole philosophy of the song is that one person starting off, with their own hands, changing the world, making it a better place; it’s not only something that I have tried to be an example of for my kids, for my daughter, but it's something that I try to bring into my teaching, as well.” This is a softer version and something that brings comfort when you are a change-maker who sometimes gets pushback. This song also connects Lee to his mother who fought to make the world a better place and has helped to enable his work with COMPUTERS4CHANGE. Lee also notes that the song lyrics evolves from my to our to your hands, alluding to the gradual release he tries with his students, giving them sense of ownership over what they create. It also refers to his work with the Sustainable Development Goals. Here is With My Own Two Hands by Jack Johnson and Ben Harper:

Lee’s pick-me-up song is one that he rocks out to in his mini-van on his long rides to work early in the morning and is a real motivator for him. “This song, for a thousand or more reasons, is incredibly impactful to me.” The themes of self love and acceptance has made this artist an influence on his life. “The things that I do and the way that I approach education...it’s the way that’ I've approached things all my life; it’s just been different.” His mother’s support has always been powerful to him discovering and accepting himself as he is. He related this song to his teaching and shared that, “Our kids, whether it’s seeing themselves as mathematicians to just seeing themselves as good people who are worth being loved or that can positively affect the world... I think that if we can get kids to understand that they’re incredible and that they can do great things, no matter who they are, or what they look like, or what they believe, then we are ahead of the game, and we’re doing far more than just covering the curriculum each day.” Here is Born This Way by Lady Gaga:

If you want to learn more about Lee Martin, you can find him on Twitter and Instagram. You can also read more about Lee and his work on his website. Lee said, “I dare anybody who’s listening to donate to COMPUERS4CHANGE…It’s an incredible way to support Canadian educators and the kids that they teach to change the world.” He also challenged listeners to take a risk to connect with learners and help empower them. He referred to this quote from a poem by EE Cummings that reflects so much of what he espouses through Daredevil EDU- that taking the risk to believe in yourself is the springboard to many wonderful things that we can do and find within ourselves. The entire quotes says even more about the people who have influenced Lee and the impact he makes on others.