Man on a Mission

I met Michael Dorn at the Indiana School Safety Specialist Academy during Basic Training.  He was billed as one of the world's foremost expert on school safety.  As he began speaking, the first thing I noticed was his Georgia twang.  Just like in the Jeff Foxworthy bit, I instinctively deducted 20 IQ points, but as he continued to talk, I noticed the twang less and less, and his passion for school safety more and more.

Some people work at something because they have to, some work at something because they believe in it.  Mike is one of the latter.  He is a soft-spoken man, but it is clear that he is passionate about keeping children safe.

After that first presentation, I went up to ask him a question, feeling a bit intimidated (Not an easy thing to do to me!).  He was very personable, patient, and seemed genuinely interested in making sure I had an answer to my question.  My first impression of Mike was a good one.

Since then, I have seen Mike present on bullying.  I consider myself a big, tough Army Infantry grunt, but his description of how he was bullied as a child brought me to tears.  No child should have to experience that, or anything close to that.  I go to my student's classrooms to talk about bullying, and I share with them my experiences as a victim, but it is Mike's story that I keep in the back of my mind.

When he speaks, his eyes get intense, but he can be funny,and quick-witted.  As he talks, he pulls the audience in, and makes them a part of what he is describing.  it is easy to see that this is not a job for Mike, this is his calling.

Mike taught me a lot of what I know about facility security assessments, and over the years, he has become a friend to me.  I had gone to the International School Safety Convention in Denver, Colorado, where Mike was speaking, and he called me out as a dedicated school safety officer, and I remember being humbled that such an expert in the field would do that.  But that is Mike for you.  School safety isn't about him, it's about the kids.

A very good lesson to learn.