BUILD YOUR ENGINE
A student says "I don't need B3, I already know how to read." What are they missing?
B3 isn't just reading words — it's comprehension, critical thinking, expressing yourself clearly
Every class at DBG requires you to read, discuss, and communicate. B3 is the engine behind all of it
There's a difference between reading and understanding what something really means
Why would DBG spend time having you study your own culture and history instead of just academics?
Because if you don't know where you come from, you don't have a foundation for where you're going
Academics tell you about the world. Identity work tells you about YOU — and you need both
DBG wants you to be accountable to your community, and you can't do that if you don't understand your place in it
Why doesn't DBG just help you get good grades and call it a day?
Because good grades don't teach you why some neighborhoods have parks and others don't
School teaches you facts. DBG wants you to understand how things around you actually work — and what you can do about it
Getting A's is great, but it doesn't help you if you don't know how to speak up for yourself or your community
Why does DBG let you try everything first and THEN make you commit — instead of the other way around?
If you commit before you explore, you're guessing. Drop-In gives you real information about what you actually like
The kids who explored widely make better choices because they know what they're choosing and what they're giving up
You can't go deep on something you picked randomly. Exploration first means your commitment means something
Imagine a student who's been at DBG since 3rd grade graduates and moves away. They're gone — but what's still here because of them?
What's something you do every day at DBG that's harder if your reading and communication aren't strong?
Enrichment classes — instructions, research, building projects all require reading
Conversations with your coaches — if you can't articulate what's going on with you, they can't help
Think Tanks, debates, even figuring out what Pathway you want — all of it runs on literacy
A student picks their Pathway classes without thinking about who they are or what they care about. Why does that matter?
A kid at your school says "there's no point in telling the teacher — they never listen anyway." What would you say?
Maybe one kid saying it gets ignored, but if five kids say the same thing, that's harder to ignore
"They never listen" might mean nobody's figured out the right way to bring it up yet — that's a skill you can learn
Giving up means nothing changes for sure. Speaking up means it might change.
What's the difference between quitting something that's wrong for you and quitting because it's difficult?
Wrong for you means you explored it honestly and it doesn't connect to who you are or where you're going
Quitting because it's difficult means you never found out what was on the other side of the struggle
One is a decision. The other is an escape. You can usually tell which one it is by whether you feel relieved or regretful
You're really good at something — a game, a sport, a skill. Your little cousin asks you to teach them. What do you realize you have to do differently?
Why would DBG pair you with one person to work on reading instead of just putting you in a class?
Because everyone's at a different level — one-on-one means the work actually meets you where you are
In a class you can hide. With a tutor you can't fake it, so you actually grow
You build a relationship with someone who knows exactly what you need to work on
What's the difference between someone telling you who you are and you deciding for yourself?
When someone else defines you, you're living their story. When you define yourself, you're writing your own
Other people's labels might be wrong, outdated, or based on stereotypes — only you have the full picture
Deciding for yourself means you can change and grow on your terms instead of being stuck in someone else's box
Someone cuts in front of your whole lunch line every day and nothing happens. You know it's unfair — but what else would you need to figure out to actually fix it?
Who's letting it happen and why — is there a rule? Is it being enforced? Who's in charge?
Why nobody's saying anything — are people scared? Do they think it doesn't matter?
Once you understand the whole picture, you can do something about it instead of just being mad
A student wants to switch Pathways because it got hard. What would they miss if they did?
The growth that only comes AFTER the easy part is over — that's where real skill lives
The ability to point at something and say "I built that, I pushed through, I earned this"
The lesson that every career, relationship, and meaningful thing in life has a hard middle — and you have to learn to stay
Why do the oldest students at DBG help run classes for the youngest ones instead of just worrying about themselves?