About
Mountain of Dreams
Christopher Dignam is a servant leader who has devoted his life to teaching and learning. Over the course of his career, he has led as a superintendent, principal, assistant principal, director of innovative teaching and learning, instructional coach, and classroom science teacher. In addition, he has led future educators as a university professor delivering content to aspiring superintendents and principals at the Master’s and Doctoral levels as well as student teachers at the Bachelor’s degree level.
As a child, I loved reading National Geographic, learning about biology, astronomy, the world’s cultures, drawing, and especially playing the guitar. I did not simply listen to music, I studied the notes poring out of the fingers of Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix. I studied the visual, audible, and written literacies of Vinyl LPs by Led-Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Rush, AC/DC, and Jimi Hendrix. Music in the 1970s was true art and meant something entirely different than it does nowadays, especially to young people. I would lose myself within melodic harmonies, all the while reading, drawing, dreaming of traveling the world, and imagining concert performances.
I did not always have the resources to possess the things I loved or the means to own what I wanted, however, because possessing or accessing books, LPs, art supplies, and owning a guitar were all difficult, when I did possess any, even for a short period of time, I immersed myself within the knowledge locked inside each.”
This Winding Road
Chris was born in Chicago, Illinois and is a first generation American born to parents who emigrated from Ireland. Chris’ childhood family includes two brothers and two sisters who moved from apartment to apartment until they finally settled into Chicago’s Northwest side, surrounded mostly by other Irish, Italian, German, Polish, and Mexican immigrant families.
He grew up with his brothers and sisters in Chicago’s Lake View neighborhood in the 1970’s in an area that is now highly gentrified. However, during the 1970’s and 80’s his community was split along defined lines occupied by some of Chicago’s most violent street gangs.
My sister passed away when she was 19 years old and both of my brothers were inducted into a notorious Chicago street gang when they were just nine and eleven years old. By the time I was a teenager they were already high-ranking gang leaders. As a teenager, I had a lot of decisions to make about my own life choices regarding who I wanted to be. We lost our sister when she was still a teenager, never finishing high school, and soon after, both of my brothers dropped out of high school. In fact, one of them was simply socially promoted from the eighth grade by the public school system to simply get him out of elementary school and never really attended high school.”
Sunlight in My Growing
As a child, Chris’ mother was aware of her son’s love of reading and made every effort to provide access to reading materials via the Chicago Public Library. The library served as a safe, quiet place to read a variety of books and National Geographic publications to feed Chris’ desire for learning about the world.
In addition, at the age of nine, Chris’ mom signed him up for guitar lessons through the Chicago Park District, where he eventually began entering competitions and participating in recitals. In tandem, these public resources provided valuable opportunities for freeing the spirit and the mind.
When we were children, my mom used to walk us to a small corner library at the corner of Grace and Southport Avenues in Chicago near the old Music Box Theatre. On one occasion, I remember my mom pointing out what appeared to be a handmade piece of art that read, “Only the educated are free” (I learned, many years later, the saying was coined by Epictetus and centered my philosophical approach to life around the three tenants of his Discourses). I remember the first time my mom pointed the saying out to me, reading it aloud as it hung on the library wall. With her brogue, she smiled and whispered, “Ah son, ain’t dat da trute.” She would then proudly speak about my dad’s life growing up in Dublin, her experiences growing up in the countryside of Kildare, and her hopes for all of her children to earn an education to achieve and succeed in America.
My dad was educated to the third grade and my mom up to middle school. Their limited education was never presented as sad or shameful character flaws. Neither of my parents were embarrassed by their narrow, formal educational upbringing. There was poverty, the Great Depression, and World War II and they overcame those obstacles to the best of their abilities, provided their circumstances. Their stories were always shared to emphasize that my brothers, sisters, and I could achieve more by the mere fact we were born in this country and had possibilities. My little library’s words stuck with me because it made me want to learn so I, too, could be free. As a child I did not fully comprehend the saying’s meanings, as I would later in life, but I understood. Those words have remained with me through today.”
Days of My Youth
It was a pair of high school teachers that forever changed the course of Chris’ life, one unintentional and the other intentional. The first influence occurred on the first day of school during his junior year of high school. Right after the first day’s “enrollment” attendance was read aloud by his new commercial art teacher, students were directed to take materials out of a cupboard.
As Chris went to join with retrieving art supplies, his teacher informed Chris they needed to speak in the hallway. His teacher stated he was actually Chris’ neighbor “from across the alley” and shared, “I don’t want you in my class. Your brothers have terrorized our neighborhood for years. You need to find another class.”
I will never forget that day. I felt myself dying inside as we spoke in the hallway. I had nothing to do with those things but it suddenly dawned on me that the world viewed me much differently than I viewed myself. That class was one of the reasons I was looking forward to attending school but I was unwanted. I remained in the hallway after he walked back inside the classroom. I then walked around the school and pretended I was lost. Inside I really was. I tried to talk to my counselor but it was impossible given it was the first day of school. I remained in a bathroom for the rest of the shortened period and picked up my things from his classroom after the bell rang. I wanted to disappear and never return to school.”
When he did return to school, Chris reported to his art class ready to explain he was trying to get in touch with his counselor, but in the meantime, had nowhere else to go. Before he could walk back into the classroom he was stopped by his teacher and told to wait outside the classroom door. As soon as his teacher began class, he returned to the hallway. With his teacher’s eyes welling up and face turning red, he explained Chris’ brothers, and the gang they led, had robbed his home.
He passionately shared the impact the home invasion had on his life, how the loss of his belongings impacted his profession as an artist, and the personal violations he and his wife felt from being robbed. He then, unexpectedly, went on to describe his remorse for taking it out on an innocent bystander – his student. He apologized and asked Chris to remain in the class.
That was the first time in my life an adult male apologized to me for his actions. Verbal, emotional abuse was nothing new to me but I never observed a man model that side of humility or humanity. I was not expecting him to be vulnerable but rather, I was expecting him to debase me further and kick me out of class yet again. However, he truly chose to be the bigger man. It was life altering for me in every sense. One, it was the first time I ever remember feeling empathy in that way for another human being, and it was from a man. Men were not supposed to act vulnerable (at least in my teenage mind) as a result of the male modeling I had observed up to that point in my life. He was also my teacher and his vulnerability actually came across as strong and courageous. Two, it was the first time in my life I recognized and felt the pain and damage one person can inflict on another.
As a pre-teen and a teenager growing up surrounded by the circumstances I was navigating, I never experienced firsthand the harmful impact a stranger can have on another. I never considered the impact the people I loved (and looked up to, as well as emulated, until that point) were having on individuals I did not even know. All I did know from that point forward was I was not going to continue down a path I believed was paved with spelt cobblestone in my name. It was a road I was walking and I hated how it made me feel. I never wanted to be someone that made another person experience the way he was made to feel… after that day, I never got in trouble again.”
You Will Find the Road
During his senior year of high school, Chris met a second teacher that had an equally profound impact on his life and eventually guided him in developing the confidence to become an educator. Aside from art, Chris’ favorite subject was science.
That school year he enrolled in a coveted biology elective that would provide a high degree of hands-on learning. For the second time, he connected with a teacher that made a concerted effort to provide guidance and care.
I was floundering, socially and emotionally. Aside from periodically hanging out with a few other kids who were musicians and playing in garage bands, I was an introvert with few friends and kept to myself. I was also placed in a position to defend myself on several occasions in my home community and started self-sabotaging. I was spiritually lost and lacked confidence. I was making choices that were not appropriate and this particular teacher took notice. He called my home one evening and rather than getting me in trouble, he had a positive conversation with my mom about my abilities, potential, and what could be done to help. Beyond my potential with his science content, he was actually aware of my potential and talents as a musician, which surprised me because he took a personal interest in me as a human being. He shared with my mom I was the brightest student he ever encountered. He also shared I was using little to none of my social and academic potential. He promised my mom he would work with me and they remained in contact throughout the school year. The only time anyone ever called home in the past was if I was in trouble with no plan for improvement. Normally, school-home communications were purely punishment oriented, and this was the exact opposite.”
Time to Change the Road You’re on
The proactive approach of Chris’ senior-year science teacher made it impossible for Chris to not want to refocus his efforts. Rather than leaving the school during study hall, Chris reported to his teacher’s classroom and either sat in on other classes or studied during prep periods.
Throughout the remainder of the school year, they developed a personal rapport, and by way of perseverance, Chris was the first person in his family to ever graduate high school.
After I graduated high school we remained in touch. We actually became good friends and he and my former art teacher would sometimes show up at events I was playing with bands (this is likely the most accurate depiction of what I looked and sounded like!) around Chicago. It was amazing because I developed a friendship with not one, but two teachers, which continued for many, many years. I wanted to go to college but believed I was not capable of achieving and lacked self-worth. I gave myself time to delve into music as both a session musician and playing in live bands but I was also working full-time during the day. However, through constant guidance, my former biology teacher helped me enroll in college as an adult student-at-large.
I had a hard time enrolling in college because I never took my ACT and I also waited a few years before trying to enroll, which were critical errors. I had no academic records in terms of college entrance assessments. My former biology teacher connected me with a clinician from my old high school who worked with a university counselor to admit me on a probationary basis. I did not want to ‘mess up’ and was terrified of letting everyone down. I was also ineligible for any grants or student loans, which resulted in me having to continue working full-time and put the remaining balance of tuition on a credit card that I opened up. I was working full-time and enrolled in college full-time. I was also playing in a band on weekends, and recording whenever time permitted, but school was my priority. I earned all As and Bs during my probationary period, was fully admitted, and eventually earned a Bachelor’s of Biological Science with a double major in Secondary Education.”
Looking for What You Knew
Many years later, Chris returned to the same high school he graduated from as a teenager and was hired as a biology teacher.
Life is an amazing, unpredictable, beautiful thing. Life sometimes holds future outcomes we would have never imagined or believed could come to fruition. Not only did I end up becoming a biology teacher at my former high school, but when my wife and I got married, my former biology teacher served as best man at our wedding. This meant a great deal to me, given the positive impact he had on my life. He was an incredibly influential male role model and helped change my life’s path. I did not have friends or family to ask about college and he was there the entire time, and he did not have to be. I would not have graduated high school, let alone enrolled in college, if it were not for him.”
Hopes Inside a Matchbox
Fifteen years later, after serving as a science teacher, instructional coach, and then an assistant principal, Chris was named principal of his alma mater.
To bring it all back full circle, fifteen years into my career as an educator, I became principal at the very same high school I graduated from decades earlier. This was the same high school my former biology and art teachers intervened and helped me to succeed socially, emotionally, and cognitively. A few years later, during one of our annual end-of-year staff celebrations to honor our retirees, I announced my former biology teacher’s name. He was still teaching in the same classroom I attended as his student and it was his final year as a teacher. I called him up to the front of the auditorium during the retirement celebration, shook his hand, and offered him his retirement gift, not as his student but as his principal and instructional leader. It was a true honor and something I shall never forget.”
Dream, Crazy Dream
While in College, Chris began traveling the world each summer to observe the places he once dreamt and read about – through the eyes of a child – immersed in the pages of the library’s National Geographic publications. Chris discovered the joys of filling up a backpack, buying a Eurail Pass, and hitchhiking and traveling across Europe, northern Africa, Western Asia, the Middle East, and Oceana.
The year he graduated college, while visiting Marrakech, Chris met his future wife Amal. Chris and Amal spent the better part of two years writing, sending postcards, and visiting one another in both Marrakech and Chicago. They eventually married and settled into Chicago. After several years of marriage, Amal gave birth to twin daughters, Norah and Erin. Chris and Amal have been married for 23 years and enjoy spending time outdoors, taking walks, and soaking in nature.
My greatest moments in life have not centered on possessions, but rather, on family and friends. My greatest moments in life were made possible as a result of an education and the support of friends and family. I am grateful for the family I was born into, the family God gave me with Amal, Norah, and Erin, and the family of friends I have made in my life. My friends are family to me – and are an important part of my life’s story. I believe all things happen for a reason and I would not be here today if it were not for family and the influence of two teachers. There are many types of teachers, and the first teacher is the parent. It was because of my mom’s efforts, the words on a library’s wall, and the unintentional and later intentional influences of two teachers, that shaped me into the man I am today.
I often think I should not be here. Statistically, I should not. I know where I came from, where I was going, and what I navigated along my winding road. I am grateful for the influences I have had as an educational leader and for the decisions I made. In reality, those decisions (sometimes impulsive) only lasted for mere seconds but have had a lifetime of consequences. That knowledge sometimes frightens me but I have been gifted to have made a number of profound, appropriate decisions and blessed to have learned from the lesser decisions I should have never made. I believe in destiny and it is the sum of those experiences that made me a lifelong student.”
AUDIO: Solace in Six Strings
Solace in Six Strings
Christopher Dignam holds a Doctorate in Teacher Leadership, a Master’s in School Leadership, a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction, and a Bachelor’s of Biological Science with a double major in Secondary Education. Additionally, six years after completing his doctorate, Chris completed a second doctoral program for post-doctoral work on the superintendency for superintendent licensure.
For the past two and-a-half decades, Chris has served as a district superintendent, principal, assistant principal, director of innovative teaching and learning, instructional coach, and teacher. Chris’ principalships have included middle school, high school, and therapeutic day school for students with special needs (emotional disabilities, autism, etc.).
Additionally, Chris has served as a university professor for the past sixteen years at the Doctoral, Master’s, and Bachelor’s degree levels. He has served as a University Supervisor for graduate students seeking principal licensure as well as for undergraduate students during their clinical experiences as student teachers. He has facilitated course delivery in Educational Leadership for aspiring principals and superintendents and has served as a Doctoral Committee Chair. He has lectured for the Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction degree pathway as well as for students seeking a Ph.D. in Health and Human Performance. He has also served as a Doctoral Degree Committee Chair for doctoral candidates completing their dissertations.
In Through the Out Door
The words of Epictetus, the wishes of my mother, and the interventions of two teachers inspired, enabled, and empowered me to choose my own path rather than continue following the road I was on. We can all make a difference, whether that difference is to help another or to help one’s self. My hope is to inspire those who lead, teach, and learn to value the gift of an education to liberate the spirit and free the mind. I witnessed what began as aspirations through the eyes of a child, and later transpired as the undertakings of a young man and adult, and learned firsthand that education releases the shackles that bind the soul. Only the educated are free”
Referenced links and documents:
About Ireland: Ireland in Brief, Ireland Department of Foreign Affairs (https://www.dfa.ie/)
Chicago History Today: Lakeview, John R. Schmidt (https://chicagohistorytoday.wordpress.com/tag/lakeview/)
Chicago Neighborhoods, City of Chicago (https://www.chicago.gov/city/en.html)
Chicago Public Library History, Chicago Public Library (https://www.chipublib.org/cpl-history/)
Here’s What Was in the First Issue of ‘National Geographic’ Magazine, National Geographic, Kristin Romey, September 22, 2016 (https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/geographic-magazine-natgeo-first-hubbard-greely-1888)
Friends by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant
Going to California by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant
Good Times Bad Times by John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant
History of Chicago’s Parks, Chicago Park District (https://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/about-us/history-chicagos-parks)
In the Light by John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant
Irish Perceptions of the Great Depression, Frank Barry and Mary E. Daly
National Geographic Society, Encyclopaedia Britannica, May 7, 2020 (https://www.britannica.com/topic/National-Geographic-Society)
Of Spirit and Mind by Christopher A. Dignam, Portraiture Education, CANE Dubh Publishing 2021
Ramble On by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant
The Emergency: Ireland in a World at War, 1939–45 by John Gibney and Kate O’Malley for the Royal Irish Academy
Solace in Six Strings by Chris Dignam
Stairway to Heaven by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant
The Rain Song by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant
The Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Epictetus, Brad Inwood
The Song Remains the Same by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant
This Winding Road by Chris Dignam