Inside the Magic Kingdom: 7 Keys to Disney's Success

I recently finished a book recommended to me by a colleague some time ago. Inside the Magic Kingdom is a useful book not only for business leaders, but for teachers. It translates Disney’s operational principles into practical strategies for educators, emphasizing that "everything matters" when it comes to creating an engaging, detail-oriented classroom environment and fostering strong relationships with students.

While it was written as a business management book by Tom Connellan, its core lessons readily apply to school leadership and daily teaching:

Everything Matters: Just as a clean park creates a great experience, classroom decor, transitions, and welcoming routines impact student focus and engagement.
Pay Attention to Detail: Teachers can use this to notice small behavioral or academic changes in students early on, or to fine-tune lesson plans for better accessibility.
Everyone Walks the Talk: It models consistency for educators, emphasizing that teachers must demonstrate the same behaviors, expectations, and attitudes they ask of their students.
Reward, Recognize, and Celebrate: Provides strong insights into how to build a positive classroom community by consistently validating student effort and success.
While I don't agree with every example given or ways suggested to utilize these in a classroom setting, I can certainly appreciate the sentiment behind those ideas.
To help you bring these principles into your school, here are specific classroom applications for each of the seven keys outlined in Inside the Magic Kingdom:
Key 1: The Competitor Is Anyone the Customer Compares You With
Students compare their classroom experience to engaging modern media, video games, and social media apps.
• Classroom Example: ** Gamify lesson reviews.** Use interactive platforms like Kahoot! or Quizizz to match the fast-paced, high-engagement visual stimuli students experience outside of school.
Key 2: Fantastic Attention to Detail
Small environmental factors heavily dictate how a student feels, focuses, and behaves throughout the school day.
• Classroom Example: Audit your room layout. Ensure high-traffic areas (like the pencil sharpener or turning-in bin) are free of bottlenecks, and use clear visual labels so students can find resources independently without asking.
Key 3: Everyone Walks the Talk
Teachers must visibly practice the exact values, mindsets, and academic habits they demand from their students.
• Classroom Example: Model mistakes out loud. When you make an error on the board, openly celebrate it as a "learning moment" to model growth mindset and resilience in real time.
Key 4: Everything Matters
Every single interaction, routine, and visual element in the room contributes to the overall classroom culture.
• Classroom Example: Create a threshold ritual. Stand at the door and greet every student by name with a high-five, fist bump, or quick check-in to establish a welcoming environment before they even sit down.
Key 5: Customers Are Best Heard Through Many Ears
Feedback shouldn't just happen during formal end-of-term evaluations or parent-teacher conferences.
• Classroom Example: Use digital exit tickets. Spend the last two minutes of class having students submit an anonymous Google Form rating how clear the lesson was from 1 to 5, allowing you to adjust tomorrow's pacing.
Key 6: Reward, Recognize, and Celebrate
Authentic praise drives intrinsic motivation and reinforces positive behavior much better than broad, generic compliments.
• Classroom Example: Send "Positive Friday" emails. Pick two or three students each week who showed improvement or kindness, and send a quick, specific praise note directly to their parents.
Key 7: X Makes the Difference (The People)
Systems and lesson plans are only as good as the human connection and relationships driving them forward.
• Classroom Example: Hold regular morning meetings. Dedicate 10 minutes at the start of the week for community-building circles where students share personal highlights, building strong peer-to-peer empathy.
How about you? Have you read this book? What are your thoughts on these keys and ideas?

57th Anniversary of Apollo 11

This week marks the 57th Anniversary of Apollo 11  (July 16–24, 1969). Apollo 11 was the American spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC, and Armstrong became the first person to step onto the Moon's surface six hours and 39 minutes later, on July 21 at 02:56 UTC.

The last few years, I have celebrated this week with friends and family in the industry. Two years ago, I celebrated the anniversary, and space travel in general, by visiting the Infinity Science Center in Mississippi. This science center honors Fred Haise in particular as he is from Mississippi. Haise has his own parking spot at the center and can still be seen visiting and fundraising to honor the museum and commemorate NASA's past. To learn more: https://www.visitinfinity.com/ and Astronaut Fred Haise

We've also been to the Houston Space Center quite a few times. This location houses a lot of Apollo era artifacts. I also highly recommend the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola. While not strictly dedicated to space, it does the critical role the Navy has played in space exploration and spacecraft recovery.

I've never been to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, but my husband and several other family members have. I hope to go one day. I'd also love to go to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.

NASA, Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, and SpaceX have all become synonymous with the celebration of space travel. However, few people realize how they might participate or become a part of space history. If you'd like to learn more, please check out my articles: Apollo 11 Anniversary and Blue Origin, Wally Funk, and More. For those of you asking for more information about the interviews, or watching the ones I mentioned in previous years: http://www.countdowntothemoon.org/ or check out this article on the gentleman (Nathan Price) doing the interviews: League City man conducted 1,840 interviews on NASA's moon mission

How about you? Are you interested in participating in an interview? Are you inspired by the human grasp for space? What has surprised you most about reaching for the stars? What are you most looking forward to in the future? Have you read any good SPACE travel books?

Independence Day: Celebrating America's 250th Anniversary

Happy Fourth of July!

Independence Day is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence of the United States, on July 4, 1776. This year, we are celebrating the 250th anniversary of this date.

If you're curious how people are celebrating, or to view some of those celebrations, check out https://america250.org/ or https://www.whitehouse.gov/freedom250/

I've also been overwhelmed with the number of celebratory videos of foreigners enjoying their time in our country: especially those who have come here to various states hosting the world cup. It's been so wonderful watching the positivity flooding social media from these tourists and fans as well as from the Americans enjoying their company.

I myself am enjoying celebrating all things USA: the history, the current camaraderie, and the willingness of friends and family to serve in our military. Loving your country doesn't mean liking everything about it, but taking pride and fighting anyway to maintain the right to improve it if possible.

We have a family full of men who have served in various branches of the military. I know many of my family members have served in the Marines, Army, Navy, and Air Force. While I have friends and former students who also served in the Coast Guard, I'm not certain if any of my family members did.

Some time ago, I shared a post about the history of our national anthem if you'd like to check that out here: https://writinginwonderland.blogspot.com/2023/06/national-flag-day-and-star-spangled.html

Thank you to all of the men and women who have served, or are currently serving, our country in ANY way. You are appreciated more than you know.

I'm spending some time celebrating with family and friends. I hope you are all able to do the same.

How about you? How are you celebrating? Are you reading any great books this week? Anything you recommend about the armed forces or fighting for independence?

IWSG: Publishing Industry

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs. You can also join us on twitter using the hashtag #IWSG, or on the Facebook page.

Now, IWSG hosts have changed up the format in an effort to make it more fun and interactive. Every month, they will announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Don’t forget to visit others that day to see their answers. Want to join, or learn more? Visit our - Sign-up List.

JULY QUESTION - Is there anything you'd like to see changed, added, and/or rearranged about the book publishing industry?

MY ANSWER - I feel like author compensation and support needs to be improved (fairer royalties, marketing support, editorial support, format flexibility, and less bias, etc.) There should also be less archaic return policies with an eye toward environmental sustainability.

How about you? Is there anything you'd like to see changed, added, and/or rearranged about the book publishing industry?

Writer on Vacation

I'm currently enjoying some vacation time. I hope you are able to do the same this summer. I will be back for the July IWSG post. Until then, check out this cool list of "Writer on Vacation" ideas: https://www.elitedaily.com/p/7-best-places-for-writers-to-go-on-vacation-for-a-weekend-retreat-9742085 

How about you? Are you able to enjoy any vacation getaways this summer?

Father's Day 2026

Finding the perfect read for your father depends on his personality. Whether he enjoys heart-pounding thrillers, touching memoirs, or deep dives into history this list offers recommendations suited to a variety of interests.

Consider the following top book recommendations for Father's Day:

• For the Thriller Lover: A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci or Worst Case Scenario by T.J. Newman. Both are fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat reads perfect for fans of mystery and suspense.
• For the Sentimental Dad: Big Fish by Daniel Wallace explores a son uncovering the truth behind his father's fantastical stories, while Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama offers a powerful, reflective memoir about identity, and My Father at 100 by Ron Reagan provides an intimate look at the man behind the public persona.
• For the Non-Fiction & History Enthusiast: The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown is an inspiring, true underdog story about the 1936 US Olympic rowing team.
• For the Aspiring Handyman: Good Clean Fun by Nick Offerman is a great blend of woodworking guides, humor, and lifestyle.
• For the Geek & Sci-Fi Dad: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline provides a highly engaging, pop-culture-heavy adventure set in a virtual reality universe
• For the Creative Dad: Every Tool's a Hammer by Adam Savage is a chronicle of his life as a maker.

If you'd like to see my recommendations from previous years, check out these two pages: https://writinginwonderland.blogspot.com/2022/06/fathers-day-reading-gifts.html and https://writinginwonderland.blogspot.com/2021/06/7-fathers-day-reads.html

To see one publisher's recommendations for this year, check out: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/the-read-down/fathers-day-books-for-kids-adults/

How about you? Do you have any recommendations for our Father's?

National Flag Day and "The Star - Spangled Banner"

In the United States, Flag Day is celebrated on June 14th to commemorate the adoption of the flag of the United States of America on June 14, 1777 by resolution of the Second Continental Congress. This is also the day the United States Army celebrates its birthday. 

On September 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key penned a poem which was later set to music and in 1931 became America's national anthem, "The Star - Spangled Banner." The poem originally titled, "The Defence of Fort M'Henry," was written after Key witnessed the Maryland fort being bombarded by the British during the war of 1812. The sight of those "broad stripes and bright stars" inspired thousands. If you've never heard the story before, try the video below. 

A lot of people don't realize the distant family connection between Key and another notable author - F. Scott Fitzgerald  who wrote the quintessential American novel of the 1920's The Great Gatsby. Born in 1896, the author was named Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald in honor of this notable family connection.

How about you? Did you know about the family connection between these two great authors? Have you ever heard this story of our anthem before? Do you know the words to this poem/song? Can you think of any other piece of writing that has influenced thousands?

IWSG: Story Ideas and Inspiration

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs. You can also join us on twitter using the hashtag #IWSG, or on the Facebook page.

Now, IWSG hosts have changed up the format in an effort to make it more fun and interactive. Every month, they will announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Don’t forget to visit others that day to see their answers. Want to join, or learn more? Visit our - Sign-up List.

JUNE 3 QUESTION - Do most of your story ideas come from one place (the news, dreams, etc.) or do they hit from all over the place?

MY ANSWER - Definitely from all over the place. While the news and dreams have inspired some tales, more often I am inspired from travels, conversations, other writers, and even music. I've even enjoyed inspiration from feedback that took me in a totally new direction and a game I've played with students called the "Story Starter Game" (click the link below if you'd like to learn more on this_.

How about you? Do most of your story ideas come from one place (the news, dreams, etc.) or do they hit from all over the place?

National Audiobook Month

I can hardly believe it's almost June already. If you didn't know, June is National Audiobook Month, when hundreds of retailers encourage people to give listening to books a try. These businesses run various promotions and discounts to get more listeners interested in the format.

The Audiobook Publishers Association has spearheaded audiobook month for a number of years. Audible, Kobo audiobooks, Google Play Books, Storytel, Scribd, Audiobooks.com, and dozens of others offer audiobooks. 

Did you know you could access complete audiobooks for FREE on YouTube?

To learn more about the history of this celebration check out: National Audiobook Month 2024

Have you tried an audiobook? Which are your favorites? When do you listen to them?

Memorial Day 2026

This weekend, we will be celebrating graduations, Memorial Day, and the start to summer vacation. If you're looking for ways to celebrate, check out: Graduation and Spring/Summer Opportunities

Thank you to all those who have served and continue to do so. I hope you all enjoy a safe and relaxing holiday. Happy Memorial Day 2026!

10 May Submission Opportunities

1. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Stories about November & December holidays - The deadline for submissions has been extended to May 15, 2026. How do you celebrate the holidays? Are your celebrations very traditional or are they very spontaneous and never the same? Do you stay home or do you travel? Do you gather with family and friends to share the special spirit of the season? How do you brighten those long winter days? If you live in a warm climate, no snow for you! How does that affect your celebration? What special things do you do? Please submit your true stories about the entire December holiday season, including Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, and New Year's festivities too. Remember that these holiday titles do make wonderful gifts for everyone on your list! **If your stories are about celebrating Christmas, please be sure that they are "Santa Safe" so that we don't spoil the magic for precocious readers! Submit at: Possible Book Topics | Chicken Soup for the Soul

2. PLATFORM STORIES LITERARY CONTEST 2026 - https://laultimaestacionfilm.com/concurso/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline May 15, 2026. This international contest invites us to give voice to those who care without recognition: family members, friends, neighbors who dedicate their time, energy, and love t1. o caring for others. Stories or tales based on your experience as an unpaid caregiver. Length 1000-1500 words. Texts in Spanish or English. Prizes range $100-$300. All finalists and honorable mentioned receive publication in the anthology + audiovisual capsule recording + certificate.

3. Pinhole Poetry - They want poetry for their themed issue. “The July 2026 issue will be all about subways, undercurrents, subtext and undertows, basically anything that moves us, somewhere under the surface. Send us up to five of your best poems that fit the theme by May 15th!” They have detailed guidelines about the kind of poems they like. They also accept photography. Deadline: 15^th May 2026.
Length: Up to 5 poems. Pay: CAD5. Details here.

4. Scryptid Games: Tales from the Cryptids Anthology - This is a games, fiction, poetry, and ephemera anthology. “From Scryptid Games, this anthology of games, fiction, poetry, and other ephemera flips the lens on conventional cryptid lore. In this book, cryptids are beings with vivid lives, goals, and stories of their own to share. We are more interested in thoughtful tales of transformation, self-discovery, and embedded interrogation than stories centering cryptid hunting, categorization, or collection. … For the purpose of this anthology, cryptids are beings of real or imagined folklore who “could be real” and exist on the fringes of our world. We welcome thoughtful submissions featuring documented cryptids like Bigfoot, Mothman, and Nessie, and we also love new takes on cryptids and creative reflections on the wondrous in the everyday. Could a cryptid be a song, a memory, an entire town? We are excited to read expansive, imaginative perspectives on this theme.” And, “we are keen to acquire TTRPGs and other narrative games that embody a sense of the liminal. … For fiction and poetry, we want cryptid content that prioritizes the agency of liminal beings, places, and experiences. Your work does not need to feature a cryptid protagonist or an optimistic point-of-view, but your monsters must have agency and depth. We are also interested in micro-submissions of uncanny ephemera to literally occupy the margins of this book. Send us cryptid scribbles, doodles, haikus, photographs, and other 2D marginalia. Even we don’t quite know what we want in this category. Surprise us.” They also accept reprints. They will stay open until the deadline, or till they hit a submission cap in each category. The anthology has been funded on BackerKit. Deadline: 15 May 2026, or until filled - Length: Up to 1,000 words for fiction and games, up to 3 poems - Pay: $0.10/word for original fiction and games, $50 for original poems, $25 for ephemera. Details here and here.

5. Flash Fiction Online: Paranormal Noir - They have extended their submission window for the themed call, and have also opened a submission window for (unthemed) translations and reprints. They want speculative flash fiction on the Paranormal Noir theme, stories “that marry the noir and paranormal aesthetic in any speculative genre. … “Isn’t Paranormal Noir just a subset of Urban Fantasy?” It can be, but we’d love to see a new, fresh take on old themes: Vampires in space, doing crime? Far-future consciousness transfer-hauntings? Sad wizard investigates a murder in LA? Okay, sounds cool, submit that, but also what if he were on Mars instead? A group of West Virginia moonshiners firebombing a haunted A.I. data center?” Something else? They also welcome stories from unique points of view. Also see the kind of stories they do not want. Deadline: 15 May 2026, or until filled (extended) for themed fiction, 30 May 2026 for translations and reprints. Length: 500-1,000 words. Pay: $100 for originals, $36 for reprints. Details here.

6. Cat Eye Press: Don’t Go for the Vault – A Bank Robbery Horror Anthology: This is a fiction anthology. They want “horror stories involving bank robberies. While the title for the anthology is “Don’t Go for the Vault,” we want characters who do exactly that. We want to see what you have hidden behind that giant metal door. Give us a reason to heed this legendary piece of bank robbery advice. Stories can take place in any time period and do not need to occur exclusively within the confines of a bank. The three main requirements for stories are: must involve a bank robbery, must mention or include a bank vault door being opened; AND must have horror elements (either inside or outside the vault). While these requirements may seem simple, we encourage you to think outside the box.” Deadline: 20 May 2026 for all writers; 21^st May-31^st May for underrepresented writers. Length: 1,500-4,500 words. Pay: $0.05/word for originals. Details here.

7. Salt Bloom - This is a new print journal and they are reading submissions for their inaugural issue. The magazine is affiliated with Fairfield University. They want prose of up to 3,500 words, which “includes flash, hybrid works, micro fiction and memoir, short plays, and play excerpts”, as well as poetry. The deadline is 31 May 2026. Details here.

8. Qwerty Magazine: Post and Beam (The Architecture Issue) - They’re open for fiction, poetry, and art for their 30^th anniversary issue. “We've lain the cornerstone. Now we build the house. In this special issue commemorating our 30th anniversary, we want your stories, poems, and otherwise artistic interpretations on the theme of dark architecture and pseudoarchaeology. The connection is closer than you think: chances are the chill summer enclosure on your back deck was built with the same basic principle as Stonehenge: post and beam construction. We're not looking for any old office building—no perfect beachfront property. We want your weird little crawlspaces. We want your five-and-a-half-minute hallways and backrooms. We want your unknowable ancient monuments that might be instruments for giants. Send us your doors found ajar, dwelling and liminality, flash fiction found on street signs and graffiti, and literal concrete poetry. Over the last 30 years, we have built a lasting little nook behind the cracks of the Poets' Corner—our own typeface Fraggle Rock. Let this issue be a testament to the weird: an architecture you don't so much digest as suck it down.” Qwerty is published by graduate students in Fredericton, New Brunswick. They accept work via Submittable. Deadline: 31^st May 2026. Length: Up to 5,000 words for prose, up to 6 pages of poetry. Pay: $15. Details here and here.

9. Shacklebound Books: Witches & Warlocks - They want exactly 100-word stories (excluding the title) on the theme, Witches & Warlocks. They want dark fantasy stories for this digital and print anthology; authors receive a cash fee and a digital copy. Deadline: 31 May 2026. Length: 100 words.
Pay: $5. Details here (scroll down).

10. Cracked Anvil Press: Off the Broken Path – Dark Tales of Enchanted Forests - They want stories featuring enchanted forests for this anthology. “Tell us tales of enchanted forests. Stories filled with grit and gore. Tales of warning and woe. And if your story ends happily… make sure your characters bleed for it. We like to be surprised. Excited. Engaged. Preferring short, compact prose to long, drudgy sentences. Stories that move quickly, with subtle set ups and brutal pay offs.” Regarding genre / theme, they want “Fantasy. Grimdark. Horror. With enchanted forests taking a central role in the story. (With a preference for fantasy settings.)”. Deadline: 15 June 2026. Length: 1,000-5,000 words (can accept shorter or longer – see guidelines). Pay: $5. Details here.