Reading to Inspire Students: Parolee and Pirates

At least once a month I try to share what I've been reading. Sometimes it's the fiction stories I'm enjoying, sometimes it's nonfiction or poetry, and sometimes it's craft specific titles that I share. Every summer, I dedicate a percentage of my free reading time to books that might aid in my classroom environment. Today, I thought I would share a few titles from my most recent selections:

1 and 2) I've only recently been introduced to Damon West. He visited with the staff at the high school where I teach. He will be visiting with staff and students at our school multiple times throughout this school year. His mission: to motivate positive character practices.

I picked up two of his books: the autobiography seen to the right, and his "coffee bean" ideology book seen below.

From the bestselling co-author of The Coffee Bean comes the true story of a well-raised kid, a three-year starting quarterback, a young person filled with potential…until a shocking addiction took hold.

Sentenced to sixty-five years in a Texas prison, Damon West once had it all. He came from a great family, in a home full of God, love, support, and opportunities to reach any goal. A natural born leader, an athlete with good looks and charm, he appeared to be the all-American kid pursuing his dreams.

Underneath this facade, however, was an addict in the early stages of disease. After suffering childhood sexual abuse by a babysitter at the age of nine, Damon began putting chemicals into his body to alter the way he felt.

Once he was introduced to methamphetamines, however, he became instantly hooked—and the lives of so many innocent people would forever be changed by the choices he made in order to feed his insatiable meth habit.

After a fateful discussion during his incarceration with a seasoned convict, Damon had a spiritual awakening. He learned that, like a coffee bean changing with the application of heat and pressure, he was capable of changing the environment around him. Armed with a program of recovery, a renewed faith, and a miraculous second chance at life, Damon emerged from over seven years of prison a changed man. His story of redemption continues to inspire audiences today.

3) I met Hal Roberts at another teacher seminar a couple of years ago, and I enjoyed his presentation enough to be interested in learning more about his educational ideas. This book has been sitting in my TBR pile for a bit, but I finally got to it this summer. 

Leadership is difficult, but it is also very rewarding. Join Hal as you sail away from safe harbors into the rough-sometimes treacherous, challenging, but never dull-waters of leadership. Hal will share his experiences of over thirty years of leadership using the acronym P-I-R-A-T-E-S to guide, inspire, and edify you on your leadership voyage. This book is not about attacking and pillaging ships on the high seas, but how to lead fearlessly and navigate the rough waters of leadership. Hal will share how relationships and trust are the foundation of leading others. Leading comes down to how much influence you have as a leader; and Hal tells how to spark, motivate, and lead your crew to fulfill their potential. He connects each of the attributes to neuroscience so that you can get "inside the brain" of your followers.

4) Hal Roberts, mentioned above, accredits this author as a mentor so I knew I had to check out his work as well. I wasn't disappointed.

Based on Dave Burgess's popular "Teach Like a PIRATE" seminars, this book offers inspiration, practical techniques, and innovative ideas that will help you to increase student engagement, boost your creativity, and transform your life as an educator. You'll learn how to: • Tap into and dramatically increase your passion as a teacher • Develop outrageously engaging lessons that draw students in like a magnet • Establish rapport and a sense of camaraderie in your classroom • Transform your class into a life-changing experience for your students This groundbreaking inspirational manifesto contains over 30 hooks specially designed to captivate your class and 170 brainstorming questions that will skyrocket your creativity. Once you learn the Teach Like a PIRATE system, you'll never look at your role as an educator the same again.

What books would you recommend teachers read? What advice would you give teachers of future writers? If you were going to write a book for educators, or create your own curriculum, what would it be about?

6 Critical Skills Every Educator Should Cultivate

Teachers today are working with increasingly diverse populations with a diverse set of needs. In the past, those included learning about gender, race, and ethnic diversities. We also began learning about addressing the needs of gifted, standard, ESLL (English as a Second Language Learners), Special Education, Behavioral Education, etc. all happening within the same classroom environment. Then educators learned about addressing a variety of additional educational barriers and safety issues such as dyslexia, autism, bullying, suicide prevention, online predators, etc.

Yet again, this year, we are learning how to adapt to teaching in the age of a pandemic. This has meant overcoming a variety of obstacles, such as technology barriers – access and availability. Schools all across the nation are being encouraged to resume classes, many are doing so but virtually as they did in the Spring. Some are not. Each decision seems to incur just as much anger as comfort.

Here in Texas, out Governor has asked schools to resume in person. Supposedly, Texas now has one of the highest count cases of Covid in the United States, and as such many schools are choosing not begin classes until September, or October, and even then, beginning virtually.

The school district where I teach currently plans to resume classes in person in just a couple of weeks. Teachers are now starting back for training purposes, and students are expected to be back on August 3. This has obviously caused a myriad of reactions, and will continue to do so.

No matter how you feel about this issue however, continuing to hone a solid set of essential skills makes for a more effective, and successful teacher. These are the reasons most of us continue our work regardless of the current climate.

1. Genuine Interest in Others - This one is an essential component of a teaching career. When we wake up in the morning, we have the drive and energy to sit with people through their best and worst. We try to be fully present for our students, however difficult or long the day becomes. Will hope we still can ten/twenty years down the road. A sustained commitment to facilitating positive transformation and human-to-human connection while imparting necessary skills is key to a successful and fulfilling career in education.

2. Self-Reflection - An effective teacher knows that it’s just as important to look within themselves as it is to carefully observe others. The idea of “Self Care” isn’t new, but is essential. By feeling well, a teacher can relate well and empathize with students. Thinking well means to think creatively as well as critically, to conceptualize in theoretical terms, and to demonstrate great academic skills. To act well means to conduct oneself in the service of others and the professional field to facilitate positive change when needed.

3. Ability to Listen – On Multiple Levels and to Various Audiences. This one may seem like a no-brainer, but effective listening as a teacher is a skill. We need not only to listen to what is being said, but how it’s said, why it’s said, and what it means in that particular context – i.e. content, delivery, and context. We listen “between the lines,” so to speak, for those things that aren’t being said. What a student, parent, or colleague omits from a discussion can speak just as clearly as what is communicated out loud. Perhaps most importantly, we should know how to listen without judgment or evaluation when needed, but also to know when they ARE needed.

4. Accessibility & Authenticity – An educator must be accessible to all students in order to gain their trust, but perhaps more importantly, a teacher needs to be genuine and empathetic—in his or her communication, listening, and professional persona. Developing a connection with each student is key to moving forward in the educational process, and is the core of an effective classroom experience.

5. Flexibility - A good teacher has flexibility in world views and a strong understanding of multicultural issues. Each student is going to be different in his or her background, experience, and engagement in the classroom. Each individual student approach may even change from one semester to the next. Being able to communicate, or find a variety of approaches that may work for each is the hallmark of a good teacher.

6. Sense of Humor - Educators sit through some uncomfortable, difficult, and often strenuous days. That said, it’s alright for both students and teachers to laugh along the way. Timing is, of course, everything, but knowing how to form a relational connection with someone, or a group, to the point of developing a shared sense of humor is a skill that shouldn’t be overlooked. Humor and a nuanced understanding of its uses in the classroom environment is a valuable tool.

Obviously, there is no formula for the perfect teacher. There isn’t even a formula for a perfect day. Some days, semesters, years, or pandemics are particularly difficult. All we can do is our best. Hopefully, these six skills will help.

What are the schools in your area doing for this school year? What do you feel is the right decision and why?

IWSG News

The next post date for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group is January 2. The administrators will be announcing the winners of the 2018 IWSG Anthology Contest on that day!

The #IWSGPit Twitter pitch is once a year now – and the next one is Tuesday, January15.

The IWSG Goodreads Group is currently reading Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert 
The discussion will start January 23, 2019 and will go to the end of the month, but it will be up indefinitely, so you can hop in whenever you're able.

Sorry I've been incognito so much lately. Semesters at the high school and college are both wrapping up this week. If I don't make it around to visit your site again this year, I hope you have the Merriest of Christmases and a beautiful New Year!

LOVE YOU ALL - HAPPY WRITING!

Reading to Inspire Young Writers

At least once a month I try to share what I've been reading. Sometimes it's the fiction stories I'm enjoying, sometimes it's the nonfiction, and sometimes it's craft specific titles that I share. Today, I thought I would share a few titles specific to my classroom environment.

Rhetorical Analysis: A Brief Guide for Writers,  walks students through the process for doing different kinds of analyses -- argument analysis, structure analysis, style analysis, and more. This book shows how to analyze a range of texts, print, visual, and multimedia. It includes both authors’ own analyses as models for students, as well as 4 complete student model papers. It also introduces students to rhetorical concepts (both classical and modern) that are relevant to rhetorical analysis.

This is the textbook I'm using with my Dual Credit high school seniors - college freshman class. In this time of extreme bias, quick tempers, and unrecognized agendas I feel this is such a crucial study for students preparing to enter adulthood. It's not enough to teach our young to just think for themselves. They must be shown how to analyze a source, judge it's worth, and evaluate both sides of an issue before forming their own conclusions and ultimately become able to form their own persuasions.

Great teammates don’t just impact you today; they impact you for the rest of your life. From the moment Jon Gordon heard about George Boiardi and the Hard Hat he was intrigued and captivated. Over the years he visited George’s coaches, attended several “21 Dinners” held in his honor, met his family, talked to his teammates and observed how he inspired all who knew him. The Hard Hat is an unforgettable true story about a selfless, loyal, joyful, hard-working, competitive, and compassionate leader and teammate, the impact he had on his team and program and the lessons we can learn from him.

The book features:

• A True Story about George Boiardi, his Team and their Legacy.
• 21 Lessons to be a Great Teammate
• Insights from George’s Teammates and Coaches that Bring the Lessons to Life.
• 21 Exercises to help you Build a Great Team 

Infused with practical insights and life changing lessons, The Hard Hat will inspire you to be the best teammate you can be and to build a great team. This is a quick, but poignant read full of inspiration.

*100% of author’s royalties go to support the Mario St. George Boiardi Foundation.

The Fundamental Five: The Formula for Quality Instruction, shares with teachers and school leaders the five practices that every teacher can, and should, use to dramatically improve instructional rigor and relevance, and student performance.

Another quick read with some great reminders, suggestions, and inspiration.

What books would you recommend teachers read? What advice would you give teachers of future writers? If you were going to write a book for educators, or create your own curriculum, what would it be about?

IWSG: Titles, or names?

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 QUESTION: What's harder for you to come up with, book titles or character names?

MY ANSWER: I have a harder time with character names than titles. To me, writing a title is mostly easy. I simply base it on the topic (maybe I've written too many essays, research papers, and thesis) and that carries over to my fiction writing as well. However, character names cause me no end of issues. After being a teacher for so many years, nearly each name reminds me of a specific student and my fictional characters then become irritating, lovable, demanding, full of folly, etc. as I am subconsciously thinking of at least one student with that name. There have been several instances when I, or a beta reader, have been editing and caught glaring character personality changes due to this. The old adage "Careful, or you'll end up in my book" is extremely true for educators.

Vestiges of Summer

As I mentioned previously, we returned from our summer travels two weeks ago - just in time for me to teach a week of writing workshops for our local Girl Scout troop.

Since I don't believe in giving assignments that I myself am not willing to do... I began writing poetry again.

We tried a few timed writing exercises. It's been a while since I've written any poetry, so I thought I would share one with you. If you'd like to check out a first draft, and wouldn't mind offering some feedback, PM me and I'll trade critiques with you.

I produced each one in a 10 minute activity period. Thoughts and suggestions are welcome!

Pictures here are of a few stops along this years travels from southeast Texas to southwest California and back again. You can see more photos on my facebook and instagram pages.

I'd love to read your thoughts on my poems. I'd also like to see some of yours. Do you enjoy reading and writing poetry?

Who are some of your favorite poets?

Wrapping Up Summer

Last week I taught a series of writing workshops to a group of third through twelfth graders. Some of them truly amazed me with their grasp and love for storytelling. They also inspired me to write several new pieces. I'm excited to see where those current inspirations lead me.

The kids were really excited to see each other again after missing their friends for most of the summer. Classes at the local school officially resume on August 16th, but many of them are already returning to the campus for summer football, band, and other various activities.

I'll be enjoying the last two weeks of summer with my girls. We still have school shopping, annual check-ups, and a few other necessities to attend to in the next two weeks. I'm sure we'll also be enjoying several more summer reads - I introduced them to the Harry Potter series for the first time in June which turned out to be appropriate timing as it's the 20th anniversary.

While I'm not ready to send my girls back to school yet (is that normal?), I am ready to resume a schedule for my writing. I'll talk to you all again on Wednesday for the annual IWSG post!

How about you? How are you spending the last few weeks of summer?

Swing of Things

I'm back from vacation and attempting to get back into the swing of things.

The end of a vacation is always bittersweet. I hate that I'm leaving a relaxing environment of no worries. I hate that I'm leaving behind family I get to see so infrequently. I hate that I had to leave behind the beautiful southern California weather.

However, I'm happy to be back sleeping in my own bed again. I'm happy trying to return to a routine. I'm excited about getting back to writing!

This week I'm teaching the local Girl Scout troop a series of classes on writing. Today, we covered writing poetry, short stories, autobiographies, articles, and essays. I enjoyed sharing some of my published works with them. In turn, their enthusiasm and own beautiful creations inspired me to begin writing some new pieces today.

I'm looking forward to the rest of this week when we will be working on novels, screenplays, memoirs, and cookbooks. In all, I'd say this is a wonderful way to get back to reality.

How is your work coming along? Creating anything new lately? Have you taught any writing classes?