#DBC50Summer

#DBC50Summer 10/50: Explore Like A Pirate

/ Alicia Ray / 10 Comments

Storytime! (If you’re not into stories, feel free to skip ahead a bit – I’ll let you know when to stop; otherwise, read on.)

When my youngest daughter was born, we were thrilled – as second-time parents usually are. I emphasize second-time because we knew what we were getting ourselves into.  The anxiety and life-altering commitment of BECOMING PARENTS is eased with the second child.  Naturally there are several other fears, but much like the Luvs commercials… “You live and learn, then get Luvs.”  Although, for the record, we were Pampers Swaddlers kind of people.  I know you are wondering how in the world this has anything to do with #DBC50Summer, but give me a minute. Surely by the blog on Book 10 you have a little more faith in me.

So our youngest daughter, Sophie, is the spitting image of my husband. Dark complexion, brown hair, round face, his eye shape… but she has my bright blue eyes. We knew she was completing our family, and we were done having kids, especially with my medical history.  No questions asked, the shop was closed.  Let me just tell you… if we didn’t know before, we knew the second we brought that little girl home.  She screamed for (I swear I’m not exaggerating here) 8 MONTHS! The only time she wasn’t crying was when she was sleeping, and sometimes she cried in her sleep.  She is now five years old, and still has a delicate temperament.  Some things just set her off… and there is no stopping the tantrum once it starts; you just let it run its course & pray nightly that she will grow out of this by the time she finds her life partner (bless their heart)!

Today, I had the privilege of babysitting my sweet nephew and niece (ages 16 months and 5 months).  Yes, you read that right… 11 months apart.  Their mom, my sister-in-law, is superwoman!  This is only the second time I’ve been available to babysit my niece, so we’re still getting to know one another.  Well, today she apparently had a horrible tummy ache.  (Gina, I love her so much & will be happy to keep her again anytime… just know that before you go further, if you read this.) Reminiscent of my picnicking at an 8 month camp out with Hades and Sophie, my niece screamed for the majority of our 12-hour day together – unless she was eating or sleeping, she was screaming. Today, I’ve been pooped on (THREE times), spit up on, straight-up vomited on, then gave her a bath only for her to do it again 5 minutes later, while screaming (her, not me)… and still managed to take care of my nephew and my two girls. Needless to say, it was a LONG day. All I wanted was a long STEAMING HOT shower with the fruitiest smelling body wash they make, my king-sized bed, and my 1200 thread count sheets. (Yes, I splurge on bedsheets. It’s a thing. Some folks drink quad venti cappuccinos from Starbucks every morning; I sleep on ridiculously expensive bedsheets – po-tay-to, po-tah-to. Don’t judge.)

I have been totally honest with anyone actually reading these blogs, and will continue to do so.  Today was the first time I have NOT wanted to touch #DBC50Summer. However, during my pity party earlier this evening, I found a graphic with a pretty hot air balloon floating in front of a sunrise (or sunset, I can never tell – they should have a compass on those things) that read “Find your passion and you’ll find your purpose.” My passion is being the best educator I can be; not the best scores or the best summative evaluation, but the teacher that the kids remember, the teacher that works to build the relationships. The teacher that truly cares for them and shows up every day ready to bust my tail to make school amazing for them. So… I knew with that quote and that idyllic scene in the background, I had to crack open the dang book and at least attempt to read some of it before bed.

(If you skipped ahead, you can continue reading here!)

I did not regret the decision for a minute! It got me excited and put me in a great mood! Earlier in the summer, I mentioned that Learn Like A Pirate made me want to go back into the classroom… well, so did Explore Like A Pirate.  The difference?  Now, I want to go into Mr. Matera’s classroom!  As a student!  I’ve got to figure out a way to visit his class for a day!  Explore Like A Pirate by Michael Matera showcases everything that’s right with gamification in the classroom!  Michael breaks it down and helps you think through exactly how to bring those game-like elements into your classroom! Not only that, but the book starts out with how to convince your naysayers!  Right from the beginning!  Loved that!

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Coming into this book, I was no stranger to the world of gamification.  I am so fortunate to have Lucas Gillispie as a director in my district and one of my greatest mentors and friends.  I have blogged previously about EPIC Academy, our district’s gamified online professional development for digital learning. (Go check that out when you’ve got a minute, EPIC Academy is fabulous!) I have worked with Lucas on quest design and participated in the pilot program when it was first released.  Now I am a community mentor for all middle school educators within the program and have created multiple quest chains leading to badges. All quest chains can be found online under a Creative Commons license; feel free to use with attribution!

Because of this prior knowledge, I started out a bit skeptical.  Not because I didn’t believe in Michael or his “realness” because I was given the opportunity to attend #BadgeSummit in Chicago where I met Michael and was able to chat with him and hear him speak on a panel. It was an amazing experience.  I knew he was the “real deal” then! No, I was skeptical because I kept reading “gamification” and “game-based learning” like they were interchangeable.  In my (admittedly biased) mind, these two cannot and should not be used interchangeably.  Then, I read a sentence that changed my tone when Michael said, “I will never argue with the positives of a solid board game, but it isn’t what gamification is about.”  I needed to see that clarification before I could really buy into reading about his gamified approach in his middle school classroom.  I needed to know that Michael and I saw eye-to-eye about the difference between these two seemingly similar concepts.

Gamification is applying basic game theory and game-like mechanics to a non-game environment.  Game-Based Learning is using store-bought games and applying them to the classroom to pull out curricular connections.  These games can be classified as educational, or just choice games (games that we CHOOSE to play, like Life, Monopoly, or for those who like really GOOD games, Betrayal at House on the Hill, Splendor, deck-building games, 7 Wonders, Tsuro, and the like).  These games are also not limited to tabletop games, but also Dungeons & Dragons (Role Playing Games – RPGs) and computer/video games (Minecraft, World of Warcraft, League of Legends, etc). Michael uses gamification in his class, which is what the book primarily focuses on, but the game-based learning (or game-inspired as he puts it) is found toward the back of the book where he shares amazing mini-games that have been used in classrooms, some in his class and some in other classrooms.  Purchasing the book is worth it just for those pages, even if you have no intention of gamifying!

So honestly, I’m not going to talk a lot about what Michael wrote in his book – you just need to go order it now and while you wait for it to come in, you can read about what I’m going to do with his infinite wisdom.  If I were to try to explain bits and pieces of his process, it would be incoherent without reading the entirety of the book, anyway.  Just know that he starts out with how to dispel the myths and be prepared with an answer for those who question the gamification process.  He talks about how it prepares our students for life, and not for a test.  He discusses that not only do his students cover the curriculum, but they EXCEED the curriculum content and do so enthusiastically.  He shares ways to keep students motivated and engaged in the game as the game master, even the “non-gamers” through discovering the gamer-type of each student. Then he takes you through a step-by-step process in which he asks you questions about your game theme, setting, characters, and action/conflict.  He writes so conversationally and is able to break down the concepts in ways that I won’t even attempt. I love that I feel as though we’re having an informal meeting and he’s talking me through my ideas – poking holes at things that might not work, asking those really good questions that make you think! They probably could have titled this book, “Explore Like A Pirate: Folks Who Know Nothing about Gaming Can Gamify Their Classroom, Too” – this is why they leave the book titles to people who aren’t me.  Here are the #BookSnaps from my reading for some insider info.

 

 

Anyhow, here’s the deal.  I have been gamifying my Battle of the Books for years. (Don’t get me started on the philosophy behind Battle of the Books – it’s a soapbox thing for me and I don’t have the time; neither do you.)  My district is looking for innovative ways to encourage a love of reading and I am desperately trying to steer the ship as far from Accelerated Reader (or anything like it) as I can.  Instead, I want to use the Pirate methodology and make the books come to life for the students.  I want my students CREATING things when they’ve read a book, not just taking a test.  My district is supportive of taking calculated risks and said, “Lead the way.”  Challenge. Accepted.

After a discussion with an ELA (English Language Arts = Reading & Writing) teacher last month, we decided to create a gamified approach to our literacy plan that is similar to the way we run Battle of the Books, but more inclusive of all genres of literature (fictions, nonfiction, articles in magazines, etc).  Upon sharing this idea with our principal, she also gave the green light, then turned my world upside down in an amazing way… She said…

I wonder if we could include other things in this gamification approach, as well. Like, maybe our PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention Support), extracurriculars, mastery of makerspace materials, etc. What do you think?

~my principal during brainstorming

So wait a minute… you want to basically gamify the entire school?  You want to know if we can gamify the “game” of school?!…. WE CAN ABSOLUTELY DO THAT!  An hour long brainstorming session and a sketch of a quest tree with the end in mind, and I now have a MASSIVE project that I’d love to see to fruition.  This will be the biggest risk I take on this school year.  We will gamify everything from our literacy plan to use of learning spaces throughout the school to PBIS to community outreach to attendance to goal setting and growth on benchmarks.  Don’t ask me how we’re going to do it… I have no idea.  Just know that if it works, it will be INCREDIBLE!  If it doesn’t, then what an awesome risk to even be willing to take on!  We can’t lose here, as long as we stay true to the basic foundations of gamification.  Using Michael Matera’s book, we will be able to do that.  As long as the game designers have his “playbook” in mind, we won’t fail, even if it doesn’t work!

Our mascot is the Mustang.  We immediately realized we wanted to do something centered around horses and what better place to pull from than a Derby.  There was all this hype this year about Justify winning the Triple Crown, so we’re going to build on that.  Our theme is The Derby and the setting will vary depending on which section of the race they are on – it may be the training grounds, or the race, or the stables, etc. Our characters will consist of everything from the horses themselves to the jockeys, trainers, veterinarians, groomers, stable boys, gamblers, horse owners, etc.  The action… have your team of horses win the Triple Crown.  Teams will be split by grade level and by homeroom.  XP will be given for each badge, but the amount for some will not be disclosed until the end of the race season, which will be quarterly.  We will start each race over again, with the opportunity to level up on badges.  Badges will also include soft skills as we want our students to be prepared for the real world through P21 skills.  Past these details, we are still thinking.  We have the perfect guide in Michael Matera and his book Explore Like A Pirate.  Stay tuned because I will be blogging like a mad woman about how this unfolds throughout the school year!

For now, if you didn’t take me seriously before… here are your directions:

1 – Go buy Michael’s book

2 – Check out this picture from #BadgeSummit in June when I met Michael. YAY!IMG_8515

3 – Join the community on Twitter using the hashtag #xplap (Chats are Tuesdays at 10 pm EST)

4 – Check out the #xplap website!

5 – Share your thoughts, gamification experiences, favorite mini-games (I will record one when it isn’t 1:30 AM), and other takeaways from #xplap on Flipgrid! Andrea Paulakovich inspired the addition of Flipgrid for each #DBC50Summer book – follow her and her #DBC50Summer journey here!  She’s incredible!

Whew!  Explore Like A Pirate rounds out the first 10 of the Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc books!  I can’t imagine how Dave & Shelley must have felt when they reached their 10th book from this publishing business they built from the ground up, when others told them it couldn’t be done.  Maybe that’s why I gravitate to their story so much.  As discussed in an earlier post, I also like to do what others say is not possible, so perhaps I feel a connection there.  Either way, their books have touched me – both professionally and personally.  I just wonder if they ever thought that less than 3 years later they would be staring the release of book #53 in the face.  What an incredible growth!  I’m equally impressed because I’ve read many of the more recent books and know that the caliber of content has not wavered from these earliest ten books.

Keep in mind that I’m literally building this ship as I sail it.  I had no idea what these #DBC50Summer blog posts were going to look like when I started, or if anyone would ever read them.  With that, I believe I will do a short blog after every 10 books as a recap, so expect that next.  Probably within a day because I’m on a roll – HA!

The 11th and 12th books are two that I purchased just a week ago and I cannot wait to read them!  Both are shorter books and should be read and blogged pretty quickly.  I’m looking forward to seeing what they are all about (I love reading these in order because I get to these spans of books that – embarrassingly – I don’t know much about; I took a hiatus from Twitter around the time these were released, so I missed the initial hype). You may want to go ahead and grab book 11 – Your School Rocks by Ryan McLane and Eric Lowe and book 12 – How Much Water Do We Have? by Pete Nunweiler with Kris Nunweiler.

#DBC50Summer 9/50: The Innovator’s Mindset

/ Alicia Ray / 16 Comments

Ladies and gentlemen, I went to church this morning. That is… the educational church of The Innovator’s Mindset with a message from George Couros. I read the book in early 2017. I attended the North Carolina Technology in Education Society (NCTIES) conference in March 2017 where George was the closing keynote speaker. During this time, I attended the closing keynote, as well as two other sessions he facilitated: Blogging as Professional and Student Portfolio and Your Digital Footprint. I was so inspired that my #ncties17 recap that I presented to our digital leadership team was solely focused on George’s sessions. I reread the book for #DBC50Summer… and oh my – prepare for the goodness that comes from Book 9 of 50!

I learned through reading George’s book that he has a thing, maybe subconsciously, for the number eight. He starts us off with “The 8 Characteristics of the Innovator’s Mindset”, brings us into “8 Things to Look For in Today’s Classroom,” and he finally loops into “8 Things to Look For in Today’s Professional Learning”. In honor of George’s obvious love (or highly coincidental repetition) of the number 8, I present to you the 8 Things I Take Away From The Innovator’s Mindset, in no particular order.

*Note: I usually only pull ONE thing I will implement in the coming school year, but I’ve just got to tell you that one isn’t going to happen with this book – there’s so much goodness here that I can easily double the eight I’m going to share.  However, I feel that I am granted 8 ideas to hold closely here because I, like George, was put in a pilot position and given a title that makes people stop and say, “WHAT?” – I referenced in an earlier post that having the word “Innovation” in my title scares me silly. It really ups the bar, and if I’m going to have that word in my title, I’m going to darn well own it! I don’t want to feed into the buzzword epidemic; I want folks to see my title, see what my teachers, students, and I do together, and think “Oh, so THAT is innovation”.  Here’s eight ways I can own it in 2018-2019.

innovatorsmindset1. “Change is an opportunity to do something amazing!” There was a time that I used to fear change. I mean, seriously fear change! As someone who has major anxiety, change triggered all kinds of fear and paranoia. I wanted (read as needed) to know the who, what, where, when, how, and most importantly WHY things had to change. I’m not sure where the irrational fear of change came from, but it was there.  Even to this day, knowing there is a change coming causes that tinge of panic to creep up. I rarely let others see this more panicky side of me because I’m the one who is supposed to “embrace change” and help others work through their own reluctance to accept change. My inner circle sees it, bless their hearts. I have learned to cope with change through talking myself through what I imagine to be every possible scenario that could result from the change. If I am leading the change, I feel much more in control and those fears are waylaid for the most part. This quote is a HUGE takeaway for me because it allows me, and others, to see change as an opportunity and not an obstacle. Our art teacher is insanely talented and has this beautiful font-like calligraphy handwriting. This quote will be on a canvas in our media center before school starts. Period.

2. Noting that when I feel more in control of the change it isn’t as scary, I identify with George saying that teachers, and students, must be empowered and be part of the change. With that in mind, I will be sending a survey to ask teachers what professional development they WANT this year in regards to technology.  I serve as the digital learning coach for our school. Our district offers a ton of professional development based on what they perceive as needs, but it may not meet teachers’ wants. I want to give the people what they want!  This empowers them to be part of the change AND self-reflect, which is another point George makes!  We will go deep with the technology rather than wide.  Instead of throwing out a dozen or more “awesome new tools”, we will invest time into learning just a couple with intention and purpose.  I will still curate for teachers, but they can check that out if they so desire (if their plate is big enough – love that metaphor from the book, as well)

3. Leading into point three, self-reflection through digital portfolios and blogs is certainly an actionable item for me in the coming school year and beyond. I’m looking forward to sharing the implementation of #DBC50Summer via blogging.  I will also be adding my presentations from the past several years, along with my CV, as separate pages to build a full digital portfolio. Students in my district can also utilize Google Sites to reflect on their learning. This is something I need to think through, and is certainly a possibility moving forward!

4. “Sometimes the most valuable thing you get from the network isn’t an idea but the inspiration or courage to try something new.” I immediately starred and did a #BookSnap on this quote! Being a connected educator has given me great ideas and allowed me to share with others amazing things happening in our school.  However, more than that, it has given me confidence and courage. I so appreciate my PLN, and highly encourage you to get involved if you aren’t already.

5. Thinking in line with my PLN and being connected I have realized this summer, more than ever before, that the more you invest in your PLN, the more you get out of it. George puts it this way, “The more we connect, the more opportunities will come our way.” Investing time in your PLN and being connected will accelerate your growth.  He also states in his book, and on his blog, this quote.  Creating a school hashtag is something we’ve got to get nailed down. Looking forward to creating something original with administration this year!

whatif

6.  Teachers are learners, too!  George references this again and again throughout the pages of this amazing plea for making school’s relevant. I love that he speaks continually to everyone in the classroom being a teacher and a learner. Having a “flattened organization” allows for risk-taking.  This idea that we are all teachers and learners empowers students in a classroom and teachers in a school, administrators in a district, and on and on.  It reminds me of Laura Numeroff’s circular book If You Give A Mouse A Cookie. The feeling of empowerment squashes the power struggle that can occur.  With no power struggle, true relationships can form; trust can begin to take root.  When trust takes root, a culture of “yes” can be created.  This culture of “yes” can help eradicate a fear of failure, which can bloom into risk-taking. If we are encouraged to take risks and our students see us taking risks, they are more likely to take risks.  Risk-taking leads to the idea of an innovator’s mindset.  Without feeling the safety net to take risks, how will learners feel lead to create new and better ideas or products? Be a learner in your classroom and in your school.  Never feel like you’ve arrived.  For if you do, you’ve already “fallen behind”.  Be “relentlessly restless” as George puts it. I love that!

7. “What is best for this student?” It all boils down to this.  If you aren’t asking yourself this question with every decision you make, you need to back up and regroup.  When I say “YOU,” I am talking to me, too! It’s easy, within a culture of testing, to get frustrated and tired, possibly wanting to create cookie cutter lessons. Constantly asking ourselves this question keeps us grounded, rooted in what’s important. If we can’t answer this question with the latest initiative, project, idea, etc, that initiative, project, idea, etc is not good enough. Always, always, always have the individual student’s interest in mind.

8. This eighth point I’m taking away is kind of cheating the system a bit. It is one of the things I’m most passionate about, and an idea I come back to over and over again in my role. Hearing it from George Couros was validation and affirmation for me.  For the love of all things holy and good, PLEASE don’t use tech in a lesson just to check a box.  If it doesn’t make sense and doesn’t amplify your lesson to be something you could have never done without the tech, just don’t use it.  Like George says, it becomes a $1,000 pencil! I try to focus on creation with technology. It’s never about the technology as a glittery shiny object, but about what you can DO with the technology! “Technology should personalize, not standardize,” says George.

I could go on and on about takeaways from this book.  It was eye-opening as a leader, and as a learner. I love that our district has renamed the digital “train the trainers” to “Digital Lead Learners”.  It correlates beautifully with all that I am taking away from Book 9 in the DBC line up.  This book should be read by every district team, administrator, and school leader.  If the following applies to you, go get a copy of this book – I’d suggest a paper copy because you’ll be highlighting like crazy! I used TWO HIGHLIGHTERS – no lie!

If you actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader. ~John Quincy Adams

There are fantastic resources available from George Couros, including chapter guides and discussion questions ready for a book study!  George is also kind enough to upload his presentation resources (he practices what he preaches) on his website as well!  You can also subscribe to George’s Podcast and follow him on Twitter for further learning!  Join the community on Twitter using the hashtag #InnovatorsMindset! Please share your reflections, take aways, and thoughts on the #DBC50Summer Flipgrid (Password is DBCSummer)!  Andrea Paulakovich had the AMAZING idea to create an outlet for a global book study using Flipgrid!  This is a great place to connect with others.  Don’t be shy to be the first to share your thoughts – be a trendsetter!

It’s so hard to believe, but we’ve reached Book 10 in #DBC50Summer!  One fifth of the way through!!! Ten books in just over three weeks! Y’all – we’re DOING this!!! I had the privilege of meeting the author of the next book last month at #BadgeSummit and cannot wait to finally get to blog about his book!  Explore Like A Pirate by Michael Matera is coming up next!

 

#DBC50Summer 8/50: The Zen Teacher

/ Alicia Ray / 7 Comments

So here’s the thing… I bought this book a couple weeks ago when I realized that #DBC50Summer was really going to be a “thing”.  I’m just going to say it. I’m going to get it out in the open. I was not excited. Period. I tried to be… really, I tried so hard!  I gave myself a big pep talk before I even opened it. I knew it was a DBC, Inc book, which meant it was going to have something in it for me… I knew that from reading Pure Genius and Learn Like A Pirate, which were other books that I didn’t think related to my current role in education but gave me so much inspiration. But y’all… I’m just not into this whole idea of chi, zen, yin and yang, feng shui, etc. I’ve got an insanely busy life and I don’t have time for “tranquility” – in fact, I kept thinking that the classroom is the last place I want tranquility – I want organized chaos in my room!  I thrive on that buzz of energy and if it’s not there, then I may as well not be there either.  I was likely the BIGGEST of the naysayers when it came to book eight; pretty sure I’ve rolled my eyes a time or two when asked about it.  All I could picture was super quiet students in rows asking questions of their guru, or what have you, in their mild mannered voices.

I didn’t even make it through the introduction without my highlighter making its presence known.  When Dan Tricarico says in the introduction, “As teachers, we are given an amazing opportunity to influence young people and profoundly affect how they see the world,” I was highlighting.  He continues on to say, “there is, perhaps, no career as fulfilling to the soul as education.” He goes on to discuss in the first chapter this idea of Zen. Taking his words and making them my own, to me Zen is that state where time feels as though it stands still and passes without our knowing at the same time.  I have felt that several times in my life!  When I’m captivated at a conference, when I’m emotionally moved by something I’m witnessing, or when I’m involved in an activity with others where I am so incredibly immersed that I can’t believe the time has passed so quickly. After getting through the introduction and the first chapter, I hung my head in shame at my closed-mindedness about this book.  You should to if you feel like The Zen Teacher, book eight in the DBC, Inc line up, is not for you.  Because it is.  It’s for ALL of us!

thezenteacher

Here’s the thing, my friends.  This book is about taking care of yourself.  Dave Burgess talks about the danger of never being “done” in his blog – the announcement of the release of this very book.  Because of this constant state of “what’s next,” we run the risk of burn out early in our careers.  Dan helps us combat this through taking the time to live in the present.  He helped me feel a sense of relaxation when he said that “we are not the Gatekeepers of Knowledge.”  I literally went into the margin of the book and wrote “I AM NOT THE GATEKEEPER OF KNOWLEDGE.”  It struck a chord with me when I read it.

I started this book late Thursday evening. Until this point, each of the DBC books have taken me a day or so to read, then another few hours to blog.  This one taking nearly 72 hours to read is not an indication of how boring it was… rather it shows how much it made me stop and THINK!  I did the Zen Assignments at the end of [most of] the chapters.  I can’t even begin to tell you how much more relaxed, focused, and thankful I feel after doing these basic activities.  Dan wants us to take care of ourselves first because until we have taken care of ourselves, we cannot do our jobs, our calling, to the best of our ability.  So I took his advice.  I slowed down.

Those who are closest to me know that I have been up after midnight writing most of the blog posts.  It is a JOY to write them!  I am awake until 2:30-3:00 either because I’m completing the readings and blogs or because I am too excited to sleep after completing them earlier in the night. I have been waking up at 6:30 to get ready for work as I’m an 11-month employee and work August 1 until June 30.  It is not something I’m complaining about, so please don’t consider that to be the case.  It is *SO* much fun to read these books and write my reflections and intentions immediately after finishing the book.  I have learned more about myself, how to be a better educator, and grown my PLN exponentially since I created this personal challenge of #DBC50Summer.  I have met incredible people through this adventure, and I do not intend to stop.  The Zen Teacher just slowed me down enough to think, wait a minute – you need to take care of yourself or you’ll never make it to number 48, 49, 50.  So I did.  I took the time to REALLY take in what Dan had to offer in his book.  We, as educators, must do a better job of this.  We must slow down, we must live in the present, we must find opportunities to show lovingkindness, gratitude, grace, and compassion, not only to our students and our coworkers, but also to ourselves.  If we don’t, we turn into that grumpy educator that everyone is waiting anxiously to hear of a retirement announcement.  I don’t want that to be me.  I never want anyone to say of me, “it’s time she finds something else,” or “we’ll just wait it out, she can’t possibly have that much longer.” (You’re nodding because you have heard it, or said it, about someone else… go ahead, admit it. It’s okay – it’s a safe space.)

I cannot possibly list all of the takeaways I had from this book.  There was something in every single section of every chapter that I highlighted. I immediately recommended this book to my mentor as it sounds like things he would tell me. I feel like Dan looked deep into my soul and said, “child… slow down and look around you.”  I have always been driven and determined.  When someone tells me I ‘can’t do something,’ it just pushes me harder to prove them wrong.  It’s one of my best AND worst attributes.  I was told that I wouldn’t graduate from high school by someone close to me because I was too boy-crazy (hello teenage hormones)… I not only graduated, but graduated 7th in my class.  I was told by university admissions that there was no way I could finish my bachelors degree in 3 years… I said in true southern form, “hey y’all, watch this” – started in August 2003 and walked across the stage at 20 years old in May 2006.  I was told I’d never be able to have children because of a deficiency in my blood which causes blood clots (discovered when I was 20 years old)… Bailey and Sophie (ages 9 and 5, respectively) have three angels watching over them, but I was able to carry 2 of my 5 children and successfully lived through two c-sections.  I was told I’d never be able to finish my masters degree in instructional technology with a toddler at home… I started in January 2011 and graduated with highest honors in May 2012. Glutten for punishment, I went back to receive a master of library science degree, getting my acceptance letter 3 days after I discovered we were expecting Sophie, our youngest. Not willing to turn it down, I finished my MLS in two years, graduating with highest honors in May 2014.  Doing what others say is impossible is kind of my thing, I guess.  It’s never easy, but I refuse to allow them to be “right”.

So… my biggest takeaways:

Gratitude Diary on my iPhone – I downloaded it immediately after reading about it and started writing what I was grateful for that very minute. IMG_8987Taking time to find what I enjoy… outside of work.  Most of my “zen” comes from reading professional development books, like the DBC, Inc books – or finding amazing resources for my teachers.  I love spending time on Twitter to connect with my PLN.  I realized that all the things I really enjoyed were still focused on my work life.  So I dug deep… and I came up with push-mowing my yard.  Yep… that’s my enjoyment, my “zen”.  There’s nothing as mindless and thoughtful all at the same time as mowing nearly 2 acres of land with a self-propelled push mower. I put Pentatonix Pandora radio on (which has obviously been set to my specifications), earbuds go in, grab the mower and go. Yesterday I took the day off from reading so I could catch up on sleep and then mowed the yard.

Finally, in 2018-2019, I will be saying “no”… a lot. I immediately backed out of two book studies that I was part of (ironic, right?!) after reading about self-care.  Last year, my calendar was full.  And I mean, FULL.  I had students in the media center every morning, then classes and/or meetings all day, and clubs/meetings every afternoon.  I realized that I have to schedule a planning period for myself.  I feel horrible telling teachers no, but I absolutely must have that time.  The media center became a mess, I was unorganized, and I was staying at work until 5:30-6:00 pm to get caught up on emails and preparing for the next day.  I cannot maintain that level of crazy next year, so I am going to schedule a planning period for myself every single day (with some flexibility for emergencies).  Even if it’s only 30 minutes, it has to happen next year.  For that to happen, I am going to have to say “no” to teachers and students.  Not because I don’t want to work with them, but because I owe it to them to give 100%, and I cannot do that if I’m not prepping for their lesson until the night before it’s delivered.

So… I have learned my lesson, DBC, Inc.  No more doubting…

This book opened my eyes, punched me in the gut, then hugged me and held me close.

Dan Tricarico is certainly a mentor I’d want to have on my side.  This book was written for everyone – every single educator out there… from first year teachers to 35th year, you will get something tremendous if you’ll take the time to be openminded and open this book.  I was hooked from the introduction.  For more information on The Zen Teacher, you can follow Dan at @thezenteacher or the hashtag (I love that the DBC, Inc books are so community-oriented) #ZenTeacher.  I suggest checking out Dan’s website as well!  Share your thoughts on the Flipgrid (Andrea really rocked this whole Flipgrid idea!) using the passcode DBCSummer!  We’d love your thoughts, and to have this as a safe space for teachers throughout the world to share their greatest take-aways, quotes, and inspiration from each DBC, Inc book throughout the summer!

Book nine is coming next!  I know several have been waiting for this one!  Luckily, I got to read it a couple years ago as a book study in the North Carolina Digital Leaders Coaching Network and I am so excited to reread it for #DBC50Summer.  We’re almost one-fifth of the way through the first 50 DBC, Inc books! Many have said there’s no way I can possibly read all of these, blog, and implement the ideas from every single book next year…. did you read what I said earlier?  Watch me. I can do this. For me, for my students, and for my teachers and admin.  Check back soon for Book 9 of 50 – Innovator’s Mindset by George Couros!