#DBC50Summer

#DBCBookBlogs: Cannonball In

/ Alicia Ray / Leave a comment

It has taken me over 6 months to pick back up with my #DBCBookBlogs. I have started this post, deleted it, and restarted more times than I am comfortable sharing. You see, the more I get to know these authors, the more invested I have become in the reading, reviewing, and sharing of their books. This one is particularly difficult because the author of the 82nd book in the Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc line, Cannonball In, is THE Tara Martin.

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You see, Tara is really the person who inspired me to continue #DBCBookBlogs after #DBC50Summer ended. Her book, Be REAL, was the 51st book published and when she shared that her book would be the next in the line, I knew I couldn’t stop reading and sharing; her book was going to be epic! It didn’t let me down, and neither did her picture book, Cannonball In!

Tara and I met for dinner & ice cream when she came to a town near me to deliver her epic #BookSnaps session. The passion and enthusiasm in her eyes as she shared her journey through writing the book and seeing Genesis Kohler’s beautiful illustrations was enough to bring tears to my own eyes. She was waiting to see “the big cannonball” illustration and her eagerness was precious. When I saw the illustration in the printed book, I knew that Genesis had portrayed that moment in the most perfect way!

There are so many teachable moments throughout the book and the overarching theme of cannonballing into things that seem scary is something we can all benefit from learning. Tara has shared so many incredible resources, lesson plans, activities, and even an interactive bulletin board on her website.

As I mentioned, I had started writing this blog multiple times. Once when I finished book 81, TeamMakers; again when I introduced Cannonball In to a group of students in our Between the Lines Club (a group of middle schoolers that meets each week as I read aloud a book/poem/graphic novel/etc); again when I shared the theme of the book with a group of students in my school who were starting Mustang Pride, a LGBTQ+ Club, at our school; and again when my school served as a host school for Annick Rauch & Nycol Didcote‘s Growth Mindset Read Aloud in January. There were other nights that I’d open this draft just to close out of the tab within minutes.

 

 

Tonight, I’m determined to just share the blog… to Cannonball In to sharing my thoughts again through blogging. Right now, there are so many things that feel scary – not just to me, but to the entire world. COVID-19 has turned simply going to get groceries into a scary experience right now. One of the scariest things for me hasn’t been the physical elements of this virus, but the mental & emotional exhaustion of having no control. I’ll just say it – I’m a control freak. I need to feel as though I’m in control. Not being able to see the students and teachers I serve, not being able to make decisions that impact remote learning for those folks I love & miss so much, not being 100% sure that we can keep my 90-year-old grandfather from coming into contact with the virus, not knowing how the virus would impact my 7 year old with Type 1 Diabetes, not knowing when (if) we’ll go back to school this year, not knowing if the 6 remaining rolls of toilet paper we’ve got will suffice before we find TP again (Stop hoarding the dang TP!!!!!)… all of the “not knowing” equates to having no control… I do. not. do. well. in these situations.

What typically happens when I feel no control is either one of two extremes… I either stress clean (when all the cans of food come out of the pantry & the pantry gets wiped down, the closets get cleaned out, the playroom gets reorganized, and the bookshelves get rearranged) or I curl up into a ball in bed refusing to get up. I’ve seen both of these extremes in the past 3 weeks. Listening to the reading of Cannonball In by Allyson Apsey on Facebook Live yesterday was the kick in the tail I needed to get up and get moving again, to truly face the uncertainties that COVID-19 brings. It reminded me, as an adult, that being willing to stand up and be confident (so what if you are just faking it at first) in front of the dabblers – and even if those dabblers are the voices inside our own minds – is so important to those who are watching when we don’t know they’ve been watching. I have a quote in the media center that says “Keep going; you never know who you’re inspiring.” Right now, I’ve got to cannonball into this with as much positivity & confidence as I can because my biggest audience is my family. My daughters are watching, and they will respond based on how I respond.

 

So thank you, Tara, my sweet friend, for reminding me that picture books aren’t just for kids. Picture books like Cannonball In inspire positive change in hearts and minds of people of all ages. My mom has always told me that what happens to me doesn’t define me, but the way I react to it does. This is no different.

COVID-19 isn’t going to keep us down; let’s choose to push past the doubts, fears, and uncertainties that this strand of the Coronavirus brings and make the best of a rotten situation. Together, we can Cannonball In!

#EduEyeExam Information

/ Alicia Ray / 3 Comments

Good evening, friends! We interrupt this irregularly scheduled blog site to bring you some pretty awesome information! Well, at least I think it’s pretty awesome!

This blog fulfills the implementation of several books from #DBC50Summer!

In the very first #DBC50Summer book post (Teach Like a PIRATE by Dave Burgess), my implementation was the quote, “It’s not supposed to be easy, it’s supposed to be worth it.” I had no idea how that would be played out, but I knew that I needed to remember that when obstacles made something difficult, it would be worth it on the other side.

In the post for Stories from Webb by Todd Nesloney, I shared that I knew I needed to write & share my own story.

When I finished The EduNinja Mindset by Jennifer Burdis, I knew I wanted to create my own mission statement.

Later on in #DBCBookBlogs, Run Like a PIRATE by Adam Welcome inspired me to start now and try big things!

Shortly after that blog post, I did a thing. I started and definitely decided to try big things! It wasn’t easy! I wrote more than a mission statement. I nailed down my educational philosophy, my vision; I wrote my story and talked to Shelley Burgess about having Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc publish it.

Here we are almost 9 months (to the day) after that conversation with Shelley. I received an email early this morning letting me know that edits were finished and the final files were being sent to DBC, Inc for publishing!!!

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If you’d like more information about the release of Educational Eye Exam: Creating Your Vision for Education, along with information about book signings and more, subscribe by completing this form.

I can’t wait to hear your thoughts! Please share using the hashtag #EduEyeExam on Twitter and Instagram!

#DBCBookBlogs: Drawn to Teach

/ Alicia Ray / Leave a comment

When I’m reading a book, I take it everywhere I go. Several folks have asked how I read books so quickly (especially during #DBC50Summer). This is how. The book is always with me, so if I have a spare moment or two, I grab it and read another page. Naturally, I kept Drawn to Teach by Josh Stumpenhorst with me and it got quite a bit of attention everywhere I went! I noticed that the reactions ranged widely based on the age of those giving the reaction. Students were pumped to see me reading it while adults gave me odd looks. Curious about why? Check out the cover!

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Check out the inside of the book in this Twitter post from Dave Burgess.

Isn’t it incredible? Trevor Guthke, the artist who created the amazing graphic novel illustrations knocked it out of the water! This awesome book is brought to readers from the IMpress label of Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.

What Dave doesn’t tell you is the graphic novel portion is hilarious! Josh’s humor is infused throughout and I laughed out loud more than once while reading this book!

 

What’s more: the messages contained within the book are spot on! Josh shares his heart when talking about relationships, what really matters in education (hint: it’s not the test scores), motivation, innovation, technology, and reflection.

Some of my favorite quotes include:

  • “If you are going to ask for feedback, you must act on it.”
  • “…Gold stars and candy will only get us so far.”
  • “If the kids have a positive learning experience, the data will take care of itself.”
  • “Joy has value and we should encourage more of it”
  • “Learning is not a competition with others, but with yourself.”
  • “Students are motivated when they have some level of choice and agency over their learning.”

I believe my absolute favorite quote from the entire book comes from the section that allowed me to relive my time in #DBC50Summer with The Innovator’s Mindset by George Couros. Within the “Innovation” chapter, you’ll find this gem!

“Students who are not allowed to fail at an early age don’t develop the coping skills needed to navigate the bigger and more consequential failures inevitable later in life.” ~Josh Stumpenhorst

Mic. Drop.

Implementation

So… if you’ve been with me for long in these blogs, you know that many times my implementations are not as obvious as trying an idea straight from suggestions in the book. That’s the case here, as well. I already have a rather large collection of graphic novels in our media center, and students check them out all the time! Their understanding of the nuances of reading graphic novels is impressive, and I want to give them the opportunity to take their ability to read a graphic novel a step further. We’re talking consumption to creation!

Here are some awesome graphic novel/comic creators available for free (or with limited features for free) online!

You can also use sites like Canva, Google Drawings, and even use Google Slides in tile view.

I can’t wait to see what my students will create to show their mastery throughout the year using these sites. I’m so pumped to share these with the teachers I serve so they can use them as another option for students! I’m excited to see how my students will react after seeing their reactions to this book. I think they’re going to love it!

Be sure to connect with Josh on Twitter and check out his website here. You can join the conversation using #Drawn2Teach on Twitter! Get a free preview of Drawn to Teach by scrolling to the bottom of this page! You’ll see where you can purchase the book there as well! Because you’re going to want to do just that after you see for yourself how cool this book is! Enjoy!