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Less Physics Mo Problems

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Why am I writing this personal entry? Well, it is not an attempt to gain any sympathy. It attempts to show what is possible if a clear intention and goal serve the learner's needs.  In May of 2022 just near the end of another fantastic school year, I do not remember what happened. But, I was unable to finish the school year and was unable to teach the following year.  Why? On May 21st, 2022, I fell down a flight of 16 stairs (luckily carpeted) from the 2nd to 1st story of our home.  I was found at the bottom of the stairs. I was found foaming at the mouth. This would lead to a 2-month hospital stay which included an induced coma because my seizures would not stop, several rounds of lumbar punctures, and relearning basic physical movements like something as simple as being able to roll in the hospital bed. Simply put, when I was admitted to the hospital, I was diagnosed as being “critically ill.” Please take a moment and read those words: critically ill. They are not terms that are
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Every Author Has a Story #DBC51

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I was lucky enough to win a contest from Dave Burgess Consulting and received all 50 books DBC has published (Tara Martin’s Be Real is number 51 it was released this week.) Looking at the catalogue is amazing. There is something for everyone in education from teachers to coaches to administrators to support staff to learners. The biggest truth I’ve found among the books of DBC is that everyone has a story to tell that has informed their professional life.   Each author has a set of learning outcomes that they’d like to leave their audience with. But, every book starts with a story.



These personal stories are open and honest about failures and growth. As you read the stories, you’ll find yourself nodding and smiling knowingly at all those details that resonate with your own experience. You may find it “getting a little dusty“ in the room as you read stories about their tough times or how they learned open up about their struggles. But, these stories are not just tales from the trenches. They are a teaching tool.  They are evidence to advocate for change.
The authors don’t simply rely on their stories as evidence to advocate for change.  They provide the research that backs up their observations. The authors practice what Dave Burgess preaches: Have a strong hook to engage your learners. The personal stories provide the strong hook. Then, the authors provide the research and takeaways when we are on the edge of our seat leaning in.
I don’t mean to say that there is a set formula or structure to these books. There is not. This is not simply an episode of Law & Order: TLAP. Each author brings their own voice and focus to the text that is just as powerful and varied as their stories.
These are the ultimate book club books. DBC has built a global book club through the use of Twitter. They host Twitter chats multiple times per week. Many times, these Twitter chats are focused on a recently published book or revisiting a classic. In addition, the authors themselves have taken these chats centered around the book’s messages to a weekly Twitter chat.
So many of the books have their own communities that meet virtually on a weekly basis. So when you read a new title, you must seek out the hashtag. While the authors use the books to their stories, they are even more interested in your story. So reading the book is just the first step in the DBC book experience. You read the book, you connect with the community, you change your practice, you tell your story. Someday, I might have my own story to tell outside of this blog. If that time ever comes, I know who I'll be getting in touch with.

 Not sure where to start? Try out this Book concierge I made. Works best if you access it via the link.
 


Many of the authors have a podcast, you can access them through the slide below.


If you are looking to connect with the communities on Twitter, check out the hashtags.

Book
Author
Twitter Hashtag
Teach Like a PIRATE
Dave Burgess
#TLAP
Lead Like a PIRATE
Shelley Burgess and Beth Houf
#LeadLAP
The Innovator's Mindset
George Couros
#InnovatorsMindset
Sparks in the Dark
Travis Crowder and Todd Nesloney
#sparksinthedark
Be the One for Kids
Ryan Sheehy
#betheone
Escaping the School Leader's Dunk Tank
Rebecca Coda and Rick Jetter
#SLDUNKTANK
Culturize
Jimmy Casas
#Culturize
The Pepper Effect
Sean Gaillard
#ThePepperEffect
The EduProtocol Field Guide
Marlena Hebern and Jon Corippo
#EduProtocols
The Four O’Clock Faculty
Rich Czyz
#4OCF
Shift This!
Joy Kirr
#ShiftThis
The Wild Card
Wade King and Hope King
#BeTheWildCard
Shake Up Learning
Kasey Bell
#ShakeUpLearning
140 Twitter Tips for Educators
Brad Currie and Billy Krakower and Scott Rocco
#140EduTips
Kids Deserve It!
Todd Nesloney and Adam Welcome
#KidsDeserveIt
The Zen Teacher
Dan Tricarico
#zenteacher
The Limitless School
Abe Hege and Adam Dovico
#LimitlessSchool
Lead with Culture
Jay Billy
#CultureMatters
The Secret Solution
Todd Whitaker and Sam Miller and Ryan Donlan
#SecretSolution
The EduNinja Mindset
Jennifer Burdis
#EduNinja
The Classroom Chef
John Stevens and Matt Vaudrey
#classroomchef
The Principled Principal
Jeffrey Zoul and Anthony McConnell
#10principles
Shattering the Perfect Teacher Myth
Aaron Hogan
#TeacherMyth
Code Breaker
Brian Aspinall
#codebreaker
Start. Right. Now.
Todd Whitaker and Jeffrey Zoul and Jimmy Casas
#StartRightNow
Ditch That Textbook
Matt Miiller
#DitchBook
Learn Like a Pirate
Paul Solarz
#LearnLAP
Stories from Webb
Todd Nesloney
#StoriesFromWebb
Pure Genius
Don Wettrick
#StartEdUp
P is for PIRATE
Dave Burgess and Shelley Burgess
#TLAP
Explore Like a Pirate
Michael Matera
#XPlap
Launch
John Spencer and A J Juliani
#LaunchBook
The Path to Serendipity
Allyson Apsey
#Path2Serendipity
Table Talk Math
John Stevens
#tabletalkmath
Play Like a PIRATE
Quinn Rollins
#PlayLAP
How Much Water Do We Have?
Pete Nunweiler and Kris Nunweiler
#5Waters
The Writing on the Classroom Wall
Steve Wyborney
#twotcw
Google Apps for Littles
Christine Pinto and Alice Keeler
#GAfE4Littles
All 4s and 5s
Andrew Sharos
#APTeach
Social LEADia
Jennifer Casa-Todd
#socialLEADia
Master the Media
Julie Smith
#MediaLiteracy
Teaching Math with Google Apps
Alice Keeler and Diana Herrington
#GoogleMath
Instant Relevance
Denis Sheeran
#MakeItReal
Spark Learning
Dr. Ramsey Musallam
#Spark3
Your School Rocks
Ryan McLane and Eric Lowe
#yourschoolrocks
Ditch That Homework
Matt Miller and Alice Keeler
#ditchhw
Unmapped Potential
Julie Hasson and Missy Lennard
#UnmappedEd
Let Them Speak!
Rebecca Coda and Rick Jetter
#LetThemSpeak
Be Real
Tara Martin
#REALedu

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