A Book Review: Onward; Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators

I just finished reading Onward; Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators by Elena Aguilar. I believe this is a topic that is important and deserves to have many conversations around both for educators and our students. I appreciate Elena's honesty, storytelling, questions, implications for leaders, and desire to help educators (and the whole learning organization) THRIVE.

I love how she set up and divided the book into 12 chapters and related them to a month of the year and correlates the topic with what is going on in the realm of schools and the lives of educators. It may be more manageable to read one chapter a month throughout the school year. I will definitely be revisiting each chapter throughout the year. Elena understands firsthand how many educators feel, our challenges, and gives practical ways that can help make big changes in how we respond to situations and become more RESILENT, the main theme throughout her book.

Even though Elena does not mention spirituality until the very last chapter, but I was able to relate most of her habits to my faith and scripture which help me make connections and helped the information stick with me. Her book is packed full of research, stories, and examples.  I enjoyed learning and thinking more about how to handle my emotions and help others do the same. 

Here are my take aways from each chapter. There is so much more in each chapter that require deep thinking and conversations. 

This is my first time to attempt digital sketch notes. So, I'm taking a risk and sharing them with you. I had a lot of fun making them and was able to express creativity, so I'm well on my way with habit #10 :)!

Intro:

Chapters 1&2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Elena also has a workbook available and her website is full of additional resources on each habit. Make sure to check it out! Let me know if you have read Onward, I'd love to chat with you!

Bold School- Book Review

I just finished reading Bold School by Weston Kieschnick, and I highly recommend you add it to your summer reading list!! His book is an engaging, fun, and easy read, but one that still leaves you self reflecting and challenging yourself!

I found myself saying YES! and AMEN! over and over as I read Bold School. "Blended" instruction + "Old" school wisdom = BOLD

Blended Learning can be scary and feel overwhelming, but I love how easy he makes it to implement blended learning in your classroom. He begins the book with breaking down the Bold School Framework that will be used with all of the high yield instructional strategies he shares. ALL teachers can benefit from this book!

The Instructional Strategies covered in the book are:

1. Interactive Video Method

2. Questioning/Socratic Seminar

3. Vocabulary Programs- One of my favorite chapters, especially since we are ALL literacy teachers!

4. Direct Instruction

5. Peer Tutoring

6. Concept Mapping

7. Worked Examples

8. Self-Assessment

9. Reciprocal Teaching

10. Problem Solving Teaching

11. Spaced vs Mass Practice 

Each chapter explains the strategy, has real life examples, tips for teachers, questions to make you think and reflect your craft, and Tech tools to move to Blended Learning in your classroom. I love the focus he also puts on rigor and relevance and pushing our students to Quadrant D. 

"Becoming a Blended Learning Master means knowing how to use technologies to move toward academic goals." Kieschnick makes this seem like an easy task and left me feeling empowered to teach others to do the same.

Do yourself and your students a favor

and go read and apply Bold School wisdom to your classroom!

A Book Review- Every Child A Super Reader

I thought I would share my notes and thoughts on a Professional Development book I just read with my PLN. I read Every Child A Super Reader by Pam Allyn and Ernest Morrell. (Click on any of the following pictures to access the notes I took while reading.)

The book is focused around the 7 Strengths that promote Super Readers:

1. Belonging

2. Curiousity 

3. Friendship

4. Kindness

5. Confidence

6. Courage

7. Hope

(Allyn and Morrell briefly touch on best practices, but this book is not focused on the components of Reading Workshop.)

The thing I love most about this book is I feel that these 7 Strengths can and should be nutured in across all grade levels and disciplines to help build social emotional well being in our students. I will be adding the 7 Strenghts to my vocabulary wall and theme wall. I will also be finding quotes that tie to the 7 Strengths. The 10 Fundamental Principles are important for us as educators to reflect on and make changes to our practices and classroom libraries as needed. 

(Click to see all 10 Principles)

One of my favorite quotes from the book states, "Every child deserves to know she belongs to the world of reading and the world of writing. Whether white or black, Latino or Asian, boy or girl-everyone and anyone can, will, and should benefit from a library as diverse as the world we live in." pg. 31

We must help our students see themselves in books. We must be purposeful with our read aloud selection and library choices. We must have a diverse books in our schools!!!

Allyn and Morrell also give practical advice on ways to promote the 7 Strengths in your classroom. Each chapter shares ideas for classroom activities, read alouds, technology integration, and ways to involve familes. 

(Click to see a few ideas for each strength)

I love the emphasis Ally and Morrell place on involoving families and educating them on ways to help their children connect the 7 Strenghts to their home as well. I think it would be a great idea to share the 7 Strenghts with parents when the year starts and continue to share ideas throughout the year via email, videos, newsletters, etc. 

The book is full of amazing assessment tools, rubrics, student goal setting, planning guides, and book lists. These book confirms my beliefs of building a community and that reading is more than just reading! 

What are you doing to ensure your students have the opportunity to become Super Readers?