Everyone remembers their favorite teacher, but why? What makes some teachers so memorable? Julie Schmidt Hasson spent a year interviewing people about teachers who’ve shaped their lives, and the result is this captivating book. She shares stories that are both inspirational, highlighting the ways a teacher’s actions can make a lasting impact, and also informational, providing models to help teachers make a more consistent impact on the students they serve. Chapters cover topics such as commitment, vulnerability, power, connection, expectations, community, identity, and equity, while underscoring the importance of making students feel safe, seen, and stretched. In each chapter, the author brings you along as she conducts interviews and hears emotional stories. She also offers practical takeaways and applications for educators of all levels of experience. With this uplifting book, you will be reminded that your seemingly ordinary interactions in the classroom have extraordinary implications, and that you indeed have the power to influence students’ lives – each and every day.

How can educators find joy in the midst of seemingly overwhelming challenges? Researcher Julie Schmidt Hasson interviewed hundreds of people about their most impactful teachers and shares her findings in this unique and powerful book. She lays out a three-step process that leads to greater peace, and greater impact on students. This three-step framework involves pausing, pondering, and persisting. First, teachers pause before reacting to an unexpected challenge, so they can intentionally choose a response. Next, they suspend assumptions and approach the challenge from a place of curiosity. Finally, they persist in this dance of patient inquiry and thoughtful responses in a way that leads to better outcomes for students. The stories integrated throughout the book provide evidence of the many ways teachers make a difference in students’ lives. It is a challenging time to be a teacher, and this book provides the inspiration and information teachers need to stay longer, grow stronger, and continue making an impact.

In this middle-grade girl-power friendship story, perfect for fans of Moxie, an eighth grader starts a podcast to protest the unfair dress code enforcement at her middle school and sparks a rebellion. Now available in paperback! Molly Frost is FED UP... Because Olivia was yelled at for wearing a tank top. Because Liza got dress coded and Molly didn't, even though they were wearing the exact same outfit. Because when Jessica was pulled over by the principal and missed a math quiz, her teacher gave her an F. Because it's impossible to find shorts that are longer than her fingertips. Because girls' bodies are not a distraction. Because middle school is hard enough. And so Molly starts a podcast where girls can tell their stories, and before long, her small rebellion swells into a revolution. Because now the girls are standing up for what's right, and they're not backing down.

Going into the school day with inspiration and reflection can help you feel more empowered and ready to take on the joys and challenges of teaching. In this refreshing book, Julie Schmidt Hasson and Laura Estes-Swilley provide 185 brief stories shared by former students about their most impactful teachers. With a different story for every day of the school year, the authors illuminate the many ways teachers shape students’ lives. You can use them to set your intention for the day, to reflect on your teaching in the evening, or to infuse meetings and professional development with encouragement and affirmation. Hasson and Estes-Swilley concisely unpack each story and pose questions to help you consider the meaning it holds for your own work. While the stories themselves are inspirational, they also provide models to help you make a greater (and more consistent) impact on your students’ lives. Through these daily reflections, you’ll have the space to contemplate your practice and consider new perspectives and possibilities. With regular reflection, you can find greater satisfaction in teaching, particularly during challenging times. And as you grow, you'll have more capacity to help your students grow, too.

Being kind in education is about much more than being nice. This unique book shows how transformational kindness needs to be an explicit, essential part of classroom and school culture in order to improve student success. Author Hope E. Wilson offers practical steps for creating a culture of transformational kindness through your approach to classroom management, relationships, assessment, and the content areas. She also demonstrates how to build kindness toward colleagues, parents, and families, and what to do in situations where supervisors are not so supportive. Finally, she describes how you can show more kindness toward yourself, including by giving grace. Throughout this book, you’ll find vignettes about the educators who have influenced their own communities through transformational kindness. You’ll come away feeling inspired and encouraged to imagine a world in which schools are places where kindness and humanity are felt by all.

Visualize Your Teaching offers a unique way of helping educators see their own teaching so they can strengthen their practice. Author Kyle Ezell uses a series of simple but compelling black and white graphics to take you through teaching’s parts, flows, and signals. He demonstrates that it’s important to be aware of what’s happening when playing distinctly different parts as you teach, depending on the context. Flows connect parts together over a lesson. He shows how to visualize the impact of how flows connect over a range of circumstances. You also need to be aware of how you respond to many different signals that appear, pushing and pulling the lesson plan. Appropriate for teachers of all grade levels and subject areas, the book provides teaching scenario prompts for you to practice playing all the parts through self-observation and opportunities for you to diagram your own teaching. As you work through the pages, you’ll be able to visualize your performance the way athletes do, becoming more in tune with yourself. With this book as your batting cage, you will be increasing your impact on students in no time!

Deepen relationships with students, stay connected to your purpose, and improve classroom culture with this inspiring book. Author Marcela Andrés offers five key principles to unlock connections with students, know your why, understand context beyond compliance, foster meaningful interactions, design high-quality learning environments, and partner with key stakeholders. For each principle, she provides high-leverage practices and strategies you can implement, a case study to crystalize the concept, and reflection questions to apply to your practice. The book ends with a reminder to put your own oxygen mask on first, and a reminder of the power of human connection and the legacy you will create. Now more than ever, we need educators to do what they do best and help shape the next generation of leaders who can change our future. This powerful book will remind you of your special ability to connect with students and have a direct impact on their life’s outcomes.