So grateful for the group read of Becoming an Everyday Changemaker! The format, along with the discussion, helped to push my thinking and also the one chapter per week made it manageable to read during the school year. I got a little behind over the winter break but just finished it last night on my plane ride home.
Also, you inspired me to join the yearlong WolfHall slow read! I started it yesterday and am already loving it.
Thank you again for all of your posts! Love the edu community here on Substack 🙏
I'm so glad you've enjoyed the slow-read of Alex's book! Without spoiling anything, the conversation we'll release this weekend was absolutely incredible—especially after all the time spent with her book. Let us know what you think when it comes out!
Thank you for this reflection as we start a new calendar year in our classrooms! I truly needed these inspiring words of gratitude right now as a reminder to focus on the positives and the amazing students I get to teach every day. The moments you shared resonate perfectly with why I know I'm still in the classroom. I had a similar moment right before break as a student starting explaining the meaning behind a poem in class. As she spoke, her epiphany was so tangible to our entire class that I actually got head to toe chills and a bit teary-eyed when she finished! Those "light bulb" moments are truly what keep us going! And we need to celebrate them when they happen!
Thank you for sharing all of this. That feeling when a student gets it, when they realize where they have come from and what they now know or are able to do, is amazing. I am often frustrated by the hard parts of my job, especially during those weeks when there is an endless cycle of disciplinary concerns to address. But then, I run into an older student who was part of that endless string last year or the year before, and we recognize the learning and growth that has occurred, the positive result of all those conversations and all of our belief in their abilities, and there is the hope and the joy.
This is one thing I miss about teaching! That buzz in the classroom when they grasp a topic. The pure joy of understanding and excitement about their work! It's moments like those that make teaching so special and such a unique profession ❤️
“I don’t for a second intend to take for granted the privilege of getting a front-row seat to the writing journeys of students. It is a gift, a thousand times over.”
The way you frame grading as an act of witnessing, not just evaluating, is a reminder of what makes teaching so powerful.
As someone who’s also spent time in “unmotivated” classrooms, I wonder: how do we keep this joy alive when faced with systemic challenges that can overshadow it? Your gratitude is contagious—thank you for reminding us why the classroom is worth it, even on the hard days.
Appreciate this comment and particularly the question—as even my own classroom has its own peaks as well as valleys (as all of ours do, inevitably).
The simple part of my answer is that we need to make sure we are telling a positive story about what the classroom can be. I don't think that happens enough right now, in small spaces and more broadly, and naming the good helps create a culture of naming the good, which can be a tangible step in the right direction.
That said, I also think that "naming the good"—as long as you can be mindful of the toxic positivity trap—can be a defense against those systemic challenges that threaten the good. So many of the challenges come in the form of "reform" against a "bad status quo," and we need to do a better job articulating the way these reforms are harming the good things already happening.
And that starts, I think, with establishing what those good things are.
So grateful for the group read of Becoming an Everyday Changemaker! The format, along with the discussion, helped to push my thinking and also the one chapter per week made it manageable to read during the school year. I got a little behind over the winter break but just finished it last night on my plane ride home.
Also, you inspired me to join the yearlong WolfHall slow read! I started it yesterday and am already loving it.
Thank you again for all of your posts! Love the edu community here on Substack 🙏
I'm so glad you've enjoyed the slow-read of Alex's book! Without spoiling anything, the conversation we'll release this weekend was absolutely incredible—especially after all the time spent with her book. Let us know what you think when it comes out!
Thank you for this reflection as we start a new calendar year in our classrooms! I truly needed these inspiring words of gratitude right now as a reminder to focus on the positives and the amazing students I get to teach every day. The moments you shared resonate perfectly with why I know I'm still in the classroom. I had a similar moment right before break as a student starting explaining the meaning behind a poem in class. As she spoke, her epiphany was so tangible to our entire class that I actually got head to toe chills and a bit teary-eyed when she finished! Those "light bulb" moments are truly what keep us going! And we need to celebrate them when they happen!
🙏 Appreciate this comment! And yes, those "light bulb" moments can last a lifetime, like a flame being passed candle to candle.
(Also, they so often happen when talking about poetry, right!?!)
Thank you for sharing all of this. That feeling when a student gets it, when they realize where they have come from and what they now know or are able to do, is amazing. I am often frustrated by the hard parts of my job, especially during those weeks when there is an endless cycle of disciplinary concerns to address. But then, I run into an older student who was part of that endless string last year or the year before, and we recognize the learning and growth that has occurred, the positive result of all those conversations and all of our belief in their abilities, and there is the hope and the joy.
This is one thing I miss about teaching! That buzz in the classroom when they grasp a topic. The pure joy of understanding and excitement about their work! It's moments like those that make teaching so special and such a unique profession ❤️
“I don’t for a second intend to take for granted the privilege of getting a front-row seat to the writing journeys of students. It is a gift, a thousand times over.”
The way you frame grading as an act of witnessing, not just evaluating, is a reminder of what makes teaching so powerful.
As someone who’s also spent time in “unmotivated” classrooms, I wonder: how do we keep this joy alive when faced with systemic challenges that can overshadow it? Your gratitude is contagious—thank you for reminding us why the classroom is worth it, even on the hard days.
Appreciate this comment and particularly the question—as even my own classroom has its own peaks as well as valleys (as all of ours do, inevitably).
The simple part of my answer is that we need to make sure we are telling a positive story about what the classroom can be. I don't think that happens enough right now, in small spaces and more broadly, and naming the good helps create a culture of naming the good, which can be a tangible step in the right direction.
That said, I also think that "naming the good"—as long as you can be mindful of the toxic positivity trap—can be a defense against those systemic challenges that threaten the good. So many of the challenges come in the form of "reform" against a "bad status quo," and we need to do a better job articulating the way these reforms are harming the good things already happening.
And that starts, I think, with establishing what those good things are.
I love how you’ve framed "naming the good" as both a celebration and a defense.
Just trying to get better at using that "both/and" strategy from Alex Shevrin Venet's book Becoming an Everyday Changemaker! 😎