As I’m staring at the blinking cursor, I’m wondering how do I snag only five to ten of the fleeting thoughts about this topic and write a cohesive post. So, fasten your seatbelt; this might be a wild ride. Oh, and since pictures are worth a thousand words, this one has a few to keep me somewhat concise.
Be REAL
Three weeks ago I released my very first book Be REAL: Educate From the Heart. In the foreword, Dave Burgess shared how difficult it was for me to turn in my manifesto. It wasn’t because I wanted to add more or take some away–that wasn’t the cause. It was because I had poured my heart and every ounce of my being into this document I would now share with the world–not only my PLFamily but anyone in the world who wanted to read it.
It contains so much of me–the overcoming, cannonball-in-girl, and real-life stories proving how every circumstance, hardship, and victory that are unique to each of us shape us into the educator we are today. No doubt, writing and sharing strategies to help us all become more REAL–Relatable, Expose vulnerability, Approachable and Learning Through Life was fairly easy. I love encouraging and coaching others. However, to model this message and I did, I had to dig deep and share from the heart. I walk the REAL talk all of the time, but I hadn’t written it out and shared it with the whole world until that moment. I gave my all in the book. For REAL; I was literally ill after I turned it in. And, that, my friends, made it tough to submit. I knew it was necessary, but the struggle was real.
However, one thing I have learned through the process of publishing Be REAL is that outstanding creations are not produced in isolation. There are so many moving parts and people involved to create the final product. We are truly better together. To name a few, I’m so very thankful for Dave and Shelley Burgess for believing in and supporting me. And, it would be an injustice to not shout out the DBC Inc editing team. What would we do without them? We have the most incredible book team led by Erin Casey; in fact, they are second to none.
The list could go on all night, from doodles by Carrie Baughcum to my sweet son collaborating with me in Chapter 2. And, let’s not forget my hubby reading and rereading, then providing feedback on all sections of my manuscript. Bless his heart. The point is, there are so many valuable people involved in this beautiful product, and I’m ever grateful.
Side Note: If you haven’t already, read Dave’s foreword here. You will be encouraged!
#ISTE18
When I arrived at #ISTE18, it had been one week since my book release. Wowzers at the feedback and love that was shared there. Check out the hashtags #ISTE18, #BookSnaps, and #REALedu.
I was overwhelmed by my PLFamily waiting over an hour for my #BookSnaps session to begin in a ginormous line. Of course, the session was followed by many hugs and selfies along with untold stories of how #BookSnaps helped their students connect in meaningful ways. It’s too bad I had written and published the book because several of the stories I had heard that day would have easily made the cut for Chapter 17.
Meeting my friends face-to-face is always a joy. I LOVED every minute of it. I couldn’t begin to squeeze all my selfies on here, but if you search #ISTE18 and #BookSnaps, you will see lots more pictures to prove that our PLFamily is REAL!
#DitchFam Time
I was absolutely thrilled to present with my #DitchFam in a featured session titled Ditch Panel. The ditch family is a group of educators from all over the nation that has embraced the message behind Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller. We communicate regularly via Twitter, and as we presented you would have thought we all grew up together. Not only are our mindsets similar, but we also behave like a family.
The PLFamily is a real deal. No lie.
Our session got raving reviews, and I can’t help but believe it stems from the REALness of our relationships–even though most of our communication has been virtual and many of us met face-to-face for the first time at #ISTE18.
Carrie Sees the Book
When my doodle artist saw the book for the first time…WOW, words can’t describe the feeling. (See image for yourself.)
I met this fantastic woman, Carrie Baughcum, for about five minutes last year at ISTE17. I had admired her work from a distance, and when I began writing the book, I had the vision to have doodles or “real” sketches for each part of R-E-A-L. That’s when I got the wild idea to hire Carrie on my own and ask that she join this Be REAL journey with me. I couldn’t believe she said yes. From that moment on, we set sail! I’d write a chapter and send it to her to sketch anything that came to her mind. We learned so much during the journey, but the main point of this story is she made Be REAL come alive by doodling my words with images. Of this one thing I know, you won’t be disappointed in the visual art displayed in Be REAL.
Want to learn more about Carrie, check out her YouTube Channel here.
#Tlap Live + Be REAL Book Release
I feel certain I will never forget the Monday night of June 25, 2018. Thank you to all who showed up and made me feel so valued. A special thanks to Tisha Richmond and Andrew Easton; my life would be so incomplete without you two.
Back to the book launch party…
I’m not going to lie, I literally had to massage my cheeks (on my face…no naughty thinking *wink*) when I got back to my hotel room because I smiled so much that night. The book signing, the sheer amount of my PLFamily there to support Be REAL, and all of the virtual #tlap’ers made this event one that will forever remain in my long-term memory.
In case you missed it, here are a few pictures. Can you feel the joy? No words can quite describe how squishy the Be REAL book launch made my heart feel.
Yes…My PLFamily is REAL! Being a relatively new “connected educator” of only two years, I’m not sure how I made it without them. (Tap the images to see all of the #REALedu love.)
I’ll leave you all with this. In a world where you can be anything, Be REAL (on and offline):
Relatable
Expose Vulnerability
Approachable
Learning Through Life.
Share your REALness with those you lead and empower them to do the same.
We are truly better together, and your connected family has your back!
Haven’t read Be REAL: Educate From the Heart, but want to know more about it? Click the image below. Next, scroll down the page and click “Free Preview.” This will allow you to read the first three chapters of Be REAL. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts.
