"...all
children have gifts and talents, and when they are put in the hands of
dedicated teachers, magic can happen."
-Kim
Bearden
Crash Course by Kim Bearden has stolen its place as my favorite teaching book of all time. I
am
just about to enter my 8th year of teaching, and even though I love my job, I
needed a reminder of why I started teaching in the first place--and it's
not for standards or test scores. Reading this treasure
of a book, I
laughed, cried, and spent a lot of time in reflection. As Kim shared her incredible, and sometimes heartbreaking stories, she
reminded me of how lucky I am--that each day I
can create MAGIC for a room full of little faces. I still need to take time to let them use their imaginations. Let them play and wonder. Let them be little.
This
book also challenged me to develop meaningful relationships with my
students. I have struggled with this
aspect of my career. There
are many days when I’m speeding around, trying to prepare for the next fun learning activity. In my rush to prepare, I lose the time to sit and get to KNOW my
students, hear their struggles, and even just listen to them share their happy
moments. In the book, Kim shares how
developing those essential relationships help her create imaginative, yet powerful
lessons that help her students relate to what she is teaching.
Kim’s
heart for children and faith in Christ shine through each page of this
book. I won’t share her last quote of
the book, because I want you to go out and read it for yourself, but the last
paragraph of her book—y’all, let’s talk about chills. I just LOVE it.
Thanks
to reading her inspiring words and stories, I am ready for a new year. I am going to take the time to create
relationships. I am straight up READY to
create some magical learning experiences.
We are going to play and have fun learning. I am going to be so thankful for these little
lives entrusted to me this year. Thank
you, Lord, for new beginnings, and for the students I haven't met yet. I can’t
wait.
You can grab a copy of the book here! I promise you will be inspired!
Kim Bearden is the co-founder and executive director at the Ron Clark Academy. Most importantly, she is also the language arts teacher.
Kim has received numerous awards for her creative, dynamic, and rigorous teaching styles. She was selected from over 70,000 nominations to be honored as the Disney American Teacher Awards Outstanding Middle School Humanities Teacher. Along with countless other awards, she was also chosen from among 7,000 teachers as Teacher of the Year in Cobb County Georgia.
Over the past twenty-three years, she has been a teacher, instructional lead teacher, curriculum director, school board member, staff development trainer, and middle school principal.
For someone that has accomplished so much during her career, Kim is by far one of the most humble and down to earth educators. Her life hasn't been perfect, and I love that she is so transparent in her book as she shares her experiences as an educator.
Instead of telling you, I will just show you! Here is a little clip that shows who and what the Ron Clark Academy is all about! The best part? You can actually come spend a day…or two…at the school! Be sure and follow the Ron Clark Academy on Facebook {HERE} to receive special updates and events!
If you would like to visit RCA and participate in the RCA Educator Training Experience, visit the website {HERE} to register! It is truly a training unlike anything you have ever experienced before. During this training, you will get to meet the students of RCA and observe Ron Clark and Kim Bearden's unparalleled instruction in their 5th grade classrooms. You will also spend the day in classroom observations and workshops that will enhance your instruction in any grade level. And of course, you will end the visitation becoming "slide certified."
2014-2015 Training Dates:
I am so excited about teaming up with some of my favorite bloggers to share our review of Kim's book. Click on any of the links below to see what they think...
Win a signed copy of Kim's Book!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Win a free visitation to the Academy!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
What a wonderful book review. I am going to track down a copy. You are certainly in a place of great opportunity to be a light. Love given to a child is always transforming and powerful and it is so wonderful that you have the joy of being a loving influence to so many children.
ReplyDelete