Personal & Authentic: Chapter 1
In Chapter 1, you’ll read part of my story and discover how I formed my personal educational lens. You’ll clearly see how I came to understand what this work is about and how being personal and authentic helps to define our relationships with those we serve, and how it must remain core to all that we do as educators. You’ll immediately see why the learner is at the center of the Personal & Authentic framework and how relationships surround it.
Stop & Reflect / Study Guide Questions
Why are you investing your time into this book? What is it that you hope to get out of it?
When you hear the title “Personal & Authentic,” what comes to mind? What experiences in your classroom or school would you deem personal and authentic? Why?
How would you design a student learning experience if the quality of the relationship was at the core?
In this opening chapter, Tom shares two heartbreaking stories that happened during his first year teaching that significantly altered his lens as an educator. What personal and authentic experiences have impacted you as an educator? Discuss them as a group, and share one on social media, using the book’s hashtag #AuthenticEDU.
#AuthenticEDU CallOuts
Download the callout quotes from this chapter and use them as part of your book study, team discussion, upcoming presentation, to share on social media, or in any way that can support you as an educator!
Behind the Foreword: Inky Johnson
Inquoris “Inky” Johnson could be described as the survivor of an underprivileged past. He could be described as a refugee of poverty and violence. He could be described as a success story stained by tragedy. But if you look deeper, you’ll discover something else — a personal and authentic man whose fingerprints of impact can be seen on the lives of so many others.
Look at Inky Johnson and you’ll see a man who stares down the face of defeat; a man who has overcome adversity every step of the way; and a man who inspires millions of people by his relentless determination. Look at Inky Johnson and you’ll also see a man who was forever impacted by the love and care of one of his teachers.
Related #LeadershipMinutes
Additional Resources to Support Your Personal & Authentic Journey
Design Principals: Positive Developmental Relationships (LPI)
[Research] Positive Student-Teacher Relationships May Lead to Better Teaching (Science Direct)
Design Principles: Environments Filled with Safety and Belonging (LPI)
Building Authentic Relationships with Students (Edutopia)
Simple Relationship-Building Strategies (Edutopia)
Building Relationships with Students (NEA)
Building Relationships With Students Is the Most Important Thing a Teacher Can Do' (EdWeek)
32 Tips For Building Better Relationships With Students (TeachThought)
10 Powerful Community-Building Ideas (Edutopia)
10 Ways to Build Relationships With Students This Year (Scholastic)
5 Ways to Build a Strong Relationship With Students Affected by Poverty (We are Teachers)
22 Ways to Build Relationships for Educational Success (Edutopia)
Fostering Relationships in the Classroom (Edutopia)
Additional #LeadershipMinutes:
- Relationships Bring Opportunity with Amber Teamann
- It’s Always About the People with Brad Gustafson
Authors Note: The resources contained within this page are not intended to be an exhaustive list, but are intended to provide conversation starters, pre-reading/watching, and inspiration on your journey. If you have additional suggestions, please share them so that they can be included for the benefit of others.
#AuthenticEDU