The power of the Internet. I found out about this book one night while aimlessly scrolling through my feed and noticed there was a #MakeItReal Chat on Twitter. I followed the Hashtag and before I knew it I learned that there was a book study coming up for this book and it would be on Voxer. At the time, I knew nothing about Voxer. However, the awesome part about networking with a bunch of educators is that they will in fact, educate you.
I looked Instant Relevance up on Amazon and I wasn't sure if Denis Sheeran would be the author for me. Would I feel engaged in a book written by a ::gasp:: math teacher? I loved this book so much that I gave it a five star rating on GoodReads. I wrote all over on the inside. And I laughed out loud. A lot!
Denis got my attention in the very first chapter with this...
Teaching gets tricky. Is it strictly professional? Is it personal? Where do you draw the line? This could be an entirely different blog post. I especially agree with Denis when he said, "...opening ourselves up to our students helps them share in our experience, resulting in lasting connections to the content and a sense of true relevance." The fact of the matter is this, our students want to know about our lives. Do we need to be careful about how much we share? Absolutely! But they want to know.
I could NOT stop laughing at the next page. First of all, I went to Catholic School growing up. Two spaces after a period was happening. Even now, I still do it. Bad girl, I know. Even when I type with only one space after a period, it doesn't feel right or look right. See? Ew. Ah... that's better! 2! (Sorry, Lisa... and all fans of APA)
After I posted my first blog a few hours ago, I sent the link out to some friends. A friend of mine told me that she loved that I was blogging but disliked my two spaces after a period. I sent her this image. Thank you, Denis!
In all seriousness, this book was phenomenal. It completely exceeded my expectations. I enjoyed reading it. I also enjoyed discussing it with my PLN via Voxer and Twitter.
Denis shows you how you can take your life and make it relevant in your classroom. It can happen by shoveling snow. It can happen by staring at your food. It can even happen by sending bacon Valentines. Treat yourself to this wonderful book! I stepped out of my comfort zone and I have no regrets!
I look forward to reading your comments and Tweets! (Twitter: leighanne_geib)
P.S. - This is my blog and I can put two spaces after a period if I want to.
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