Classroom Magic #7: Read this book!

“Like life itself, school is a series of challenges. Every lesson, project, or concept is a challenge that teachers present to students. As educators, it’s our job to design these challenges so students can learn and grow. The problem is that not all students understand how to take on challenges or even why they should accept them. I began to wonder whether educators could help reduce anxiety and depression by being more intentional about the challenges we assign, the level of difficulty we choose, and how we guide students in responding to them.” —Jay Jackson, p. 115

Jay’s book should be required reading for every teacher, parent, and coach mentoring kids as young as preschoolers. It’s already affecting how I “play” with my 19-month-old grandson.

On the flip side, it has me reassessing the way I look at my own challenges, even during this later stage of life. It pretty much applies to all of us. It’s so inspiring!

Jay’s a master storyteller who has overcome two huge challenges in his life. Not only will you learn how to make all your lessons more meaningful, you won’t want to put Learned Resilience down.

I judge a book based on how many resonant passages I highlight. While reading Learned Resilience, I found myself marking something on almost every page.

It’s that good.