First Book Club Pick of 2021!

We are all born with equal potential in an unequal world that stacks against us quickly. … That is the reality of many of our best and brightest young scholars due to no fault of their own.

-Mirko Chardin & Katie Novak

After several deliberations, I am thrilled to announce our first book club selection for 2021 is Equity By Design: Delivering the Power and Promise of UDL by Mirko Chardin and Katie Novak. As we continue to support our students during multiple, ongoing pandemics, are we doing what is necessary to ensure all students can and will succeed? Join me as we learn more about Universal Design for Learning (UDL), how it can create more equitable learning communities, and build on what we learned during our focus on Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain by Zaretta Hammond and Sing a Rhythm, Dance a Blues by Monique W. Morris.

We will begin our exploration of Equity By Design on January 25 in our Teacher Toolkit Virtual Book Club community! All book club resources will now be available in our very online community platform powered by Mighty Networks! There we get to share ideas, view all content tied to the book including discussion guides and videos, and have discussions outside of our live meetings. You will also be able to keep on the go by downloading the Mighty Networks app. Click the button below to join the discussion!

Learn how UDL can create equity within your classroom.

Join the discussion on January 25!

Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning at no cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

A Relaunch is in Order! Introducing the Teacher Toolbox Virtual Book Club

The start of a new year provides time to reflect on the prior year and this year I am filled with gratitude for our virtual book club community. In the middle of a pandemic, we came together to do what we do best, learn and challenge our thinking, in order to better support our students. Thank you for being willing to grow with me, dive into 2 books focused on creating antiracist and culturally responsive learning environments, and just get to know each other beyond our teaching roles. I’ve been thinking about a way to give our community a name that better reflects all of the work we do and I’m pleased to announce the Teacher Toolkit Virtual Book Club 🎉.

What’s Next

This year, we will be tackling 5 books together and the first one will start on January 26! Even though we have a new name, the thought-provoking conversations, practical application, and opportunities to grow will still remain! All book club resources will now be available in our very online community platform powered by Mighty Networks! There we get to share ideas, view all content tied to the book including discussion guides and videos, and have discussions outside of our live meetings. You will also be able to keep on the go by downloading the Mighty Networks app!

Cost To Join

As I work to create the best community for you, I enjoy spending time making sure you get the most out of what we read by adding supplementary resources and ways to implement culturally responsive strategies in the classroom. I know it is incredibly challenging for educators to add additional costs in the pursuit of new knowledge and I commit to keeping costs as low as possible to ensure it’s accessible to as many teachers as possible.

For our first book of the year, you will be able to join the community and receive all of the accompanying resources for free! Now is the time to spread the word to your fellow educators so they can join and experience the joys of our virtual book club without paying a cent. Starting in February, there will be cost associated with participating in book club.

Thank you for being a part of our community and helping all of us grow!

Examining Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain Together

We are just mere hours away from the start of my first Virtual Book Club and I cannot wait to expand my practice with you. In order to get the most out of our time together and have focused discussions centered on Zaretta Hammond’s book Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students we will use the following schedule:

Week 1

• Focus: Examining Our Current Landscape- Achievement and the Role Culture Plays in Our Work

• Required Reading: Introduction, Chapters 1 and 2

Week 2

• Focus: Preparing to be a Culturally Responsive Leader

• Required Reading: Chapters 3 and 4

Week 3

• Focus: Creating and Leveraging Meaningful Relationships to Support Culturally Responsive Teaching

• Required Reading: Chapters 5 and 6

Week 4

• Focus: Building an Academic Mindset in a Culturally Responsive Learning Environment

• Required Reading: Chapter 7

Week 5

• Focus: Building Students’ Intellective Capacity in Socially and Intellectually Safe Classroom Communities

• Required Reading: Chapters 8 and 9

Week 6

• Focus: Leading with a Lens for Equity

• Required Reading: Epilogue

In order to get the most out of what we will be learning, join the Chalon Creates! Virtual Book Club Group on Facebook and sign up to receive updates from me here if you have not done so already to access our weekly discussion questions and access to our live discussions.

Let’s get started!

Getting ready for book club?

Thrilled, elated, delighted…

And most of all incredibly thankful to all the people have signed up to discuss my first book club selection, Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students by Zaretta Hammond! Before we officially get started, I have 3 ways for you to prepare in order to get the most of our discussions.

1. Get familiar with the book. Make sure to purchase a copy of the book through your favorite bookseller or borrow a copy from your library.

2. Join the book club community. We will have an online discussion forum and weekly live discussions that you do not want to miss. Sign up for my weekly updates and a frame for discussion here and go to the Chalon Creates! Virtual Book Club Group on Facebook and click to join.

3. Invite your teacher friends and colleagues to join you. Learning and growing is more meaningful when you have someone to check in with and keep you accountable. Everyone is welcome!

Chalon Creates! First Virtual Book Club Selection Announced

“Language is powerful. when you are able to name a thing, it moves out of the realm of mystery into concreteness”

-Zaretta Hammond

I am so excited to announce my first virtual book club selection - Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students by Zaretta Hammond!

Are you ready to dig into our first selection?

Starting June 30, we will have an opportunity to discuss Hammond’s work, assess our knowledge of learning, and discuss implications for our work. I invite you to join me as we expand our knowledge and create structures for our classrooms in the Fall. Click here to get access to our weekly discussion prompts, reading guide, and more!

Chalon Creates! Virtual Book Club Launching June 30

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for, We are the change that we seek.”

-President Barack Obama

What are you doing to build your ability to create lasting change?

This question has been at the forefront of my mind now more than ever. As an educator and coach, I often think about how to build the capacity of others using techniques that have worked for me in the past. Little did I know some of those practices were based on upholding white supremacist learning environments that did not adequately serve all of the needs of my students. As I re-evaluate how I am making an impact based on anti-racist practices, I invite you to join me! I will be hosting a free virtual book club starting on June 30 that allows us to analyze culturally relevant texts, discuss strategies we can use to promote inclusive learning environments, and develop a plan to combat practices that no longer serve us or our students. Click here to sign up and learn about our first book club selection!