The Wild Card: 7 Steps to an Educator's Creative Breakthrough

Last year I had the opportunity to see Wade and Hope King in action in their environment at The Ron Clark Academy. I was enamored by their strategies and techniques. This began my journey down a rabbit hole reading Hope’s blog, watch YouTube and Periscope videos, as well as following them both on social media. When their book was announced I knew I wanted it. This book has surpassed all expectations. As I began reading I found myself connecting even more with these two extraordinary individuals who are truly changing the way teachers across the country are interacting and teaching the students who enter their classrooms every day. Wade and Hope have hit the nail on the head when it comes to identifying keys to success in classrooms. The success of our students begin with the creativity we put into our craft as teachers. Wade and Hope have shown through their book that having the courage to step out of your comfort zone helps meet the needs of all students in your classroom. They explain that our failures helps us grow. I can’t agree)more. There is no growing in the comfort zone and no comfort in the growing zone. This book, The Wild Card, should be required reading for all pre-service teachers. Can you imagine how different those teachers would be as they entered the workforce? The Wild Card is a must read, whether you have been teaching for 10, 20, 30 years or whether you are just beginning. This book, The Wild Card, has helped breathe life into my classroom and my career as a teacher.

I cannot say enough good things about this book! First, the Kings co-wrote this book which is mostly about teaching mindset and practice. They share their success story about their “wild card” mentality; how through their classroom experiences they were eventually led to RCA, which is considered one of the best schools in the country. This alone was enough to draw my focus in. Second, if you’re complacent, lazy, or bored with your teaching job, YOU MUST pick up this book and soak in their wisdom. Seriously, Hope and Wade lay out all the steps you need to get out of the comfort zone and into the creative zone in teaching. If you want to fall in love with teaching again, pay close attention! Sitting in the comfort zone as a teacher will not impact your students in the way you want! As someone who struggles with anxiety, it was SO REFRESHING to read about their doubts as teachers and how they overcame them. Their mentality on being a “wild card” teacher has influenced my own teaching practice- this is exactly the push I needed to continue my journey as a teacher. If you want to make a difference in your classroom, and truly connect and engage with your students, then give this book a read and implement their methods into your practice. It will change your life just like it’s changed mine.

The WILD CARD is definitely a must read! It has opened my eyes in so many ways!!! It confirmed that it’s okay not to be like everyone else. We as teachers all have different experiences and gifts that we can offer and bring to the classroom, to our students. We just can’t listen to the Joker! We aren’t in competition with other teachers, only ourselves! The WILD CARD reaffirmed that my style of teaching is okay. I can and should TEACH OUTSIDE THE BOX to give my students not just an education but an experience! You can offer those experiences through classroom transformations. You may ask what is that and how do I get started? The Wild Card will tell you all about them and even give you ideas to help you get started. Then once you get comfortable and gain confidence in doing classroom transformations, the sky is the limit. That’s when your CREATIVE breakthrough will come to life! The Wild Card also reminds us that while we are being creative in our planning and teaching, our expectations and rigor should still remain in tact. We have to set our expectations high and accept nothing less! Dont make exceptions! Don’t settle! We are the LEADER in our classroom, so we need to ask ourselves how can we breathe life into our curriculum?!?! I don’t know about you but that is something I ask myself everyday? What can I do to make a difference today? How many students can I reach? After all, my students are my WHY! What’s your why?!?! My take away from this book is to always smile (show kindness and love), be passionate and show enthusiasm. BE THE WILD CARD!!!

I very uplifting read from some very creative authors. The book is basically a narrative of how the authors become creative teachers, while overcoming obstacles along the way. Their goal is to convince you that every teacher can be creative. In my opinion, the book relates better to elementary grades and lower. Although the book suggests buying from thrift stores and asking for donations, budget cost will likely be an issue for many teachers if you adopt their methods. There are some practical suggestions at the end of the book.

“We’ve learned that creativity is the key to engagement, and engagement is the magic pixie dust that makes kids want to come to school.” This is a quote from an awesome new called #TheWildCard! This is the book I have been waiting for my entire teaching career. 22 years and still going but I have found my teacher spirit being diminished by curriculum, standards and many other factors. I truly do care and I want to make a difference in all of my students lives. I have always been creative and thought outside the box when thinking about lessons but the past few years I feel like I have let this part of myself hide but this book renews my spirit and hope in myself that I can be that wildcard for all of my students. To all of my teacher friends, please check this book out! Get it! Read it! Be inspired! #LifeOfATeacher #FifthGrade #BeTheWildCard #Inspired #RenewYourSpirit

Hope & Wade King are absolute rockstars and inspiring educators. This book is SO motivating. They simply want all educators to BE the wild card and to change the lives of students forever! We read this book as a book study with several teachers at my school, and we all really enjoyed it and took ideas from the book to apply to our classroom. This is by far the most motivating educator book for me, and it pushed me to become a better teacher for my students. The step I’m working on is room transformations and, oh my goodness, my second graders LOVED it! The excitement and joy they had coming to class every morning was so electrifying! That’s motivation in itself; when students are eager to walk into their classroom every morning because they’re EXCITED to learn! All the hard work us teachers put into engaging lessons is so worth it. I highly, highly recommend this book to light that fire in your soul to continue to improve your craft in teaching!

The Wild Card is truly AMAZING! This book is a must-read for all beginning teachers, seasoned teachers, and administrators. It reminds us all as to why we chose this profession and encourages us to stay on track with our "WHY." I found myself numerous times saying "YES!" out loud, annotating "YES!" in the margins and nodding my head in agreement. This book brought many emotions as I read Hope's and Wade's experiences, as it reflected many feelings that I have felt and experienced personally. While reading, I had numerous people come to mind and knew immediately that The Wild Card would impact their lives, as much as it touched mine. I had to quickly purchase several copies for my secret pal, my mentee, birthday gifts, etc. The Wild Card will be on my gift list for educators in the future, as well. There are countless educational books out there, but never before have I felt such a connection. I'm grateful that Hope and Wade provided insight to let us know that we are not alone, with our experiences and thoughts, as educators. Their encouragement is contagious~ what an inspiration!

This is a wonderful, thought-provoking, how-to guide for educators (all educators)! Hope and Wade King were very honest and open about their personal experiences with teaching, how they have grown creatively, and how they teach engaging lessons with rigor and enthusiasm! The book is a guide for educators to be creative and teach creatively. As I read the book, I had to examine myself, where I came from, where I am, and what I hope to achieve. This book is very uplifting! It is nice to know that you are not alone in your struggles as an educator. The Kings spoke of their high and low points in education and in life, but, no matter what cards we are dealt, we can choose to be the wild card (the one that makes a difference). The Wild Card is very powerful and motivating. I highly recommend this book for any educator in any stage of their career! I pledge to be the wild card!