Guest Post by Melody McAllister
Book Chat with Educator/Author Tara M. Martin
Recently, I had the pleasure and honor of sitting down for my Book Chat with Educator/Author Tara M. Martin. I’ve only known Tara for the last year, but it turns out we have a lot in common, especially in our shared love for the KC Chiefs! Another thing we both love is helping educators and students infuse their lessons with social emotional learning, and fortunately for us, Tara has two books out for educators and students!
If you have some time, please listen to our book chat about her two books, Be Real: Educate from the Heart and Cannonball In!
If you don’t have time to listen to our chat there is one message Tara shared for every educator that we all need to hear:
You may not be great at the technology challenges you are facing right now, but you know how to teach, you know how to love kids, and you know how to connect with kids. And honestly, that’s what they are going to remember in 40 years.
So start there. And like in her book, Be REAL, she offers some key points to keep in mind for this chaotic season of what being REAL truly means:
Reflective and Relatable
Expose Vulnerability and Share Empathy
Approachable
Learning Through Life
Cannonball In!
That’s just in one of her books! Her other book, a children’s book called Cannonball In! is a story to help children face their fears and be their unique selves, regardless of what anyone else says. As it turns out, adults can take something away with that message, too.
This year is tough. It doesn’t matter where you find yourself; it’s different and has a unique set of challenges for all of us. You may even feel like you had no choice but to cannonball in this school year! That’s okay! You are here and perfection has no place in our current reality, but being REAL is always going to be necessary, and so are YOU!
Follow Tara!
You can follow Tara on social media.
Twitter is @TaraMartinEDU
Facebook page is @Tara M Martin
Her website, which is full of FREE Resources is www.tarammartin.com
About the Author
Melody McAllister is a wife, mother of five, educator, and author. She and her family relocated to Alaska from the Dallas area in 2019. McAllister is 2017 Garland NAACP Educator of the Year and author of the I’m Sorry Story, a children’s book about taking responsibility for mistakes and making sincere apologies. She is also the Logistics Manager for EduMatch Publishing. McAllister has spoken at ISTE and ASTE about equity issues in education, and writes about her journey in her blog, HeGaveMeAMelody.com.
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