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Welcome to the book study sponsored by CERRA. We are going to begin reading in January and look forward to hearing your thoughts about the book. Please introduce yourselves in this thread.

Hello! My name is Zach Lowe and I am the 2017-18 District Teacher of the Year for Sumter School District. This is my fourth year as a teacher, and I began my career in teaching at Mayewood Middle School after having moved from my native Northeast Ohio after college. I love to spend time at the beach and with family and friends...and I also do not like reading at all, so this will be a good experience for me! I look forward to the advice and message in this book and in interacting with each of you this spring!

Hey! My name is Clay Cook and I am a 2nd grade teacher in Georgetown County. I was blessed to be named the 2015-2016 Teacher of the Year for Georgetown County. I am in my 16th year as an educator and love every minute of it. I enjoy sports, outdoors, fishing, being with my family, and going to church. I look forward to getting to know everyone as we progress through the book!

Hey! My name is Beverly Wood and I am the 2017-18 District Teacher of the Year for Newberry County School District. This is my tenth year in education and my first year as an assistant principal at Mid-Carolina Middle School. I entered the teaching profession through the PACE program after graduating with a degree in Athletic Training. I enjoy spending time with family and friends and I love reading. I look forward to learning and growing with you all as we read through this book!

Greetings! My name is Jeffery Gaines and I am the 2017-18 District Teacher of the Year for Clarendon School District Two. This is my tenth year in education and my first year as an assistant principal at Manning Elementary School. Prior to my appointment as an assistant principal, I served as a band and choral director in Barnwell School District #19, Florence Public School District One, and Clarendon School District Two. I enjoy traveling and spending time with my family and friends! I look forward to spending some time reading and reflecting with you all.

Hi everyone! My name is Regina Dilley and I am the 2017-2018 District TOY for Richland Two. This is my fourteenth year in the classroom. Prior to teaching, I worked as a nurse, where teaching was also a big component of what I did every day. I love to read and I am really excited about this book study! I look forward to continuing to grow with you all!

Hi! My name is Kristy Spears. I am the Reading Coach at Pleasant Knoll Elementary School in Fort Mill, SC. I was TOY at my school during the 16-17 school year. This is my 2nd year as a Coach, but my 16th year in education. I am looking forward to reading and growing you all of you.

Hi All! I'm Erin Jones. I'm a Reading & Math Specialist at Pleasant Knoll Elementary School in Fort Mill, SC. This is my 9th year in this position. I began my teaching career 16 years ago as a classroom teacher in 4th grade. Although my current focus is primarily 2nd and 3rd grade, I've taught 1st through 5th grade. Prior to becoming a classroom teacher, I worked for one year as an Instructional Designer, developing web-based training programs for Fortune 500 companies. I look forward to growing professionally with you!

Hello. My Name is Jessica Calloway. I am an Art Educator at Fort Mill High School and the 2017-2018 District TOY for Fort Mill School District. This is my 13th year as a classroom teacher. I look forward to sharing and discussing this book. I love the idea of getting various perspectives and ideas as we read. I hope this will increase my effectiveness as a leader!

Hello. My name is Brad Mercer and I teach all levels of Freshman Algebra at Fort Mill High School. I am in my 17th year of education and 11th year here at FMHS. I typically do not read a lot in my spare time but am excited to join in on this professional growth activity. I am always looking for some nugget that will help me in my classroom so hopefully I get one or many from this!

Zach wrote: "Hello! My name is Zach Lowe and I am the 2017-18 District Teacher of the Year for Sumter School District. This is my fourth year as a teacher, and I began my career in teaching at Mayewood Middle S..."
Welcome Zach,
I am glad you decided to join us even though reading is not your favorite activity. I hope you will find this book helpful to you as a teacher leader.

Clay wrote: "Hey! My name is Clay Cook and I am a 2nd grade teacher in Georgetown County. I was blessed to be named the 2015-2016 Teacher of the Year for Georgetown County. I am in my 16th year as an educator a..."

Clay,
Welcome to the book club! I am glad you decided to join us. I hope you will enjoy the book!

Beverly wrote: "Hey! My name is Beverly Wood and I am the 2017-18 District Teacher of the Year for Newberry County School District. This is my tenth year in education and my first year as an assistant principal at..."

Beverly,

Thank you for joining us in this book study. I hope you will enjoy the book and find it helpful as you continue on your leadership journey now as an assistant principal. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Jeffery wrote: "Greetings! My name is Jeffery Gaines and I am the 2017-18 District Teacher of the Year for Clarendon School District Two. This is my tenth year in education and my first year as an assistant princi..."

Welcome Jeffery!
We have another book club member who has just started as an assistant principal this year as well. Perhaps the two of you will have some shared insights as we read.

Regina wrote: "Hi everyone! My name is Regina Dilley and I am the 2017-2018 District TOY for Richland Two. This is my fourteenth year in the classroom. Prior to teaching, I worked as a nurse, where teaching was a..."

Regina,

Welcome to the book club. I am sure teaching was a big part of nursing. I look forward to following the connections you make as we read.

Kristy wrote: "Hi! My name is Kristy Spears. I am the Reading Coach at Pleasant Knoll Elementary School in Fort Mill, SC. I was TOY at my school during the 16-17 school year. This is my 2nd year as a Coach, but m..."

Kristy,

Welcome to the book club! I am glad you decided to join us. We have a few members who are in new roles this year. I imagine you will find many connections to your new role in the messages the author has for us. I look forward to hearing your thoughts about the book.

Erin wrote: "Hi All! I'm Erin Jones. I'm a Reading & Math Specialist at Pleasant Knoll Elementary School in Fort Mill, SC. This is my 9th year in this position. I began my teaching career 16 years ago as a clas..."

Erin,

Thank you for joining us for this book study! It sounds like you have a unique background that may provide us with some different perspectives as we read together. I look forward to hearing your thoughts about the book.

Jessica wrote: "Hello. My Name is Jessica Calloway. I am an Art Educator at Fort Mill High School and the 2017-2018 District TOY for Fort Mill School District. This is my 13th year as a classroom teacher. I look f..."

Jessica,

Thank you for joining the book club. I hope you will find many insights that serve you well as a teacher leader. Thank you for sharing the opportunity with others in your district as well. I look forward to reading with you.

Brad wrote: "Hello. My name is Brad Mercer and I teach all levels of Freshman Algebra at Fort Mill High School. I am in my 17th year of education and 11th year here at FMHS. I typically do not read a lot in my ..."

Brad,

Welcome to the book club! I am glad you decided to join us even though reading is not your favorite activity. I hope you will enjoy the book and find it helpful to your professional development.

Hello everyone. My name is Krista Jennings and I am the 2015 - 2016 Sumter School District Teacher of the Year. I currently work at Pocalla Springs Elementary in Sumter as the Technology and Curriculum Coach. Reading is a passion of mine and this book looks amazing. I can't wait to participate in this Book Club with you.

Welcome, Krista! I am glad you are able to join us!

Hello! My name is Heather Harmon. I am the 2017-2018 District Teacher of the Year for Saluda County. This is my 11th year teaching and my 3rd year at Saluda High School teaching English, predominately to freshman, and Teacher Cadet. I'm excited about reading this book and discussing with all of you. The connections that I continue to make through CERRA are such a blessing to me personally and professionally.

Hi, my name is Nicole LaFave and I am a 9th and 10th grade English teacher at Fort Mill High School. Previously, I taught in Kershaw County, where I served as their 2012-2013 DTOY. This is my 10th year of teaching and I feel so thankful to have a job that I love coming to each day. I joined this book club because I love to read -- but also because I wanted to connect with teachers from around the state. This is a book I would not have normally picked for myself, so I'm also excited to gain a different perspective about the role of teachers in the classroom and beyond.

Welcome, Nicole! I hope you find those connections with others in the group. I think it's great that this is a book you would not have selected; it's good to get uncomfortable. I look forward to your thoughts about the book.

Hi Heather,
Thank you for joining us as we read this work. I look forward to your comments.

Hi, I'm Elizabeth Dial and I teach Spanish at Fort Mill High School. I'm all about bettering myself as a professional, and a person, so hopefully this will help me do both!

Elizabeth,
We are glad to have you join us. I hope you will find this book helps push you towards continued growth.

Hi! I am Erin Fox, and I am the 2018 South Carolina Teacher of the Year. I am so excited about participating in this book study! It is my first ever :) I am looking forward to our discussions and the insights and inspirations they create.

Erin,
Thank you for joining us! I hope you find this book and the subsequent discussions inspirational!

Hi, fellow educators! It’s a privilege to be able to join the group. So excited! I’ve been telling family, friends, and even my students about the book. I am the York District One Teacher of the Year for 2017-2018, have taught sixth grade ELA for almost twenty years, and have served as teacher, coach, and/or administrator almost thirty-three years. Loving it!
Debbie Hammond Lancaster

Hi Debbie! We are glad you are excited about the book and about the pending discussions. It is already making for some rich conversations.

Hi guys! I am Mia Pace and I am the Charleston County School District Teacher of the Year. I have been teaching for 15 years. I taught in GA for 10 years and have been teaching at Mitchell Elementary in downtown Charleston for 5 years. I spend my time teaching the students in CD-5th grade in the computer lab. However, we are a small school and I wear many hats like most of you!
This is the 1st time that I have be a member of a book study and I only joined because I was intrigued by the book chosen. I truly love to read but don't make enough time for it. I am already enjoying the book and am looking forward to read what your thoughts are.