Let me be upfront with all of you: this is a shameless plug. I’ve written a book, it’s on Amazon, and I’d very much like you to buy it. With that out of the way, let me tell you why I wrote it — and why, if you’re a new teacher, a pre-service teacher, or someone who loves a teacher enough to buy them a gift, it might be exactly what you, or they, have been looking for.
I spent more than two decades in education — first as a kindergarten and first-grade teacher, then as an instructional coach, assistant principal, and principal. I worked in wealthy schools, under-resourced schools, charter schools, and in state departments of education across multiple states. Along the way, I was mentored by some extraordinary educators, and I also learned a great deal by making mistakes from which to learn.
What I noticed, over and over again, was the teachers who thrived — the ones students wanted to come back to — weren’t necessarily the most credentialed or the most experienced. They were the ones who made their students feel genuinely seen, known, and cared for. Everything else followed from that.
So I wrote it down. And because I believe a book that takes a month to finish is a book that doesn’t get finished, I kept it short — readable over a weekend and implementable on Monday morning. No fluff. No chapters-long theoretical frameworks. Just five practical strategies, grounded in real classroom experience, that you can put to work the moment your students walk through the door.
WHAT’S INSIDE
Five Strategies. One Mission.
1 Meet the Teacher
How your very first interaction sets the tone for everything — and how to make it count before the school year even begins.
2 Notice the Small Things
The haircut. The new glasses. The quieter-than-usual morning. These moments are the whole job.
3 Set Expectations and Be Consistent
The difference between rules that get broken and expectations that build community — and why consistency is the highest form of caring.
4 Adapt When Necessary
Flexibility and consistency aren’t opposites. How to be both — without losing your mind.
5 Always Care, No Matter What
Even on Day 100. Even when they’re yelling. Even when the student who finally lowers their guard does it for the teacher down the hall — and not for you.
That last one — Strategy Five — is the chapter I wish someone had handed me my first year of teaching. Because here’s the truth no one tells you at orientation: sometimes you will pour yourself into a student for an entire school year, and the breakthrough will happen for someone else. Another teacher, another classroom, another year. And you have to be okay with that. That’s not failure — that’s how this works. We’re all building on each other’s foundations.
WHO THIS IS FOR
A Quick Read With Staying Power
If you are a pre-service teacher, this book is the practical companion your education program probably didn’t give you. If you are a new teacher heading into your first classroom next year, this is the weekend read that will calm your nerves and sharpen your focus before Day One. If you are a seasoned educator gifting something to a colleague or a student teacher you mentor — this one travels well, fits in a tote bag, and makes a genuinely thoughtful gesture.
It also makes excellent summer professional development reading. I know, “summer professional development” sounds like something your principal sends in an email that you immediately archive. But I mean this sincerely: a quiet afternoon, a cold beverage of your choice, and this book is a legitimate way to walk into August feeling prepared rather than anxious. And if it doesn’t resonate right away? That’s fine too. Come back to it. As I like to say, advice is like a sweater — try it on. If it fits, keep it. If it doesn’t, put it back.
I won’t ever pretend my book contains secrets the rest of the education world somehow missed. I’ll freely admit that much of what I share has been said before, and you may have even encountered some of it yourself. But sometimes the right idea at the right moment lands differently than it did before. Maybe this is that moment for you.
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So yes — this is a shameless plug. But it is also a genuine invitation. I wrote this book because I care about teachers, especially new ones, and because I believe that when teachers feel equipped and supported, students are the ones who benefit the most. That’s the whole point.
Show Your Caring and They Will Learn is available on Amazon. If you grab a copy, I’d be grateful. If you share it with a colleague, even more so. And if you find it useful — I’d love if you left a positive review on Amazon for me.