Image by Jerry Kimbrell from Pixabay: Chalkboard, Classroom, Teacher image. Free for use.
Talk about a deer-in-the-classroom-headlights! This poor woman looks like she's standing in a classroom full of middle schoolers winging it--and they all know it! Maybe it's her first day back from jury duty, and she wasn't prepared? Maybe she gulped down some bad pizza for breakfast, and now she's regretting that decision?
Or maybe she stayed too long at the 'reading meeting' last night, and she's really feeling it now?
We've all been there, right?
On the off chance that any of those circumstances seem awkwardly relevant to you, how would you like for ME teach YOUR classes today? Or this week? Or sometime this year when you know you're going to need a break?
FOR FREE.
I won't even ask you to SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BLOG. (But I really think you should since there are more of these free video lessons coming next summer when I retire, fingers crossed.)
Here's a lesson on #BlackOutPoetry that I recorded during the pandemic. And, YES, I cut my bangs. DON'T JUDGE! IT WAS A HARD TIME FOR EVERYONE!
Simply PRINT OUT THIS PDF and make copies for your students:
These 'Three Random Excerpts from EGD' have been culled from DELETED SCENES from my novel Every Good Day (working title) which I am querying to agents right now!
Here is a teaser if you're interested:
Alexis Christensen has lost so much in her short fourteen years. Her dad, Ray, lost his construction job in the 2009 recession. They lost their house to the bank. She lost her mother to cancer. Nothing is more important now than for Alexis to stay strong and take care of her dad. She’s all he has now, and your own grief is hard enough to navigate without having to watch someone you love grieve too.
With no luck left for them in Las Vegas, they drive to Minneapolis to live with her aunt and uncle, who pastors a big church with a private school. It’s a dicey proposition, though, since her uncle thinks his divine calling is to run the whole dang world, which is ironic since his daughter is sneaking her boyfriend into her room at night and his son disappears for days on end to who knows where? Still, Alexis is glad her dad has a teaching job with a coaching stipend. Plus, she will go to school with her cousins for the bargain cheap price of free.
With her dad busy all day and coaching at night to get their lives back on track, Alexis must do her part to make life as easy as possible for both of them—handle any and all drama at school, make extra money with her photography and avoid doing anything to aggravate her uncle. But when Alexis is groomed and molested by Principal Hyden, who threatens to end her dad’s career if she tells anyone, she begins to weigh what he stands to lose against all that she stands to lose. If she tells him what Hyden did to her, it puts his entire future in jeopardy and, worse, it will hurt him in ways she can’t imagine since her mom died. If she chooses to keep this a secret, she could lose the one thing that should matter most of all: herself.
With the help of the letters her mother left to guide her and alliances she never thought possible, Alexis finds the courage she needs, but telling the truth would only be the beginning, and the battle will reach farther than she ever imagined.
So here you go! I am thrilled and delighted to be able to provide these lessons for you. I hope to have more content available in 2024 for you on those days when you simply need a break.
I SEE YOU!
I AM WITH YOU!
HANG IN THERE!
YOU ARE DOING A GREAT JOB!
ROCK ON!
Daisy Rain Martin has spent over thirty years in the classroom and managed to preserve her sanity—mostly. Actually, she feels quite fortunate to be doing all that she loves--teaching, speaking, writing and, as often as possible, laughing. She has earned three degrees: Bachelor of Sociology (1990), a Master of Curriculum and Instruction (2004) as well as a Master of Fine Arts in writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota (2021). In 2023, she received the distinct honor of being named Idaho’s Human Right Educator of the Year.
In the summers, you can find Daisy in her gardens with her husband or in her office writing. As often as she can, though, she loves spending time with her grandson, Wiggle, who was born on her birthday and her grandniece, Giggle, who was born on Christmas Eve. Truly, she writes for them.
If you are interested in having Daisy speak for your school district, provide professional development for your staff, or visit your school to talk to students, please contact her through this website.