Untold Teaching Truths: From a Teacher who has #BeenThere

This book is a memoir. It reflects the author’s opinions and present recollections of experiences over time. Some names and characteristics have been changed, some events have been compressed, and some dialogue has been recreated. This is the author’s personal teaching philosophy. Take it or leave it, but she encourages you to take it!

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing and signed by the author.

Copyright 2021 The Blue Wall LLC.

Print ISBN: 978-1-09839-319-9

eBook ISBN: 978-1-09839-320-5

This is the real story about how to be a successful teacher working inside of a broken education system.

Shhhhhhhhh… If you open this book, you will...

Learn the unspoken secrets of the classroom…

Learn the unspoken secrets of a school...

Learn how to engage your students to the max...

Re-energize yourself to your calling in our noble profession...

Laugh, cry, and remember why you believe in this mission called Teaching!

#untoldteachingtruths

Praise for the work of Katie Kinder:

As our world changes, so do our students, standing in front of the class and lecturing is not what our students need to be successful. They need innovative teachers like Katie Kinder who push them to be 21st century learners.

-Patrick Terry, educator, professional development leader

No detail is lost in the creation of a full learning experience in Ms. Kinder’s class. Rather than simply writing and performing original poetry, students step foot into their classroom transformed into a poetry lounge. Instead of reading and analyzing The Diary of Anne Frank in a traditional classroom setting, Katie recreates the secret annex with the use of props, lighting, and wall decor. Each day Katie engages students using all of their senses, and she becomes the best character to facilitate the day’s lesson.

-Cody Sivertsen, educator, professional development leader

Katie is an amazing representation of what our students need right now in education. The strategies she highlights are not only engaging, but effective!

-Sean Buchanan, educational consultant

I could not have survived my first year of teaching without Katie. Her knowledge and experience helped me navigate the world of education. Sometimes, as educators, we find ourselves in situations with minimal support - Katie’s perspective and guidance has been crucial to remaining focused on the kids. Every school should have a Katie Kinder. She is innovative inside and outside of the classroom. I am a better teacher just by knowing her and my students see the benefit. Katie’s understanding of the world of education, and her desire to grow educators is a combination that results in excellence in the classroom!

-Heather Cadenhead, superstar, and

1st year teacher

You can’t spell Katie Kinder without ‘KIND,’ and that is exactly who she is. Every room Katie walks into is instantly full of happiness. Katie’s ability to have every student in the palm of her hand is unmatched in this profession. She is always one phone call away and willing to share a million ideas. When you need a friend, she is there. The world of education would be a better place if we had more people loving our students like Katie does. I am a better teacher because of the skills and relevant content she’s taught me. Katie Kinder reminds us what it means to love without boundaries and be a champion for every child.

-Molly Patterson, superstar, and

2nd year teacher

Acknowledgments:

To my Hot Hubby, my Miracle Maddy, and my Loving Luke,

You are my world. I’m not the educator I am without you. My greatest joy in life is being your mom and getting to be on the sidelines of your lives. Thank you for listening to my endless teacher stories, for loving me when I was in my cage of emotions, and for being exactly who you are meant to be. I love you. #myfamilyof4isfabulous

To my parents, Jeff and Cindi Hemm,

You allowed me to be both a lion and a deeply feeling person. Mom, you are the educator I hope to be one day. You are the reason education runs so deeply in my veins. You are The Miracle on Southwest Boulevard. I’m proud you are mine. Dad, It’s easier to tame lions than It is to goose geese. Both of you are my safety net of love.

To my Siblings, Billy, Kenny, Cindi, and Josh,

I never have more fun than I do when I’m with you! You are the only other people in the world who know what it truly means To be a Hemm. I plan to win the Hemm Cup the next time we have it and use my platform to taunt you. I love all four of you!

To my Teacher Tribe,

I continue to learn so much from you. You have shaped me into the educator I am today, quite literally saving my life. I stand on the shoulders of my tribe, who share my teaching philosophy and are always fighting the good fight. Let’s keep doing what is best for kids.

To the countless administrators who have given me grace, love, and room to grow, who allowed me to teach like a pirate, be a fierce educator of kids, and always had my back when push came to shove, thank you.

To my second mom, my mama’s soul sister, and my editor, Dr. Lisa Lawrence, thank you for polishing my words while keeping this book true to who I am and my authentic self. Your countless hours on my behalf are so appreciated. The fact that you too are an ‘edu-rockstar,’ and understand the wild world of a public education school system is a blessing.

To my throngs of true-blue friends,

How could I even function without my squad? You are truly a master class in loyalty and fierce friendship. We laugh, we cry, and we get real! Let’s raise a glass to mommyhood, balancing work and parenting, and having each other’s backs for the rest of our lives. #squad

Contents:

Chapter One: What a Punk!

Chapter Two: I didn’t know what I didn’t know!

Chapter Three: Gamification

Chapter Four: Classroom management

Chapter Five: Secret Teacher Tips Galore

Chapter Six: That TLAP Life

Chapter Seven: Find your School, find your People, work for Administrators who are Supportive!

Chapter Eight: The Evolution of Kid Vernacular:

Chapter Nine: Social Media, Phones, Tablets, Video Games and Kids

Chapter Ten: Trauma and the Community Circle

Chapter Eleven: Brain Research and setting up your Brain-Based Classroom

Chapter Twelve: Inclusive Classrooms and Culturally Relevant Teaching

Chapter Thirteen: Lean into current events

Chapter Fourteen: Teachers to find, Teachers to avoid, and a little of both!

Chapter Fifteen: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Chapter Sixteen: Rapid Fire Story Time and Real-Life Lessons

Chapter Seventeen: Rapid Fire Education Ideas to Implement TOMORROW!

Chapter Eighteen: A Kinder Finality

Chapter Nineteen: The Engaged English Classroom

Chapter Twenty: A Peek Into The Lives of Your students

I had a really hard time coming up with a title for this brain dump on teaching in today’s world. This book is part strategy, part memoir, and part ‘how in the world do we teach inside of a broken public education system, yet find continued success?’ That last one was a bit too wordy for a title. I also relentlessly pursue humor and fun in this calling of ours, and I implore you to find the fun as well. I kind of wanted to call the book Teachers Toot Too: Verbal Diarrhea. I think that idea was borne from being a product of teaching middle school for so long because middle schoolers will always think fart jokes are funny.

I agonized for months over a title; I held a focus group with family and friends. I scoured the internet webs for inspiration. I leaned into alliteration: The Truth-Telling, Tenderhearted, Teacher Tells All. The information I include in this manuscript is everything I wished I would have known as I began my journey as a teacher. I’m a 40 year old woman, but my mommy, an elementary school teacher, principal, and superintendent, wouldn’t let me use a title with a cuss word in it: Everything those b***hes Didn’t tell you in teacher school. I didn’t want to get grounded, so I listened to her. She still scares me a bit.

Finding your Teacher Tribe is a theme throughout this book, and finding a tribe is essential in this profession; you won’t last otherwise. Infectious Teaching sounded like I was trying to spread a disease to all of you; while I hope this book uplifts and offers tools to use tomorrow in your classrooms, I don’t want you to be infected with any disease. Hook, Line, and Sinker: Engagement Strategies In The Classroom has been the title of my session at many professional developments over the years, but I felt that this guide is so much more than just strategies. In the end, I landed on Untold Teaching Truths. I’ve been there. You’ve been there. I want you in my tribe, and I want to be in yours. I know that my learning will never be complete in our profession, and I want to hear your stories, your tips, your tricks, and your journey.

Enjoy, Teacher Fam!

Teach on, my tenacious teacher warriors. I’m rooting for you!

-Katie Kinder

Chapter One:

What a Punk!

When I was a student in school, I had no idea that teaching would embed itself in my heart as an adult. It was actually quite the opposite, because I was a punk kid.

I was in the 5th grade when I realized I could take the power away from my teachers. My shenanigans lasted until my junior year of high school, when I decided to get my life together. During those punk years, my parents would be summoned to my school and endure a round-table discussion with all my teachers, all my principals, and every counselor in the building. I was a punk kid, a teacher’s nightmare at times; I would try to be funny, talk out, or wreak havoc on a lesson.

In the 6th grade, I was placed in a general music elective. The first day of school, the teacher reviewed her procedures. She referred to the ‘naughty chair.’ Now, this is not a best practice, my friends, so please don’t use this in your classroom and attribute it to me. The ‘naughty chair’ was in a tiny storage closet, with no light inside.

Class, your first warning will land you in the naughty chair, she explained, and on your second warning I will close the door, and you will sit in the dark. Again, not a best practice, but I tell you this to explain that by winter break, the ‘naughty chair’ was my assigned seat. I would get one warning and then the teacher would close the door, propelling me into utter darkness for third period. It didn’t matter to my punk self because I would just continue to sing whatever the class was singing (and not on key, I might add). If I couldn’t hear what they were singing, I would make up whatever song I felt like singing. 99 bottles of beer on the wall; 99 bottles of beer; take one down; pass it around; 98 bottles of beer on the wall! What a punk!

Does my behavior remind you of one of your own students? Did you find a successful strategy for that challenging kid?

Another time, in eighth grade, I asked to go to the bathroom. I asked to go every day. This guy’s class was boring. While he read a newspaper, we popcorn read the textbook and answered questions at the back of the book. Popcorn reading means each child reads a paragraph of the text aloud until the chapter is completed. (Again, not a best practice. Popcorn reading can be humiliating to those who struggle). But I didn’t care about that as a fourteen-year-old; all I cared about was getting out of the snooze fest he called fifth hour history class. Initially, Mr. Newspaper always told me I couldn’t go to the bathroom. I would look at him, tilt my head to the side, and say, But it’s a girl thing and an emergency. See, I learned in middle school that bit usually worked with the dude teachers; they didn’t want to deal with the fallout if I happened to be telling the truth - which I never was. But this particular time, late in April, my eighth-grade history teacher had had enough. He flat out said no. So, I crawled out of the window when he wasn’t looking. Yes, you read that right. I crawled out of the window, slithered on my stomach to the bathroom, and was truant the rest of the hour. Literally sitting upon a dirty toilet was more appealing to me as a middle schooler than having to sit through one more day of popcorn reading and questions out of the book. To be honest, I didn’t get away with it. I was suspended. And here came my parents, again, for that round-table discussion about my constant, rule-breaking life. What a punk!

How could such an angel faced baby wreak such havoc?

Have I mentioned yet that my mother was an award-winning administrator in another school district? Isn’t that how it works? The children of principals and ministers are always toeing the line. Well, I regularly crossed all the lines.

When I was starting high school in ninth grade, I made a deal with myself. I was going to do better. I was beginning a new chapter in my life, and I wanted to make a positive change. I made the basketball team and the varsity soccer team; it was time to be a mature little high schooler. Full of these good intentions on my first day of my freshman year, I walked into algebra class. I knew right away that my reputation as a punk followed me to high school when I was the only student given an assigned seat. Where do you put your punks? Right next to the teacher’s desk, of course.

I did some self-talk, It’s okay. I will prove myself. I slid into my desk and prepared to listen to the procedures. The teacher passed out a paper and was