To order Stories about Teaching, Learning, and Resilience: No Need to be an Island, go to Amazon ( for print and Kindle versions), Barnes and Noble, or Books-a-Million.
You can view the supplemental videos I created for your use (FREE!) on the YouTube playlist.
During more than three decades as a teacher and workshop facilitator, I noticed that many educators can become isolated from their colleagues and their larger institutional culture. They become “islands” disconnected from the potential power of the teaching and learning community. That isolation can affect teaching efficacy and resilience.
I wrote this book to encourage educators to embrace the power of collaboration. It outlines (and brings to life) the “7Rs” for success: relationships, relevance, resources, rainbows, responsibility, reflection, and resilience. I created thirty-seven scenarios based on real-life/real campus/real collegial issues. Each scenario shows how to apply these seven themes to adapt to professional and personal challenges.
The scenarios raise questions about the classroom, work-life integration, collaboration with coworkers, and interpersonal relationships with supervisors. Every teaching and learning situation—everyone—allows us to take stock of and strengthen our resilience level. And we do not have to do it alone. That is the beauty of our calling! And that is the strength of this book. It recognizes the power of a collegial teaching and learning community.
I supplement the information and scenarios with links to brief thought-provoking videos (approximately sixty seconds each) that encapsulate the major themes and discussion points. You will find the videos below and also on the YouTube playlist.
Video Playlist
Below, you will find short videos introducing each part of the book. I wrote and produced each video to provide context and provocative questions to serve as conversation starters. Each video allows the book readers to put a face, name, and voice together when it comes to the author of their book. That is one way to build relationships. Click on the video link and enjoy these complementary videos.
Scenario #1: What Is Your Story?
Scenario #2: I Am, Therefore I Profess!
Scenario #3: What Do You Want To Talk About?
Scenario #4: The First Day Of Class
Scenario #5: They Just Copied And Pasted
Scenario #6: I Don't Want To Burn Out
Scenario #7: Nothing Will Stand In My Way!
Scenario #9: I Don't Have Time For Games And Complaints
Scenario #10: I Got An "A" Last Semester!
Scenario #11: Grading Fairly And With Effective Feedback
Scenario #12: The Case For Mentoring First-Year Faculty
Scenario #13: Encouraging and Challenging All Students With Instructional Strategies
Scenario #14: Boundaries And Limits
Scenario #15: Student Attendance
Scenario #16: Student Phones, Tablets, And Laptops
Scenario #19: Conference Attendance And Participation
Scenario #20: Institutional Climate And Culture
Scenario #21: Office Hours And Appropriate Office Professionalism
Scenario #22: Collegial Collisions--Building Bridges For Collaboration
Scenario #23: Differing Perceptions On Teaching Efficacy
Scenario #24: Empathic Engagement With Students
Scenario #25: No Cell Phones During Our Meetings
Scenario #26: Recovering From A "Bad" Class Session
Scenario #27: Trigger Warnings
Scenario #28: Appropriate Accommodations
Scenario #29: Do Faculty Understand The Role Of Administrators
Scenario #30: Syllabus Expectations And Disconnections
Scenario #31: Your Most Meaningful Career Accomplishment
Scenario #32: Connecting With The Dean
Scenario #33: Know When To Say "No!"
Scenario #34: Let Me Show You How It's Done
Scenario #36: Everyone Gets A Trophy!