Hello everyone! As more and more news outlets decide to condemn schools, more and more politicians find it to their liking to tell their version of what public education is (and is not,) it's becoming extremely important for teachers and administrators to step outside of their bubbles and share their stories. I'd argue that educators don't control their narrative right now. Everyone outside of us, the people who want to have a say in our pay, our funding, and how we are held "accountable," control it. I think it's time to take that control back, and I brought Colby Sharp to the podcast to help tell us why. Colby is a fifth grade teacher in Parma, Michigan. He's been a classroom teacher since 2006. In 2011, he started the Nerdy Book Club blog with friend of the show Donalyn Miller. He co-hosts The Yarn podcast with Teacher Librarian Travis Jonker. He also serves on the Nerd Camp, a free literacy event that takes place in Parma, Michigan each summer. His first book, The Creativity Project, hits shelves April 10, 2018. In this episode, Colby says, "We need to share our stories, because if we aren't sharing our stories, other people will," and continues by sharing why he creates the many projects he does, and how it all goes back to helping the kids. I couldn't recommend this episode more. I believe in the message of this episode, and I believe in the power of sharing what we do as educators...Someone will either way, wouldn't you want it to be us? As an added bonus to the conversation, we also briefly discuss his work in his classroom, his philosophy with teaching ELA, and all about his desire to give kids the love of reading. Enjoy!