How does book mapping build your confidence as a writer? And how do you shift your plans throughout the writing process? This week, we’re talking with educational consultant, speaker, and first-time author Mitch Weathers, whose book, Executive Functions for Every Classroom, just published. Mitch didn’t feel like a writer – and he never really felt the “flow” – but creating a book map made all the difference, enabling him to create a book proposal, sign a book deal, and finish his first draft.

We also talk about how book maps can and should be flexible throughout the writing process. Book maps shouldn’t restrict your ideas; they should empower you to create an engaging narrative.

Mitch became a gifted teacher because he was a mediocre student. He rarely felt comfortable in the classroom. In fact, it took him 7 years for him to graduate from college. As a teacher, Mitch was fortunate to experience school as if it happened around him – unsure how to engage in learning with confidence. There is a loneliness to experiencing school as a passive object and not an active subject. When he entered the classroom Mitch relied on his personal experiences as a learner. He recognized that what we teach, the content, is secondary. We must first lay the foundation for learning before we can get to teaching. Mitch designed Organized Binder to empower teachers with a simple but research-backed strategy to teach students executive functioning skills while protecting instructional time in class. The secret is found in establishing a predictable learning routine that serves to foster safer learning spaces.

Order his new book, Executive Functions for Every Classroom, Grades 4-12, now!