Technolandy

Day 148a (of 2025/26) Dear Teachers – a share on James Patterson love letter to teachers (thank you “co”-author Matt Eversmann

Huh. Nobody’s story highlighted finding the right textbook and curating the perfect exam that worked for all learners to be successful because of the single set of explicit instructions…

I kid. I appreciated Pattersons share The Secret Lived of Booksellers and Librarians, so I was curious to see what his work with/by Matt Eversmann. And a series of shares by teachers about the magic that happens in that teacher-student interconnection called Learning. 

“There’s no such thing as a kid who hates reading. There are kids who love reading and kids who are reading the wrong books” – this Patterson quote could swap reading with “learning”. Great short snippets showing the importance of:

• Relationships in learning and teaching
• That it’s not as easy as it “ought to be” if all kids learned the same way at the same time based on year of birth. 
• Not having “one” pathway into teaching (many start later than others… some know early on…)
• Until you’re “in it” it’s hard to fully understand and appreciate it (kids & partners of teachers also “get it”…)
• The complex work that goes into being a teacher and the diverse pathways that get people into teaching

Couple key takeaways:

Unlike social media pushes recently, nobody extolled the virtue of a great script for explicit instruction matching a pacing guide that led to universal successes…

I’m really glad to be influenced by, and part of the British Columbia education system.

The future is uncertain, but a lot know that screens and AI are a disruptor, even with attempts to “ban” them from youth…

Overall: fun read that can prompt some chats and discussions in the staffroom / looking forward to passing it around and seeing how others connect with the anthology of stories. 

Wish: I’d love to see a follow-up that captures stories across regions (at least all 50 states due to differences in counties let alone states…) and systems—different states, different countries—because if this book shows anything, it’s that context shapes teaching as much as philosophy does.