Today's guest post is brought to you by Tisha and Tommy Richmond!
Tisha is a Canva for Education Learning Consultant and Global Education Community Manager, innovative educational consultant, international speaker, podcast host, and author from Southern Oregon. She is devoted to infusing joy, passion, play, and gamified strategies to immerse and empower our 21st-century learners and make learning a MAGICAL experience for all! Tisha is also the author of Make Learning MAGICAL and co-authors our newest picture book, Dragon Smart, with her son, Tommy Richmond.
Tommy is an Oregon native currently living in NYC. He is passionate about graphic design and illustration. He is also the outstanding illustrator of the DBC, Inc. #1 Amazon New Release picture book Dragon Smart! Tommy is excited to continue his pursuit in the design industry.
We are excited to learn more from Tisha and Tommy.
Take it away, friends!
Guest Post by Tisha & Tommy Richmond
Throughout my years in school, "smart" was a word I associated with students who excelled. They were the "A" students who raised their hand with a correct answer, aced the assignments and tests, and received academic awards. I wasn't one of them. I struggled. I was more of a "C" student. I was the kid who would hope and pray the teacher wouldn't call my name. Instead of stickers, my papers often had a lot of red ink. And I would watch longingly as teachers and administrators called students up on stage to receive awards. With each passing year, I became more confident that "smart" was reserved for the hand raisers, the test takers, and those who felt learning came "easy." It wasn't until I was well into my thirties that I realized "smart" meant much more than what I had given the word, or myself, credit for.
My son, Tommy, had a very similar school experience. As he progressed from one grade level to another, I saw his confidence diminish and the phrase, "I'm not smart," escape from his mouth. Though I saw the numerous ways he was brilliant, he didn't see it in himself because his school experience often didn't validate it. Throughout my years as a teacher of a Career and Technical Education class, I saw the same scenario play out with many of my students. They may have demonstrated their brilliance through clever and witty responses, social awareness, creativity, and innovation, yet they struggled in school, not believing they were smart either.
Dragon Smart is a book my son, Tommy, and I created together to spread the message that "smart" can look many different ways. Tommy's journey through school inspires the story, and he brilliantly brings it to life through his incredible illustrations. Through our story, each student will discover their Dragon Smart and be empowered to illuminate the unique brilliance of others.
Tommy and I created a lesson to help shine a bright light on all the Dragon Smart learners in your classroom and help them discover their unique magic.
The 60-minute lesson, accompanied by the Dragon Smart book, includes all the materials you’ll need to facilitate in your classroom. The lesson was designed for the elementary classroom but can also be adapted for the secondary classroom. Within this lesson, we created two activities for you that can be facilitated independently or simultaneously.
The "I'm Dragon Smart" activity allows students to reflect on how they are "Dragon Smart. This activity has been designed to express their creativity on paper, Google Slides, or Canva.
This is a perfect activity for following a Dragon Smart read-a-loud discussion.
The Dragon Smart game, inspired by the game Happy Salmon, and an idea from my former colleague, Lisa Yamashita, is a perfect collaborative reflection activity that can be facilitated repeatedly throughout the school year.
We know the world is full of Dragon Smart learners ready to tap into all of the unique skills and talents that make them special and discover a magic that is all their own!
We can't wait to hear your Dragon Smart stories! Please share them using the #DragonSmart hashtag and tag Tommy and me on social media:
Twitter: @tishrich @tommy_jrichmond
Instagram: @tishrichmond @tommyjrichmond
If you are interested in us reading Dragon Smart to your class or presenting professional development for your school or district, don't hesitate to contact Tisha at tishrich@gmail.com.
