When I was in the classroom I struggled during this time of year. I loved the excitement around the holidays but I found myself caught in a motivational lull. I had entered the school year with high hopes for the great new things I would accomplish, but by December I had settled into complacency just trying to get my enormous to do list under control. If this strikes a chord with you, I'd love to share a fun, quick read that might help you tap back into what makes you great, what makes you want to get up each day, and what caused you to be a teacher in the first place. And by quick, I mean you could knock it out in an hour over a cup of steaming cocoa.

Rules of the Red Rubber Ball by Kevin Carroll

Carroll came from nothing, but became the head athletic coach for the Philadelphia 76ers and later a leader in creativity at Nike. He shares how some teachers helped him, and how others did not. He walks us through the process of rediscovering what drives us. Get a copy right now for yourself and keep a copy in your class for your kids to read. Our team just read it, and despite a 3:30am start to my day to catch an early flight, I'm excited. I'm excited to discover my red rubber ball today.