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Do You Even Subscribe?

Colby Sharp 1 Comment

I’ve been pretty obsessed with YouTube the last few weeks. I think it is a combination of my love for Gary Vaynerchuck, subscribing to my students’ YouTube channels, and creating more videos myself (You can find my channel here.).

I thought it would be fun to create a list of educators that have awesome YouTube channels. If I’m missing anyone, please leave a link to their station in the comments below, and I’ll be sure to check out their work. My plan is to add to the post as I come across new channels that I think will bring value to my friends.

  1. Trevor Muir

Trevor is awesome. I love his work, and I think that he is one of the most innovative teachers in Michigan. I’m really looking forward to reading his book The Epic Classroom this summer. Trevor is an amazing writer and by the judge of his last few videos, a pretty talented video editor.

2. One Fab Teacher

My classroom is never organized. I know that I should just accept that that is who I am, but I know that I could be more efficient if I could figure this out. One Fab Teacher’s YouTube pages gives me tons of tips to help me improve the flow of my classroom.

3. Real Rap With The Reynolds

A few weeks ago I was watching an episode of #AskGaryVee when a teacher came on. That made me instantly sit up and pay close attention. I was excited to learn that I wasn’t the only teacher obsessed with Mr. Vaynerchuk’s work. I checked out the Real Rap With The Reynolds YouTube channel and I was impressed. Dude is making some pretty sweet videos.

4. Penny Kittle

My hope is that every English teacher my children have, know Penny Kittle’s work. She has done so much for kids and reading. The only thing that I don’t love about her YouTube channel, is that she doesn’t make more videos.

This video isn’t on Penny’s personal page, but it is probably the one she is most famous for.

6. John Schu

Each Saturday Mr. Schu and I make a “Happy Saturday” video for each other. If you only read the books he talks about in his videos, you’d have a pretty amazing reading year.

Please let me know what channels I’m missing. I’m always looking to find more people that I can learn from.

Why Hobbes Only Has 6 Book On His Bookshelf

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My Son, Hobbes is two. He is pretty crazy. From the time he wakes up until the time he crashes he only knows one speed: fast. One thing that Hobbes loves to do sitting down is reading. He will often bring my wife and I book after book after book.

A few weeks ago we moved to a new house. In his new rooms sits a bookshelf. I have found out the hard way that he believes that he should get to read each and every book on his bookshelf before bed. For that reason, he now only has 6 books on his bookshelf. The rest of his books are housed in our living room. We read those during the day.

Someday he’ll be able to have more books in his room. I think.

Hobbes’s Six Books

 

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Interview: Corinna Luyken

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The Book Of Mistakes by Corinna Luyken is brilliant. I hope to teach until I’m super old, and I will read this book to every student that I teach for the rest of my career. This book is going to help kids in so many ways. I LOVE THIS BOOK!

Corinna was kind enough to answer a handful of my interview questions. Thank you, Corinna!

5,4,3,2,1 Interview

  1. Can you tell us a little bit about The Book of Mistakes? (5)

 The Book of Mistakes begins with one mistake.  That mistake leads to more mistakes, and eventually, to some good ideas.  

 While this is a book about mistakes in art (and life), it is also a book about perception.  About how we become who we are.  It is about limits and transformation, potential and possibility.

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  1. What is the best part about being a book creator?  (3)

There are two best parts.  The first is that moment of watching something emerge from nothing.  The other is finding out that something I’ve made has touched the heart of another person.

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  1. What’s the hardest part of being a book creator? (1)

Practicing patience can be difficult, and the book industry moves slowly!

  1. If you could spend one day living in the world of a book, which book would you pick? (4)

This is not an easy question, because my answer will change tomorrow.  But for today, I’ll say Pool by JiHyeon Lee.  To make a new friend, to explore underwater with all those strange fish, and then to meet that enormous white creature with the big blue eye. Oh my!

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  1. What advice do you have for the young creators in my classroom? (2)

Be yourself.  Your job as an artist (and human being) is only and always to be the very best YOU that you can be.

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The Best Part Of My Day Volume 25: Michigan Breakfast

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The Michigan Breakfast has been an annual event since before I was a student at Parma Elementary in the mid and late 80s. It is a pretty cool thing, and it was totally the best part of my day.

Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel.

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If you missed any of my #BestPartOfMyDay videos, you can catch up in the playlist below.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Interview: Tom Booth

Colby Sharp 1 Comment
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It has been a while since I’ve done a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 interview. I’m excited to be back in the game of talking with book creators. Tom Booth’s picture book Don’t Blink (6/6/2017 Feiwel & Friends) is super fun, and kids are going to LOVE it. Be prepared for lots and lots of staring contests.
5,4,3,2,1 Interview
1. Can you tell us a little about DON’T BLINK?
DON’T BLINK is about a bright-eyed girl who welcomes an assortment of furry and feathered animal friends to join a staring contest with the reader, as long as they all follow the one rule: “Just don’t blink!”
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2. What is the best part about being a book creator?
The best part about being a book creator is when a child learns something from your book and then applies that lesson in a new and creative way. I recently witnessed a little girl learn about a staring contest for the first time. Within minutes she was blinking intentionally just to get a rise out of her dad who was trying to teach her how to play. With a little twist she made the game her own. 
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3. What’s the hardest part of being a book creator?
Every now and then an idea comes almost fully-formed and in one moment, while others take their time to develop in your mind. I think one of the hardest parts of being a book creator is having the patience to not rush an idea that needs time to grow. And harder still, is knowing when to stop developing an idea to avoid overworking it. 
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4. If you could spend one day living in the world of a book, which book would you pick?
My favorite book growing up was “The Mysterious Tadpole” by Stephen Kellogg. I’ve always wanted to spend a day feeding a friendly sea monster cheeseburgers in a public pool. 
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5. What advice do you have for the young creators in my classroom?
Never allow yourself to believe that you can’t create something spectacular. All new ideas are rough at the beginning, and only become great ideas when they’ve been toiled over. Every great author and illustrator struggled in the beginning, and only became great after practice, practice, and more practice. Just remind yourself that you will get better as long as you push yourself to improve with every drawing or story you make. So, the next time you feel like your story or drawing isn’t turning out the way you hoped, take a deep breath and follow through!
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Tom Booth is an author, illustrator, and art director. Born on the twelfth day of the twelfth month, Tom made his earliest marks — sometimes on his parents’ antique kitchen table — growing up just outside of Philadelphia. (bio was taken from Tom’s website)