Fun, Humor, and a Connected Classroom with Johnny Tiersma

What's going on everybody, I hope this finds you striving and thriving and doing absolutely amazing. My name is Brian Martin. I'm a second grade teacher and host of the teaching champions podcast. And today I have such a fun conversation for you. My guest is Johnny tears, Ma. And he's a sixth grade teacher who's taught for over 16 years. And he's someone who loves learning, and who loves the students. And he strives to create a classroom environment in which students feel safe, in which they feel loved, so that they can strive. And as you listen to this conversation, pay attention to the ways and strategies that he uses to create that safe and loving classroom. Listen to how he brings joy and humor into the classroom, and some of the strategies that he uses to create that strong foundation with the students. And Johnny also has some exciting news that he shares in this episode. Now, before we get started, I do want to apologize as my microphone wasn't working correctly during this conversation. And the quality of audio on my end isn't what it should be. So I apologize to you. And I apologize to Johnny for that. But it doesn't take away from all the gems that he drops. So I hope you enjoy this conversation just as much as I did. I'm super excited today, because we have Johnny tears not here. And Johnny, I just want to welcome you to the teaching champions podcast, my friend. Hey, thanks for having me. I'm pumped. Yeah, I'm excited about this, too. And we were talking beforehand, before we hit record on this, that we actually connected a while back that I read a tweet that Johnny put out. And it was absolutely phenomenal. And I used it in one of my previous podcast episodes, and the tweet read, find a teacher friend who sees students the same way that you do. It's really nice to be able to speak the same language. And Johnny i just that went viral, because it resonated with so many people. And it's just it's such a great tweet to put out there. Thanks, man. You know, I, I truly mean it. And I think having a somebody around that you can look at as an adult and go, you know, I'm not the crazy one here. You know, it's the kids that are the crazy one. Right? Absolutely, to be able to pop your head in next door. But that was wild, because I was I was just looking through your your podcast feed. I didn't even Google my name, like a like somebody that was Google and you know their own name. I just look through your podcast feed, looking at what you put out. And I see my name in there. So that was just that was pretty cool for me too, man. Yeah, no, it was such a it was an awesome tweet and something that needed to be pushed out there a little bit more. Because just like you said, we need to connect with like minded people, people that speak that same language, see the kids the same way and so that we can feed off one another. Now, for the people that don't know who you are, would you mind sharing a little bit of your journey, please? Absolutely. Well, I it starts I mean, it does start off with the fact that I'm a teacher, but I was an absolute mess of a student like disaster. I was that kid. Teachers we all know that, like didn't do their homework. I mean, I couldn't find my homework. I was the kid that tried to find my shoes like leaving to go to school couldn't find my shoes, you know what I'm talking about? So absolutely. My mom bless my mom, I love her. She dealt with a lot when I was through all those formative years but I really turned it around in high school and started to kind of put some extra effort into my my schoolwork. But then you know from a young age people always told me that I should work with kids. I don't know what it was if I was patient, you know that kind of a thing. But people always told me that so I I started teaching swimming lessons when I was 16. And that is I mean if you need if you're 16 and listening and you need a summer job that is a summer job in San Diego. Okay. So anyway, in college fast forward a bit I started working with a little bit older kids and I really found out that I I enjoy that age. That's kind of the middle there that A 10th 10 year old through 13 year old 14 year old, helped out some youth groups and stuff. And I really enjoyed it. Went to college got my teaching credential, top middle school, seventh grade eighth grade math and science for 10 years, up in the Long Beach area at a school called Valley Christian. Go defenders. And and then that was kind of fun on the side. I did some stuff like at night, I kind of filled my time with Adjunct Professor over at Azusa Pacific if you've heard of that school and did some ed tech consulting things. So that was still you know, had my day job. And then my last year up in Long Beach, they asked if I'd fill in for the principal. So I had one year as a middle school principal. And that was interesting. Yeah, it was wild man, it was really good. And really bad all at the same time. I mean, the job, the job went well. But it's one of those things where if you're meant to be a teacher, then you shouldn't you shouldn't be an admin, because you'll just miss the kids too much. So for me, I knew I wanted to get right back to the classroom. We moved back down to San Diego, which is where we're from. And for the last six years now I've been teaching sixth grade. So and that's that's elementary school. So the this is over in Cardiff. And I get these kids all day long. And yeah, man, year 17 in education for me. So it's been a good run. That's great. Time goes fast. It's pretty crazy. I'm sure you can say, you know, you can't believe this. You're 17. It's your 20 for me? And it seems like no, just a couple of years ago, you are brand new teacher just get started. Yeah, for sure. Now, teaching that middle school, and I know that you said sixth grade is still considered elementary school. So lets you know whether it's sixth grade, seventh grade, eighth grade, everybody finds their own. What is it about that age group? Because people either say you are built for that age group, or they run from that age group? What is it about those kids that age group that really resonates with you? You know, I don't know, I think it's something about the the sense of humor that they have. There's also for those people that teach you know that those middle ages, there's a blurred line between weird and cool that that's still not quite figured out. And so if you're a little bit strange as a teacher, like it blurs into the kind of like, this guy's fun. This guy's cool. And I and I like him. And so I've always just enjoyed the middle to middle age, I did have people come up to me all the time and say what you just said, where it's like, Oh, my goodness, like, how do you do it? And then I asked them what they do, you know, and and I'd always act disgusted, whatever their answer was, you know, because some of us are made for certain things, like you said, and I think that I was I was built for, for teaching and for the last 17 years for the middle age for sure. Yeah, that's phenomenal. And I completely agree. Like, you know, I would struggle up at the high school level, like just the content. I love coaching. So I coach for a while, but teaching up there. I don't know, the transition would be interesting. For me, I would definitely think it'd be interesting teaching at the middle school level. But some people that were at the high school, they're phenomenal teachers if you put them in a kindergarten classroom. I mean, that's a brand new world. So we're definitely all built for something. I would assume that teaching at the middle school level, just like any level is all about connections. What are some things that you do especially you know, we're getting the school year is rolling, and we're getting the first few weeks underway? What is it What's that way that you lay that foundation to really connect with your students? I think I think the relationships are key and you'll probably hear me say that a few times over and a few different ways but learning their names quick right? Like I memorize my students names in the summer and I'm and I'm bad with names so I'm like making flashcards for myself I'm like, I'm like memory trying to memorize their names so that when they walk in on that first day I can I can call say their name make sure I'm saying it correctly from the teacher before so so that's a huge one for me. I think we underestimate how important it is. When someone says your name and you know they like you right if somebody's like excited to see you and they say your name that just is like the best. truly is and you can tell when someone means it till yeah when someone that when they say that name, and you can hear that excitement Getting their voice. That's powerful. Yeah. And don't you know, don't hear me wrong, there are tough times, there's some kids that are extra prickly. And, and we've all dealt with them, but, but I genuinely like, like these kids, you know, and I think, in some ways, that's kind of a, that's an advantage to right. If you really like them and you love the age you're working with, then they feel that, like you said, and I think you build some of the relationships and trust from just doing that. So I, I do some pretty intentional things, too. I have always challenged myself to have one meaningful conversation a day. And by that it's not like a, you know, creepy stare into their eyes. Like, you know, we're all crying conversation. But, but like, just to be able to look at a kid and and talk to them so that they they like, like, I'll remember, Hey, how was your How was your basketball game from last weekend, you know, and, and actually look at them and have a conversation so much so that they feel like they were seen and heard that day. And I'm kind of a nerd bet I'll write it down, I'll take a little, I'll kind of check who I've touched base with. And just that little extra intentionality, I think is pretty important. I absolutely love that the fact that you make a checkmark next to the name, and being intentional about that, because it's easy for certain students to slip by, you know, we get caught up in our day. And there's so much to do that, we might think that we've met every kid. But there's those the quiet ones, sometimes the ones that are always doing the right thing, but they're not as loud as some of the others or demand the attention of someone that some of the others it can slip by. Yeah, and I, and I love what you said to like remembering those small things outside of school, making it a point, you know, how was that basketball game, or if the ladies were doing cheerleading, or dance, you know, talking about that. And I think it's important that we model for our students taking an interest in other people, too. Oh, man, that's huge. And I would show up, if you can show up at some of that stuff. I mean, of course, as teachers, we have so much to do. And, and so we have to, you know, take this with a grain of salt here. But if you could show up at a game, I mean, I'd show up at these middle school volleyball games, and I would cheer as loud as I could just, just so everybody knew I was there, you know? And, but then I'd have to go, so I'd sneak out 10 minutes later, and, but those kids still felt supported. And the next day, you know, they were like ASI Yep, my volleyball game, you know, adds a lot to them. Sure does. Especially, you know, you're not just that quiet bystander in the background, you're letting them know, Hey, I am here, and I am here for you. So that's phenomenal. Yeah. And you know, another thing that I that I've done for a long time now, I wrote like a little Edutopia article about it is, is I write handwritten notes that I've mailed home to the kids at the beginning of the year. And, again, I know we have a lot of stuff on our plate already. So if a teacher is thinking about this, I encourage them to just pick one kid, just just buy some notes, buy some stamps, so that you can do it. But like, you mail something home to a kid that's genuine and specific, genuine and specific about what they did, what you see in them about their character, and you mail that home and they get to open that up. It's, it's a really important thing that probably is the number one thing I've done to make clear that it's the I think it's been good for kids. But the honest truth is, it's it's made my job easier to because these kids understand how I feel about them. And then they, they in turn, behave a certain way. Because they know their teachers kind of on their side, you know, 100% they know that they that you care about them that you love them, they're gonna bend over backwards. And you know, that letter piece too. Great for the families. Yeah, I had a family friend in their child was in like, first or second grade. And the teacher wrote a letter to the mom and the dad, and pulled the child over before the end of the day, read this letter to the child that they were sending home to the kids parents. And just to let them know, Hey, I'm sending this home to mom and dad, I think the world of you and what you're doing in the classroom, so they give it to the kid and the kid takes it home. And not only did it spark with the kid, the parents, they're related, and the grandparents. I was surprised like I know that the whole family and the grandparents were raving about that. So you know those letters home making that connection is huge. Yeah, I think it's it's a big thing and I it can be overwhelming as a teacher but I think it's one of those things where you set aside five minutes, you start getting better at it honestly, you start getting faster, you start getting to realize what you are trying to recognize these kids and what you want to praise and encouraging them. So I always just tell tell teachers, just get a box of them. So you're so you can do it. You know, the hardest part is, you know, going to Amazon and clicking buy and just having them get delivered. So you know, you can have it and do it when the time comes. Yes. Now, I know that you're big with humor as well. And I think especially other than middle school, you've got to have a good sense of humor at that sixth grade level. So what are some ways that you bring humor in the classroom and use that as another, like that building block and building upon those relationships? I think for me, humor does come naturally. Not that I think I'm the funniest person in the world, but I appreciate humor. I like things that are clever. And so when I speak to my kids, especially, you're right, because they are sixth graders, they, they can they can get some different nuances and such, but it just comes out right, I'll teach a math lesson. And every time in the book, Doug is doing better than his sister Noreen. You know, like, every time he's saving more money, every time he's scooping more ice cream scoops. And it's just comes out, like, what's Doug's problem, you know, how can we can't give Noreen a break, you know, and to make these little jokes that the kids, they, they eat it up, and then next time Doug and orange show up, then they're just, they're ready for it, you know. But I think humor just really does light up the brain differently. I think it if you're in a place of learning, and, you know, I don't want to say boredom, but you know, something where it's strenuous. And then all of a sudden, you get something that comes at you sideways, it makes you think differently. And I think it makes you just pause and, and maybe kind of maybe gains you some perspective on on what's going on. So I use comedy all the time a lot of teachers do. But I do some other things, too. I told you weird. Strange is kind of mixed with cool. So yeah, you know, my, my school, they never, they gave me a new phone, but they never took my old one away. So I have this phone that it's not connected to anything. And I put it eight feet up on the wall. And, and mounted up there. And I wrote top secret on it. And I just I I'll answer at random times pretend like I'm taking orders from subway or, you know, whatever I want. I pretend I can be I'm the only one that can hear it ring. So it's kind of fun that you know, that it's a little things like that. I always name things in my classroom. So like, you know, the projectors got a name. The document cameras name is Marty you know, and and I treat these objects like, like they're doing a good job, or they're not doing a good job. You know? That's fantastic. Because technology will do that to you. Sometimes technology will be phenomenal. But there's those moments where it throws the whole lesson off when it crashes. Yeah, it just it diffuses those situations, right? Where you're just like, come on Marty. Pull it together, buddy. You know, like, and the kids think it's funny. And yeah, so I used to play I used to play the ground is lava, you know, where you can't touch the ground. When I taught middle school math, you could cheat a little bit. You only had those kids for 45 minutes before they left. You know if you know, if you had to touch the ground later. I mean, today, I don't know. I don't know what came over me. But I can't I went to get my kids. They were all waiting at the door. And I was like, All right, you guys know those tunnels that they do at youth soccer games. And so we all did those, you put your hands up, you know, and, and the kids all run through the tunnel, you know. And we did one of those tunnels and we just kind of filed all through it into our classroom and the kids thought it was hilarious. And it was funny. And then we started the day, you know, so I think those little things they just, and then of course you can do with with education stuff too. Don't get me wrong. I'm not just entertaining in there. You can take a writing prompt and make it something where all right grab your journals and you're outside. I'm telling the kids I came to school at midnight, I ran into a monster like and I want them to write about it or something, you know. So I think some of that, where, where there's a little bit of surprise or, or things that they're not expecting, and humor all tied together. Again, I think it's something that just adds that dissonance in our brains and it can really just just liven things up again. Yeah, that that laughter making it a place for the kids. You know, they can come in, they can have fun. They can enjoy it and then you slide in that educational piece. And sometimes they don't even realize that they're learning because they just haven't thought. That's That's exactly it. I mean, what's better than laughing with a huge group of people, and you're all in on the same joke, you know, like, that's what we get to do. And that happens in my classroom a lot. And it's so fun just to share a laugh together, like you said. And when you talk about culture to a God, you know, bringing it right back to that relationship piece. Now, how can we bring in that laughter? Yeah. Now, here's the thing for you, too. I've heard a lot of educators sometimes at the middle school, so my friends that teach, and I apologize, I keep calling the middle school, I know that it for your school is sixth grade, sixth, seventh, eighth grade, do bring in because you have some younger kids. And so you have some experience at the younger primary levels. Is there anything like they you incorporate whether it's sometimes I heard like stickers or little silly things that, that the middle school kids really wouldn't think that it would resonate with them, but that they just love? Is there any little simple things that you bring into the classroom like that? You know, I think that you're you're really hitting on something where there's, I think there's probably a grade right, or I don't know what it is, if it's fourth, fifth, where they start to kind of get too cool for certain things. But then you definitely can bring it back when I taught seventh grade. You know, I was grading on the scale. That was like a high school scale, right? Like, I'm, I'm grading these science and math tests that are, are pretty hardcore. And then I would slap a, you know, scratch and sniff sticker on there. Yeah. One because it's funny, like, you know, if you're doing it to be serious as a teacher, then maybe that's not cool. But these kids, they're just like, Dude, there's a stinky piece of cheese on my math paper. Like, that's. So yeah, I think you're right about that. Storytime, dude, my middle schoolers love storytime. Where, I don't know, fifth sixth grade, you know, you can read a children's book to them. And I read plenty of them to my kids to kind of set the stage of the year. But, you know, there's a there's a thing in their heads a little bit like, Am I too old for this? So I think you just got to be playful yourself, right? If you're, I always have the motto, like, I take my work very serious. But I don't take myself serious. Right. So like, I don't take myself seriously at all. And I think if you can kind of have that silliness and fun, then I think the kids kind of, they emulate that, too. Yeah, they feed off that energy. Now as the school year gets going, and I can tell just through this conversation, that you have a lot of positive vibes that you bring into the classroom, what are some of the ways because now you start going from that newness, that freshness of the school year, everybody buckles down, and it becomes you know, that that academic piece, you know, really get can get lost in it sometimes? How do you keep it fresh for your students, how you keep that positivity flowing, and just that great energy you write it can be it can be difficult. But I do think that you do need to find opportunities for fun, all year long. I think you have to, I mean, let's be honest, we have these kids a long time during the day. And if you dedicate your last 30 minutes on Fridays, and you call it fun, Fridays, get out there, play something with your kids, like those times that you're spent together laughing and competing, you know, you really continue to build those bonds when you when you play together. So, so I think it's important to build things in, like you said, I think things like when I taught middle school, we had competitions between the grade levels. And that was and that was fun. I brought that I brought that to the school. I'm at now where we do certain little tournaments, or little competitions, where it's like, they're all chanting my last name, right? Because, because I'm their teacher, and it's like, and as long as you can have a friendly competition, I mean, there's, there's, you know, as a coach, there's a ton to learn about competition about how to how to lose graciously, right, how to how to win graciously. And I think that ownership of your class, even where they're pumped to be in your class, and you're playing against another class, to structure that into the year when you know, it's a time of year that they're gonna need it. Right. I think we all know the flow of those kinds of things. So yeah, I try to, I try to make sure that I'm doing stuff that kind of keeps them lit up all year long. And even when we get into the grind of some of the harder, more academic things, I still make time for us to to be silly and to laugh. I absolutely agree. And I want to jump on this school competition. A little bit if you wouldn't mind because you know, which Talk about classroom culture, but school culture is huge, too. So, you know, what are some of the things that like your school does for these competitions? How is it set up? What are some of the things that you guys do? Go, the former school I was at it was in middle school, seventh and eighth grade. And I think you have a lot of options. When you have that small of a middle school, right? You can, you can do a lot when you have just just those ages, where there's a lot of changes going on. And so we did these competitions all the time, we did a pie eating contest, where one person from each class this is in October, they and it was fun, it was dramatic man that we'd have one kid from each class up there. So for kids up there, because we had for seventh grade classes and, and then they'd have the forks in the pie. And then we would get ready to cheer. And then they'd stop them and they'd put, they put whipped cream all over it, and then the kids would cheer. And they'd get ready to start again. And then he takes the forks away, right and then, and then kids would all lose their minds. And then he, this is a buddy of mine, another teacher colleague, he would, he'd say hands behind their back, right. So like, you know, just kind of, then all of a sudden, these kids, there's four kids and they are jam in their face. And these pies, eat as much pie as they can, because they want to win for their class. You know? Man, we did so many fun different things where where we would do relay races, we did a cool thing, where if you got a spot where it's like a big football stadium where you have like a booth, it's really high up, you know, we did something we called make a shape. And we went on the football field, and we put a couple judges, a few principal, a few teachers way up high, kind of in the crow's nest up there. And they would look down at us. And they would call out like, all right, make a smiley face and your class would have to arrange their bodies to make smiley face and all four classes would do it at the same time and whatever class look the best, they'd hold up signs from up there, you know, so these are things that my opinion is if you can have a little fun with your class, it makes the times where you're actually focusing and trying to do the schoolwork even more productive because their mindsets in a spot where they can be, they can focus again. And so that that's probably why I'm okay with you know, some of the silliness is because it's the it's the work hard play hard kind of thing, right? 100%, where you can like we were going to play for a bit, but we're going to come back and we come back, I expect this and every time I've done that to a class, they've they've risen to that challenge. Absolutely. I think I gained a greater appreciation. Because, you know, during COVID, everybody was in a different situation in teaching on Zoom for the whole year. So I did, you know, my my classroom was virtual for the whole school year, just appreciating that time to play, to push that academics aside in the benefits of that. And how huge that is some being purposeful and intentional. Just is so pivotal to having a positive class. Yeah, because it's not one or the other. It's not like, by going and playing, you're completely cutting out the academic like, like we mentioned before, I think you're making that academic time even stronger. Because the the mindset that these kids are in. Absolutely. Now, for your school, did you guys have a set? Did you do it, like once a month? Or was it just kind of random, we just picked, the principal said, you know, let's have some class competitions and and do it like that, you know, we met as a team, and we would, we'd schedule it. And we would try to do Fridays, and it would maybe be every other Friday for a while and then and then something else would come up. And we'd have like, a different competition where we're actually like building something and then we'd use a few Fridays to to build something or, or whatever. But yeah, it was often every other Friday. And and we would we would do just this silliness. And we keep points to you know, and we also we did something that actually we do at my school now to where we we all all four of us teachers came up with a different game that was kind of a non traditional game. Again, you didn't have to be really athletic to do they were outside kind of active games. And then we split all of our classes up into two teams. Right? So you got eight teams. You got four teachers, you got tears met a and tears from a B, and maybe tearsa A is with me playing my game and they're playing against, you know, Heisman V or whatever my you know, friend of mines. Name is right I'd you know his name, I guess. But anyway, so So you know, so that was fun because that would be four weeks of they get to play every game with a different teacher, and then we'd keep points. And so so those were, you know, maybe every Friday for a while and, and we got to choose that as a team, it was a it was a spot where we did have a lot of, you know, autonomy ourselves as teachers to make these decisions. And the principal knew that it was good for kids. So so he was always pumped about it. It's fantastic that the administration got behind that and recognize the value in that. Yeah, that I mean, that's key, right? If, if I always I've had such good principles my whole life, and I'm gonna be honest with you, my principles have been good, because they, I always know they're there for me, and they let me do my job, right. And I don't mean that in like a, like, a snarky way. But it's like, if, if you if I feel supported, which I do, and they're just like, hey, man, you're doing a good job, keep it up. Like, that's the principle for me. Of course, they need to challenge us and help us grow and, and make sure we're attaining certain goals. But man to feel supported by our principle and to just just like, hey, man, you're doing something good here, you keep running with that. That's, that's the kind of admin that we all want. That is for sure, my friend. Now, this is a big week coming up, because I'll let you share, I'll let you share what's going on this week there, Johnny, you know, I wrote a children's book, which is, which is something that I've been wanting to do for a while and I want to write something that can be used in classrooms. So I wrote a wrote a read aloud for, for elementary classrooms, kindergarten through fourth grade kindergarten through fifth grade, I wrote a book called it's, it's called, if I were the teacher, and it's about a boy who daydreams what he would do, if he was in charge, if he was a teacher, the class and his ideas are crazy and silly. And, I mean, from science experiments all the time to eating, like all the school supplies would be edible. And you could just eat your pencil, if you didn't want to do any more schoolwork, he'd give out awards to, to the like, loudest blurred, or to the messiest desk and the worst handwriting, you know, all these crazy ideas. And then on the last page, he snaps out of his daydream, and he, he, he realizes that, you know, his teachers, his teacher, he trusts his teachers gonna have fun, they're gonna have fun, they're gonna learn. And he says something to the effect of, you know, if she's my teacher, then I don't want to change a thing. So, yeah, it's on Amazon. Now. It's called if I were the teacher, and I think, I think you can read it anytime a year. It kids afterwards, the kids love to draw and write what they think they would do if they were the teacher. I have. And you know, it's been fun. I've been promoting it on Instagram, and I've gotten some of those big, some of the bigger influencers to, to say that they'll share it, which that should be coming up in this next week on Instagram. So if anyone's listening to this, and they see about my book somewhere else, I mean, to me, that's a win right there. You know, like if they, if they come across it, if they come across it on Instagram, if they look on Amazon, and and it's going up the charts, they just need to know that I'm, I'm doing quite a happy dance. But oh, I should say, my illustrator man. Ron, Ron, his name is Ron. He's an art teacher, Ron vander pol. He is the man. I mean, he's a he's an incredible human being first and foremost. But he's a talented artist. And this was probably the one thing in the world of art that he hadn't done, is get a published book out there. And I'm hoping I can hold on to him for my next one, because I think he's gonna get hit up by different people to see if they'll he'll drop. So, yeah, I've had a chance to read it, which I appreciate you sharing it with me the illustrations on point. And I love just the whole thought process, because I often sit there and I looked at my second graders, I'm like, I wonder what they're thinking. And what a fantastic writing prompt to go with the book. Like, if you were a teacher, you know, what would you do? So I think that it resonates with the kids, just so many fantastic ideas. It's fun. So the kids are going to enjoy it. But it also gets them thinking. Now what was if I wanted to write a book for anybody that that's out there this Can I really want to write a children's book, what was it that create creative process for you? Like, you know, I have I have a lot of ideas of children's books in my phone, because to me, I don't trust myself. If I get a good idea, I gotta write it down because I'll forget it, you know? So I've been writing down ideas for a while. I wanted to write one about a tortoise who's I'm upset all the time, because everybody calls him a turtle, you know, like, but then I, I kind of decided to go with this. And I started writing it about a year ago. And it was a fun process because I would I'd write something, I decide if I thought it was funny, you know, one of the, the daydreams and then, and then the next day, I'd look at it. And I'd be like, Oh, I thought it was funny yesterday, but today, it's funnier if I do this. And so I, I keep coming back to it and revising it. And, and then this is the best part man, I, I actually, when I, when I thought I was pretty much done. I put it into a Google form. And I made some choices. Super funny, kind of funny, not funny at all. And I got over 500 students, elementary students to review it. And they told me which ones they thought were funny and not funny. And I had this beautiful data of a pie chart that I could see like, What in the world? Why do they think that one's not funny at all, you know, right? Or I love the fact that you went to him, and you got straight from that the audience is going to be listening to that or reading that story, you know what's resonating with you. And the best part is, there were some that they didn't think were funny that I thought were funny. So I tweak them a little bit. And I'd send out the, I send out the survey, again to a different class or another 100 kids or whatever. And then it would be the funniest one on there. Right. So just the revision, the revision process, there are I mean, that's, I'm gonna go around to schools and do some book talks, and I'm gonna be talking about, I've been talking about the revision process and how important it was for me to go back at these and, and change them based on the feedback that I received. That's phenomenal. And I think, you know, I might have to sign you up, maybe through zoom at the end of the school year to get a, a read aloud with you, because that that writing process and getting the students understand how important number one, revising it is, but also that accepting feedback, being able to put the the ego to the side a little bit, and to really listen and take in that feedback and say, Okay, this is where I need to make those changes, and then go back, change it, put it back out there, get more feedback, and just that loop. That's a huge point. Because I had to do that there were ones that I thought were funny. And most kids thought were like air. And I'd be like, well, it's not going in the book. Because like, this isn't about me. I'm trying to write a book that's gonna resonate with kids. And I did leave one in there about coffee because I knew teachers would get a good laugh, all the teachers would get that one. Awesome. Well, I'm definitely going to leave the link in the show notes. It's a phenomenal book. So definitely worth checking out. Thanks, man. My favorite question that I love asking all my guests is, I'm a book nerd, a podcast junkie. What books or podcasts? Would you recommend the people? That's a great question. I think that as teachers, it's important to listen to things educational, right? You got to you got to stay stay in your world. But But I also hope teachers don't feel guilty if they need to escape the world of education to write. So present. So for me, some of some of the classics or podcasts that I listened to were 99% invisible and heavyweight was a podcast I loved for a long time. And there's there's so many good gimblett ones, but I'll go back and forth. But anyway, if we're talking education, two, which are important classroom commutes a fun one I really enjoy and there's real teacher talks and other good teacher, one that I like, there's one that it's a little more specific of a niche, but I'm still gonna throw it out there. There's one called Hallway Conversations, and it's few buddies of mine. They're college professors out in the Midwest. And if anyone listening teachers that are like a private Christian school, it's there's not a lot of podcasts for you. This is one for you. This is a great podcast Hallway Conversations. And then if we if we jump over to books, you know, this might sound like a joke, but I sometimes have to preface that I'm not joking. So here it goes. And everything in this book, I don't here's the disclaimer, I don't agree with everything in this book, but I think is teachers. If you've never read the book, How to Win Friends and Influence People. If you've not read it, okay, I know there's gonna be some like, well, there's some things in there. There are a few things in there. You gotta you gotta take lightly but, man, I think if you're a teacher, do yourself a favor, pick up after you buy my book, then pick up pick up Uh, you know how to win friends and influence people because it is a classic. And it just gives you an insight on how to how to make people feel good. And I think if you take it the right way, as a teacher, you can twist it a bit. And it fits well with what we're trying to do, where if kids feel loved and safe, they will thrive. And that's, that's the big thing, right? Relationships 100%. And that's one of my favorite books of all time, I listen to it once a year. And, you know, you feel better, you throw that disclaimer out there, because the title How to Win Friends, influence people, because, you know, it sounds like there's a little underlying mischievious SNESs in there, but it really isn't, it has great intentions. And like you said, it really gives some solid tips about that connection piece, and how we can connect with our students. So that's cool that you like that, too. You know, now that I you always have really awesome tweets, and your positivity is something I've really appreciated. And now that you say you read that at once a year or listen to once a year, I can tell it's, it's it fits with who I you know, see you to be. Yeah, no, absolutely. Just like we talked about your tweet earlier, you know, you got to get with the people who speak the same language. So we're definitely speaking the same language. That's right. And I appreciate the other podcasts, because I think it's great. There's so many different podcasts out there, it's hard to keep track of them. And sometimes when you do a search, just the same ones come up every single time. So there's definitely some ones that you threw out there that I'm not familiar with that I'll definitely be checking out. So thank you. You're welcome. Now, if an educator wanted to get in touch with you, what's the best way they can link up? You know, the probably, I'm on Twitter. So you can go to Twitter. But I would say just to go to my website, which is the title of the book, if I were the teacher.com, if I were the teacher.com. Because on there, I got like a little animated me with like, all the buttons, you can click so email me, you know, and you mentioned something about writing a book, if there's a teacher listening to this, that's always wanted to write a book, I mean, hit me up, send me an email, go to if I were the teacher.com Send me an email, and I'll help you out, I'll give you a couple of like ways to get started with it. Because I've learned a ton in the last year and it's been as teachers, right, we like learning, it's been a blast, but I I'd be more than more than happy to share it with somebody. That's pretty awesome. And just hearing you talk about a little bit about the process as far as like polling, the students, you know, some that we might not think about. So, you know, being able to talk with someone that's willing to share and walk through that process is huge. So definitely appreciate that. As we wrap up, what would be one thing, if you could have the listeners walk away with one thing, what would that be? I think it's no surprise, probably what I'm going to say but this idea that that relationships matter. And it's not too late, it's never too late to invest in relationships. So if you're sitting there thinking, Man, this class or this kid, like who can't count down the days, it's not too late. And I think that the relationships are that that's just a foundation for for a positive, thriving classroom environment, which is really kind of the theme of my book, that little book I wrote is kind of showing like, hey, we can wander and we can dream. But it's important to have a classroom where everybody feels safe, so so that they can take risks, right and and learn. And if they fail, if they fall, then they got a safe place to land. That's great. And Johnny, I just want to say number one, congratulations, you know, big week for you well deserved. I know you put a lot of time, effort and energy. And you have a good message with that. And, you know, it's not just gonna stop with one book. And I love what you put out to the world, the joy, the heart, the love that you're bringing that you brought to this podcast, but I know goes to your students as well. So thank you, I appreciate the wisdom that you dropped. And I wish you the best of luck with the book launch my friends. Thanks, Brian. Hey, and keep doing what you're doing to man. I know a lot of people you know resonate with those, those tweets you're putting out there in the podcasts. And it means a lot to us to get some of those morning reminders. So thanks a lot. Yeah, I appreciate it. It's always important, as you said my friend to link up with people speak that same language. Cool. All right. Well have a good one. Thank you. You too, buddy. Such a good conversation. Just listening to Johnny. It's easy to hear that That joy and love that He has for being in the classroom with his students. Now, this is a teaching champions tape, where I share three of my favorite gems from the conversation. And the first gem that I loved was when Johnny talked about making sure that he has at least one meaningful conversation with each of his students every single day. And I truly appreciated how he said he was intentional about this, and that he even made sure to physically keep track of these conversations. And as we discussed it in the interview, if we're not intentional with this, it would be easy for students are to, to slip by, and for us not to even realize that we missed out on that conversation. And the sad truth is that one conversation that you have with this student might be the only time in the day is someone made that individual feel seen, feel heard, feel valued, in a positive way. So these conversations are truly important. The second gem that I enjoyed was when Johnny talked about the different ways that he looked to really strengthen the bond with his students, from handwritten notes to letters that he sends home, to showing up at an event for that child and letting his presence known, making sure that that student knows that he's there for them. Little things like that add up to very big things. And the third gem that I truly enjoyed was when Johnny discussed having that sense of humor in finding those opportunities throughout the day, to have fun in the classroom. Because small moments of fun, can make a classroom such a warm place, and a place where the students want to be. So finding those opportunities to bring laughter to bring joy into the day is just another way to create a fantastic learning environment. And these are just a few of the gems that Johnny dropped. Hit me up on Twitter at B Martin real. And let me know what were some of your favorite takeaways from this conversation. And a big thank you to Johnny for dropping some great wisdom. And a big thank you to you as well for being here for being part of the teaching champions community. We support we encourage we lift each other up. And if you think someone will benefit from this message, please pass it on. And always remember, whether you're from rural America to urban America, to Canada to Spain to Bahrain, we're all on that same team. We're all on that same mission. And we're always better together. Keep being amazing, my friends, and as you go out into the week may step into your strength may step into your shine, and let's build our champions. Have a great week, everybody