The Wild Card: 7 Steps to an Educator's Creative Breakthrough

I have been trying to write a review for this book for 2 days now and I don’t know where to start. I would like to start off by saying don’t believe the hype of this book. I bought this book because I saw so many teachers reading it. I heard such great things and it got me interested. The book was redundant. Spoiler alert: Wade plays the drums in his class like it’s School of Rock and Hope loves room transformations. That’s it. That’s the book. No, this isn’t the Joker talking and I’m not jealous. I don’t know what I was expecting from this book, but I’m severely disappointed. The topics in this book are obvious. This was no how-to book. It’s a book that just talks about the same things. We get it, transform your room and have no excuses, BUT WAIT don’t do it too often because it loses its magic. If I could give zero stars, I would. Teachers, this book won’t change your life or student’s lives. If you’re even considering getting this book, don’t. I regret spending my money on this.

This book is AMAZING!!! I could not put it down! It has already inspired me to implement small changes into my daily routine. I highly recommend this book for any educator or administrator! I bought one for my principal too!!! I have been teaching 17 years and have been so encouraged and challenged by this book, to be a better educator because my students deserve it!

Hope & Wade King are absolute rockstars and inspiring educators. This book is SO motivating. They simply want all educators to BE the wild card and to change the lives of students forever!We read this book as a book study with several teachers at my school, and we all really enjoyed it and took ideas from the book to apply to our classroom.This is by far the most motivating educator book for me, and it pushed me to become a better teacher for my students. The step I’m working on is room transformations and, oh my goodness, my second graders LOVED it! The excitement and joy they had coming to class every morning was so electrifying! That’s motivation in itself; when students are eager to walk into their classroom every morning because they’re EXCITED to learn! All the hard work us teachers put into engaging lessons is so worth it.I highly, highly recommend this book to light that fire in your soul to continue to improve your craft in teaching!

The Wild Card is truly AMAZING! This book is a must-read for all beginning teachers, seasoned teachers, and administrators. It reminds us all as to why we chose this profession and encourages us to stay on track with our "WHY." I found myself numerous times saying "YES!" out loud, annotating "YES!" in the margins and nodding my head in agreement. This book brought many emotions as I read Hope's and Wade's experiences, as it reflected many feelings that I have felt and experienced personally. While reading, I had numerous people come to mind and knew immediately that The Wild Card would impact their lives, as much as it touched mine. I had to quickly purchase several copies for my secret pal, my mentee, birthday gifts, etc. The Wild Card will be on my gift list for educators in the future, as well. There are countless educational books out there, but never before have I felt such a connection. I'm grateful that Hope and Wade provided insight to let us know that we are not alone, with our experiences and thoughts, as educators. Their encouragement is contagious~ what an inspiration!

I’m reading this book as a school-based speech-language pathologist (SLP), and I’m absolutely loving it. Something about the way Hope and Wade write, it just... speaks to me! Since I don’t have a ton in common with them (different job title, for starters), I’m guessing this book will speak to you, too. It’s well-written and easy to read, and it offers practical, step by step strategies to really up your game as a teacher. I’m recommending it to all my teacher & SLP friends!

This book was life-changing. I would 10/10 recommend this book to any teacher. Hope and Wade provide the steps for you to take your own creative passions from outside the classroom and bring them to life inside your classroom. They teach you how to do this even with budget constraints, scripted curriculums, tough administration, etc. They also give PLENTY of examples/pictures of ways that they have transformed their own classrooms based on their creative passions. You will not be disappointed after reading this book- It will give you so many fresh ideas to implement in your own classroom! Please read and then pass it on to all your colleagues!

I LOVED this book! It discusses how to take your passion and apply it in the classroom while also keeping your standards high and increasing rigor within your lessons. I loved their rules for rigor and the tips on how to do engagement on a small budget. Hope and Wade's stories are wonderful throughout the book and show you that even they have failed at times. I loved their honesty and also their no excuse attitude. If you're not willing to be the best teacher for your students then they are more than happy to tell you to find another profession. Amazing book and I could not recommend more!

I genuinely enjoyed this book and found a lot of it to be quite motivational. The writing is very anecdotal. I happen to like how casual and informal the authors are with their audience, but it might not be everyone's cup of tea. There's a "toolbox" section at the back with some practical ideas for the classroom, but to be clear- this is not a step-by-step, how-to book. Instead, the authors are looking to inspire you to fashion your own versions, your own style. If you are looking to break out of a routine in your teaching, or if you have ever complained about 'apathy' in your classroom, this is an excellent read. My own teaching style is theatrical and I found a lot in this book that either reinforced ideas that I already have or empowered me to try new things. I have already recommended this to several of my colleagues.

How many times have you heard adults talk about their school experience in a positive way? How often do they describe it as "fun"?Wade and Hope King are amazing educators who have gifted us with an inspiring and tangible method to bring fun into our classrooms. They have proven that it is possible to have high academic expectations while bringing learning alive for our students.The question isn't "why should we dress up and transform for our students?", the question is "why shouldn't we?"A must read for sure!!!

This book is amazing. They not only promote engagement in your classrooms, but they share how it is important to use what you HAVE to build that engagement. For Wade and Hope, it is music and dressing up, but for others it may be something different. This book is inspiring and really helped me to look at how I can create engaging lessons for the students that not only help them learn, but inspire them to go deeper.Definitely a great summer read to get your ideas going for the upcoming year!

The Wild Card will inspire you to be the teacher you were meant to be. This book is not going to lay out lesson plans for you, but rather, it is going to help you unleash your creativity. It will give you ideas how to make what you are teaching more engaging for your students so they are not just merely coming to school and surviving but instead they are thriving. Every educator must read this book!

A must have for all educators wanting to make a difference

I loved this book! It is filled with fantastic ideas and inspiration to bring back into the classroom.