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

In a time where educational mandates and state testing make teaching less fun, The Wild Card is a breath of fresh air. It’s a must read for all educators Pre-K-12! This book will inspire and motivate you to be the Wild Card for your students.

LOVE LOVE AND LOVE!!!! Just got it today and have never been more excited for a book to come! Hope and Wade are both amazing teachers. I have already read two chapters and can’t put it down. I will say I have peeked ahead and the pictures are all so good. My favorite part is the toolbox at the end. There is so many great ideas that I have seen on their Facebook and Instagram explained in depth so it really helps me when I’m trying to make it fit for Kindergarten! Thank you guys so much for blessing us teachers with your creativity!

I have just begun and this book already has me hooked! The writing is in a casual tone that makes it an easy read. I'm so glad I decided to purchase this book! I believe every educator, no matter what grade level, could benefit from this!

It’s just perfect! It’s inspiring and motivating while “forcing” you to take an honest and authentic look at your WHY and the impact you are having as the Wild Card in the lives of students! #bethewildcard

Just started reading it and really enjoying it so far. I love that it's really given me so much to think about already. Definitely a great read so far and will be sharing with my team once I'm through. Love it!

As a former classroom teacher and a current site administrator, I have always believed that if you make the learning engaging and exciting for students, the test results will take care of themselves.

Wade and Hope King’s book shows exactly that. Whether it be as elaborate as room transformations or themed lessons or something as simple (yet vital) as attending student events or focusing on soft skills like looking someone in the eye when you speak, The Wild Card shows educators how, with a little time, patience, and ingenuity, anyone can make their classroom or school into a place where adventure, curiosity, and passion thrive!

Don't Listen to the Joker! The deck is not stacked against you, no matter what kind of hand you've been dealt. The shared personal and professional experiences of Hope and Wade King demonstrate that despite differences, all students can share a positive school experience with some kindness, patience, and unpredictability of teachers. These pages are packed with ideas and strategies that teachers can confidently implement to bring creativity, raise student engagement, and promote higher level learning. I only wish I didn't start reading it on a 3 day weekend; can't wait to get back to my classroom! The Wild Card: 7 Steps to an Educator's Creative Breakthrough

When I first ordered The Wild Card, I wanted to find out how Hope and Wade King get their creative ideas and how to implement them into my classroom. From following Hope and Wade on social media, you can see their drive and passion for teaching, not only their students but educators as well. I just wanted to reach out and grab ahold of them to get that magic to rub off on me, and this book is the way to do that! Not only do they explain their educational journey but they walk you through your creative breakthrough. No matter the hand of cards our class is dealt, we, the teachers, are the wild cards. Read this book to embark on your creative breakthrough, which will ignite a spark you didn’t realize was in you this entire time! Be prepared for sleepless nights because your creative juices will be flowing and you won't be able to wait to get them out!

“We’ve learned that creativity is the key to engagement, and engagement is the magic pixie dust that makes kids want to come to school.” This is a quote from an awesome new called #TheWildCard! This is the book I have been waiting for my entire teaching career. 22 years and still going but I have found my teacher spirit being diminished by curriculum, standards and many other factors. I truly do care and I want to make a difference in all of my students lives. I have always been creative and thought outside the box when thinking about lessons but the past few years I feel like I have let this part of myself hide but this book renews my spirit and hope in myself that I can be that wildcard for all of my students. To all of my teacher friends, please check this book out! Get it! Read it! Be inspired! #LifeOfATeacher #FifthGrade #BeTheWildCard #Inspired #RenewYourSpirit

After reading a lot of books that offer tips and strategies for teachers, I am so excited to finally have a book that actually lays out the steps for teachers to reflect and improve their teaching practices. In "The Wild Card," Hope and Wade provide short stories about their own journey, as well as encouragement to utilize your own story, strengths, and interests to transform your teaching. This book could not have been released at a better time! This year, I have felt myself giving in to the Joker, and I felt like the passion was being sucked out of my teaching. "The Wild Card" is giving me a chance to reflect on what caused a change in my attitude about teaching. My students are my "why," and this book can serve as a reminder to keep my focus on my purpose. Thank you, Hope and Wade!

Hope & Wade's passion for education and helping educator's engage, inspire, and push their students is like no other. Each page of "The Wild Card" is more motivational than the next, and gives you both the inspiration and tools needed to immediately make positive changes in your classroom. Backed up with research based strategies and ideas, Hope & Wade take you on their own personal journeys as educators and help you be the wild card. This book is an absolute MUST HAVE for any educator!

This book is the inspiration that both a novice and veteran teacher need. While Hope and Wade are currently teachers at Ron Clark Academy, they pull on experience from there and a rural South Carolina public school they previously worked in. It is relatable, inspiring, and easy to implement. Anyone reading would need to go into it with the mindset that some of the strategies may be outside of your comfort zone, but engagement (and excitement) with students will improve achievement! My favorite is that it also ties in rigor and how to ensure the activities are rigorous and appropriate for students. If possible, read this book with colleagues of various grade levels and collaborate about how this looks in different classrooms. It SHOULD look different, and celebrate those differences! We are doing an option book study at school and 20 teachers volunteered to read this book--a great turnout for a small school!

This is a wonderful, thought-provoking, how-to guide for educators (all educators)! Hope and Wade King were very honest and open about their personal experiences with teaching, how they have grown creatively, and how they teach engaging lessons with rigor and enthusiasm! The book is a guide for educators to be creative and teach creatively. As I read the book, I had to examine myself, where I came from, where I am, and what I hope to achieve. This book is very uplifting! It is nice to know that you are not alone in your struggles as an educator. The Kings spoke of their high and low points in education and in life, but, no matter what cards we are dealt, we can choose to be the wild card (the one that makes a difference). The Wild Card is very powerful and motivating. I highly recommend this book for any educator in any stage of their career! I pledge to be the wild card!

This book is MAGICAL! As an educator, this book is helping me realize that stepping out side of my comfort zone will benefit my students far more than it will make me uncomfortable. When we put THEM first and make sure THEY are invested in what they are learning, you can’t go wrong! Wade and Hope set the stage for educators to engage their students! The Wild Card was hard to put down, and Part III, The Toolkit was the best hand dealt after a royal flush of knowledge! Hope and Wade have written a beautiful book that makes me excited to be an educator! I can’t wait to take all of the information from The Wild Card and implement it into my students learning!

This book has so much great insight into what it means to teach from the heart. It is full of funny, inspiring, and heart wrenching testimonies of what it means to take the cards education throws at you, and turn them into victories for our students. Educators at ALL levels can benefit from this book. Thank you Hope and Wade for inspiring us all to dig deep and lead with passion!

I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to meet both Hope & Wade King this past fall at the Ron Clark Academy. They are both unbelievably inspiring! The Wild Card was everything I expected from the Kings and more!!! It is jam packed with ideas that ANY teacher can use to tap into their creativity! I love that Hope & Wade shared their own personal stories not only their success stories but also their failures, and how they learned from them! If you are a teacher K-12, are studying to become a teacher you need this book!!!

Every educator needs to read this inspirational book by Hope and Wade King. It is full of personal stories and wisdom to help you experience a creative breakthrough in your classroom. In this “can’t put down” book they describe changes an educator can make to create a classroom environment where students want to be. They challenge educators to raise the engagement level along with the rigor in their classroom to help students become successful. If you are stuck in a worksheet rut or just looking for some extra motivation this book is perfect!

This book wasn’t for me. I didn’t enjoy the style or the voice. Someone told me it would be more engaging if I had followed Hope and Wade on their journey, but I suppose what’s the point of writing a book but to attempt to reach a wider audience? Someone else said to read it with the lens of a self help book. That helped but I vehemently disagreed with some of the dispositional points so it really didn’t sit well with me. I would have enjoyed some more research based support to their tips. I would suggest just reading big magic or the artists way and call it good since that is where some of the more philosophical points are taken from. However I did find the idea of the joker helpful and the use of the previously mentioned books as tools for an educator. I have read both as tools for my creative outlets outside of education and I find I want to reread them with an educational lens.

This book wasn’t for me. I didn’t enjoy the style or the voice. Someone told me it would be more engaging if I had followed Hope and Wade on their journey, but I suppose what’s the point of writing a book but to attempt to reach a wider audience? Someone else said to read it with the lens of a self help book. That helped but I vehemently disagreed with some of the dispositional points so it really didn’t sit well with me. I would have enjoyed some more research based support to their tips. I would suggest just reading big magic or the artists way and call it good since that is where some of the more philosophical points are taken from. However I did find the idea of the joker helpful and the use of the previously mentioned books as tools for an educator. I have read both as tools for my creative outlets outside of education and I find I want to reread them with an educational lens.

I am so excited for this book!!!! After attending Ron Clark Training in November of 2017, I returned to my school with a new passion. Hope and Wade King are AMAZING teachers who make others strive to reach their students through engagement on another level. I have been a huge fan of Hope King for many years, and it was a life long dream to see her teach in real life!!! Wade was as equally as amazing. I had to make sure that each member of our leadership team had a copy of their book for our latest book study. We cannot wait to see the transformations of our classrooms and lessons in the future weeks to come.

This book will fuel your passion for teaching and provide you with countless ideas. Hope and Wade are the real deal. They live what they preach. I can't wait to share this book with every educator I know!

This book is full of ideas to change up your teaching game. We can not select the cards we are dealt and neither can our students. However, we can use those obstacles to our advantage. I couldn’t put this book down! Cannot wait to begin incorporating these ideas into my own classroom.

These two are an absolute joy - both in person and on paper. I have been so inspired by the love and commitment they have for the teaching profession. I went from feeling very depleted and hopeless, wondering what my purpose was in the job - to feeling empowered, passionate and confident that teaching is what I was made to do. It has been an amazing ride to follow along with Hope and Wade in making learning meaningful for students. Their tips and tricks are practical with so so many things to take right into the classroom. If you need a boost, some teacher to teacher love, humor or fresh ideas- Hope and Wade are it!!! Thanks for inspiring me to be the wild card!

This book is inspiring and energizing! I was able to see Hope and Wade and other amazing educators at RCA last spring. I believe in everything Hope and Wade and the rest of the RCA staff is doing! As an educator, this book lights my fire and passion for teaching again. This book doesn't just tell about what Hope and Wade King do in their classroom, but inspires you to want to step outside your comfort zone and teach outside of the box using your own creativity Getting students fired up about what they learning will ensure that they remember what they are taught. This book is a must read for all educators!!

As an educator for 16 years words can't express how much I love this book! Wade and Hope Kings passion for what they do for kids each and every day is an inspiration for educators everywhere!! I wish I could buy this book for all my teachers in my building! Thank you for showing that doing what you love and loving what you do makes a difference each and every day!!

After attending RCA engagement, excitement, and my students having a learning experience has been my main focus...but how was my question...this book has all my answers! I haven't finished yet, but will soon. This book is a teacher must...no matter if your brand new or seasoned!

This book is so inspirational to teachers who feel like they’ve “hit a rut.” If you’re a teacher feeling like you are just going through the motions of teaching, this book is for you! Hope & Wade show you ways to identify what you can bring to the classroom in a non overwhelming way. Wonderful book!!

The Wild Card is a great addition to a teacher's library if you are looking to add some excitement to your classroom. This no-excuses book helps you tap into your creativity, whatever it may be, and utilize it in the classroom. The steps are easy to follow and give you tools to get started TODAY! Highly recommended.

This book is fascinating and practical. It’s for all teachers no matter the grade level or subject you teach. It’s provides you with easy to follow steps to increase your students’ engagement in your lessons. I will definitely be purchasing this book for my future student teachers!

I have never been so excited to read an education book! This did not disappoint. The book is so encouraging and Hope and Wade do such a great job of combining reality with the goal of student engagement and how to help other educators get there!