Hello educator,

Let's look at 3 quick tech tips, an AI prompt, some listens to inspire you, and I'll give you some slides I use to promote happiness and human connections in my classroom.

Today's newsletter is sponsored by Teachaid.ca , a fantastic tool I'm using in my classroom to teach. Not only does it help me create complete units and develop lessons in minutes (after I put in what I want it to do, as I like to be in the drivers seat), but I can launch interactive mode and turn on and off an AI tool that is trained with my content to support learning (and I can monitor everything that happens in the chat.)

I'll tell you more next week. Try Teachaid.ca.

1. ​Gemini Storybook. My teachers loved the Storybook gem to create books. Tips:
   • Tell it to create with more racial or age diversity
   • Tell it your school colors and mascot
   • Put your class rules in the prompt or whatever you're trying to teach
2. ​Google Notebook LM - Put your tests, content, and other information here. Click the test and create a study guide, or a podcast review. TIPs:
   • Video overviews. If you want graphics to be part of it, then, try to have them part of the content in the notebook.
   • Administrative resource. Most teachers and administrators are putting their handbooks into these. Then, with a query you can pull up the page number of the student handbook or faculty handbook.
   • Generate a podcast. You can check on the left what you want to review and then generate the audio. Then, download it and, after listening, give your students and audio review to listen to.
   • Customize the resources you make with school events (games, pep rally, your mascot, etc.) or student hobbies to explain the content making it more relevant.
3. ​Perplexity.ai - This is my favorite tool for research. When my students use it, I require citation.

Create Icons: Create icons for your LMS. I used this prompt in ChatGPT:

Feed in the class name and the colors you want as well as what you want. (mine were in memory) That makes nice icons like these:

Free resources from me: Download some of these icons from my Dropbox or get the slide and copy them off the slide into whatever you're doing. (The link will expire in 9/30 so get them now!)

​Captivate, Care, and Culture - Season 3 Episode 8 | Cool Cat Teacher Talk

• Segment 1 — Jheri South (ADHD in the classroom): Clear common myths, understand rejection sensitivity, and use novelty, interest, challenge/competition, urgency, and passion to move learners from stuck to started.
• Segment 2 — Dr. Marc Isseks (Captivate): Schools are for education, not regulation. Retire the “do now,” front-load your best, and design hooks that hold attention through the bell.
• Segment 3 — Dr. Patrice Buckner Jackson (Dr. PBJ): Name burnout, build micro-breaks, protect planning time, and set boundaries by deciding what you’re unwilling to lose.
• Segment 4 — “Stand Tall” Steve Bollar: Launch a 7-week connection challenge and use the five levels of decision-making so people feel seen, heard, and empowered.

​Smart Ideas for Teacher Prep, Reading, Writing, and Screen Free Fun - Season 3 Episode 9 | Cool Cat Teacher Talk

• Teacher Certification Crisis in Texas: Dr. Jacob Kirksey explains how more than half of first-time teachers in Texas are entering classrooms with no certification, and why this matters for student outcomes.
• Brain-Friendly Reading: Malia Hollowell shares science-based strategies that help all learners, especially those with dyslexia, thrive in reading.
• Six Ways to Teach Writing: Nancy McCabe gives teachers practical prompts, field trip ideas, and ways to keep students motivated.
• Screen-Free Fun: Jerry Kolber, creator of Who Smarted?, shows how his educational podcasts are engaging 600,000 listeners a month while helping reduce screen time.

This show has been on FM Radio/ Public Access in 5 cities but now we're going national. Over 100K people are tuning in every week, so we're coming to 10 new cities in September. Stay tuned.

This week we continue to release extra episodes to inspire you.

• Administrators and Teacher Leaders. "Stand Tall" Steve is so inspiring, here's his solo interview. I love how he shared an idea for a 7 week challenge to get to know students and also a decision making framework that is so helpful for principals. This is a must listen episode for administrators. Episode 910 | 10 Minute Teacher
• IT Professionals and Computer Science Teachers. Building Cyberscecurity Skills in Schools with Jay James from Auburn University (he talks about the SOC "student operations center" programs that schools are implementing to keep everyone safer and give students real world skills at the same time." - Episode 911 | 10 Minute Teacher
• All Educators. Richard Culatta from ISTE+ASCD came on the show to discuss AI-Ready graduates, bias in AI, and how to figure out what we should use AI for (or not.) - Episode 912 | 10 Minute Teacher

Some lessons building emotional intelligence and joy.

I believe in the age of AI that HI (human intelligence) and EQ (emotional intelligence) is more important than ever. Helping kids know how to be happier, healthier, and more relatable has never been more important. I'm pulling out research from Shawn Achor's Book The Happiness Advantage and sharing it with my students.

"The more you look, the more you find; look for the good things."
9th grader

Gratitude Lessons. The quote above summarized what my students learned. After a week of writing down 3 things they were thankful for, the results were incredible and here is what some of the students said:

• "Besides making me better, doing this also made me excited for the class."
• "It helped me realize things I have that I take for granted every day."
• "It was eye opening and forced me to take a step back and find something to be thankful for even if I was having a bad day."

Lessons on how to respond to good news. In this week's lesson, this research was astounding as it found that "How you support people during good times, more than bad times, affects the quality of a relationship."

So, we learned the four wrong ways to respond to good news and then the right way to respond (enthusiastic, specific, and invites elaboration with follow up questions.) Then, we practiced it in class with each other. The kids loved it and said that no one really teaches you how to respond to good news!

You can have the slides below that give the research and information on both of these week long activities. I've made two versions for you. These are Google slides so you'll have to make a copy.

​EQ first two lessons - any educator​

​EQ first two lessons - Christian Educators​

I use Sterling Ink's Academic planner this time of year. This tool is the perfect combination of bullet journal and productivity planner. But, I've recently added a list to my planner in the back that I call "Savoring time."

I started this because as I took a test on my character traits, I found out that "Zest" is most highly linked to life satisfaction and a life of engagement.

Zest is something my Dad does. Every meal is the best meal he ever had. Every place is the most incredible view. It is not that he's forgetful, it is that he is so sincerely in the moment that he is enjoying it with every fiber of his being. My Savoring Time journal is focused on helping me find amazing moments. I write down the date, what I tried, how I liked it, who I was with and where and any notes.

Write down one thing you savored today in your journal.

The New Cell Phone Policy

It has been a busy start to school. My students are excited and wow, I have to say that so many of us are in agreement that having cell phones in lockers or in a box that is in the front office (for middle school) is one of the greatest policies we've added in a long time.

I feel like we've gone back 10 years in a good way. I have so few students who ask to go to the bathroom during class. Kids are connecting and one student even said, "me and my friends say this is the greatest thing ever because people are talking to each other."

Hallways clear out as kids get to class. I hear laughter and fun. Others say it has taken the pressure off to be in the know because they are all in the same boat together. I've definitely seen an improvement. I know there are people who debate this one but for us it is going great with really no offenses.

I Wasn't Ready

As for me, I have to admit, I wasn't quite ready. Summer was hard as my Dad hasn't been doing well and as a result, in part, of my upset-ness I was so so sick in July and just couldn't get well. But as I've prayed it through (those of you who subscribe know I talk like this), and read a great book by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth Heaven Rules, I've come to a better place.

In fact, as I've worked through The Happiness Advantage, I see so much in there lining up with what I know to be true from the Bible.

Here's the problem as outlined in the Happiness Advantage -- nothing you accomplish will really make you happy. Happiness PRECEDES success. Happiness helps us learn better, live better, and find more joy.

And yet, how? For me, it is totally a combination of what I learn in the wee hours of the morning in my Bible and on my knees as well as finding those principles in the research studies in a book like the one from Shawn Achor listed above that reinforce how I am to deal with worry, anxiety, stress, and even illness.

I'm so grateful. I'm grateful for you -- all of you who have so faithfully read this newsletter for so many years.

And I'm grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow.

And I'm grateful for a God who sees me and knows me. As my husband said in his lesson last week, "It isn't only that God knows everything, it is that God knows me."

So, teachers. You are a blessing. You're a blessing to your students - you can be. You're a blessing to the world. And what we do in our classrooms today matters. It matters because tomorrow will thank us (or not.)

I know that so many things are hard. I also know that there's a better way to live life that even in the face of terminal cancer, sickness, and heartbreak that I can live this life with joy - valuing others and adding value to their lives, as John Maxwell says.

Teaching is not always easy - in fact most days, its not. I often stress about the unseen "hits" that come unexpectedly as a teacher, but then I have to pray through that and know that in the end, I have to do what is right, say what is right and treat every child as a precious masterpiece. And when I fall short, I have to apologize.

Some Excitement

I'm excited about the 10 new cities we'll be bringing Cool Cat Teacher Talk to. I'm excited about seeing some family members this week. I'm excited about getting some rest this weekend as I continue to try to keep up my strength after this summer. I'm excited that Dad is doing well and I want to see him. I'm excited because I know that even though it is hard, that some of you will find something useful in this newsletter. I want to be as helpful as I can as long as I can to as many people as I can and fulfill the purpose for why I'm on this earth.

And I have written every word in this newsletter in my fully-human self. I know that AI written newsletters, supposedly, are getting more traction, but I don't really believe that. I could care less what ChatGPT has to say. It is a tool that helps me, but I find it is really good at polishing off the edges of humanity were it cannot grasp. I don't want to sound generic, I want to be me.

And I hope you'll be your beautiful self too. Get out there and encourage your students and have some zest.

Joyfully in your service,

Vicki Davis, @coolcatteacher

​