The Empowered ELA Teacher: Be the Teacher You Want to Be, Do Great Work, and Thrive

Are you an overwhelmed, overworked, tired ELA teacher? Did teaching through COVID steal some of your passion and joy for the profession? Are your lessons beginning to bore even you? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this book is for you! I stumbled upon EB Academics last summer while spiraling down the “internet rabbit hole” researching strategies for teaching writing. Let me just say that I’ve had the best teaching year ever (I’m a 20yr veteran) and that was despite teaching in a crazy year through a pandemic. Caitlin and Jessica have brought joy back into my teaching. My students love my class and I have never been happier! I read the entire book in one sitting and it confirmed everything that I love about EB Academics. From the engagement strategies (oh my goodness do my students love a good room transformation!), to the practical lesson planning approach and everything in between, this book will provide you with a foundation to reinvigorate your teaching and give you your personal life back. If you love the book, I highly suggest you check out the EB Academics Teachers’ Club - it’s career changing! (I promise I wasn’t paid or given anything for this review, that’s just how much I LOVE EB Academics!)

I preordered this on a whim after I saw it on my Instagram feed. I knew nothing about the authors or even what level ELA it was for (it's Middle School!), but I have taken a 10+ year break from teaching and am a bit overwhelmed by all the changes that have happened in 10 years and have been wanting to get resources that will help me work more effectively and be less exhausted. This book has exceeded my expectations. Not only am I nodding around about the experiences of being exhausted, but there are actionable steps to avoid it. I'll definitely be keeping this book on my desk while I plan for the next school year.

Your browser does not support HTML5 video.  Oh my word, I could cry. Teaching and preparing for lessons when you are moving to a new grade can be so overwhelming!!! This is step-by-step like everything I need! Summers are for fun!! This book makes that possible.

Written as if a very knowledgeable friend was giving you advice, “The Empowered ELA Teacher” is filled with engaging and actionable strategies and ideas you can take and immediately use to get started. Easy read that makes a powerful impact on how you get excited about, plan for, and create engaging and meaningful lessons that will cause students to be invested in your classroom and learning. This is definitely a book I’ll keep close at hand to remind me my class can and should be both exciting and rigorous without having to burn myself out!

The Empowered ELA Teacher is exactly what I needed to rejuvenate my passion for teaching 8th grade ELA. It is a true gift. It has taught me that the true foundation to thriving instead of just surviving is purposeful, intentional batch-planning. Thank you Caitlin and Jessica for helping me transform my ‘Sunday Scaries’ into ‘Sunday Fundays!’ This book is bursting with actionable and practical tips that just make sense. The included lessons and templates are gold! I have never had more clarity and confidence as an educator. Run, don't walk, to grab your copy of The Empowered ELA Teacher and become a teacher who thrives instead of just survives. It is the best thing you can do for yourself and, most importantly, your students!

If you teach middle school ELA, you NEED this book! The authors focus heavily on planning efficiently, which is something I can really appreciate since I have to juggle so much. They even include activities to use in your classroom.

This book was a quick, easy read that was also incredibly helpful. I’ve been a middle school teacher for 8 years, 5 of those in ELA. I love teaching, but am consistently overwhelmed with the amount of standards we are to cover in a limited amount of time. I also feel as if my college education did not prepare me to design and create curriculum. The simple EB lesson planning approach was like a lightbulb moment. I have immediately begun taking steps outlined in this book to prepare for my year ahead. I feel motivated and, yes, empowered!

After teaching virtually all of last year, I felt that this was the time to refocus my WHY and to find a professional development book that pertains to my grade level and subject matter. I heard about “The Empowered ELA Teacher” on TikTok from a fellow middle school teacher, and thank goodness I did. I highly recommend reading this! I have been a 7th grade ELA teacher for 5 years, and have had success with my students throughout that time. HOWEVER, that success was often at the expense of my personal time and other resources because I was continuously spending so much time planning for the upcoming week during my weekend. I have experienced burnout, and all of the consequences of not having enough balance in my work/personal life! I know I’m not the only one either.After reading this book I feel empowered to batch plan my lessons. I am actually in the process of creating more engaging lessons and units for the upcoming school year, while following along with the seemingly obvious steps that teachers don’t usually learn in our teaching programs. The benefit of reading this book is that both of the authors spent years teaching in the classroom; they know our pain! It’s honestly a fairly quick read too. My book is highlighted all over, annotated, and book marked with post it’s because the practical applications, tips, and straight up engaging resources are everywhere. For every game/activity they talk about there is a corresponding resource in the appendix that can be used in your own classroom. What angels Caitlin and Jessica are.I am mostly looking forward to not feeling overwhelmed each weekend, and more importantly, feeling confident that my students are having meaningful learning experiences that are both fun and rigorous.