Joy Kirr is a 7th Grade ELA teacher and Genius Hour advocate in Elk Grove, Illinois. She writes at GeniusHour.blogspot.com and in 2017 published Shift This!: How to Implement Gradual Changes for MASSIVE Impact in Your Classroom.

In this conversation, Joy takes us to a moment when a parent criticized her publicly with “Genius Hour is crazy – and all the parents think so!” She shares what she learned from that experience and how it has changed her communication going forward. Joy describes the heart and main message of her book, Shift This, which puts the focus on student-directed learning opportunities. She also points us toward a Twitter account to follow, a book to check out, an edtech tool that she is learning about, and more.

Follow Joy online:

• On Twitter @JoyKirr
• On Instagram @JoyKirr1
• On the web: http://geniushour.blogspot.com/

Find the highlights from our conversation at the timestamps below:

• 1:02 – Joy describes her current teaching context (7th grade ELA teacher and big advocate for genius hour in Elk Grove, Illinois).
• 1:22 – She recalls the challenge of hearing “Genius Hour is crazy – and all the parents think so!” from an upset parent, and explains how she learned and grew from this experience.
• 5:32 – Joy talks about what excites her in education today: being challenged by parents, thinking deeply about her practices.
• 10:29 – When it comes to personal passions and experiences, Joy likes to ask “Why not?” instead of “Why?” She likes to soak up life experiences for all they’re worth, investing in relationships, getting outside, and taking great pictures along the way.
• 12:36 – On Twitter, Joy recommends we follow Vicki Davis @CoolCatTeacher
• 13:13 – For an edtech tool, Joy suggests we try creating our own .gifs by converting our Google Slides using Tall Tweets. Try it!
• 15:03 – Joy’s pick in books is Choice Words by Peter H. Johnston. Earlier in our conversation, she also recommended The Human Side of School Change: Reform, Resistance, and the Real-Life Problems of Innovation by Robert Evans.
• 16:06 – No Netflix or movies for this educator … it’s all about reading!
• 16:52 – Joy tells us how to follow her online and where to get more of her content. See above!

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Song Track Credits

Intro: Relax (by Simon More)
Outtro: Starley – Call on Me Remix (by DJ Zhorik)

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