I first brought Tara Martin to your attention on this blog in November of 2016 when she wrote one of the most widely read posts I have ever published, #BookSnaps: Using Snapchat to Create Amazing Reading Reflections. Since then it has been wonderful to watch her come into her own as an educational thought leader, social media maven, and now, author of her own amazing book. Below you will find my foreword for her awesome addition to DBC Inc. books, Be Real: Educate From The Heart.

(Side note: We were so impressed with Tara’s skills as a creator of innovative strategies, her social media prowess, her ability to form strong and authentic connections with others, and as a builder of communities, that we offered her a full time time job with Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc. and she graciously accepted. This is a win-win for the entire edu-pirate community and we are thrilled to welcome her to the DBC crew!!)

I hope you enjoy my foreword and slay the dragons standing in your way, as well!!

This book almost didn’t happen.

With the due date for the manuscript rapidly approaching, Tara messaged me and said, “I’m out.” She was going to pull the plug on her dream of telling her story, influencing educators across the globe, and fulfilling a bucket list item of epic proportions. Worse yet, the book was basically done.

Fear is a formidable dragon. When that beast rears its ugly head and breathes the fires of doubt, trepidation, and timidity, instinct tells us to cower and run rather than stand and fight. Who doesn’t fear the risk of vulnerability? Who wouldn’t dread baring one’s soul and exposing the rough and rocky reality of the road that led to the dragon’s cave?

Nobody would have blamed Tara if she quit. After all, most people do.
The chances I was going to let that happen ranged approximately between zero and none. I texted back, “You are writing the book, we are publishing it, and we are sending this message out into the world. Finish it.”

I wasn’t being insensitive, it was just that I know Tara. She isn’t like “most people.” She is a fighter. She is a survivor who has scrapped and scratched her way to overcome all odds, defy doubters, and negate the nefarious naysayers who have stood in her path. As she puts it, she “cannonballs in”—risk and rejection be hanged! So with her uncommon courage, Tara slayed the dragon of fear and finished the book. And now we are honored to share it with all of you.

I vividly remember slaying a similar dragon myself. After writing Teach Like a Pirate, I had to decide whether to sign with a big publisher or, with no experience whatsoever, start a publishing company and do it myself. I can still hear the well-intentioned advice many offered at the time.

“You’ll never get it in a bookstore if you self-publish it.”
“Nobody will take your book seriously with that cheesy title.”
“Our marketing department says it won’t fit in with other books in the genre.”
“It’s way too personal. You wrote about walking through the canyons with your kids in this book. You wrote about your favorite Christmas carol! That doesn’t belong in a professional book.”
“Where are the footnotes and research? Where is the data to support all of this?”
“We suggest removing some of the edgy stuff if you ever hope for administrators to support it.”

Quite simply, the book “they” told me to write, was not the book I wanted to write. I wanted to share the real me and my manifesto about transforming education. I wasn’t going to let that story be watered down.

To bring my authentic story to life, Shelley and I had to start our own company. We formed Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc. and published Teach Like a PIRATE from a laptop at our kitchen table. Now, we have turned our focus to helping others amplify their impact by sharing their authentic stories and building a family of educators who want to change the world and not have their voices stifled or messages stunted by corporate cowardice and conformity.

Tara’s message is a perfect example of this rallying cry for authenticity. In this era of fake news, false prophets, and phony Facebook friends, her manifesto is about embracing what truly connects us all—our heart. Sharing our REAL selves can transform education. Nobody changes the world by hiding. You can’t play small and expect to do big things. Mediocrity doesn’t motivate. Each of us has a tremendous and unique gift to offer the world, and when we allow anything to stand in the way of sharing our gifts—our real selves—we cheat the universe.

In Be REAL: Educate from the Heart, Tara freely shares her gift, inspires us to share ours, and shows the path to do it. You have no more excuses for not making a splash. Be real.

Click the image below to join the Be REAL movement, because as Tara says…

Please share your thoughts on Tara’s book or on the “fear dragons” you’ve slayed in the comments and/or using the #REALedu hashtag on Twitter.

Thanks!

Dave

PS: You can buy Tara’s book HERE ON AMAZON or HERE ON BARNES & NOBLE.