Personal & Authentic: Designing Learning Experiences That Impact a Lifetime

by Thomas C. Murray

As an educator, you have the power to leave a legacy by . . . Making students’ learning experiences personal and authentic Ensuring that the culture around you is personal and authentic Developing and nurturing personal and authentic relationships Being personal and authentic

In Personal & Authentic, Thomas C. Murray reveals the power of designing awe-inspiring experiences that are grounded in relationships and learner-centered by design. Inherently relevant and contextualized, it is this kind of learning that lasts a lifetime.

Be bold. Be fearless. Be proud. Be you.
Your story is not finished yet.

“After you read this book, you will become a better teacher and leader—and if not, you might want to read it again!” —Salome Thomas-EL, award-winning principal, speaker, and author

“One of the most helpful, heartfelt, and unassuming stories I’ve ever read.” —Brad Gustafson, EdD, national distinguished principal and best-selling author

“The story always wins. The most impactful learning has always been personal and authentic. Murray does a masterful job of weaving both the gripping story of educators and the opportunities for them to increase their impact on students.” —Joe Sanfelippo, PhD, superintendent, author, and speaker

“Teachers will finish this book feeling inspired and empowered to continue the important work we are called to do.” —Luisa Palomo Hare, kindergarten teacher, 2012 Nebraska Teacher of the Year

#AuthenticEDU

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction

218 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 24, 2019

Reviews

[Stephanie Wall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Encouraging and motivating

[Raeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read, most valuable to those who want to reroot in what matters most. Written pre-Covid, but especially valuable in a post-Covid educational landscape.

[Katie Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for reminding us why we got into this business in the first place! Kids! Not numbers, not test scores, but the actual kids themselves and what they need.

[Brian Heid · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Like a lot of education books the cliches abound here, but there is still a lot of heart and beauty in how the author discusses the teaching profession. He has some good ideas, but I must remind the author (since he is no longer in the classroom) that some of these ideas would take quite an amount of time outside of the classroom, and with limited resources, and frankly insultingly low pay, some of these are just not plausible. I love the teaching profession, but as I embark on my 10th school year in a few months I will continue to refuse to do an absurd amount of work outside of my contract time without compensation. I don’t think that makes me a negative teacher, nor do I think it means I love or care any less about my students, but occasionally I felt that’s what the author implied - ie: if you aren’t a teacher who dedicates every waking second to your career you’re doing something wrong. I did enjoy most of what he had to say, especially in regards to the fact that we don’t teach subject matter (English, Spanish, Biology, etc), but rather we teach students English, Spanish, Bio, etc. I think teachers too often forget that our content areas come second to simply caring about the kids, and I enjoyed how much he reiterated that message throughout. I love teaching English, but foremost I love interacting with the kids and building legitimate relationships with them. I enjoyed this book for what it was, but he was sometimes a bit too Pollyannaish for me.

[Jill Siler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Personal & Authentic by Thomas Murray. I loved the mix of personal story coupled with practical tips. Tom pulled in insights and strategies from educators from across the country which added to the richness of the book. I laughed and cried and was challenged to think deeply about how we work with kids! At the same time, it challenged me to think about how we work with adults in the same way! A fantastic read!

[Dr.Given · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concepts are good ones. Narrative illustrations of ideas. Would be best for those new to the ideas of making education personal and authentic. Needs more specifics in order to be useful to those who have previously read the works of Clayton Christensen, Todd Dintersmith, George Couros, Katie Martin, John Spencer, AJ Juliani, etc. Katie Martin's Learner Centered Innovation or Spencer & Juliani's Empower makes the case and offers practical ideas for implementation.

[Beckie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A MUST read for any one in education!

I found something useful in every chapter. I would love to hear him speak because as I read it, it felt as if he was personally talking with me. I know want to go back and reread and look up the resources. A great way to start the New Year. Looking forward to being even more Authentic in my elementary library.

[TheNextGenLibrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This PD book had me bawling straight from the first page. Such heart and empathy for the career of education. I loved Murray’s stories he shared. Plus if you’re running a book club there are so many resources, questions and data to share both in the book and on his website. Highly recommend for campus book clubs/book studies!

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got a little redundant at the end. But for the most part, his message was good. As educators, the instruction we do needs to be less standard and route and more personalized to the children in our classrooms. How we can do that in the days of overwhelming curriculum is the challenge. Did give me a lot to think about.

[Lacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would absolutely recommend this book to any educator. I love how it offers “make stick”, “try this”, and “stop & reflect” sections in every chapter. These are tools and ideas to use in your own classrooms or challenges to reflect on your experience. So much of good teaching is reflecting, making necessary changes to best meet the needs of your students. This book highlights that.

[Brian McCann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished on my first day of Christmas break. Just what I needed to read at this time of year and at this phase in my career.

Great advice. Wonderful things to reflect on.

Will be using this as part of a book study with my leadership team in 2020.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must-read for all educators! Especially during the times we’re currently living and the challenges we are experiencing with virtual teaching, Thomas Murray motivated me to think deeper as well as confirm why teaching is a calling.

[Jason G · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book that really helps and looking at what makes education both a personal experience and an authentic experience. Amazing read that has really informed my practice for many years to come.

[the.riveting.raven · Rating 3 out of 5]

While there were multiple inspiring moments, and it did help me consider my “why”, a lot of the stories were too picture-perfect. They were the inspiring moments we see in movies but a bit too unbelievable to connect with in real life. I did appreciate the educator insights, though.

[Kaileigh Domster · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a teacher, principal, superintendent, instructor, or an educator of any sort, this is a must-read! I don't tend to cry over through reading, but I did twice within a single chapter. This book really makes one think a little deeper about the "little" interactions.

[Kahliah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! Relevant and Relatable. Thomas Murray really put his heart in this work.

[Anthony R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational

Great book! Inspirational and highly recommend for any educator! Very refreshing read. He is also a great follow in Twitter

[karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to keep the figurative fire stoked: motivational, but also filled with practical advice.

[Cassie Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be required reading for al teachers and admin, working in schools today.

[Ramona Browne · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best book study books for work that I’ve read! Very uplifting! Highly esteems and guides educators to focus on the most important things. Also filled with great quotes.

[Caitlin Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ✨

This was quite the read. I enjoyed the narrative elements within this book. At times it felt a bit repetitive but overall a great read for all educators.

[Josetta · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick and motivating read. A nice reminder of getting back to the basics of why we do what we do.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Need the reminders in this book from time to time.

[Fafani Weinzierl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring stories and motivational tips. The best was getting to meet the author at our back-to-school kick-off event. He even signed my book.