Thrive

by Tami West, Donna Clark Love, Erin Jones

We are a band of five women from different walks of life, and we believe that you can become a woman of action, overcome any obstacle, and scale any height.THRIVE is not only for women educators, it is also for any woman who can answer in the affirmative one or more of the following questions: -Do you wonder why you can't balance work and your personal life?-Do you wish you could experience more gratitude and peace in your life? -Have you or are you now battling anxiety, trauma, addiction, or major health issues? -Do you agonize over parenting concerns?-Do you ever struggle with feeling like you're a fraud? No other book out there will impact your life as this one will! Each chapter is filled with our personal stories of falling down and getting back up-of overcoming and soaring. We have made every effort throughout the book to be transparent about our own struggles. You will laugh, cry, shake your head in disbelief, be challenged and inspired, and, at times, drop your jaw in awe! A marvelous professional and personal life awaits you. Are you ready to THRIVE by transforming your life challenges into a launching pad for joy? Dig in . . . Your life is about to change!

158 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Karen Michele Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone wants to Thrive. I enjoyed and found many helpful ideas in this book for reconciling my past experiences in education and for moving positively forward to becoming the person I want to be in the here and now. Each author presents a bio and two essays on a wide range of topics and includes journaling prompts to help with the process. The writing is solid and meaningful throughout. Donna Clark Love starts off with self love through the lens of eating disorder recovery. It’s a helpful beginning whether or not you have struggled with this specific problem. Having a positive body image is a foundation we all need. Love’s second essay, “Bullying in the Schoolhouse: Adults Only” is enlightening. If you’ve ever come up against adult colleagues who bully, you will easily relate to the power hierarchies described in this essay especially when coupled with one later in the book by Mary Smith. In Smith’s essay, she describes a principal she did not get along with this way: “She was snobby, ranked people according to their job, and wouldn’t speak when spoken to when she was walking down the hall.”, p92. As a teacher in a specialist position, I often felt lower on the ladder of respect. Positive suggestions for coping and acting against these negative feelings abound. I have the privilege of learning from one of the authors, Erin Jones, and the fascinating and sometimes heartbreaking story of her journey to adulthood and thoughts about moving on past loss brings us back to the core of this book, self care through the challenges we face. Erin’s second essay, “Mother as Educator” is strong and reminds us that “if we teach each child as if s/he is our own, as if they are equally valuable to the world as our own, we will raise our standards for instruction.” p51 This is a guiding statement that could form the core beliefs beneath any equity efforts in the schools. Essays about gratitude, anxiety, trauma, emotions, mental health and personality patterns are all a part of this book, too. The ideas don’t stop coming until the last page is turned. The story that made me laugh out loud is near the end of the book. You’ll just have to read it and find out if it makes you laugh, too.

[Jillene Partrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational, creates a lot to ponder and connected a lot various times in my life. Each of the co-authors had a portion, or multiple portions, that had something I could see in my own life and my teaching career.