The Baller Teacher Playbook: How to Empower Students, Increase Engagement, and Create the Culture You Want in Your Classroom

by Tyler Tarver

Does your classroom run the way you want? Most people enter the teaching profession wanting to make a difference in young people’s lives. However, more and more teachers feel lost, frustrated, and overwhelmed with everything they’re required to do. It’s hard to be successful without a clear plan on getting control of your classroom, empowering your students, and making the learning experience more enjoyable for you and your students. These 18 chapters are crucial for any educator who wants to take their teaching to the next level. Teacher, Principal, Director, Dean, and YouTube/TikTok teacher, Tyler Tarver knows that education is more than just standing in front of students lecturing them on a specific topic – it’s a culture of learning that educators foster to train the next generation. If you are attempting to be the best educator you can in the environment you’re in, you need ideas and encouragement from someone who’s been exactly where you are. Even if you had the time, money, and support we know teachers deserve, we know that applying any knowledge always has a greater impact when you’re able to give personal and practical application to the ideas you know matter. Besides sitting through 60+ hours a year of professional development, there is another way to incrementally improve your teaching week after week. Spoiler It can also be fun. Tyler Tarver learned how to create the culture he wanted in his classroom. He was able to pass this on to any educator who wanted to get excited about teaching and have a deeper impact on their students. He wrote The Baller Teacher Playbook to teach others what it takes to expand your teaching and create a community of happy and engaged learners. These short, weekly chapters and accompanying resources will add enormous value to your classroom and the school you work for. In this 18-week guide, readers will be introduced to the top areas where truly successful teachers and their students Reason vs How do you overcome the hurdles inherent in education? How do you get yourself and students excited about learning? How do you create a culture where every day is unexpected but not chaotic? How can we roll with the punches but not have to fake it? How can I be myself but genuinely connect with young people? How do I get my students to lead without me? How do I work with my administrators, colleagues, and parents to better every student’s education? How do I help build empathy and understanding among myself and my students? How am I always getting better? Plus more! The Baller Teacher Playbook is the must-have guide for anyone who feels lost or overwhelmed by the current educational climate, even if they have been teaching for years. Learn from a fellow educator who had their fair share of mistakes and successes through the simple but effective tactics shared in these pages. Take things If you want to move forward even faster as an educational professional, read a chapter once a week with your team, and come together at weekly meetings to discuss experience, ideas, triumphs, and a community of educators trying to improve themselves and their classroom.

281 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 21, 2021

Reviews

[Erin Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this read!! Tyler, you are the coolest. I have loved your PD sessions & social media posts; your book didn’t disappoint. I scribbled all through it & I know it won’t be a one time read. Thank you for sharing your insight & wisdom!!

-a random English teacher in Arkansas 🙃

[Lily Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read with topics that have got me thinking about my teaching and what I want to adjust…

“Everything you say either helps them solidify themselves into something they can be proud of, or it chips away at their self esteem”

“Know your students like you want them to know your curriculum”

[Lara Marxhausen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written exactly like he posts. It is a laundry list of goals and achievable steps. Great read!

[Sandra Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

You must read this book. I enjoyed reading this book, and I have already implemented some of his ideas into my teaching practices.

[Todd Reagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy read full of great best practices and common sense for teachers and leaders of teachers.

[Danielle Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for Millennial teachers.

[William Gorman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really wanted to give this a 3.5 star. Since that doesn’t exist, I was going to round down but the chapters on Incorporate Diversity and Never.Stop.Learning caused me to round up. I wish I could remember how I came across Tyler but I don’t remember. I do know I’ve been attending some of his PD from Tarver Academy for a year or two and decided to give his book a shot.

It’s really meant to be a workbook where you read the chapter, write some stuff at the end based on his prompts, and give his ideas a try. Or you can do what I did which is just read it. Since he has worn many different hats in his personal and professional life, he really brings in perspectives outside of just being a teacher in the classroom. He hits on all topics.

I think the challenge we face as educators is that most of our education was done via lecture. Maybe in college as you study to become a teacher they would lecture about teaching differently in some sort of generality. Fast forward to YouTube and social media and now lecture is seriously archaic. Ummm so now what? There’s no easy answer. Again a lot of generalities…be creative. Some of the ‘How?’ was missing from his book. As teachers, we have to unlearn how we learned and learn how to learn differently…if that makes sense.

Overall if you are looking to become a better teacher then read this book. Because there is no silver bullet and the more you read and the more you try the better you will become. It’s probably also best to do this as a workbook, not just read through it like I did.

For whatever reason, footnote 204 really stuck with me. (Yes, there are that many footnotes - and more!)