Author Jarrett Krosoczka wins over my students in less than 20 minutes. I’m STILL trying to win them over.

I played this video for my students last week as part of our Writer’s Workshop, and they were overwhelmed with inspiration.

Literally.

They were blown away by author and illustrator Jarrett' Krosoczka’s ability to overcome difficult childhood circumstances while remaining positive. They couldn’t stop talking about the degree to which he dedicated himself to his craft at such an early age. Some of them pulled notebooks from their desks and started writing the novels and children’s books the instant the video ended.

One of my students referred to Krosoczka as his newest hero, which I found mildly disconcerting considering  he has yet to refer to me in those terms.

Whatever.

Another student said, “Mr. Dicks, you need to show us more stuff like this.”

I’d like to, but there simply aren’t that many Jarrett Krosoczkas in the world. But I assured my student that I’d keep my eyes open.