A Bard, a Book, and the Guy Who Got There First

Friends, my life has certainly taken some unexpected turns. It wasn’t that long ago that I was working in a dead-end job with little to no hope for advancement or career longevity, mostly because I’ve never been a “yes man” and had, to my own detriment, too many times offered opinions and held beliefs that flew in the face of my taskmasters. When that end finally came, it had certainly been a long time coming.

Thankfully, I found something new, something quite unexpected. With all the things I’ve learned in the past 13 years since my life turned upside down, the truth of it is that I can’t even begin to tell you even a quarter of the things I’ve learned. Here’s what I can tell you: there’s always someone else who blazed the trail before you, even if you don’t know it.

For me, that someone is my friend, Adam Watson. Long before I ever had an idea in my head for creatively cool things to do in my math classroom or with the teachers and peers I serve now, this guy was rewriting Shakespeare and turning technology on its head. It would also be remiss of me to fail to mention his amazing hair from high school and what must be epic, face-melting guitar skills that I have yet to enjoy or, perhaps, endure.

Regardless, Adam has done more great stuff in the classroom than I’ll likely ever know about, forgotten more about being the cool tech guy than I could ever imagine, and absolutely slayed the game long before I ever stepped into a classroom to take attendance for the first time.

And now, to top it all off, he’s written a book. A whole book, mind you, not a chapter or small contribution, but an entire book! It’s alive! It’s a real thing with paper and words and a great cover! I haven’t read it yet, something about a major project I’m working on that is far less interesting and fulfilling than what Adam has to contribute, and alas, I likely won’t be able to for some time.

Side note: Adam mentions me in the book, though I’m absolutely certain I do not deserve such a position of honor.

But I don’t need to read it to tell you that you need to purchase a copy if you are a classroom teacher. Table top gaming, the subject of Adam’s work, can indeed inject needed agency, choice, and more fun than an 80s arcade game into your classroom, especially for kids like Adam and I who grew up being a little different than everyone else.

Dive in and explore something new, even if you’ve never played D&D or any other tabletop gaming title. The journey, as always, is far greater than the destination, and I can’t think of anyone more qualified than Adam Watson to take up the task of learning dungeon master on your way.

Oh, make sure you use the Bookshop.org link to purchase on Adam’s site, or head to your local independent bookstore and order it. Amazon is making enough money from all of us this season.