I'm Not Asking You to Read a Book — I'm Inviting You to Have a Conversation

I was in my computer lab Thursday after school, helping Ethan debug his Python code, when he said something that stopped me in my tracks.

"Mr. Marshall, you know what's weird? My mom actually asks me about this class now."

"Yeah? What does she ask?"

"Like, real questions. Not just 'how was school' but 'did you figure out that loop problem' and 'show me what you're building.' She's never done that before with any class."

I looked at him. "What do you think changed?"

"You called her right in front of me when I figured out that hard algorithm. Told her how proud you were of me. She said no teacher had ever done that before."

That conversation reminded me why I do what I do.

During my lab periods, I make parent phone calls. Not just the difficult ones about problems, but celebration calls. The ones where I get to brag about what their kid accomplished.

And I don't hide in my office to make these calls. I do it right there in my classroom where students can see and hear me telling their parents how creative they are, how they persevered through challenges, how much they've grown.

Here's what happens when kids watch you call their parents with good news:

They realize you're not just doing this for one student. They know that if you'll celebrate Ethan's breakthrough, you'll notice theirs too. They see a teacher who believes communication builds bridges instead of walls.

When I hand the phone to a student after I've just celebrated their work, something magical happens. The kid beams. The parent's voice lights up. And every other student in that room thinks, "I want to earn that call."

The ripple effects are immediate.

When parents hear from me regularly about positive things, classroom management becomes a partnership. When their child comes home frustrated about an assignment or claims I'm being unfair, the parent knows there's more to the story—because they've heard my genuine excitement about their kid's potential.

Students stop testing boundaries because they know their families will hear about everything—accomplishments and areas for growth. But mostly, kids start believing that someone cares enough about their success to pick up the phone and share their pride.

I've been having conversations like this for over thirty years.

With parents who felt disconnected from their child's education. With teachers who wanted deeper family partnerships but didn't know where to start. With students who'd never heard an adult call home just to celebrate them.

These conversations don't happen in formal meetings or scheduled conferences. They happen spontaneously when learning clicks. They happen after school when students linger because they feel genuinely valued. They happen through texts when parents want to share a breakthrough they witnessed at home.

That's why Volume II exists.

Not to give you another framework to follow, but to capture the conversations that transform how we think about this work. To help you articulate what you already know but maybe haven't found words for yet.

Every chapter begins with real moments like Ethan's. Authentic interactions that remind us why relationships are the foundation of everything else we do.

Then it explores questions that matter: How do we create environments where students feel truly seen? What does authentic partnership with families actually look like? How do we maintain hope when external pressures threaten to overwhelm us?

Because here's what three decades have taught me:

The moment you prioritize genuine connection over procedural compliance, education becomes what it was meant to be. Students stop being challenges to manage and become individuals with unique gifts to discover. Parents stop being outsiders and become allies in their child's growth.

But transformation doesn't happen because you implement a new strategy. It happens through honest conversations with people who share your commitment to what matters most.

I'm not asking you to consume another professional development resource.

I'm inviting you into dialogue that education desperately needs. The kind that acknowledges both struggles and solutions. The kind that centers relationships while being practical about realities. The kind that remembers we're here to help young people flourish.

Next week, we're exploring something remarkable: How individual teachers choosing connection over compliance creates momentum that spreads. How one classroom focused on relationships influences hallway culture, which transforms school climate, which changes entire communities.

Because when we get this right, the impact extends far beyond any single lesson or semester.

Find more resources and join the conversation at WeAreAcademicAllies.com.