Launch Day: Beyond the Lesson Volume II Is Here!

I Almost Quit Public Education in May 2001

Three months into my first traditional public school job, I picked up the phone and called my former supervisor at the California Department of Corrections. I'd gone from being the go-to guy everyone knew to the neediest person on campus. From a 20-minute commute to an hour each way. From expertise to asking for help with my login.

"Is my old position still available?"

Without hesitation, he offered me my job back. Just like that—an escape route.

But that night at my men's Bible study, the speaker shared an analogy that stopped me cold:

A train running with full momentum can break through a brick wall. But a single brick placed on the tracks can keep that same train from ever getting started.

The message was unmistakable: If you're moving forward, keep moving forward. Don't let one brick stop the train.

The next day when my former supervisor called to follow up, I heard something in his voice—that subtle tone of "I told you you wouldn't like it"—and that's when I knew.

I told him about the momentum message. And then I said it out loud, maybe as much for myself as for him:

"I'm not running back. I'm going to bloom where I'm planted. That single brick isn't going to stop this train."

That decision—to keep building momentum through the struggle instead of retreating to comfort—became the foundation of everything that followed in my 30-year teaching career.

And That's Exactly Where You Are Right Now

Maybe you're not in May 2001, but you're in your May moment:

• You know those seven-minute phone calls to parents matter more than the compliance checklist on your desk.

• You know the relationship with Marcus matters more than his test score.

• You know authentic connection changes lives.

But somewhere between knowing and doing, the system gets in the way.

The meetings multiply. The mandates pile up. The documentation demands more time than your students do.

And slowly, you start surviving instead of serving.

Here's what educators tell me every week:

"I went into teaching to change lives, not manage spreadsheets."

"I feel like I'm choosing between what the system wants and what my students need."

"I remember why I loved this work. I just can't find it anymore."

If you've ever felt that way—if that's exactly where you are right now—then Beyond The Lesson: Volume II was written specifically for you.

Not More Professional Development. A Mentor Who Gets It.

This isn't another book asking you to do more. It's a conversation with someone who's been exactly where you are—caught between supporting people and managing systems, between what's right for kids and what's easy for adults.

After three decades across correctional education, Title I schools, district administration, and now teaching computer science, I've learned something that matters:

The educators who survive this profession aren't the ones with perfect lesson plans. They're the ones who remember their "why" and build momentum through the struggle.

Inside Volume II, you'll find:

The Stories Nobody Else Will Tell You

• The phone call I made back to the prison system when I was ready to quit.

• The student who compared me to Jesus because I gave him a snack.

• The Friday afternoon when I put away computers in my computer science class and discovered what students really need.

• The parent who cried good tears because a teacher finally bragged about her kid.

The Questions That Cut Through the Noise

• Not more checklists, but the questions that help you rediscover what matters.

• What does genuine partnership actually look like when you're drowning in mandates?

• What would you do differently if you stopped leading out of fear?

• What small win could you create tomorrow that reminds you why this matters?

Permission to Trust Yourself Again

• To believe what you know about your students matters more than what distant mandates assume.

• To lead with your values, not just your job description.

• To choose connection over compliance when they conflict.

• To build momentum through struggle instead of retreating to comfort.

Why This Book Exists: Because of Students Like Kayla

I walked into my computer lab recently and found a handwritten note from Kayla:

"Mr. Marshall, my mom said to tell you thank you for calling her last week. She said she's never had a teacher who cared enough to brag about her kid to her face. Made her cry. (Good tears.) She wanted me to tell you that changed how she thinks about school."

That phone call took seven minutes.

Seven minutes that transformed a parent's entire perception of what's possible between home and school.

And that's exactly the problem most educators face:

You know those seven-minute moments matter more than the compliance checklist. You know the relationship matters more than the test score. You know authentic connection changes lives.

But you've forgotten how to make space for what matters most.

The Real Question Isn't "Should I Buy This Book?"

The real question is: Are you ready to rediscover why you chose education in the first place?

Because here's what I know after 30 years:

The educators who remember their "why" are the ones who survive this profession. They're the ones still showing up with energy fifteen years in. They're the ones students remember decades later. They're the ones who transform schools, one authentic relationship at a time.

That could be you. That should be you.

But it won't happen by accident. Not in systems designed to prioritize everything except what actually matters.

It happens when you make the intentional choice to keep building momentum—even when one brick tries to stop your train.

Your Momentum Moment Starts Now

After reading Volume II, one parent wrote: "You are making a huge impact on the kids who are lucky enough to have you."

A student shared: "Mr. Marshall is an amazing teacher who truly cares about how his students are doing. He makes learning enjoyable and something to look forward to."

But my favorite response came from a former student, Philip, who's now a tattoo artist and father of three: "Mr. Marshall creatively influenced young minds not through fear or shame, but through encouragement and small gestures that plant the seed. But it's up to you to water it."

That's what this book does—it plants seeds and helps you water them.

If you're tired of surviving when you became an educator to serve...

If you're ready to lead from purpose instead of pressure...

If you want to rediscover what made you fall in love with education...

Visit WeAreAcademicAllies.com today.

Get this for yourself. Get it for your team. Get it for that colleague who's in their own May moment, ready to make the call back to their comfort zone.

Because seven-minute phone calls that change everything don't happen by accident. They happen when educators remember what matters most and choose to lead accordingly.

The brick won't stop your train. Keep moving forward.

The conversation that restores your purpose starts now.

WeAreAcademicAllies.com