‘Hacking Deficit Thinking’

New book for educators co-authored by woman with local ties

A new book for educators is about to make the rounds; and while we haven’t read it, what makes it enticing for our 517-area teachers is that one of the authors has strong ties to the region.

Dr. Kelsie Reed is a 2011 graduate of Holt High School and still has family here. She is now a practicing school psychologist in Maryland. Reed wrote “Hacking Deficit Thinking” with co-author Dr. Byron McClure. The book offers reframes that will change the way educators think about themselves, their students and their work.

As explained in the book, it is “intended primarily for teachers; administrators; and school-based support staff such as school psychologists, counselors and related service providers. It will also be helpful in teacher training programs or other graduate preparation courses that set the foundation for future educators.”

“Byron and I truly put our heart and soul into this book,” said Reed. “We know that the field of education is experiencing so much right now — the stress of attempting to return to ‘normalcy’ post-school-building closures in 2020, the pressure to be everything for everyone, the blame when things go wrong, etc.”

The two said there is an elephant in the room that needs to be addressed.

“When we blame ourselves or our students for things that go wrong in our classrooms, we are left feeling unequipped, unsuccessful and overworked,” said Reed. “When we learn to shift our thinking to focus on the strengths that we possess, the nontraditional strengths our most historically marginalized students and families possess, and the capacity of our schools to cultivate and shine light on those strengths — we feel empowered, and our students feel empowered.”

“Hacking Deficit Thinking” provides a number of hands-on strategies that educators can incorporate immediately. While rooted in best practices and evidence-based findings, the authors said they did the heavy lifting and translated all of it into user-friendly and easily digestible material.

For more information, visit hackingdeficitthinking.com and watch for the release of the book this fall.

Have you read an amazing book our readers would want to hear about? Send us a message at info@517mag.com.