🎓 Kickoff to a Fresh Year: Baller Extensions, Be Creative, + an Ai Cheating Rulebook! 👑

Written By Tyler Tarver

⏰ TL;DR

👋 REAL TALK

Most days my 9‑year‑old hops in the car, and when him what he learned at school, we get the classic “I dunno” or â€œđŸ€·.”

Yeah, super fun convos.

Then one day, he lights up about one of his classes. Why was he hyped? Nope, wasn’t multiplying by 3s
it was because a teacher played songs from K‑Pop Demon Hunters during class.

Boom.

Tiny move, massive buy‑in.

You can’t build a skyscraper on Jell‑O (ya hear me, Jim Halpert?)!

Spend the first nine weeks pouring concrete and getting that solid foundation in your classroom.

Learn names fast and use them often.

Take notes of their passions, then plug them into class like cheat codes.

Celebrate tiny wins at the door.

Steal examples from their playlists, cleats, and sketchbooks.

When kids (and adults) feel seen and understood, they’ll run through walls for you like they’re trying to board Platform 9Ÿ.

Lay the foundation now and the rest of the year is gonna roll smoother than that song “Soda Pop” that my kid still won’t stop singing. 😂

You got this.

Much love,

Dr. T

🙌 SPONSOR SHOUTOUT!

Big thanks to TeachAid for sponsoring a portion of this email and (more importantly) for giving teachers their time back!!

TeachAid builds full, standards‑aligned units (lessons, assessments, slides, + more) customized to YOUR students, with scaffolds and IEP support, interactive delivery, and an AI tutor that gives real‑time feedback!

Try it out here âžĄïž TeachAid

Here’s a little video I made showing some of the things I loved when trying it out for the first time!

HUGEEEE thanks again to TeachAid for sponsoring a portion of this email blast!!

If you get a chance to check them out, please do and tell them I sent you! 😁

đŸ“„ THE DROP

Quick wins, free tools, and classroom-ready ideas I’d forward a teacher BFF to save time and teach even better!

đŸ§© Free Resource of the Week - TeacherTab!

My guy Buzz (creator the the PHENOMENAL Chrome Extension Revision History) saw one of my videos about the free resource Teacher Classroom Resource Hub (still dope, but not as good as what I’m about to show you
) and he said WATCH ME COOK!!

Ever wish when you started a new tab on your Google Chrome, it was like a hub for everything a BEAUTIFUL teacher would want or need?

YOU’RE IN LUCK!

Buzz took my hub idea and turned it into a FREE Google Chrome Extension!

Introducing
TeacherTab!

Now, every time you start a new tab, all the main stuff you might need as an educator gonna pop up like Orville Redenbacher!

Everything from sites to extensions to motivation to my free teacher templates!

đŸ§© Get it for free here and thanks again to Buzz for making this amazing extension! âžĄïž TeacherTab Chrome Extension

🎓NEW LIVESTREAM LAUNCHING THIS WEEK!!

Been a long time coming!

Y’all, I’m doing a brand new FREE livestream and it’s called Admin Playbook Live!

It’s built with admins in mind (that’s why it’s happening during the work day), but teachers can get a lot out of it as well (imho)!

On this inaugural episode, I’m walking through the full process of building a NotebookLM specifically for teacher evaluations (so admins can save time AND teachers can prep smarter).

At the end, you’ll walk away with your own notebook, or just snag mine and call it a day 😁

We’ll do it live so you can ask questions, toss in ideas, and then you can rewatch anytime if you’re busy calling Jimmy’s parents cause he was chunking wet toilet paper on the ceiling!

đŸŽ„ Join live here on Wednesday, September 3 @ 9am CST!

đŸ—“ïž Add it to your Calendar here (livestream link is in the description)!!

đŸ› ïž Tech Tip

If you have any lengthy Digital Notebooks in Google Slides, I HIGHLY recommend you have a navigation page.

It just saves dat time and them kiddos can get there quicker (or have less excuses on why they’re slow 😂)!

Here’s what I’m talking about.

Also, here’s a free notebook with one if you’d just rather adapt it (instead of creating one from scratch)!

đŸŽ„ Click here to see how to add this to any slide you got!

⏳ Time Saver

Email Templates in Gmail!

Think of the main emails you have to send to students and parents and admin throughout the year.

Now, you need to go in and create email templates in Gmail to autofill those mugs!

Want some example templates to copy/paste in there?

Dope, here are some you can take!

đŸŽ„ Here’s my quick demo + a way you can use it!

đŸ§Ș Hack of the Week

How to remember anything long-term.

Hint: Tie it to something you can sing.

CONJUNCTION JUNCTION WHAT’S YOUR FUNCTION!

For real.

Use ChatGPT or Gemini to put anything you want to teach students to a song!

đŸŽ„ Peep my quick lil viddie on it here

👹‍🔬 LEARNING LAB

A few lil chicken nuggets I’ve been learning, lol-ing, or lowkey stealing ideas from (and you can, too)!

đŸŽ„ Video I Liked

Graham Weaver video on the 4 things he shares with his students that he’s learned in his life.

Teachers, we’ve all got this deep passion for helping kids learn, but that doesn’t mean it’s our only passion.

I absolutely love education, leadership, and helping teachers
but I also love something that matters wayyyyyyy less (sports cards).

Yep, little rectangles of cardboard that everyone quit caring about once they turned 12.

However, that “side passion” has led to some wild opportunities, like having dinner with Derek Jeter and even having my favorite NBA player recognize me at a game. đŸ”„

Here’s what I want you to hear:

Don’t be afraid to chase the stuff that lights you up outside of the classroom.

Those passions not only give you energy, but they also open doors you never could’ve scripted.

Keep teaching, keep leading, but also keep building the parts of you that make you a human!!

đŸŽ„ Watch the clip here

💬 Rock the Quote

“If you wait until you’re ready, you’ll be waiting forever. Start messy.”
— Graham Weaver

Let’s be real, most of us were A or B students growing up, and somewhere along the way we picked up this idea that we have to be perfect all the time.

But here’s the truth: you don’t have to be a perfect teacher, and you definitely don’t have to be a perfect human.

Wanna to try a new strategy in class?

Do it.

Wanna try a dope sounding student engagement technique?

Go for it.

If it completely flops, just be honest with your students: “Hey, we tried something new, here’s what we learned, and now we’ll make the next one better.”

Life doesn’t reset when you get to the end, so chase the ideas, take the risks, and live it the way you want to live it.

đŸ€– Prompt of the Week

"What up, ChatGPT! Please take my next lesson topic (insert lesson plan topic here) and generate three different bell ringer questions: one that’s super easy to build confidence, one that stretches critical thinking, and one that’s creative or fun."

📚 Tarver Book Club

BOOK

The Creative Act: A Way of Being

AUTHOR

Rick Rubin

RECAP

Rubin treats creativity as a way of paying attention and steadily refining. In class, that looks like protecting the fragile “seed” stage, using clear constraints to focus thinking, and teaching students to improve work by removing what doesn’t serve the idea.

TAKEAWAYS

Creativity is a practice, not a lightning bolt.

Protect early drafts, add simple constraints, and coach students to refine by subtraction.

Cut. Out. What. Doesn’t. Matter. Unless it matters for the culture you wanna set in your classroom.

Notice more, judge less: make room for messy first tries, then edit.

Constraints create focus: clear boundaries unlock better student ideas.

Be the gardener, not the engineer: set calm routines, give attention, let ideas grow!

PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Start projects with 6–8 minutes of quiet “seed time” where students capture ideas without evaluation, then have them remove one element from their draft to make the main idea clearer, followed by two curiosity questions from a peer instead of a grade!

🔐 THE VAULT

Weekly highlighted tips, trainings, & resources just for the Honor Roll VIPs! đŸ‘©â€đŸ« Admin âžĄïž get full access for your ENTIRE school!

đŸ„‹ Skill to Help You

Ain’t no time like the present AM I RIGHT?

Nah but for real, if you do any of the course modules this time of year, probs need to start with this one.

Cause you know them kids be wild and cheatin like Ross from Season 4 of F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

You need a classroom policy, for reals. This module walks you through it! (Again, this is for Honor Roll VIPs)!

đŸŽ„ Trainings to Save Time

Wanna cram the 6-Hour AI Teacher Playbook Masterclass into 2 hours?

Dope!

I did a training for a WONDERFUL school recently and wanted to give y’all access!

Knock this lil guy out over your next couple prep periods and save yourself 3 hours a week!

đŸŽ€ Steal this Slide Deck

“Emotional Intelligence in Leadership”

It’s easy to keep your cool like a polar bear when everything is chill.

But it takes another level of leader to do that when stuff starts hitting the fan like Ron Artest!

If you in the Honor Roll and wanna teach and/or review some slides on this with your students (or your teachers), go in and make a copy and turn it into exactly what you need!

Hope it helpsssss!!

📂 Steal the Slides Here

✈ Places I’ll Be

Starting a new section for any of y’all that might wanna come hang with me at a conference coming up! I’m leaving off school-specific speaking engagements, unless they said it’s coolio if I invite friends. 😁

  • 9.22.2025 - Google GEG Michigan Virtual Presentation

  • 9.25.2025 - Admin Leadership Training - Region 10 ESC - Richardson, TX

  • 10.8.2025 - FBLA Fall Conference - Greenwood, AR

  • 10.1.2025 - RetroFest - Conway, AR

  • 11.5-7.2025 - GaETC Featured Speaker - Atlanta, GA

  • 12.4-5.2025 - TETC 2025 - Chattanooga, TN

  • 3.5.2026 - NCTIES 2026 - Raleigh, NC

Hope I can throw you some resources/tips/motivation and maybe we can even dap each other up like the “rizz kids” in gym class! 😂

If you want me to speak at your school and/or conference, hit me up! Snagging days for next summer now! 🙌

✌Epilogue

Spend the first nine weeks on a Student Learning Tour.

Learn names, stories, and what lights your students up!

Keep a simple passion map and weave those interests into examples, prompts, and problems.

Those little wins can add up to big wins in learning.

When students see themselves in the work:

attention rises,

trust grows,

& learning moves faster!

💌 Never Stop Learning!

-Dr. Tyler Tarver

🎯 P.S. If you’re starting school this month, make sure to snag all my free templates and make a copy of whatever can help you and your students!

Tyler Tarver
Next

🎓 Back to School Starter Kit for Teachers 🙌 w/Templates, Tech Tips & Trainings OH MY!