Very hard to put down as can definitely read in one sitting. A heartwarming collection of short anecdotes, which is perfect for new teachers or anyone with contact with children.

The book includes both the good and not-so-good stories with his kids, which I found to be so real.

4.5stars

Sticky Notes is a collection of short stories by Matthew Eicheldinger from his years of teaching and the lessons he's learned from his students. Some of the stories were funny and a few were sad. I love how kind and patient Eicheldinger was with his students. It was a quick read, but the short stories were great.

This was a sweet collection of stories written by a middle school teacher remembering the lives he touched and the things he learned from his students. There was nothing particularly earth-shattering or ground-breakingly new about Eicheldinger's takeaways, but it was a nuanced reminder of everything we expect teachers to be to their students: educators, therapists, friends, mentors, and more. This title feels like it would be best suited for fellow teachers and parents, but anyone is likely to find a tidbit or two that they can relate to.

A few of the most memorable takeaways for me were:

"Who hasn't had the opportunity to shine yet, and how can we give them the chance?"
"I try to treat every moment like it could be the beginning of something incredible."
"I once heard individuals are created from the best pieces learned from other people."

This is a cute, easy book with each story detailing an interaction between the author, who is a teacher, and his student(s). Each incident provides a surprise opportunity to think about circumstances, people, and life differently. It's nothing profound or earth shattering (I wish the teacher/author had developed each story a bit more. They are only a few sentences each), but it's good for what it is and cute to read about the kids and hear what the teacher gains from them.

What a beautiful book, it actually made me cry a few times so warning to other sensitive souls: bring the tissues.
I just have to say Mr. Eich is an amazingly empathetic and kind person and I would have killed to have a teacher like that when I was at school.
This book in essence is pretty simple but also really deep. It shows how seemingly small acts can have such a deeper meaning without us even realizing.

This book was just what I needed. The stories within these pages inspired me and taught me little lesson I didn't even know I need.
I recommend this book to anyone who needs a pick me up.

I feel so honored to obtained an ARC through Netgalley. This book is a 5 star gem! It’s a quick read, but it contains powerful truth bombs and encouraging moments that may leave you a little teary and in awe of middle schoolers too!
This is not mind blowing prose, but rather easy to read snippets from Eicheldingers career that have impacted him—-and will certainly impact other educators as well.

Thank you so much to both NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this eARC copy.
This book is so simple -- just notes from a middle school teacher about experiences he'd had over the years -- and yet it managed to make me cry multiple times. First off, I just want to say that the author is a much better teacher, and probably human being, than I think I could ever be. He would detail his responses to students' behavior and each time it left me floored just how kind and empathetic he managed to be. He responded with love and respect to all the students, and it made me rethink my initial assumptions about every situation and how I would react. This book genuinely inspired me to be a kinder and more empathetic person, which I was not expecting from such a simple collection of moments from a 6th grade teacher. Also, teachers are literally superhuman because I could never do any of that.