Mr. Justin Matott came to Meadowlark and instantly gave vibes that quieted over five hundred 10 to 12-year-olds, which is not an easy feat. He began telling tales of his childhood that both engaged and resonated with the students. His stories reached out to those who are bullied and those who bully; those who are big, and those who are small; and even those who are adopted.  Mr. Matott spoke from the point of view of a bullied young man who used his resources, and his older brother, to overcome the challenges he faced.  He then involved the students in a writing workshop that they were sad to see end. The students raved about his visit, describing him as “hilarious” and “the Kevin Hart of book writing!”  We would highly recommend having him visit your school to speak to and inspire your students.

Sincerely,

Meadowlark Elementary  (Visit February 2023)

The Details:

We can plan YOUR day to meet YOUR objectives by email or by phone.

Because I focus on both literacy and anti-bullying subjects there are grants and financial opportunities available to defray the school’s outlay.

There have been a few occasions where I have visited a Title One school that a grant was provided to pay for the visit AND a book for each student signed and personalized. If you are a Title One school and need assistance getting an author visit, I can work directly with you to help.

My Professional Fee for local school visits (within 40 miles of 80108)  for a full day, including 2 assemblies and 2 workshops for $1200. 

The most common day usually includes an assembly for 1-3 and then 4-6 and two workshops for the intermediate students by grade groups. I can handle any size workshop.  I will be happy to stop by the Kindergarten room to speak briefly with those students if you prefer they not be in the assembly.

Additional assemblies and/or workshops are $275 each. The day can be adjusted to suit YOUR school's needs. 

Minimum school visit includes the half day option includes: 

two assemblies or one assembly and one workshop or two workshops and is $600.

Evening events are $500 and best performed after a daytime visit to the school.

For schools outside of the Denver metro area, the minimum is $1400 per day. 

For schools outside Colorado the minimum is $1500 per day.

Travel expense at $0.75 per mile driven, round trip (mapquest from 80108 for mileage) and other expenses such as parking at airport paid by school district.

Schools pay lodging, travel expenses, and meals ) I prefer not to have school lunches please, after over 500+ school lunches in the past years I have to request non-school lunches. (Per diem for meals @ $15 for breakfast, $20 for lunches and $35 for dinners.

I have visited out of state locations for a week at a time, seeing numerous schools and being involved in literacy meetings and parent nights. This is good for a school district to pool resources to share expenses for travel and lodging. 

Books ordered by students and staff prior to the school visit day will be supplied on the day of my visit. 

Please see the calendar link on my website and select several dates which work for you and send your date requests by email request to me at randomwrtr@aol.com 

So, we have agreed on a date.

We have a contract in place.

Now what?

It's time to get the school JAZZED UP!

After hundreds of school visits, this checklist will ensure the BEST day possible:

1. READ! READ! READ! my blog, my books, internet search results on me or books. YOU are trying to inspire the love of reading and writing, RIGHT? Involve your students in the preparation, get them excited! Some examples of past successes:

· I've walked into a school where EVERY homeroom door was decorated with one of my book's covers AND months prior to my visit they applied for and WON a grant to GIVE every student one of my books. 

· Art teachers in conjunction with language arts have had classes write and illustrate "sequels" to my picture books. Hallways decorated with scenes from my "dream" books by EVERY grade group. The excitement and buzz was UNREAL! 

(Sound like a lot of work? Harness the power of the PTA/PTO who will take the burden off the teachers when it comes to fun activities.)

2. The ASSEMBLY:  Please make sure ALL audio needs are in place and tested prior. A microphone and sound system BOOSTS my impact and the SOUND EFFECTS I use are a MUST. Forty-five minutes for the primary and one hour for the intermediate assembly is not a lot of time and we don't want to waste a moment!

Bottled water is requested and a table at the front of the gym with my books displayed would be terrific.

3. The WORKSHOPS:  Please try to have location with the following:

a. Large writing space, preferably a smart board or white board where the work I do with the students remains during the entire workshop and a pad of regular writing paper and pencil(s) for me to use at the end of the session will be perfect!

b. For whiteboard please have BOLD markers in several colors so the students in the back row can see too.

c. Please copy a template for each student participating. See my blog entry to select the appropriate forms - there's one for primary and one for intermediate.

4. BOOKS: Order a set of my books to circulate through the classrooms and for library reading/sharing time (descriptions available on Bookshop page).  The options for book orders include invoicing (2nd page of your contract), credit card and District and or school checks. In the instance where you write a personal check an invoice will be emailed to you for your records.

Students often want an autograph and if they don't have one of my books they ask for hands, shoes, and/or clothing to be signed.

See the bookmarks I have presigned here on the website.

I am happy to chat with teachers at lunch, or another idea is where I am involved in contests for kids (as the "prize") who read the most, write the most, or whatever barometer the school needs emphasized to "win a pizza lunch with Matott" where they usually come with prepared questions they or their classmates want answered.

If I haven't covered a specific question you have, please feel free to ask me at justin@justinmatott.com