Hey folks! John here.
Six years ago this week, something wild happened. I hit “publish” on a book that had been rattling around in my brain for years — and EDrenaline Rush officially entered the world.
What started as a personal manifesto for reimagining classroom engagement quickly became something much bigger. It was a call to action for teachers who were tired of playing it safe. A blueprint for bringing energy, creativity, and purposeful play back into our classrooms. And, truthfully? It changed the trajectory of my entire career.
Since EDrenaline Rush first hit the shelves, I’ve had the chance to speak with tens of thousands of educators across the country and beyond. I’ve led workshops, delivered keynotes, and coached teachers at every grade level to rethink the role of excitement and emotional investment in the learning process. Most importantly, I’ve seen firsthand what happens when we treat instruction like an experience instead of a worksheet — and the results are nothing short of transformational.
But perhaps the biggest plot twist of all? This book is what brought me together with the one and only Michael Matera, gamification guru and celebrated author of eXPlore Like a Pirate.
What began as a mutual appreciation for student-centered, game-inspired learning quickly turned into something more. We teamed up, and together we co-founded EMC² Learning — this amazing platform we put together for educators who believe everyday learning should feel like a student-centered adventure. What started with a single book for each of us has grown into a community of thousands of Engagement Engineers around the globe, with a growing library of 1,000+ classroom resources designed to put play, purpose, and pedagogy into every lesson.
For me, EDrenaline Rush is still the foundation.
Every time I revisit its pages — or hear from a reader who’s just discovered it for the first time — I’m reminded why we do this work. Why we keep creating. Why we keep showing up. Because the message of EDrenaline Rush is just as urgent today as it was in 2019: students deserve more than passive learning. They deserve to be swept up in something EPIC.
Six years and a few hundred five star ratings on Amazon later, and it feels as if a worldwide community of teachers (and readers!) seem to agree. Take a look:
Six years later, I’m proud to say that EDrenaline Rush still packs a punch. It’s every bit as relevant, fun, and action-packed today as the day it was released — and we’re just getting started.
So whether you’ve been with us since day one or you’re brand new to the EMC² Learning community — thank you. Thank you for believing in better. Thank you for betting on joy. And thank you for being part of this incredible ride.
If you haven’t read EDrenaline Rush yet (or if you’re ready for a reread), you can check out the first few chapters for free using the link below.
Here’s to six years of meaningful mayhem — and many more to come!
The activities featured in this blog post are just a handful of the 1000+ resources available and on their way to arrive shortly in the EMC² Learning library. This entire library is available to all members with an active Engagement Engineer or Engagement Engineer PLUS account, and is included with your annual site membership. We hope you’ll consider joining us as an Engagement Engineer to unlock a full year of site access. For complete details including our exclusive limited time offer for annual site membership, click here.
