Summer is finally here, which means TEACHERS CAN READ AGAIN!! Last year I challenged teachers to a summer reading challenge, and my friends who participated enjoyed it. How can you not? You develop yourself personally or professionally (or you just flat out escape and let your imagination run wild).
I've found that the key to completing a summer reading challenge is:
- Picking books you love. Duh.
- Committing to a reasonable amount of reading per day. No more and no less. This will be different for everyone. Last year I read one chapter a day. This summer I'll probably do 2 or 3 because I'm reading more now.
- Keeping your list short.
- Changing up the genres. Maybe pick one health, one personal development, a few teacher books? It's important that you focus on all aspects of you as a person, not just your teacherness!
I've gathered a list of a few books that I think you should read. They will make you a happier person and a better teacher. Click the picture of each book to be taken to its Amazon page.
This book is AMAZING! I had no idea how terrible my sleep hygiene was before I started reading this book. I'm a much happier person now because of it. I love how easy to read Shawn Stevenson's writing style is; he tells you the science in an understandable way, then gives you PRACTICAL and EASY TO IMPLEMENT steps for your life that you can use immediately. Teachers--if we don't have more time to sleep, we had better sleep well!
This is a really nice book for helping you reach goals. It talks about six key self-development practices: meditation, affirmations, visualization, exercise, reading, and writing. I really love doing my Miracle Mornings. They definitely keep my focused on what is important to me. The idea is that you get up and do those 6 things first thing in the morning. It might mean waking up earlier during the year, but I actually found it extremely pleasant. I am NOT a morning person either, so that's saying a lot. They even have a 6-minute version for those of us who just CAN'T wake up an extra 30-60 minutes earlier. This was a fast read for me.
I recommended this book last year, but I will continue to do so. I think this book transformed my teaching practices more than any other book I've read. It's a quick read again (WHO WANTS TO READ SOMETHING THAT SOUNDS LIKE A TEXT BOOK!?), and it's practical and easy-to-implement. (Noticing a pattern in my recommendations?) You'll learn tons of strategies to improve parent communication, which will allow you to know your students on a deeper level.
This book will teach you everything you need to know about Morning Meeting to start it in your classroom. I bet it's even better than the book I have too, because it's the third edition! I have the first... womp womp! You'll learn the components of a Morning Meeting, why each component is so important, and examples of each component. I especially love the little problem-solving parts at the end of each chapter that help you with any problems you might run into. This is my favorite part of the school day. Even though I've run Morning Meetings every single year I've been teaching, I'm always reading about how to vary them, make them better, etc.
So, those are the books I recommend you read this summer! I promise you won't be disappointed. I haven't decided everything I'm going to read yet, but here are two books I am definitely going to read this summer:
Let's hope they're good! They both come highly recommended to me. What are you reading? Comment below!!
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