Summer is a great time to rest, relax, recharge, and read! Our awesome co-teachers over in our email community shared some great titles with us. We’ve compiled a list of the best books for teachers to read as part of their summer reading and throughout the year.
Best Books for Teachers to Read
Reading some inspirational teacher books can help motivate and reignite your passion. Here are few books that teachers are reading and enjoying.
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How to Love Teaching Again
How to Love Teaching Again draws on real-life struggles from the teachers who have used Jamie Sears’ strategies to overcome burnout and make the most of their time. This book gives you specific steps to stop drowning in to-dos and do the work that inspires you.
Ron Clark is a successful teacher, administrator, school owner, and author. Through his story and books, it is evident that he cares about his students. He comes up with different ways of motivating students to come to school. He has written several books, and the following two are great easy reads that will motivate you as a teacher. For this reason, I am including two of his books on the list of best books for teachers to read.
The Essential 55
In The Essential 55, Ron Clark helps prepare parents and educators to teach students the rules for life. He discusses everything from knowing how to say thank you to doing well in an interview.
The Excellent 11
Ron Clark pinpoints what it takes to make a great student in The Excellent 11. He discusses the qualities needed to educate children and becoming a great teacher or parent. This book has hundreds of suggestions, stories, and entertaining anecdotes. It will have you smiling and finding the inspiration to change lives, one student at a time.
Teach Like a Pirate
Teach Like a Pirate is definitely one of my favorites. I’ve read it several times throughout my summers off. This book gives you ideas on how to make learning fun for your students by incorporating music, themes, and more. It is an easy read that will motivate you and having your highlighting so many great ideas.
The First Days of School
The First Days of School is presently on its 5th edition. On Amazon, it has a 4.7 star review with over 2,600 reviews! The stats speak for themselves. The book walks a teacher through structuring and organizing a classroom for success. It can be applied at any time of the year at any grade level, pre-K through college.
The Book Whisperer
The Book Whisperer is a guide to waking up the inner reader in every student. Donalyn Miller provides hands-on strategies for managing and improving your school library and tactics for helping students become independent readers that take their habits with them. This book provides strategies that can help you motivate your students to read an average of 40 books per year.
Notice and Note
In Notice and Note, Kylene Beers and Robert E. Probst introduce 6 “signposts.” These signposts alert readers to significant moments in a work of literature and encourage students to read closely. It teaches students first to spot these signposts. Then, it teaches students to question them. This enables readers to explore the text finding evidence to support their interpretations. These strategies are especially great for gifted students.
Reading Nonfiction: Notice & Note Stances, Signposts, and Strategies
After their success with Notice and Note, Kylene Beers and Robert E. Probst wrote Reading Nonfiction: Notice & Note Stances, Signposts, and Strategies. They have developed interlocking scaffolds that every student can use to go beyond a superficial reading.
Kids Deserve It!: Pushing Boundaries and Challenging Conventional Thinking
Kids Deserve It!: Pushing Boundaries and Challenging Conventional Thinking came highly recommended from several of our co-teachers. Todd Nesloney and Adam Welcome encourage teachers to think big and make learning fun and meaningful for students. They discuss the importance of making positive contacts with parents periodically to praise their child. They promote family interaction and discuss ways to improve relationships for kids at school and at home.
Hopefully this list of the best books for teachers to read helps you find some inspirational reads throughout the summer and throughout the year. Let us know in the comments what your favorite professional book has been so far.
