Books I've Been Reading - Teaching!

In one of my previous posts, I talked to you about the blogging books that I had been reading.  After I read those, I wanted to switch gears a bit, and I picked up some books on teaching.  After a long haitus of being a stay at home mom, I am ready to get back into teaching again.  While it's been hard to find a full time teaching job, I'm excited to at least get into substituting in the district.  

Teachers are always learning and trying to better themselves, in order to better their ability to help their students.  I wanted to get my head back into the mindset of being a teacher (more than just a teacher to my own children) so I went to the library, and my local bookstore, to pick up some new reading material.  I wasn't necessarily looking for text book type books, because as useful as they are, I really wanted to read something a little more real.  What I enjoy reading are true encounters and books written by teachers that in the trenches, so to say.  I like reading about the everyday issues, and different ways to address them.  

With that in mind, here are the books about teaching that I have been reading this summer.  

Educating Esme by Esme Codell - I loved this book.  It was entertaining right from the start.  This book is a diary of her first year teaching, in the downtown Chicago public school district.  She is honest, fights for what she believes is right, and is always putting the kids best interest first.  I laughed with her and was shocked at behaviors with her.  It was a fun read, and hard to put down.

32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny by Phillip Done - Like the last book, this book was extremely entertaining also.  I guess I really like books that talk about the day to day of teaching.  He talks about hard times, and funny times.  He talks about dealing with parents, and dealing with difficult students.  There were a few times where I was laughing out loud, that I had to read parts to my husband because I found them so amusing.  Teaching is such a rewarding career, and never do you have the same day.  This books is a true encounter of a typical year in this 20 year veteran teacher's life.

What Great Teachers Do Differently by Todd Whitaker - I think this book should be required for all students earning their degree in education.  What he writes about really helps wrap your mind around how to change your perspective in order to be the best you can be for your teachers.  It has great advice such as how to build confidence in your students, how to form a relationship with them, how to discipline them without being against them and lots more.

Related Article:  Books I've Been Reading - Blogging

The Essential 55 by Ron Clark - This book is great for all teachers to read and reread.  They are great rules to live by in your classroom in order to help your students grow into great scholars and moral human beings as well.  It's so important to not just teach to the subjects, but also to the child, as we are their role models.  They look to us, as well as their parents, to learn how to act in the real world.  Ron Clark is great about laying out these rules, and it is a very entertaining and informative read.  I got this book from a book store (most I got from the library) and I'm really glad I'm able to keep this one because I can go back and reference it throughout the years.

The Excellent 11 by Ron Clark - After his first book took off so well, Ron Clark then wrote this one, and I'm glad he did.  He really is just so inspiring and his books are easy reads, but full of good advice.  His anecdotes that he recounts helps drive his point across, and are just very entertaining.  The topics in the chapters are general, but his words really get you thinking about how to change your perspective, and how to interact with the children.  This is a great book not only for teachers young and old, but parents as well!

Everything a New Elementary School Teacher Really Needs to Know by Otis Kriegel - This is a great book for anyone who wants to be a teacher.  He cuts right to it and helps you with tips and advice to get through the everyday school day.  Yes all the theory and teaching approaches are needed when going through school, but he talks about more than I ever learned.  He talks about how to deal with administration and parents.  He talks about how to set up your room, and what factors to think about.  He talks about how to squelsh those butterflies in your stomach before meet the teacher night and more.  His book talks about the practical things that happen and gives tips that teachers usually take a few years to learn.  It's a great book to read before your first year of teaching, or even after as a refresher!

Letters to a New Teacher - by Jonathon Kozol - While this book isn't written as casually as I'd like, meaning it almost reads more like a text book, it's still filled with inspiration and stories of actual teaching encounters.  As with most of these books, it really focuses on looking at more than the behavior of students, but rather, try to find out the root cause of said behavior and work at fixing that.  Jonathon Kozol obviously is very sincere and loves working with students.  His advice and words to the young teacher he is writing too is uplifting and encouraging.