Summer Reading

During summer I often encounter friends and family that I haven't seen in awhile. As we catch up on one another's lives, they inevitably ask me one question: What have you been doing this summer? The simple answer is that I have been doing "lots".

Like most teachers, I spend time catching up on all the things I can't get to during the school year. This includes doctor appointments, household projects, and reading the newspaper while sipping tea on my front porch. And, like most teachers, I spend a good chunk of my summer working on my craft--reading books, attending conferences and PD sessions, planning lessons and engaging with my Professional Learning Network (PLN). As July wanes and my school's August 14 start date draws closer, I have been reflecting on my summer experiences and trying to capture the significance of each. This will be the first of a series of posts where I reflect on my summer experiences. My first reflection involves my summer reading.

Most of my summer has been spent reading.  I have read books that I can recommend to my students in the upcoming year and professional books that I believe will help me be a better teacher. I have always been a reader. Reading feeds my need for learning, while providing a relaxing break from the stresses of my day. During the summer I am able to read 2-3 books a week. I try to strike a balance between reading for fun and reading to grow professionally. Below are my top three picks in each category.

Reading for fun:
These books are a departure from my usual sci-fi choices. I read a lot of fiction so I can help students pick books during the school year. Former students will often visit me to see what I am reading and to recommend new books to me.

The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin
          --historical fiction based on Anne Lindbergh's life

Where Did You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple
         --fiction centered around a comically dysfunctional family

You Killed Wesley Payne by Sean Beaudoin
         --fiction centered around a high school clique-entrenched murder mystery

Reading for professional growth: 
These books reflect my professional growth goals for the upcoming school. Once the school year begins, I have little time for this type of reading, so I try to read as much as possible during the summer. 

Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath
               --discusses practical ways to work through change

Everyone at the Table: Engaging Teachers in Evaluation Reform
by Ellen Behrstock-Sherrat, Allison Rizzolo, Sabrina Laine, & Will Friedman
           --focuses on getting teachers involved in conversations and decisions around teacher evaluations

Classroom Discussion by Dixie Lee Spiegel  
           --offers detailed examples, rubrics, and tips around conducting classroom discussions

So, reader, I am curious. What are reading this summer? What books get you ready to enter your buildings recharged and renewed? I am always looking for a good book.