I always loved reading; that is just one of the reasons I decided to pursue my dream of being an English teacher or as my NJ certificate states: Teacher of English. Unfortunately, once I accepted the role as a secondary educator, reading for “fun” had to take a back seat. Now, I had to channel my energy differently. I couldn’t peruse Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses just for the fun of it. Instead, I had to spend my time “unpacking” Common Core standards, planning differentiated lessons, creating authentic assessments, researching how to create effective rubrics, collaborating online with colleagues and communicating with parents. During the school year, my readings weren’t readings of choice, they were required readings. These readings included document based essays, research papers, thesis statements, outlines, and expository paragraphs. The only real time to engage in pleasurable reading would be in July and August when my toes were buried in the sand and the salty air kissed my skin; thus, I counted down the days…not because I didn’t want to be in the classroom with my students but because I just didn’t want to spend my nights and weekends reading essays. I yearned to read literature, varied literature that ranged from graphic texts to Caribbean novels.
I still wanted to read and learn more, so I went back to school to become a master of my practice and attain my supervisory and administrative certificate. It was that summer, the summer I returned to grad school, that I realized that I could be inspired, not only by novels and classics, but by non-fiction texts that provide instructional strategies and methods for being an effective instructor and leader. As the summer of 2015 approaches, I thought I would share some of these inspirational texts. Hopefully, they help you re-ignite your flame and rejuvenate your practice:
*Teach Like a Pirate: Increase Student Engagement, Boost Your Creativity, and Transform Your Life as an Educator (2012) by Dave Burgess. PIRATE is a convenient acronym that captures Burgess’s philosophy for how to hook students and prevent teacher burnout. He provides an uplifting reminder of identifying what’s holding teachers back from letting go and setting sail.
*Real Talk for Real Teachers (2014) by Rafe Esquith. You may know Esquith from his past two books, NYTimes best seller Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire… and There are No Shortcuts. He really inspires his students and breathes new life into their education. He’s an enthusiastic and upbeat writer who divides this book in three parts and offers advice for teachers at three stages in their careers: Part I for new teachers, Part II for those mid-career and Part III for veteran teachers.
The Motivation Equation: Designing Lessons that Set Kids’ Minds on Fire (2013) by Kathleen Cushman. Cushman provides insight into what teachers can do to improve student engagement from the voice of teenagers. She distills advice from students into eight areas teachers can improve to better motivate students such as make it relevant, keep it active, act like a coach, give students time to reflect, and more. Plus, it’s free as a multi-media ebook here!
Teaching that Matters: Engaging Minds, Improving Schools (2015) by Frank Thomas. Thomas presents a vision of schools where teachers want to teach and classrooms where students want to learn. Based on both experience and research, Thomas introduces a variety of strategies from taking “Internet Sabbaths” to Six Hat Thinking to improve student discussions.
The Natty Professor: A Master Class on Mentoring, Motivating, and Making it Work (2015) by Tim Gunn. From design instructor to mentor of Project Runway, Gunn speaks from the heart sharing the secrets to his success: It’s all about how we learn: not just in a classroom but every day, at any age in any situation. Gunn shares his tips for motivating others and sparking their curiosity while talking about the best and worst teachers he’s ever known. He shares his proven T.E.A.C.H philosophy: Truth-Telling, Empathy, Asking, Cheerleading and Hoping for the Best!
Please feel free to email me (kharmon@ctemc.org) if you are looking for specific literature to help enhance your instructional delivery, assessment, or lesson planning and pacing.
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