Between Kristie and I we average 2-3 books a week from amazon.com. I’ve never met someone who can devour serious fiction the way Kristie does: The Bell Jar, Cain River, Memoirs of a Geisha, Night, Sophie’s Choice, A Hundred Years of Solitude, Cry, The Beloved Country, and a dozen more I’ve forgotten. While she reads those, I tend to gravitate toward books on teaching.
The other day Kristie asked, as she noted a new teaching text next to the sink, “Do you think other teachers read as much about teaching as you do?”
This has got me to wondering how much others read on teaching. I know a few colleagues who devour professional texts as quickly as I do (well, I can’t say I really devour them they way Kristie does Night, for example. I tend to dig into them and get what I need out of them and then move on.)
And so without sounding too pompous I thought I’d compile a list of my favorite texts on teaching (specifically teaching English and writing). I would not have thought to do this had I not come across a similar list on amazon.com one day.
Here it is . . . drum roll please (and don’t worry, I’ll see if I can get Kristie to compile a list of her top ten favorite books) --
10. "The I-Search Paper" by Ken Macrorie -- One of the first real assessable professional texts I came across. I read it in grad school and it was one of the first books to really give me the ammunition to attack the five paragraph theme.
9. “Clearing the Way” by Tom Romano -- You’ll see his name on here later. This was the first of his texts that I read. It’s a bit dated - as is “The I-Search Paper,” but Romano has a passion for student writing and voice that is remarkable. A lot of good ideas and strategies in there.
8. “Updrafts” edited by Roy Fox -- This is a text full of essays from teachers focusing on renewal. How do the best teachers stay fresh and relevant? It was a shot in the arm for me. I read it while in the truck with my father during spring break, so it has become linked to that memory. But it’s worth the read.
7. “A Disgrace to the Profession” by Charles Newton and Gretchen Kauffman. This is a work of fiction based, almost certainly, on a real situation. The title refers to how incompetent and/or tyrannous administrators ruin education. This offered me so much hope and validation in my plight that I finished it in two sittings. Nick Staal, one of the main characters, is what I wish I could be as a teacher. This is a must read for ANY teacher in ANY discipline.
6. “The English Teacher’s Companion” by Jim Burke. I used this with a methods class I helped teach when I was in grad school. I hadn’t read it since, but this year I picked it up again and now, eight years into the profession, I have gotten a lot more out of it these last few months than I have before. This is an exhaustive book on all aspects of teaching English. I wish I would have had this as an introductory text than that damned Harry Wong’s book “The First Day” or whatever that horrible little books is called.
5. “The Reading/Writing Connection” by Carol Booth Olson. I read this when I was part of the Red River Valley Writers Project a few years ago. When I read it right away, I was pissed off. It seemed like so much ‘pie in the sky’ to me. However, after discussing it with others, my attitude began to change. This book is exhaustive too. What I realized quickly was that I got pissed off at it and thought it was ‘pie in the sky’ because I knew so little about what I really was doing in my classroom. So now I tackle this baby bit by bit and work it into my teaching. This has some great strategies in it.
4. “Spitwad Sutras” by Robert Inchausti. This is the story of a first year teacher and his initiation into the world of higher ed. When I read this I think, “I know exactly what you mean” or “I hate it when that happens.” I find myself cringing at some of his mistakes and smiling at his ultimate triumphs. It is the story of a victory in a tough situation, but I could never do what he does with his classes.
3. “The Familiar Essay” by Mark Christensen. A short, smart book. This has one of the best collections of student essays. Several are incredible - “Time Keeps on Slipping,” “A Girl Needs to Know How to Defend Herself,” “Wheels of Perspective,” and “Coon Hunt” are all short essays by college students that I share in my writing classes. These essays are what my kids can write - impactful and voiceful. Plus the introduction is a great personal essay - one that models the very strategies it discuss. And the professional and popular essays are well chosen too.
2. “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom. What does this have to do with teaching? Everything! I have read this at least six times - once with a class of sophomores - and it changes me each time. When I get bogged down with students’ bad attitudes, the administrations’ ineptitude, and my own doubts, I read this and get a jolt. We should all have at least one teacher like Morrie. We should all strive to impart some of Morrie’s lessons.
1. “Crafting Authentic Voice” by Tom Romano. This is so far and away my favorite text on writing that it probably isn’t close. When I read this two Christmases ago, I found myself highlight and scribbling notes on the whole damn thing. And I’ve read it several times since. His chapter “The Five-Paragraph You-Know-What” is just a hoot. Plus he really focuses on developing voice in student writing and developing style - both things that most students don’t have a clue about. So much of it is applicable to what I do every day as a writing teacher. His essay “We Three Kings” and his poem “Morning Coffee” are staples in all my writing classes. His sample student essay “Meeting Dad” is another staple. Plus Romano’s voice and style are worth reading. When he throws in student examples and narratives from his life and career, it’s like cheesecake with extra strawberries. It’s that good.
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