Teaching Thought 105

Teaching Thought #105

The second best method for me to offer my own PD: books.

This summer has been an onslaught for reading. I’ll list the books I read this summer and my picks for overall best PD books I’ve ever read.

The summer of 2018

Tom Romano’s Write What Matters. If you’re an English teacher, this is essential. It’s a bit of an update of his classic, The Crafting of Authentic Voice, but it’s still excellent reading full of ideas to test out.

Chip and Dan Heath’s – The Power of Moments. This has me really re-thinking my lessons and the experiences I craft in my classroom.

James Alan Sturtevant’s Hacking Engagement Again. This was a super-quick read (I read it on my way to SF for the choir trip). It is written by a teacher for teachers. The hacks are super simple, and, best of all, Sturtevant shows you ways you could begin using the hack right away. A great bang for your buck.

Cal Newport’s Deep Work. This is on my reading horizon. But if you’re concerned about your ability to get work done – and more importantly – your students’ ability to disconnect and really work, this book is for you. I’m a huge fan of Newports.

Best PD books –

Anything by Patrick Lencioni. My favorite is The Ideal Team Player. I’m not a huge fan of allegory or fables, which is why I cannot stomach anything written by Jon Gordon. It’s just too easy to make up the narrative to meet the needs of your research, as opposed to the other way around. But Lencioni’s fable isn’t quite so heavy handed as Gordon’s work.

Good to Great by Jim Collins. Heavy and dense, but if you’re a leader and you want to know how organizations (not just businesses) last and why they last, this work is for you. I could re-read it once a month for the rest of my life and still not be able to digest it all.

Teach Like a PIRATE by Dave Burgess. I know it’s not for everybody. But this book speaks to me because, as an educator, this is what I aspire to be. When you boil the book down, the main point is this – think of teaching and three interlocking circles. One is standards. One is methods. We all are focused on those two. But the third, and one of the most important, is presentation. Too often we neglect that one. The presentation circle is what helps get kids fired up for what you’re going to read or work on. If you’re just presenting knowledge, well, that train left about 35 years ago.

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. Isn’t this why we all really teach? Either you’re Mitch or you’re Morrie. Either is worthy.