By the end of the school year, it can be a struggle to drag yourself out of bed. Summer is a great time to recharge that drained battery and get excited about teaching again. These easy summer reads for teachers are perfect for the beach, pool, or just a relaxing afternoon. While they don't take much time to read, they're sure to reignite your excitement for teaching and help you get ready for the hectic back-to-school season.
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5 Easy Summer Reads for Teachers
1. Chicken Soup for the Teachers Soul
Sometimes you just need some feel good stories to make you laugh about the classroom craziness. Like all the Chicken Soup books, this is a collection of short narratives, poems, and other goodies to remind you that what you do matters every single day.
Perfect any teacher's summer reading, I've appreciated this book even more since becoming a mom because I can read just 1-2 of the short stories when I find a few spare minutes or during nap.
2. The Essential 55
I read this book by Ron Clark for the first time years ago, and it was a favorite from the start. It's one of those great teacher books that I find myself returning to again and again.
This book is perfect as you start to consider how to adjust your classroom management for the new school year. Focused around the idea of fostering etiquette that will help your students be successful in and out of your classroom, this book will engage you from the first page.
Truth be told, any of Ron Clark's books are great for summer reading. His engaging style gives you ideas to use in your classroom. Even better, it inspires you to dream about how you can take your teaching to the next level.
Published in 2014, this is still a great book to help you get excited to prep for the new school year.
3. Teach Like a Pirate
First off, if you ever have the chance to see Dave Burgess speak at a teacher conference (or anywhere else for that matter…I am pretty sure he'd be just as engaging chatting in the Target parking lot) DO IT! He is one of the few people that I could go see again and again.
Now that I've got that out of the way, this book is an easy summer read. It is perfect for getting you geared up to reflect on last year's lessons and start thinking about engaging your new classroom of learners.
If you've been looking for a way to get excited about teaching again, this is a great book to pop into your beach bag.
4. Kids Deserve It! Pushing Boundaries & Challenging Conventional Thinking
Feeling a little less passionate about teaching than you used to? This book is a simple read to help reignite your spark. It includes super simple ways to engage families and get kids excited about learning. The focus is really on how you can build strong home-school partnerships and use them to engage learners.
You'll put this book down with a renewed vision of why you became a teacher and excited to brainstorm ways you can engage your students this year.
5. Fish in a Tree
Yes, I know this is a novel that might seem more appropriate to read with your students. Don't judge a book by it's cover. This is a great story centered around the challenges facing a struggling reader. And it is a great reminder of how a relationship with a teacher can transform a life.
Written for 4-8th graders, the text itself won't require much mental energy…the big idea, however, might. Whether you read this book aloud to your own children or read this book during some quiet time at the pool, you should most definitely add this to your summer reading list.
Read any of these books? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Or maybe you have another great summer read for teachers to add to the list. Share it in the comments below.
I hope you found some ideas for a few great summer reads. To get more great teaching tips and ideas be sure to follow me on:
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