My Summer Reading List

I have always been a big reader for as long as I can remember.  Every summer over the last several years I have spent time reading books to either make me a better teacher or a better administrator.  This summer I'm really excited about the books I am going to read.  In fact, I can't wait to order them and get started.

One of the first books I am going to read is Learn Like a Pirate by Paul Solarz(@paulsolarz).  It follows, in my opinion, the same theme of the book by Dave Burgess(@burgessdave), Teach Like a Pirate.  I really loved that book, so I can only imagine how much I'm going to like this one. As the advertisement says, it is all about empowering students to collaborate, lead and succeed.  What
teacher doesn't want that.

The next book I am going to read is a book by Patrick Lencioni (@patricklencioni) called The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.  This one is part of our summer administrator conference in the Indiana District of the LCMS.  The  principals of NE Indiana are leading this one.  I am really looking forward to learning how to grow and lead my staff better than I have in the past.  Great discussion alongside my fellow colleagues from the Ft. Wayne Lutheran schools should make it very engaging.

DITCH That Textbook by Matt Miller(@jmattmiller) one that has me intrigued more than anything. The word DITCH is an acronym which stands for: Different, Innovative, Tech-laden, Creative and Hands-on.  I love what the acronym stands for and find it interesting that, those the title seems to indicate it, he does not necessarily advocate for getting rid of textbooks.  We'll see how this one goes.

The last book I hope to read is one I just discovered called Pure Genius by Don Wettrick (@DonWettrick).  It promises to talk about, as near as I can tell about tech, innovation and creativity. These are three things I am very in tune with and are necessary in our schools today if we are to survive (and thrive) in the 21st century.

As I finish these, I'll write about my takeaways from these books.  The way I look at it, by writing about them is part of the reflective process all educators should do after having learned (or read) something new.  It helps me to synthesize the material.  I hope that dialogue and feedback comes from this as well.  I want to know what others think too!

Happy Summer Reading!