Read This! And This!

During my pre-teaching last year, I asked my teacher who has been in the field for 30+ years what she would recommend a new teacher to read. She instantly said "You have to read Teach Like Your Hair Is On Fire!" She raved about the hilarious novel written by Rafe Esquith in 2007 about his classroom of 5th graders in Los Angeles. I instantly picked up the book and I have to agree with her insistence on ALL teachers to read Esquith's humorous and fascinating commentary on the state of education.

The second book she recommended I was slightly puzzled by. "And you have to read this," she said, holding up a copy of Cesar Milan's The Natural, Every Day Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems. I asked, "What does that have to do with teaching?" "Everything. Middle school students need an alpha leader, and not to say that students are dog-like, that's not it at all. It helps you put a new perspective on how you guide and manage your classroom." I haven't read this particular recommendation, but seeing how she has experience in the field for longer than I've been breathing, I plan to take her up on the suggestion.

Even though my experience in graduate school has been . . . well, challenging I have picked up three excellent books along the way. First off is the book by Jeffry D. Wilhelm entitled: "You Gotta Be The Book:" Teaching Engaged and Reflective Reading with Adolescents. The reason I absolutely loved his perspective on teaching ELA was his incorporation of drama and fine art in the classroom. I also valued his true-to-life perspective and inclusion of specific students. It's a must have for any ELA teacher's library.

The second book I've become rather fond of is Penny Kittle's Write Beside Them: Risk, Voice, and Clarity in High School Writing. The excellence of this book lies in her direct classroom application. She gives a very detailed walk-through of how she structures her writing class and how you can incorporate those strategies into your own teaching. Plus a DVD comes with each book, a must watch, for future teachers. She even records the first day of teaching a new class which is quite a comfort for someone entering the profession for the first time.

The third and favorite book is Do I Really Have To Teach Reading? by Cris Tovani. Again this book outlines simple strategies for teaching reading in the classroom AND across content areas. As you can see, I'm a big fan of helpful real-life strategies as opposed to pure theory or philosophies of teaching. You MUST pick this up if the title has been running through your head!

If you have any suggestions, I'd LOVE to hear them! Feel free to leave your book suggestions in the comments below!