The year is winding down, and you can almost hear the sounds of summer calling. The waves on the beach, the ice clinking in the glasses of your beverage of choice, and the distant sounds of tunes coming through someone’s Bluetooth speaker. I look forward to this time of the year, it means I get to do the 3 Rs that teachers are really looking forward to: Relax, reflect and read.

Ok, so maybe not all teachers are looking forward to summer reading, but at least I can get you with the reflection and relaxation parts. I look forward to the summer reading lists that I have been curating all year because most times during the school year I am too busy with all my “work” stuff and have no real time to read what I want to. The other two Rs are very important as well, and luckily for me I can blend the three of them together and read while I relax and reflect on my past year.

I have about 5 books on the reading list this summer, and being a voracious reader, that might get me through half of July. These are all PD-style books that I have heard about during the year but never had time to crack open. Top on this list this year is Lead Like a Pirate. I am a big fan of “Teach like a Pirate” and I can’t wait to crack open this latest book.

Next on the list is Disrupting Thinking. I got this recommendation from the #ConnectedTL chat, and being an English Major and former English teacher, the whole premise of “how” we read and why it matters fascinates me. I have read Notice and Note from the same authors and loved it. It really changed the way I taught my students to close read. I am excited to see what insight I can steal from this new book.

Another book I can’t wait to dive into is Tony Danza’s I’d Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had.  This book chronicles Tony Danza’s rookie year as a high school teacher. I have heard that it is funny, light reading and very compelling. It gives a candid and honest view into the struggles, successes and “light-bulb” moments as Tony tries his hand at teaching. It is full of awesome portraits of teacher and students he encountered, with the hard-earned wisdom and laugh out loud funny moments of a teacher we all grew up watching act.

Last on the list (until I get more suggestions from you at least) is Shift This. This is another #ConnectedTL recommendation, and it talks about how little shifts in the classroom can produce massive changes in learning and culture. Shifting culture in a school or district has always been an area of interest for me, so even thought I am not in the classroom anymore, I can’t want to see what kind of applications Shift This can have in my current role.

If you have any recommendations for summer reading books, please share them in the comments below. I would love to pick up another two or three to add to the list. Also, if you want to have some book club style discussions, hot me up on voxer, my username is techtombusd. Remember to recharge those batteries over summer my friends, and I hope to hear some recommendations soon!