Something about the fresh beginning of a new year is inspiring. In my own personal reflection, I feel like I’ve really got the hang of all the wonders of being a classroom teacher. I’m in my third full-year LTO and I feel that I’m moving past the stage of “learning as I go” and “figuring it out”. I now want to spend more time refining and defining myself as an educator.
This is a list of books that I want to read this year as part of my self-guided professional development – a sort of New Year’s Resolution to myself. They are titles that I’ve heard of from colleagues or from other online sources and they have all been reviewed highly. A few of them I already own, but admittedly, have only skimmed through or read the chapters pertaining to what I needed at the time. This time, I’m focusing in and reading with the intention of building capacity and growing myself as a teacher.
If you’re looking to do the same, I recommend checking out a few of the titles listed below. They’ve been selected with primary grades in mind, but the basic principles covered by them could (and in my opinion, should) be applied to all grades.
Happy New Year and happy reading!
Beyond Behaviour Management: The Six Life Skills Children Need by Jenna Blimes *This book has already totally changed my teaching, and is my highest recommendation to you!
Calm, Alert and Learning: Classroom Strategies for Self-Regulation by Stuart Shanker
Self-Reg: How to Help Your Child (and You) Break the Stress Cycle and Successfully Engage with Life by Stuart Shanker
Mathematical Mindsets by Jo Boaler
Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident and Capable Children by Angela J. Hanscom and Richard Louv
Inquiry Mindset: Nurturing the Dreams, Wonders, and Curiosities of Our Youngest Learners by Trevor MacKenzie and Rebecca Bathurst-Hunt
