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My Summer Reading!

Last summer, I had a baby. So, my summer consisted of hanging out with my little love and coming to terms with leaving him to go back to work in November. Very little was accomplished school-wise other than trying to figure out this new juggling act.

THIS summer, though, my kiddo has been in daycare part time (in order to hold our spot/ moving classrooms/ transitions/ he loves his daycare!), so I have had some time to do some things that will allow me *more* time with him once the school year starts, so yay for that! I jumped into some books, read some new things, read some old things, did everything I possibly could with my Erin Condren teacher planner before school, and here I am, two weeks to go before inservice week. What have I been reading? I know you're dying to know...
 
The First Days of School by Harry K. Wong and Rosemary T. Wong
I have already sung the praises of their classroom management book (the pictures! so many pictures!), so I decided to hit up Powells and pick up the original. Lots of great stuff, good reminders and checklists, and I feel like they cover just about everything you need to know about anything in the first few weeks of school. I loved the gradebook tips and the little pep talks they give you throughout. It is an excellent find for baby teachers, but I definitely found some great things for me as well. 

Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess
I went ahead and did the whole 30 day trial of Amazon Unlimited, and this is the first thing I read. 50 pages in, I knew I needed to order the physical copy so I could highlight and take notes in MY book. I am so glad I read it. I wrote down ALL of the beginner's hooks in my planner so they will all be with me while I plan my lessons. I am so incredibly glad I read it, and I will be recommending it to my coworkers in the coming weeks. 

50 Things You Can Do With Google Classroom by Alice Keeler
Now, we did Google Classroom two years ago. Then it stopped uploading documents and my coworkers went to Edmodo (I was on maternity leave; had I not been, I would have told them to wait it out! :)) I am hoping to switch them back in the fall, and what better way than to say I read a book about it! Many of the tips I already knew, but I learned a few things as well, and I will be looking into the 50 Things To Go Further with Google Classroom. 

The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Not a teacher book, but a YA book I keep hearing about. I have literally only just begun this book, but MAN. It just pulls you in! This book was given a Newbery Honor, and within the first 20 pages, I know it is well-deserved. Ada is 10 and growing up in GB at the time of WWII. Her disability is holding her back, but she is determined not to let it stop her. I cannot WAIT to devour the rest of this book.  

I have a long flight to Missouri tomorrow, so I am hoping to load up my iPad with all kinds of things to read. I love to share with my students what I have read over the summer, since they have to read for an assignment for me. It's good when they are educational for me, too, so they know that I am "working" as well (though, shhh... I am such a nerd and any teacher reading is pleasure reading for me!)
~Caitlin

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