Professional Learning for Busy Educators

It’s time for the Nerdies! Wednesday, John Schu kicked us off by announcing the 2018 Fiction Picture Book Winners and yesterday, Donalyn Miller shared the 2018 Nonfiction Picture Book Winners. Today, the fun continues. As I was packing up books to float onto teachers a few weeks ago, I held back certain titles in case they won a Nerdy for the Early Readers and Chapter Books Category. This is my seventh year writing up the post for Early Readers and Chapter Books. Every year, I look back at my previous posts. I am curious to see if there is a pattern to the winners and to see how we have grown as readers. This year we have fourteen titles that are being recognized.

I love to read! And my professional learning bookshelf is always full as well as my Kindle app! So I decided to put together this HUGE list of books for educators, 50 Awesome Books for Teachers!


There’s a little bit of something for everyone, no matter what your role in education.

All of these books are books that I have personally read, or are currently on my own reading list!

This list will continue to grow and evolve! Please feel free to leave a comment and suggest your faves. You can also check out all of my recommendations on my Amazon Influencer Page.

This list is in no particular order so it is not numbered.

Memory underpins learning. And yet, as a profession, we talk about it so rarely. What gives? Here are 7 books to kindle that conversation:

TED is one of the world's premier cultural events, providing not just a chance for the thousand or so attendees to hear from some of the smartest people around, but also opening up this knowledge to millions of learners around the world through the event's wildly popular online videos.

But those aren't the only ways the much-buzzed-about conference promises to expand intellects and spur fresh thinking. The event's world-class speakers also regularly recommend books for further reading from the stage, and this year's event, held recently in Vancouver, British Columbia, was no exception.

The big brains on show suggested an incredible number of titles, all of which were helpfully rounded up by ParrotRead (hat tip to Kottke). Here's a small fraction of the truly gargantuan list to get you started. Load up those shelves or e-readers with everything from history to poetry to sports memoirs and you're all set for summer.

With April's Earth Month comes a special opportunity to teach kids about the people all around the world doing important work to care for our environment and the life within it! In addition to the day-to-day activities that we can all do to reduce our impact on the planet, it's important to recognize the scientists and activists, both past and present, who have encouraged us to see our planet in a new way: not as a set of resources for us to extract when we please, but as a precious and delicate system that sustains all life that we must strive to protect.

In this blog post, we're sharing books for children and teens about twenty female environmentalists who changed the way that we think and act toward the Earth. These women made groundbreaking discoveries, fought for meaningful change to laws and policies, and shared their outlook — and their joy in nature — with the world. They're sure to inspire kids to look at the world outside their front door with newfound appreciation and think about ways they can help protect the planet!

I am by habit a bibliophile. I read at least 25 pages of a book per day which usually turns in to 40-60 books per year. I’ve written a few books myself, and plan to write more.

But this list is not about me, it’s really about us as an education community. What are we reading? Are we slowly shifting to reading only blogs and short pieces online? I love blogs (case in point of what you are currently reading) but there is something special about the thought, effort, and depth of a book. I hope that we can continue to read books that push our thinking, and share them widely.

This list is a start.
If you are wondering what book to read next, this may or may not help you decide! I’m going to leave the comments open for book recommendations with a short synopsis, and rationale. This list will not be limited by number, and at this point in time is only limited by the number of books I’ve read (and would recommend), so any recommendations are appreciated!

I am by habit a bibliophile. I read at least 25 pages of a book per day which usually turns in to 40-60 books per year. I've written a few books myself, and plan to

“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” This is the mantra of leadership expert Simon Sinek in one of the most popular TED Talks of all time (Watch: Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action). In his talk from TEDxPugetSound, Sinek looks at Apple, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Wright brothers — and examines why they were so successful at getting people to follow them. Who were the thinkers that inspired Sinek on his own path to leadership? Below, find five books (and two documentaries) that made a difference in his life.

Want to spend your summer vacation getting inspired, smarter, healthier--or just want to be swept away by an amazing story of adventure or love? Do you want fun and crowd-pleasing recipes for summer entertaining, art books that make ideal gifts, or stories you can read to your child that will both educate and entertain?

The folks at TED have got you covered. TED just released its recommendations for 101 books for you to read this summer. The list, based on recommendations by dozens of the most compelling TED speakers, covers a spectrum of categories, from can't-put-them-down novels to health and nutrition, to books that will help you be more successful and productive at work.

As the folks at TED say, "No matter your mood, preference or occasion, we've got you covered." You can find their full list of recommendations here. Meantime, here are a few of their most appealing picks:

May is an important month for teachers. Standardized testing kicks in gear, decisions are being made about next year’s budget, and, of course, Teacher Appreciation Week. After ten years in the classroom, I’ve discovered that the best Teacher Appreciation gifts tend to be free- handwritten notes from students or words of encouragement from veteran teachers.

My gift to you is this roundup of advice from voices in every academic discipline, as well as a heavy sprinkling of books about fictional teachers. There are some classics, some hot new titles, and a few books that might push you out of your comfort zone. Whether you are trying to up your game in a certain subject, study theory about different learning styles, or simply read a story about someone else surviving the classroom for a change, you’ll find something in this list of 100 must-read books for and about teachers.

We don't always think about it, but every child is a scientist! From the moment she pushes a spoon off her high chair to see what happens or starts asking, "why?" to everything, she's started on a long and exciting lifetime of discovery. As time goes on, though, kids can be discouraged from this natural interest and come to believe that science is too complicated for kids -- so it's especially important to nurture that spirit of curiosity from a young age!

One great way to encourage a child's interest in science is by showing them role models of kids -- particularly girls -- in STEM fields. In fictional stories, they can see faces that match their own: kids who are turning their ingenious minds to investigating questions and solving problems using the scientific method. And, through non-fiction, they can learn about curious children just like them who grew up to make amazing scientific discoveries.

To that end, in this blog post, we've shared many of our favorite books about girls and women who love science, engineering, and math! In the first part of the post, you can discover many fictional stories about curious, inventive Mighty Girls, while in the second part, you'll find many inspiring books about real-life female scientists. From beautifully illustrated picture books to fascinating teen biographies, these titles show the importance of scientific curiosity and celebrate the scientific progress that we owe to women in science both past and present. They're the perfect choice to inspire the budding scientist on your gift list!