When completing a seminar, workshop, book, or even a desperate,
at-the-end-of-your-rope talk with your favorite teacher friend, there has been a
gain of brain or heart if you…
1) learned
2) felt validated, or
3) were reminded of something amazing
Here are some books that have done any variety of the the above three things for me. I hope you find them useful as well.
The Formative Five is the first book our planning team read together. It is here where you can read about the importance of developing empathy, self control, integrity, embracing diversity, and grit in our kids. As a bonus, the end of each area gives a list of books to support it for elementary school teachers, high school teachers, and principals.
“We must step back and look at what’s needed to achieve success in the real world, not just in school.” -Thomas R. Hoerr
We are always looking for best practices for teaching, as well as best for responding to behavioral needs. This books dives into the science behind a child’s brain and how we, as one of their primary caregivers, can help kids integrate the four parts of their brain during their most challenging emotions. How we respond to their experiences will mold their brains in various ways, this book will guide you through best practices a caregiver can do for a child based on brain research.
“Rather than trying to shelter our children from life’s inevitable difficulties, we can help them integrate those experiences into their understanding of the world and learn from them.” ~ Siegal & Bryson
This is the first book I read that changed my classroom in the most amazing way. How we speak to children is everything! This book focuses on the consequences that our language choices have on a child’s literacy development.
“Focusing on the positive is hardly a new idea its just hard to remember to do it sometimes, particularly when a child’s response is nowhere near what you expected.”
~Peter H. Johnston
This book also has a focus around our word choice, but adds in a component of boundaries and expectations to help us respond to behaviors. The way we respond allows the child to take ownership over their actions. When deliberately practicing these suggestions, I found that my stress level lowered as I watched the responsibility of each students’ choices transfer from me to them. There are variations of the Love and Logic theories for parents, early childhood, grandparents, etc.
“Every time we replace anger with empathy and caring we help a child become better prepared to make wise decisions.”
~Jim Fay, Love & Logic Magic for Early Childhood
Seay It With Heart 