Summer Reading for Educators: 7 Books for Self-Care, PD, and Fun!
By: VHS Learning
Summer vacation is time for some much-needed rest and relaxation after a busy school year. You may have many plans: go on vacation, relax by the pool, dedicate time to your hobbies, and, of course, catch up on your reading list!
It can be a challenge to find time to read during the school year, and the summer offers a great opportunity to read some of the books you’ve been wanting to read all year. Since summer comes and goes so quickly, we’ve compiled a list of great books for educators to read so you can get to reading, relaxing, and rejuvenating.
Here are seven books for educators to read this summer:
Self-Care Books
- Take Time for You: Self-Care Action Plans for Educators by Tina H. Boogren
In this book, Tina H. Boogren offers manageable, research-based strategies based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs that will guide educators to develop their own individualized self-care plan. Through mindfulness, reflection, and daily self-care activities, teachers can thrive in both their professional and personal lives.
- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown
Dr. Brené Brown is a research professor who has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. In this book, she presents a powerful new vision that encourages readers to embrace vulnerability and imperfection, live wholeheartedly, and courageously engage in their lives.
Sharon Salzberg, mindfulness expert and meditation teacher, shares valuable guidance for cultivating mindfulness, compassion, and awareness at work. This book is focused on improving the positives of working life while mitigating the negative feelings of stress, exhaustion, and feeling overwhelmed and underappreciated.
Books for Professional Development
- The Way of Mindful Education: Cultivating Well-Being in Teachers and Students by Daniel Rechtschaffen
Decades of research indicate the impressive benefits of mindfulness in social, emotional, and cognitive development. A practical guide for mindfulness in life and in school, this book invites educators to take advantage of this vital tool to cultivate attention, compassion, and wellbeing in students, as well as in themselves.
- Teaching When the World Is on Fire by Lisa D. Delpit
In this collection, Lisa Delpit gathers helpful advice for K–12 teachers on engaging students around today's toughest issues. With observations, ideas, and insights from a variety of educators, this book inspires teachers to support their students in navigating the current events, cultural shifts, and social dilemmas that shape our communities and our country.
Fun, New Releases
- The Candy House by Jennifer Egan
From Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Egan, this science fiction novel is about the quest for authenticity, privacy, and meaning in a world where our memories are no longer our own. In spellbinding linked narratives, Egan outlines the consequences of a technology––which allows users to download or “externalize” memories––through the lives of multiple characters whose paths intersect over several decades.
- Olga Dies Dreaming by Xóchitl González
The first novel of author Xóchitl González, this contemporary fiction tells the tale of a status-driven wedding planner grappling with her social ambitions, absent mother, and Puerto Rican roots, all in the wake of Hurricane Maria. This story examines political corruption, familial strife and the very notion of the American dream--all while asking what it really means to weather a storm.
To find more of the best new releases of 2022, check out this reading list from Vogue and this list from Oprah Daily to pique your interest this summer.
Happy summer from VHS Learning!
