MUST READ this summer

What I'm reading #1:  I finished reading Teach like a Pirate by Dave Burgess several weeks ago, but I have been hesitant to write about it.  Why?  Because there's SO MUCH THERE.  I only wish I would have read this amazing book sooner.  I came across this list of books for teachers to read over the summer.  I scanned through it and picked a few that I thought would be good for me.  I purchased The Book Whisperer, Readicide, and Courage to Teach.  I saw Teach like a Pirate, but didn't purchase it yet.

A few weeks later, I discovered the #tlap hashtag on Twitter.  I searched and searched the hashtagged conversations and saw all the incredible ideas being passed around.  Wow.  It blew me away.  I had to purchase the book online, and I eagerly awaited its arrival.

Once I got the book, I decided to tweet @daveburgess just to see what would happen.  Guess what, he responded!  Another amazing use of Twitter.  It has TRANSFORMED my educational career to connect with all these other teachers, authors, and educators on social media.  Another blog post about that to come.  :)  Here are some things I learned from reading TLAP and several ways I want to try and implement his ideas into my classroom.

• How you present the information is key.  Use dramatic tension, mystery, intrigue, showmanship, extravagance, and suspense to capture audience members.  This TED talk by Julian Treasure is all about how to talk so people listen. 
• Burgess encourages teachers to follow their passions and incorporate them into the classroom.  I love being artistic, I love being creative, I love reading, I love blogging, I love spreading kindness and doing good for others.  I want my classroom to reflect those same things. 
• Be a purple cow.  Be different. 
• LCLs- Life changing lessons.  Make class meaningful. 
• Teach with enthusiasm.  Here's another video from David Theriault about the three magic words for engagement in the classroom:  MAKE IT MEMORABLE
• Create an aura of secrecy about your lesson.  Have the principal bring in a secret special box.  Wow, that would capture their attention.  This blog post from Theriault reminded me of the idea of using secrecy to draw in student's attention.

I am still trying to figure out all the ways to implement Dave's ideas in my classroom.  And I'm still wishing I had read TLAP before I started my student teaching.  :)

What I'm reading #2:  The second book I fell in love with this summer is Rules of the Red Rubber Ball by Kevin Carroll.  It is a revolutionary book about the importance of PLAY and PASSION.  He talks about having the courage to follow those passions.  The boys I'm teaching in the DR love sports, so I am excited to incorporate this book into some lessons.  I also tweeted @ Kevin telling him about my plan for using his book in my classroom.  Guess what, he also responded!   Here's a mind map I made with some ideas for using the book in the classroom.

What I'm reflecting about:  Both of these authors are passionate people.  They are enthusiastic.  They love connecting with others.  I wanted to say a big giant thank you to them both for inspiring me immensely this summer.  I'm heading back to the classroom with a head full of ideas and a heart full of enthusiasm for teaching, learning, traveling and life.

What are you doing today to play and inspire?