I don’t read professional teaching books.
I haven’t for many years. The reason is to keep my writing as authentic and untainted as possible. It must be based on what I see, what I experience, and what I have success using myself.
Otherwise, I don’t publish it.
That doesn’t mean that I don’t read at all. Besides being a nightly hobby, reading has had a significant impact on my work here at SCM.
It’s expanded my thinking. It’s prompted new ideas. It’s helped define why the strategies I recommend work the way they do.
So I thought I’d share a few favorites from my personal library. What follows are five books that accord well with the SCM approach and I consider essential for teachers.
They’re also great summer reads.
(Note: Because SCM is an Amazon affiliate, we’ll receive a small commission if you purchase through the links below.)
1. The Oxygen Advantage: Simple Scientifically Proven Breathing Techniques
The Oxygen Advantage explains how to breathe in such a way that avoids the physical manifestations of stress, which in turn calms the mind and eliminates anxiety.
The technique itself is simple but can have a profound effect on a teacher’s mental and physical health.
According to the author, this simple way of breathing also improves sleep, concentration, focus, and fitness and athletic performance. It’s even been shown to facilitate weight loss and eliminate symptoms associated with asthma.
Summer break is the perfect time to learn and make a new habit of proper breathing—before the stress of the school year is upon us.
Personally, I discovered that I was already breathing properly most of the time, but never during workouts. I was over-breathing every time I exercised, which limited my progress.
In just a few weeks my fitness level improved by leaps and bounds.
2. Improv Wisdom: Don’t Prepare, Just Show Up
This is one of my perennial favorites. You know how you read something that just feels right, like it was written just for you, like it was always part of you and how you felt but never could put into words?
This book was it for me.
It clarified and reinforced so much about what I knew in my heart and experienced personally about effective teaching. It also helped my writing tremendously and my confidence in social settings.
Moreover, the book is just plain fun.
I’m certain it will free up your own personality, allow you to be a more effective and engaging teacher, and enable you to build stronger rapport and influential relationships. The best part is that it requires less planning, not more.
3. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
This book had a profound effect on my work and approach to teaching and classroom management. It explained in many ways the why of what I was seeing in my students and the adjustments I made to tap into their intrinsic motivation.
It also played sweet music into my disdain and rejection of extrinsic rewards.
In my personal life, it has inspired me, and in many ways even freed me, to deepen my concentration and find great joy in hard, sustained work.
Searching for and getting into a state of flow as often as possible is one of the biggest keys to happiness and fulfillment. It will also cause you to see your students and their personal responsibility and independent work in a brand new light.
4. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
If you struggle with having too much on your plate, or feel as if you’re overwhelmed with your teacher responsibilities, then this is the book for you. It’s a multiple bestseller for good reason.
It will help you make the right choices that help focus you on what is most important. In this way, it allows you to make your highest contribution to your family, profession, society, or wherever you want to make a difference.
It’s a book I’ve read several times.
Essentialism made me take a hard look at how I was spending my time and empowered me to double-down on what matters most in my life and has the greatest positive influence on others.
5. Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise
It’s all about hard work, yes. There is no getting around it. But this book makes the case through mountains of research into performance that the way a skill is practiced and learned makes a huge difference in success.
What you’ll learn isn’t just about how you should think about becoming a better teacher and communicator, but how you can make your students better students.
It reminds you that all of them “have the seeds of excellence within them.”
There are too many excuses in education. There is too much finger pointing over why public schools are failing and who is at fault. While there are certainly hurdles to overcome, we have everything we need to make great schools.
It begins and ends with us as educators and our own excellence—or lack thereof.
Thank You!
Although as the website has grown to a point where I’m unable to respond to most comments, I read every one and so appreciate your wonderful feedback.
Thank you!
I also appreciate how many readers have stepped up to answer questions and respond to concerns in the comment section. Many of whom know the principles and strategies of SCM extremely well.
There is great wisdom in this community and your participation benefits everyone.
I hear over and over again how many people enjoy reading and learning from the comments. If you’re so inspired, please contribute and know that you’ll be read by thousands of teachers every week.
On that note, and to start the discussion, what non-teaching books do you recommend? They can be fiction, non-fiction, inspirational, self-help, or just plain fun summer reads.
I’ll be taking notes.
PS – Please do not leave links within your comments. The system marks these as spam and will filter them out.
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I’m surprised and saddened to see nothing on here about the glaring problems of racial inequities in classrooms. Anti-racism work is always so important, and even more so now, as our Black students have had to live through the trauma of both the pandemic, and a new rash of police violence against people of color.
I’d love your recommendations for books, Gloria! Your comment is important to pay attention to – we all need help with this.
There are some good “What would you do?” YouTube videos that are effective to show racial biases. They are clean but are embarrassing in that they show us how we may make the same inappropriate choices. I showed my 5th graders the one with the white boy, black boy and pretty blond all stealing a bike, and what do witnesses do.
I agree, Gloria!
Agree with this!
How to Be an Anti-Racist
White Fragility
The Anti-Racist Teacher
The New Jim Crow
Stamped
Tons of great books out now – this is the improvement and growth we need!
The Endless Steppe
The Tzar of Love and Techno
The Sympathizer
Agent Zigzag
Joy’s and Sorrows (Casals)
Under a Cruel Star
Bird by Bird
Bird by Bird by Anne LaMott is one of my top 5 favorite books of all time!
Hi Michael,
I always enjoy your writing. Especially love the list of books that are just good advice for living as well as teaching. Had to laugh when your auto-correct (I assume) converted your second book recommendation from Improv Wisdom: Don’t Prepare Just Show up to Improve Wisdom, Don’t Prepare Just Show Up. Good advice no matter what! Thanks so much for all you do.
Vicki
Thank you for the recommendations. I just downloaded the audible for The Essentialist. Every teacher needs to read or listen to this.
While I recommend all of Michael’s books, I think a great summer read is “Dream Class”. You could read the entire book and not have to have a highlighter in your hand because it flows like a narrative.
The Death of Expertise by Tom Nichols would be a great companion read to the article’s last suggestion. It will define for readers WHY there is so much finger pointing and moreover why educators as a collective whole, may feel disrespected and disregarded by the community [parents]. After all, isn’t knowing the “why” one of the key principles of SCM 😉
I would love to see a column on anti-racist teaching. It is THE topic in teacher groups on social media these days, yet there are few, if any, specific how-to’s.
I believe there are many great teaching books out there, but since Michael specifically requested non-teaching recommendations, here are some of my favorites:
Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Paolo Freire (NOT a teaching book)
Bird by Bird, Anne LaMott
To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee
Drive, Daniel Pink (this is about what motivates people, not about cars)
Long Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela
Someone else mentioned this, but I’ll concur: you can’t go wrong with any of Michael’s books. I’ve read them all, except the one specifically about elementary school, and I highly recommend them all. I also recommend reading through the archives, whether it’s for the first or the 20th time. You will be inspired!
If you don’t mind a bit of “language” I recommend “Close to Being the Sh*t Ya’ll Don’t Even Know” by Retta (who played Donna on Parks & Rec). It is a set of autobiographical essays that had me laughing, crying, and learning, all at the same time. For so many reasons, I really needed it!
“The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz.
Blink by Malcom Gladwell made me rethink my biases and how I read situations.
Several veteran teachers have suggested “Teach like a pirate”
“Factfulness” by Hans Rosling
Although it’s a book about numbers, it’s very digestible, and you’ll soon see why it’s a must read for any teacher.
Hi! I am an avid fan and user of Smart Classroom Management. My teaching has been fundamentally impacted through your methods and mindsets.
*Wanted to point out that the book is titled Improv Wisdom
(I think meant to refer to improvisation acting)
I love Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth. I read it before I started my teacher training year as I knew it was going to be a challenging year and I would need inspiration! As well as inspiring my own approach to overcoming challenges as I work to become a better teacher, it is an invaluable lesson in the importance of the values we impart to children. I show classes of all levels Dr Duckworth’s Ted talk and have a list of questions I then pose for them to discuss in groups to get them really thinking about growth mindset and how they can apply to ideals of ‘Grit’ to their own lives.
Another book that has had a big influence on my life is “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that can’t stop Talking” by Susan Cain. On a personal level, it helped me understand and value the more introverted side of my nature and also the more extreme introverts in my life. It reassured me that I did not need to worry so much about the introverts I love as though it is a problem to be fixed, if as a society we change our attitudes to introversion. In the classroom, it has reminded me to see the quiet ones and value their contribution in a discreet way so that they know I recognise them and acknowledge their quiet, thoughtful contributions and work. In learning to understand the scientific foundations of different personality types from high-level extroverts to introverts, I have realised that differentiation is not just about different learning styles and abilities, but also differentiating for the extroverts and the introverts.
I appreciated this book too for the same reasons!
“You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why It Matters” by Kate Murphy
Highly recommend!
Thanks for your blog, Michael. Even after 20 years in the classroom I return to your wisdom time and time again.
I have read The Wild Card by Hope and Wade King and also Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess. Both are excellent on giving ideas to create more engaging lessons.
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch always helps me keep things in perspective.
The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz has helped me with my own pride and people-pleasing issues. Just learn from negative comments/occurrences and use them as stepping stones to bigger thinking!
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi is powerful and a must read for all teachers.
Dear Sir,
Persons who read your books are talking of racial discrimination. In India, there is casteism. we have distinct classes; kshatriya, brahmin, merchant and sudra or the lowest class. These classes are again subdivided. Always there are atrocities against them. I have not read your books but request you to send the ebooks monthly one at a time if it is possible. the small notes that you have sent i am trying to convey them to my teachers on the basis of indian standards. I would appreciate it if you send me the ebooks.
Thanking you,
In anticipation
Dilip kamath
Power vs. Force – David R. Hawkins
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World – David Epstein
Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life – Nir Eyal
Linked: How Everything is Connected to Everything Else and What it Means for Business, Science and Everyday Life – Albert-Laszlo Barabasi
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking – Susan Cain
As an ELL Tutor, I work with students who have come from lots of different places, often as refugees. I recently read two books which had a big impact on me. The first is “American Dirt” by Jeanine Cummins, which tells the story of a mother and son trying to flee Mexico for a better life in the United States. It is raw, difficult, but extremely well-written and a real page-turner. The second is a graphic novel (YA) called “When Stars are Scattered” by Omar Mohamed and Victoria Jameson. This is an autobiographical account of Omar’s life in a refugee camp in Kenya. I highly recommend both of these books for anyone looking to expand their world view!
I agree with the book about Flow. I like the philosophy of flow. The philosophy of Maria Montessori seems to align with the philosophy of the Smart Classroom Management. Her books were written more than 50 years ago, but she emphasized children taking responsibility for their part of the learning process as well as honoring the spirit of the child. She likened a teacher to try to have the patience of a saint and observation of a scientist. She also talked about the spiritual development necessary for teachers to be like a humble servant to her students.
Some of her quotes in her books..
The greatest sign of success for a teacher… is to be able to say, ’The children are now working as if I did not exist
Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed
“The first essential for the child’s development is concentration. The child who concentrates is immensely happy
I appreciate that your website reaffirms much of her philosophy. Thank you.
Dear Michael,
I love your site; I love your books. I love your advice. And I love the suggestion here to share books recommendations by non-educators that still have educatational implications– very cool.
That said, I am disappointed to see you publicly assert that you don’t read professional books written by others. There are many reasons that an educator would choose not to read professionally (time is precious!) and if you are feeling good about your classroom management skills, then perhaps classroom management skills aren’t something you will naturally find yourself reading more about. I get that. Nonetheless, in posting that you don’t read materials written by educators, you have suggested to your readers that you are above reading the ideas of other educators and that another educator couldn’t possibly teach you anything. What nonsense! What hubris! We ALL have things to learn from other teachers– even classroom management gurus. Instead of telling us that you DON’T read materials put out by other writer-educators, you might simply tell us that we CAN and SHOULD think outside the box when selecting reading material.
“There are many reasons that an educator would choose not to read professionally”
And Michael shared his. Did you perhaps overlook that, as your suggestion… uh, suggests?
Who is the author of Essentialism?
I want to make sure I buy the right book.
Thanks!