By Anna Johnson

In today’s era of social media, no one hardly reads books anymore. Yet, books are one of the best ways to gain new knowledge. As a teacher, it’s important to embrace reading because it enables you to be of more value to your students. Even though digital content comes in handy today, don’t forget to carve up time within your weekly schedule to sit down with a good hard copy book. Aside from the nostalgia of flipping through the pages, you also get the opportunity to consume information without any distractions. Unlike reading from your tablet, you won’t be disrupted by notifications that shift your attention away from what really matters. 

This might come as a surprise to people who stopped reading hard copy books, but they’re quite accessible. Despite changing times, there’s still a good number of readers who enjoy hard copy books. In every city, you’re bound to find a functional bookshop that sells books you’d be interested in. You can also visit a public library and borrow a book you want to read if you don’t want to collect books. 

Reading widely as an educator gives you insights you can use to boost your student’s performance. Books are way deeper than any posts you might be reading on online magazines and educational websites. Besides, being an avid reader allows you to lead by example; as you motivate your student, you can say it confidently, knowing you’re a reader yourself. And if you think you might not be able to find a book that suits you, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Since authors have such a spectrum of writing styles, you’re bound to find one whose style you appreciate. 

The minute you hold a book, you can take a break from always skimming through social media posts and blogs you end up not actually reading. The design of hard copy books offers you the persistence of finishing what you started. 

If you’ve not found books you can read, continue reading for recommendations you’d like. 

Teaching What Matters Most by Richard W. Strong

This comes at the beginning of our list because it’s a short book that anyone can read. If you’re a teacher who is just beginning to read, you will love this copy because its size ensures you don’t feel pressured to start off with a voluminous book. 

Teaching What Matters Most specializes in four main principles that teachers should focus on when interacting with students in class. According to Richard W. Strong and his co-authors, you’re supposed to be thoughtful, authentic, rigorous and diverse. These four standards ensure that you make the most of every class you have with your student. 

Authenticity is especially important because when you’re real, students have an easy time connecting with you, and this ensures that they won’t shy away from participating in class. What’s more, they’ll find you easy to approach, and won’t hesitate to ask for your academic insight when they don’t understand a concept. 

Thoughtfulness ensures that you monitor the influence you have on your students. Since they look up to you, you don’t know what to say or do anything that would set them in the wrong path. You also need to be diverse and rigorous because you’re your students’ main source of information. 

What Are People For? by Wendell Berry

You’re probably thinking that this is such a weird title for a book, right? Well, What Are People For? Is a collection of essays, each of which has many lessons to teach. This book explores what it means to be human through stories that are heartfelt and personal. 

This is an excellent read for teachers because it helps you connect with your humanness so you can show up for your students as the best version of yourself. Wendell Berry uses words to help you make sense of the world at a deeper level. Reading this book will make you realize that the best way to connect with other people is through reading. There is a lot of power in experiencing life vicariously through the world of books. 

So far, you can tell that this isn’t exactly a teaching book, but the role it plays makes it an essential read for anyone who is just getting started with hard copy books; including teachers. To get the most of this book, make sure to read a section at a time without rushing. This is because it’s not a continuous narration and jumping into the next story could erase what you’ve previously read before you have time to digest what lesson you should learn from it. 

Essential Question: Opening Doors by Grant Wiggins 

In this next book, the author focuses on teaching educators how to make concepts easily comprehensible for students. As a teacher, you’ve got to understand that it’s your responsibility to make information easy to digest. This might be a challenge for a teacher who hardly has any experience in class because they might now understand that a one-fits-all paradigm is not the way to go. 

It’s important to learn who your students are and what they need to understand what you’re teaching them.

By reading this book, you ensure that you master the techniques you can use in class to ensure every student’s needs are catered to. You should avoid focusing only on a small group in your class and ignoring everyone else as this is a huge injustice to students who look to you to gain knowledge. 

Wrapping Up 

Whether you’re a newly posted teacher, or you’ve been teaching for a while, ensure you cultivate a habit of reading hard copy books. Reading widely ensures you have the knowledge to impart on your students. Make time in your busy schedule to find books you’d appreciate and get to reading. 

Author’s Bio – Anna Johnson

Anna is an educational freelance writer who works with Assignment Geek – best homework service online. She also uses her writing talents to talk about the benefits of reading because as an avid reader, she knows the benefits of sitting quietly with a book.