Take advantage of the summer break with a little literary inspiration from this list of books for teachers to read this summer!

How long has it been since you tucked into a really good book? Reading for pleasure becomes a distant memory when you’re knee-deep in work. The summer break gives you time to enjoy a book for enjoyment’s sake. Beyond has come up with ten awesome reads that you can sink your teeth into this summer. We’ve got something for the fiction lovers, the personal development junkies and the inquisitive minds!

Check our Teachers’ Reading List below: 

1. ‘The Compound Effect’ – by Darren Hardy

The compound effect is “the strategy of reaping huge rewards from small, seemingly insignificant actions”. This book encourages readers to take 100 percent responsibility for everything that happens in their lives and teaches them to make small positive choices consistently over time to get amazing results. If you’re looking to make big but sustainable moves in your life this is a book worth reading!

2. ‘Atomic Habits’ – by James Clear

You may be wondering why this book made the list for teachers? Well, the premise of the book is to help you develop better habits that can improve all aspects of your life. In this book, James Clear shares his experience to help readers understand how to use human nature to build successful habits and break bad ones. Imagine using these habit-building strategies to save more money, learn a new skill and motivate your students. The possibilities are endless! 

3. ‘Why Don’t Students Like School?: A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom Paperback’ – by Daniel T. Willingham

Daniel T. Willingham uses his background in cognitive science to explain why kids don’t like school. He believes it’s because neither students or their teachers know enough about how the brain works. Fully understanding the way the brain works could be the answer to motivating students and inspiring them to succeed academically. Calling all the inquisitive minds, this is a worthy read.

4. ‘Becoming’ – by Michelle Obama

‘Becoming’ is the memoir of former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama. The novel explores her character-building life experiences and details how she found her voice and purpose in life. If you’re interested in learning more about her time in the White House, family life and road to success this is a must-read.

5. ‘Positive Mindset Habits for Teachers: 10 Steps to Reduce Stress, Increase Student Engagement and Reignite Your Passion for Teaching’ – by Grace Stevens

Doesn’t reducing stress and increasing student engagement sound like an utter dream? This book promises to make that dream a reality. It combines current research in positive psychology with over fifteen years of classroom experience to provide a realistic and assessable roadmap to reduce stress, improve behaviour management and increase happiness in your classroom and your life. Grace Stevens gives readers ten simple positive mindset habits that help to train their “happy muscles” every day. 

6. ‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine’ – by Gail Honeyman

This novel follows the protagonist, Eleanor Oliphant, a social misfit with a traumatic past who becomes obsessed with becoming a famous singer. The novel explores themes of isolation and loneliness, and details Eleanor’s personal transformation journey. ‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine’ is a quick but substantial read that allows the reader to see aspects of themself through Eleanor’s journey towards a fuller understanding of life and herself.

7. ‘The Family Upstairs’ – by Lisa Jewell

Libby Jones inherits the multi-million-dollar mansion she had been found in as a 10-month-old baby. Along with the surprise inheritance, she also learns who her birth parents were and their suspicious deaths. Investigators are convinced their deaths were a suicide pact and no one can explain the disappearance of  Libby’s two older siblings. This gripping novel will have you questioning everything.

8. ‘The Midnight Library’ – by Matt Haig

‘The Midnight Library’ is a journey into a self-destructive mind that will change your whole perspective on life. The novel follows Nora, a woman who is battling feelings of regret, rejection and unhappiness with life. The story invites readers to consider whether they are actually frustrated with life itself, or with being alive and not truly living instead. Matt Haig’s words will wake you up to the beauty and possibilities of life. 

9. ‘That Summer: A Novel’ – by Jennifer Weiner

Come on, you know we couldn’t have a summer reading list without at least one beachy book. This novel follows Daisy, a successful business woman who genuinely has it all, but things take a turn when she mistakenly receives emails meant for another woman. When the two women finally connect, it seems things weren’t much of a mistake after all. This twisty turny novel about a very peculiar friendship will have you glued to every page. 

10. ‘The Teacher’s Guide to Self-Care: Build Resilience, Avoid Burnout, and Bring a Happier and Healthier You to the Classroom’ – by Sarah Forst

Many teachers didn’t even realise how badly they needed to prioritise their wellbeing until it was too late. Teaching during a pandemic pushed even the strongest, most hard-working teachers to their breaking point. The tips in this book will stop you from hitting burn out. It’s easy to read cover-to-cover but you can also choose to read specific chapters that call out to you if you prefer. It explains why certain self-care practices are important and teaches you how to do them so you can become a happier, healthier you. Self care is under-rated in the teaching profession and it’s high time we change that.

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