Great Books to Motivate
Thinking outside of the box . . . Those that lead challenge us to not accept status quo for ourselves, or our students. My personal and ongoing reading list:
A work in progress …
Most recent:
Get a bigger picture of how Credit By Exam can be instrumental in offering your student choices in their high school and college years by reading College Without Compromise by Wrightman. The authors inspired me to not accept status quo (debt), but to consider the other options that I didn’t even know existed. The best part was they laid out a step-by-step approach so any parent helping their child navigate the waters of earning a college degree has a roadmap to follow. You’ll want to own this one. The Authors have updated this book in 2011 … I still recommend their first one.
The Path to Purpose: How Young People Find Their Calling in Life by Damon. I have not found another book that addresses this topic in such a helpful manner. For a variety of reasons, our culture today muddles the waters for our students and they are left in the balance if they do not have a clear sense of Purpose. Chapter 6 is especially helpful to parents looking to not only be the rudder of their child’s life, but for those seeking ideas of how to steer the ship. Great insights for understanding and mentoring youth.
What Color is Your Parachute? For Teens by Bolles. Start the process of determining your career direction at 15? Yep! and there is good reason. Work through the first half of the book in a few weeks with your teen to determine a direction. The second half provides detailed how-to’s for engaging job shadowing and networking.
Handoff: The Only Way to Win the Race of Life by Jeff Meyers. Learning how to mentor our teens — a book that inspires me to be intentional in my relationship with my sons and daughter so the legacy I leave them is truly the one I want them to carry on with. Top down! I can’t expect it from them if I am not willing to engage my own values.
Do Hard Things and the authors’ followup Start Here (great list in the back of the book!) Put it on your students’ summer reading list and motivate them to aspire to more than society expects of teens.
Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy. The title sounds like this book is all about procrastinating, but really a very motivating book to identify your goals and help you focus where you spend your time helping you get the most of your day, month and year — living intentionally. Definitely have your highschoolers read! My graduation gift to all seniors this year.
College Without High School by Boles. I can’t say enough about how this book has changed our school year. I stopped having my 9th grader trudge through his Geography book the next day. Best $12 I’ve spent on education the whole year.
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. Not your typical education-read, but if you want to know why New Coke fizzled but Blues Clues made it big, this is an interesting insight into what makes us change our behaviors and create those tipping points. If you like this one, try Outliers and Blink as well.
The 7 Laws of the Learner by Wilkinson. If you are interested in practical ideas to improve your teaching and delivery to hold student’s attention and get them to retain what they are learning, this is an exciting read.
A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille. Every wonder how our great nation once produced so many leaders when today we seem to produce so many followers?
Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling All of Mr. Gatto’s books shed a new light on the foundation and purposes behind mass-education. You may be shocked as I was.
StrengthsFinder by Tom Rath. Practical ideas of making the most of what your strengths are.
The Accelerated Learning Handbook by Dave Meier. Some things just catch my eye on the shelves at Goodwill — this was one of them. The title is misleading though – this book is not just for gifted students or those who want to work ahead.It is for those who want to make their input stick, dramatically reducing the time you need to learn new material. Who wouldn’t want to shorten their school day! Dog eared and highlighted! — most books I don’t bother doing this to.The ideas here are fabulous, especially if you are teaching a group, any group, not just school students — practical and innovative ideas.
Every Child Can Succeed: Making the Most of your Child’s Learning Style by Cynthia Tobias. One of my favorites I hung on to and share with new homeschooling parents. The Way They Learn — another great read from Tobias. Both are worth your time.
