The Heart Centered Teacher by Regie Routman

Professional Reading

When I listened to The Get Lit(erate). Summer Reading Challenge podcast with Stephanie Affinito, I thought this might a reading challenge I could do this summer. The premise is around reading one book each month to help you have a summer anchored to how I want be, to feel, and what I might want to do. Three books and I knew the first book right away.

The Heart Centered Teacher (Restoring Hope, Joy, and Possibility in Uncertain Times) by Regie Routman. Regie Routman has been a mentor of mine since I started teaching and this book didn’t disappoint me. I feel like I needed it to help me find my footing again in what matters most and why I teach.

This book isn’t like her previous books that are packed with guidance for instructing reading and writing. This book is nurturing and will help you find hope, joy, and gratitude in our classrooms. The book helps us reflect on building relationships first which will foster our learning communities. This book helps us navigate current topics in education; book banning, social emotional learning, and leveled books to name a few.

Nudges I found to try in my own work.

-oral storytelling needs a more active role in my classroom

-early writing ideas for students; know about me, do really well, want you to know

-read Adrian Simcox Does NOT Have a Horse by Mary Campbell

-know and share the end goals for learning with students

-view reading as a language and thinking process

-read aloud challenging text

-create a classbook digitally about our classroom so it’s ready to go when new students arrive or share before their first day (using Book Creator)

A few quotes that are sticking with me.

“Let’s expand our definition of love to embrace the diversity of learners and belief that all learners are curious, capable, and want to learn.” p15

“choice within structure” p133

“Education is our best hope and most effective antidote to hate and violence.” p60