What’s on your summer reading list? If you haven’t started a list yet, no worries! We’ve got you covered. Now is the perfect time to start a list or add a couple more books. Here are a few options perfect for Christian school teachers:

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

Delivering an unintentional ode to quality traditional teaching, Willingham helps teachers already implementing successful methodologies better understand why those methodologies work to better resist the pressure to embrace popular educational trends that don’t actually help students learn more.

In addition to assisting teachers in strengthening their knowledge within their chosen profession, Willingham also sprinkles practical application of his principles, equipping teachers with particular strategies they can begin to implement when they return to the classroom in the fall.

2. In Christ Unconditionally Women’s Bible Study  by Francie Taylor

If you are looking for a way to stay connected to other teachers throughout the summer, consider starting a bible study in your home or local coffee shop. The ICU: In Christ Unconditionally Bible studies (Old Testament, New Testament, and Heart Conditions) will give you practical lessons that lead to meaningful discussions and powerful change. The 7-week series is meant to be used in a group environment, but you can also study on your own using just the leader guide.

Francie Taylor is an author, small-group Bible study leader, and frequent speaker at ladies’ Bible conferences. Known for both wit and wisdom, Francie delights her readers with her transparent observations from everyday life while encouraging women to yield to God’s principles for living.

3. Why Johnny Can’t Read  by Rudolf Flesch

A classic education book for elementary teachers to read to find out why phonics is important to students in schools.

Why Johnny Can’t Read opened a flood of criticism toward the popular “look-and-say” method, which has produced mixed results. With eyewitness accounts by the author who spent time in classrooms where both methods were used, he documents the results from classrooms K-12, with astonishingly strong results for the phonics method of instruction. Originally written in 1911, prices and some terminologies are outdated, but the general principles are not. 

4. The New Answers Book Box Set Volumes 1-4  by Ken Ham, general editor

Ever been stumped by a tough question from a student about science and the Bible? Pick up any or all of The New Answers Book 1-4 to learn scientific and Biblical answers to many common questions arranged in a bite-sized format, easy for summer reading.  

If you are curious about extraterrestrials and UFOs, start in book 1, but if you are more interested in how Mount St. Helens is important to origins, then start with book 3. Dragons, peppered moths, and cavemen are all hanging out together in book 4, and the answer to “The Biggest Question of All” lies at the end of book 2. All these quick reads are written in language that anyone can understand despite being written by doctors and scholars!

5. The Adventure of a Lifetime  by Gladys Aylward

What follows is an amazing adventure of faith and determination. Gladys Aylward, a housemaid from England, dared to trust God in the face of dire and seemingly hopeless circumstances. Her life is one of the truly great missionary stories of our era.

It’s important to keep your mind active during a summer off from teaching, and what better way to stay entertained than with a good book by the pool or ocean. Pick one (or all) of these books to add to your summer book list. Happy reading!