Choosing an education book depends heavily on who you are and what problem you are trying to solve.
A new teacher may need practical help with classroom procedures, lesson planning and managing student behavior.
An experienced teacher may be more interested in professional growth, expectations and creating a consistent learning environment.
A principal may need resources focused on school culture, hiring, staff development and leadership.
A school leader dealing with difficult parent conversations needs an entirely different kind of guide.
And then there are children who simply love dinosaurs and want to learn everything they can about prehistoric life.
This guide brings together five very different books:
- What Great Teachers Do Differently: Nineteen Things That Matter Most
- Dinosaur Dictionary for Kids: The Everything Guide for Kids Who Love Dinosaurs
- What Great Principals Do Differently: Twenty Things That Matter Most
- Your First Year: How to Survive and Thrive as a New Teacher
- A School Leader’s Guide to Dealing with Difficult Parents
What Great Teachers Do Differently: Nineteen Things That Matter Most
Author: Todd Whitaker
Publisher: Routledge / Eye On Education
Third Edition: 2020
Listed length: 150 pages in the Routledge edition
The third edition examines 19 ideas about the beliefs and behaviors associated with effective teaching. Routledge describes additions covering relationships, consistent and engaging learning environments and choosing the appropriate mode when managing classroom situations.
Instead of focusing primarily on teaching programs or individual classroom techniques, the book examines teacher behavior, expectations, relationships, classroom management and decision-making.
The book’s table of contents includes topics such as:
- Why study effective teachers?
- People versus programs
- Expectations
- Prevention versus revenge
- Relationships
- Choosing the right mode
- High expectations
- Student focus
- Consistency
- Repairing problems
- Intentionality
- Decision-making
- Standardized testing
- Creating a culture where caring matters
Dinosaur Dictionary for Kids: The Everything Guide for Kids Who Love Dinosaurs
Author: Bob Korpella
Publisher: Prufrock Press
Original publication: 2016
Length: 176 pages
Suggested grade range: 3–6
Dinosaur Dictionary for Kids is completely different from the professional education books in this list.
It is an illustrated reference book designed for children interested in dinosaurs and prehistoric life. Google Books and Routledge describe hundreds of illustrated definitions and coverage of dinosaurs, other Mesozoic animals, fossils, extinction and paleontology.
The book explores:
- Triassic dinosaurs
- Jurassic dinosaurs
- Cretaceous dinosaurs
- Marine life
- Flying reptiles
- Early birds
- Mammals
- Insects
- Spiders
- Reptiles
- Fossils
- Extinction
- Paleontology
What Great Principals Do Differently: Twenty Things That Matter Most
Author: Todd Whitaker
Third Edition: 2020
Publisher: Eye On Education / Routledge
Length: approximately 176 pages
This book shifts from classroom teaching to school leadership.
The third edition presents 20 areas of effective school leadership and adds material around recruiting, interviewing, retaining talent and the idea that leadership is an ongoing process rather than a one-time event.
The obvious audience includes:
- Principals
- Assistant principals
- School leaders
- Educational administrators
- Leadership students
- Teacher leaders
- Education consultants
Your First Year: How to Survive and Thrive as a New Teacher
Authors: Todd Whitaker, Madeline Whitaker Good, Katherine Whitaker
Second Edition: 2023
Publisher: Eye On Education
Length: 156 pages
The second edition provides step-by-step guidance for teachers entering the profession, including classroom setup, procedures, rules, lesson planning, classroom management, student behavior and working with adults.
A first-year teacher has to learn several jobs simultaneously.
They are learning:
- How to teach
- How to manage students
- How to plan
- How to communicate
- How to assess
- How to organize
- How to work with colleagues
- How to work with administrators
- How to communicate with parents
A School Leader's Guide to Dealing With Difficult Parents
Authors: Todd Whitaker and Douglas J. Fiore
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2015
Length: 78 pages
This short book is specifically designed as a supplement for school leaders dealing with parent-related challenges.
Its focus is not simply on telling teachers how to communicate with parents.
Instead, it addresses how school leaders can support and coach teachers through difficult parent interactions.
Schools regularly communicate with parents about:
- Academic performance
- Student behavior
- Attendance
- Discipline
- Homework
- School activities
- Classroom concerns
Some conversations are straightforward.
Others can become emotionally difficult.
School leaders therefore need systems for handling these situations professionally.
Frequently Asked Questions
H3: What is the best book for teachers?
What Great Teachers Do Differently is specifically focused on teacher effectiveness and classroom practice. The third edition presents 19 key ideas for educators.
H3: What is the best book for new teachers?
Your First Year is specifically designed around the challenges of beginning teachers, including classroom management, procedures, lesson planning and working with adults.
H3: What is the best book for principals?
What Great Principals Do Differently focuses specifically on school leadership and presents 20 leadership areas in its third edition.
H3: What book helps school leaders deal with difficult parents?
A School Leader’s Guide to Dealing with Difficult Parents is specifically designed for that situation and focuses on supporting and coaching teachers through parent challenges.
H3: Is Dinosaur Dictionary for Kids educational?
Yes. It covers dinosaurs and the broader Mesozoic world, fossils, extinction and paleontology, and includes activities and quizzes.
H3: What age is Dinosaur Dictionary for Kids?
The publisher/Google Books information places it around grades 3–6.
