There are so many incredible resources and so little time! We have narrowed down the field of some books, apps, and podcasts to check out this summer to save you the trouble of wading through all the things yourself.
These are not affiliates, I simply just believe in promoting the great things that are available to you and wanted to pass on some of the resources that I have found helpful and inspiring.
Books
Atomic Habits by James Clear
This is my newest favorite habit creating book. James Clear gives you easy, sensible, and new ways to approach habit building. I didn’t think I could learn much more about habits, but this book showed me that there are still things I can learn. It opened my eyes to some simple things I can do to really change my life…one small habit at a time!
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
This book was such a great read! It was entertaining and thought provoking and has truly changed the way I use technology in my life. If you are looking for some simple ways to reduce your technology use (i.e. smart phones) this summer, this is a great place to start. Newport is a computer scientist, so he doesn’t demonize tech, he instead wants to make us think about the way we use technology and how to create fuller lives while still having technology hold its proper place in our lives.
Essentialism by Greg Mckeown
This is a Teaching Well classic! Essentialism is my go-to book for anyone who says they have too much to do and don’t know how to change it. If you want to work on saying no, to say yes to other things in your life…take the time this summer to read this book.
Let’s put it this way…someone read this book based on a recommendation and went in and quit her job after finishing it because it inspired her to create the boundaries she needed in her life. So let’s put it this way, it will give you something to think about throughout these summer weeks!
Want some more book recommendations? Check out these summer reads!
Apps
Calm for Teachers
Calm has a limitless catalog of mindfulness practices to listen to, including their specialty Sleep Stories. They also have 7, 14, and 21 day series that are a nice way to get started on your mindfulness journey.
Teachers can take advantage of the Calm Schools Initiative which is an incredibly great deal for teachers. Essentially the Calm App is FREE for teachers when you apply through this address. They want all schools to have access to mindfulness. Win-win-win for everyone!
The Insight Timer is always one of my favorite apps. It is completely free to use; however, there are ways to do add-ons and upgrades. It boasts 12,000+ free mindfulness practices. It’s different than Calm in that mindfulness instructors from all over the world upload their practices, not just hand-picked voices (the way Calm does).
There is also a community built in where practitioners can leave reviews, instructors give feedback, people can join groups and you can see who is meditating with you all over the world.
Check out my full review for all of the great things about Insight Timer.
Smiling Mind is definitely worth checking out if you want to teach mindfulness to your students, or even your own children. Their goal is to reach 5 million children by 2021. They are also not-for-profit and that is a driving force for why they want to get as many people to have their materials as possible.
There is an incredible amount of free material that is easily added to your classroom, but it also has practices for mindfulness at work and at home.
This could be a great app to try out if you want an easy way to bring mindfulness to students and you aren’t ready to venture out and teach it yourself.
Podcasts
Great podcast if you want to hear some great stories of real teachers who have faced their own struggles with burn out and have come out on the other side.
Great podcast for all things teaching. I like this because the goal is to think creatively about teachers and teaching. If you are looking for a job shift out of the classroom, there is a lot of support from both the podcast and the website.
Teachers Need Teachers Podcast
This is a great podcast for newer teachers. It’s about building a supportive and collaborative community of educators who can help one another through this crazy teacher life.
If you’re looking for inspiration for creating engaging teaching, rather than the same old thing, look no further than the “Spark Creativity Podcast”.
I’d love to hear your must-haves for the 2019 Summer! Jump over to the We are Teaching Well Facebook Group to share your recommendations.
If you want to spend some time this summer learning about self-care, stress-reduction or mindfulness, check out our courses at Teaching Well.
