Summer break is right around the corner. After a school year full of early mornings, lesson plans, and seemingly endless to-do lists, we’ve all earned some well-deserved rest and relaxation! I’m picturing a lot of family time, slower mornings, and leisure reading in my future, but I also like to spend some time brushing up on my teaching skills each summer. The slower pace of summer can be the perfect time to invest in your own education, if you want to!

If you’re doing the same, this post can help with no pressure, no guilt tools and resources to make summer professional development easy and rewarding. You’ll find a list of must-read professional development books for teachers recommended by current classroom teachers, links to free resources to help you grow as an educator, and practical tips for making the most of the upcoming school year (after a long, relaxing summer!). Whether you’re a brand-new teacher or an experienced professional, you’re sure to find something just for your needs.

The best part? It’s summer! Explore the topic(s) you’re interested in at your own pace… with a whole lot of relaxation too!

Why Summer Might Be the Perfect Time for Professional Growth

Summer is a much-needed time for teachers to recharge after a busy school year. Without the daily demands of the classroom, you finally have the time (and mental energy!) to focus on yourself. This time of year can also naturally allow for reflection on what is and isn’t working in the classroom. Maybe you’ve thought about trying a new classroom management strategy, exploring new methods for student engagement, or digging into the latest trends in education. Summer brings the chance to slow down, evaluate what matters most, and set new goals for next year.

Maybe that looks like flipping through a professional development book by the pool or listening to a podcast during a road trip. Professional growth doesn’t have to be overwhelming… it can fit into your summer routine as a rewarding way to improve your teaching. Remember, your summers are yours! If your goal is to invest in yourself in a way that feels purposeful, these resources are a great place to start.

Must-Read Professional Development Book Recommendations from Current Teachers

A good read can be just what you need to spark new ideas and inspiration for next year! That’s why we asked teachers in our free Inspired in Upper Elementary Facebook group to share their teacher-approved book recommendations that have made a real impact in their classrooms. Each of these titles will help you seek fresh inspiration and sharpen your skills in classroom management, student engagement, or a subject area you want to improve.

This list is organized so you can quickly find the books that best suit your needs and interests. Whether you’re looking for fresh strategies, personal inspiration, or ways to empower every student in your classroom, there’s a title here ready to guide and inspire. Click here to browse the titles on Amazon (affiliate link).

Classroom Management and Student Engagement

• Teach Like a Pirate – A motivational guide to help teachers bring creativity, passion, and engagement into their classrooms.
• Teach with Magic – Learn how to create captivating and dynamic lessons that inspire students every day.
• Entertaining an Elephant – A heartfelt story offering lessons on connecting with students and fostering meaningful relationships.
• Teach Like a Champion – A practical guide full of proven techniques to help teachers maximize student success.
• The Essential 55 – Essential life lessons and teaching strategies from a seasoned educator to foster a thriving classroom environment.
• Teaching with Love and Logic – Insightful strategies for combining discipline and compassion to create respectful learning environments.
• Whole Brain Teaching – An innovative approach to classroom management that enhances student engagement and behavior using active participation techniques.
• Conscious Discipline – A useful framework for fostering emotional intelligence and creating a calm, focused classroom culture.

Teaching Strategies and Innovation

• Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics Grades K-12 – A resource filled with strategies to encourage deep mathematical thinking in students.
  • Brenda A. said, “The BEST book I ever read that completely changed my teaching- total game changer for classroom management as well.”
• Modifying Your Thinking Classroom for Different Settings – Learn how to adapt cognitive engagement strategies to diverse teaching contexts.
• Accelerating K-8 Math Instruction – Practical tips for fostering meaningful math understanding in younger learners.
• The Writing Revolution 2.0 – A comprehensive guide to teaching writing as a foundational skill across subjects.
• 7 Steps to a Language-Rich, Interactive Classroom – Strategies for creating immersive, language-focused classrooms to boost learning outcomes.
• Notice and Note Strategies for Close Reading – A go-to guide for helping students develop critical reading skills through close analysis of texts.
• Mosaic of Though – Innovative techniques to create interconnected, engaging lesson plans.
  • Kari A called it “Extremely profound – it changed the way I teach reading comprehension – it gives the student a structure to think while they read.”

Special Populations and Inclusive Practices

• You’re Going to Love This Kid – A compassionate guide for teaching and understanding students with autism.
• The Loving Push – Advice on helping kids with autism or other challenges reach their full potential.
• Help for Billy – Strategies for supporting students with trauma and emotional challenges in the classroom.
• Invisible Classroom – Insightful guidance on managing subtle, unseen aspects of classroom dynamics for improved learning.
• ADHD is Awesome – A positive take on understanding and supporting students with ADHD.
• Smart but Scattered – Research-based strategies to help children develop executive function skills to succeed both in and out of the classroom.
• Flourishing Together – Focused on building strong, inclusive communities within your classroom.
  • Jennifer L. said, “Best teaching book I have read in years. A new mentality of abundance.”

Student-Centered Learning and Inspiration

• Book Whisperer – A passionate call to transform students into lifelong readers by fostering autonomy and choice.
• Kids These Days – A deep look at the challenges facing today’s youth and how educators can provide understanding and support.
• The Playful Classroom – Ideas for introducing joy, play, and exploration into your teaching approach.
  • Dairlyn D. said it “forever changed my outlook on life in and outside of my 4 walls.”
• Trusting Readers – A guide to empowering students by trusting their natural curiosity and intelligence during the reading process.
• 180 Days of Awesome – Inspiration for sustaining positivity and energy over an entire school year.
• The Joyful Teacher – Practical strategies for reigniting love for teaching and finding happiness in the profession.
  • MaryAnn L. said, “My principal is a professional book junkie, and she bought copies for every classroom teacher last year. My first thought was ugh, one more thing, but when I finally opened it, I found so much practical, useful information – and I am 30 years in!”
• Power of Moments – Insights into turning everyday moments into meaningful experiences for students.
• Creative Confidence – Tips for fostering creativity and innovation in both your teaching and your students’ learning.

Personal Growth and Professional Reflection

• What Happened to You – A powerful exploration of the impact of trauma and how understanding it can transform relationships with students.
• Lost at School – Practical advice for dealing with challenging student behavior through empathy and collaborative problem-solving.
• Hope Rising – Learn how the science of hope can inspire students, educators, and communities to thrive.
• The Knowledge Gap – An eye-opening exploration of the importance of building knowledge-rich curricula in education.
  • DeAnna W. called it eye-opening, and Jessica W. said it “Totally made me change my teaching for the good.”
• From Speech to Print – Essential insights for understanding the link between language development and literacy instruction.
• Shifting the Balance: Bringing Science of Reading to the 3-5 Classroom – Strategies for integrating research-based reading practices into upper elementary classrooms.
  • January F. said, “I found it brought the love of reading back to my class and to my teaching. It focuses on finding knowledge and embedding skills through the texts and topics we teach rather than finding resources to fit a skill.”
• How to Differentiate Instruction in Academically Diverse Classrooms – Practical frameworks for reaching every learner in mixed-ability settings.

Humor and Heart in Teaching

• Teacher Man – A memoir by Frank McCourt, sharing the highs and lows of his teaching career.
  • Farrah K. said this title helped her “connect with the heart of teaching and motivation.”
• 32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny – Heartwarming, humorous anecdotes from a teacher’s daily life in the classroom.
• Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire – Stories and intense enthusiasm from an award-winning teacher to inspire your own practice.
• No More Molasses Classes – A lively, straightforward guide to making classrooms more engaging and interactive.
• Let Your Light Shine – A collection of inspiring stories to lift the spirits of educators everywhere.

You can visit this post in our Facebook group to hear from the teachers who recommended each title.

Looking for even more titles? Visit this post for additional teacher professional development book recommendations!

Free Professional Development Opportunities from Teaching With a Mountain View

Structured professional development is a wonderful way to discover fresh idaes, learn new strategies, and grow your teaching skills to better support your students. That’s why I’ve put together a variety of FREE professional development options designed tp help you reflect, set meaningful goals, and take steps toward continuous growth as an educator. You can view all of my professional development options here.

8 Weeks of Curriculum Guides

I also created weekly tips that will leave you better prepared to teach eight key upper elementary reading and math skills all year. This series covers: context clues, place value, main idea and theme, addition and subtraction, inference, multiplication and division, point of view, and math vocabulary.

Non-Negotiables in Grammar Mini Course

This mini-course covers must-teach grammar skills in the upper grades and how to incorporate them throughout the year. You’ll learn strategies for meaningful grammar routines to teach parts of speech, punctuation, sentences, homophones, and multiple-meaning words all year long. It includes:

• A certificate of completion*
• Immediately actionable items to implement into your classroom
• Pre-recorded videos, so you can work at your own pace when it’s convenient for you
• FREE RESOURCES to use all year

Increasing Oral Reading Fluency Mini Course

This mini-course will teach you how to implement research-based strategies for increasing oral reading fluency in your classroom. It includes 5 short instructional videos with one-page lesson plans to set your students up for fluency success all year! It includes:

• A certificate of completion*
• Immediately actionable items to implement into your classroom
• Pre-recorded videos, so you can work at your own pace when it’s convenient for you
• FREE RESOURCES to use all year

Increasing Critical Thinking in Math Mini Course

In this mini-course, I share my absolute favorite lessons and strategies for increasing critical thinking through problem solving. You’ll leave with six lessons to implement into your classroom, an error analysis starter kit, and more! It includes:

• A certificate of completion*
• Immediately actionable items to implement into your classroom
• Pre-recorded videos, so you can work at your own pace when it’s convenient for you
• FREE RESOURCES to use all year

Incorporating Picture Books and Related Activities

There’s often a misconception that picture books are only for younger students, but they’re also a great way to reinforce concepts for upper elementary students. I’m passionate about sharing my favorite titles and how I use them with my students. In this series, you’ll find book lists and related activities for key upper elementary skills.

Bonus Tips for Professional Growth

In addition to the resources above, there are SO MANY flexible, creative ways to expand your skills and refresh your teaching mindset over the summer. Here are more ideas to consider:

Reflect on the Past School Year and Set New Goals

First, if you haven’t already done it, spend some time thinking about what worked last year and what you’d like to change next year. Reflection is a powerful tool for self-growth and can guide you toward professional development opportunities that are right for you. Then, consider where you’d like to focus your energy when school starts again and focus your professional development around that. 

Attend a Workshop or Conference

Mandated workshops often have a bad reputation, but meaningful professional development can make a real difference. Once you’ve identified an area of growth, look for options that align with your needs. Whether it’s a subject-specific workshop or a virtual conference about building rapport with your students, these events can provide fresh perspectives and practical tools that enhance your teaching. They can also connect you with like-minded teachers who share your same goals!

Join an Online Teacher Community

Facebook groups, Twitter Chats, Instagram threads, and more are all ways to connect with other teachers to exchange ideas, ask questions, and find support. Being part of a community reminds you that you’re not alone in your challenges! Sometimes all you need is another teahver who has been there and done that to help guide you. Our FREE Inspired in Upper Elementary Facebook group is the perfect place to start. It’s a supportive and encouraging place to share ideas and collaborate with other teachers around the world!

Explore New Hobbies

Finally, the professional growth you need may actually be unrelated to teaching! Anything that helps you grow as a person can enhance your ability to find balance as a teacher. Summer is the perfect time to try new activities that can help you manage stress and unwind during the school year. When you invest in yourself, you’re better able to show up for your students! 

Explore More Teacher Tips

Remember, summer is for YOU. Professional development doesn’t have to take up your entire summer or feel like extra work. Summer growth should be focused on exploring topics you’re passionate about so you feel more prepared and invigorated when the new school year starts. If you need even more ideas, here are a few more helpful TWAMV resources to explore!

We all know how nerve-wracking principal observations can be, even when that’s not their intent. Whether you’re preparing for a scheduled observation or want to ace your next unannounced walkthrough, I’ve compiled a few teacher observation tips that I’ve gathered over the years. 

I also have several posts full of teacher tips about a variety of relevant topics. From classroom organization hacks to differentiation tips, you’ll find tried-and-true teacher tips here.

Finally, August will be here before we know it. Visit our Back to School Archives for timely tips to start the next school year off on the right foot! You’ll find classroom setup tips, subject-specific guides, and more!