Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

I usually do book reviews on Wednesdays, but I read Quiet by Susan Cain this summer and learned so much personally and professionally.  I decided to devote a couple of Monday posts to introverts.  (For the record, I am an introvert.  I can be social when I need to be, but I need alone time to recharge.)

Last Monday I shared her TED Talk.  Today I want to share how I plan to implement what I learned in my classroom.

1. Susan Cain recommends a balance of activities that appeal to introverts and extroverts.  I have times where I expect small group work and other times where I expect students to work independently.

2. I want to intentionally encourage the different passions of my students.  Last year when the Seahawks won the Super Bowl, some of us were over-the-top excited, but not everyone.  Introverts have deep interests in activities that may not be shared by others.

3. When I have students work collaboratively, I help my introverts by choosing pairs and triads.  If the group gets too large, they may not share.

4. Cain also recommends that I teach everyone to work independently.  This may not be my extroverts' strength, but they can learn from the introverts the value of quiet deliberate practice.

Poke the Box by Seth Godin

This is not a book to read to your students.  I found it inspiring.  I am fortunate to work in a school and district where I am encouraged to innovate and try new things.  I know I would have left the profession if I wasn't allowed to do this.

Seth Godin encourages everyone to "Poke the Box" -- start something, see what happens, repeat.  The idea is not to wait around asking for permission to try something out...just begin.

More or Less by Jeff Shinabarger

I got a copy of this audiobook for free earlier this summer.  I "read" this book while I gardened and walked around the neighborhood and it challenged me to think about "What is enough?" and "What do I do with my excess?"

I appreciated Shinabarger's lack of preachiness or self-righteousness.  He shares his and others' experience wrestling with these questions, but he encourages readers to answer the questions for themselves.

This isn't a book I would share in my classroom.  It does help me think about my values and that in turn impacts my teaching.

Please Do Not Read This Book to Your Students

Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple is being passed around the teachers at our school.  We are not sharing this with our students.  I teach at a school just north of Seattle where this story is set.  Bernadette has disappeared and her young daughter sets out to find her using letters, emails, and legal documents as clues.

Those of us who work in schools will find the exchanges between the parents of an exclusive school hilarious.  I wondered if someone had camped out in our parking lot at parent pick up time for one scene. 

I just had to recommend a great summer read.

A Whole New Mind by Daniel H. Pink

A few summers ago, someone recommended that I read Daniel Pink's A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future.  He writes about six qualities that are important in today's business and educational worlds: design, story, empathy, symphony, play, and meaning.  Despite our race to improve test scores, I intend to keep including these traits in my teaching.

 

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