September Books of the Month - Making Your School Something Special by Rushton Hurley

The best educators are not content to do the same old thing year after year. Innovative educators push their thinking by engaging in social media, exploring blogs, attending conferences, and exploring the newest generation of educational books.
I've created a Recommended Educator Book Site to organize and share some great books connected to teaching and learning. I will also occasionally feature a new book recommended by my PLN. 

Have an idea for our next featured book? Please share in the comments below.

I am super excited about my September Book of the month. This is a two-volume set written by one of my favorite educators, Rushton Hurley. Rushton is the founder of Next Vista for Learning and an incredible presenter. 

Making Your School Something Special: Enhance Learning, Build Confidence, and Foster Success at Every Level (Volume 1)

What Makes Your School Special? If you’re a teacher, you want your students to love coming to class. If you’re a school leader, you want your teachers to love coming to work. So how do you make your school a place where students and teachers alike want to be—because it’s where they feel energized, inspired…special? In Making Your School Something Special, educator and international speaker Rushton Hurley explores the mindsets, activities, and technology that make for great learning. You’ll learn: *How to think about and create strong learning activities, *Why fostering and sharing successes benefits everyone, *How to strengthen individual confidence in both students and teachers, and *How to know, and help others know, what makes your school special. A great school is a place where everyone experiences meaningful learning, and this book is designed to help you and your colleagues make such learning happen at your campus.

Making Your Teaching Something Special: 50 Simple Ways to Become a Better Teacher (Volume 2)

Two things any great teacher would tell you if asked: there are all sorts of things that you probably didn't encounter during your professional preparation, and no matter how good you are, there is always room to improve. Making Your Teaching Something Special is a collection of 50 short chapters designed to fill gaps and build talent, with each chapter covering a piece of advice for those looking to raise their game as a teacher or trainer. Divided into five areas (rapport with students, assessments and assignments, delivery, collegiality and professionalism, and logistics), newbies and veterans alike will find plenty of ideas to try with their classes. Each area finishes with discussion questions for those using the book as part of a professional development effort. The author, Rushton Hurley, mixes stories and ideas to make this an easy read, whether spending the afternoon developing ideas or taking a few moments during lunch to be inspired.