Book Club: The Heart-Centered Teacher
A guide for the upcoming study of Regie Routman's new book with Routledge on literacy and life
Hello colleague,
I am proud to host a book club around Regie Routman’s newest publication, The Heart-Centered Teacher: Restoring Joy, Hope, and Possibility in Uncertain Times (Routledge, 2023).
I was fortunate to be an early reader of Regie’s excellent resource, and offered the following endorsement to all educators.
“I savored every sentence of The Heart-Centered Teacher. It is balm for the educator’s soul, a necessary resource to help us navigate these complex and challenging times. Regie’s book is essential reading for all teachers and school leaders, both professionally and personally.”
I’ve had time to think about how to best support other professionals who are reading The Heart-Centered Teacher. The purpose of this book club is to facilitate an open and safe space for connection, reflection and renewal as professionals. Regie’s stories and clear ideas about literacy are excellent third points for us to understand our own beliefs and values. As Judy Wallis notes in her review on Amazon:
“This beautifully written book is written for educators, but it offers so much for others about living life authentically and joyfully. It’s memoir-like quality makes the reader feel as though it’s written just for them.”
Next is a brief guide on how to engage in this book club this month and next.
#1 - Buy the book.
You can purchase Regie’s book at one of the links below.
#2 - Mark your calendars for discussion dates.
You can choose to engage with this book club in a couple of ways.
All subscribers: Four discussion threads
Any reader will be able to post comments and replies about the book with others on the following dates:
October 10th: Chapters 1-2
October 24th: Chapters 3-4
November 7th: Chapters 5-7
November 21st: Chapters 8-10
For each thread, I will post a question related to the listed chapters.
As long as you are subscribed at least for free, you will receive an email that will invite you to participate in each asynchronous discussion thread on the above dates.
Full (paid) subscribers: Two Zoom conversations
In addition to the four discussion threads, full subscribers can also participate in two live professional conversations about the book.
Links to both Zoom invitations have been sent out to all full subscribers; you can RSVP here. If you only want to join this book club and not become a full subscriber for the year, monthly rates are available.
Check out your options here.
If financial constraints do not allow you to become a full subscriber, reach out to me at the contact form linked below to discuss possibilities.
#3 - Read with a pen/pencil in hand.
As I read, I find it helpful to mark phrases and passages that resonate with me. I leave symbols and annotations to help me remember what was written and reference later.
Your thinking about what you are reading will be useful as you engage in this book club. I look forward to learning with you during this experience!
Take care,
Matt