Nobody needs to tell us that teaching is a tough job. We all have our tried and true tools to work through the challenging situations. But a new idea or perspective is always welcome. There isn't a hardware store for us to stop by and get new tools, but we do have books that can be just the support we need to renovate a lesson plan! Here are just a few of the latest additions to our Teacher Tools section of the library.

Cyber Smart: Five Habits to Protect Your Family, Money, and Identity from Cyber Criminals by Bart R. McDonough

The rise of new technologies in our lives, which has taken us from powerful mobile phones to fitness trackers and smart appliances in under a decade, has also raised the need for everyone who uses these to protect themselves from cyber scams and hackers. Every new device and online service you use that improves your life also opens new doors for attackers looking to discover your passwords, banking accounts, personal photos, and anything else you want to keep secret. Cyber Smart simplifies online good hygiene with five simple "Brilliance in the Basics" habits anyone can learn. With those habits and his careful debunking of common cybersecurity myths you'll be able to protect yourself and your family from: - Identify theft - Compromising your children - Lost money - Lost access to email and social media accounts.

Children at Risk, The Battle for the Hearts and Minds of Our Kids by Gary Bauer and James C. Dobson

In this hard-hitting and empowering book, James Dobson and Gary Bauer expose the cultural forces endangering today's children and show what you can do to defend your family, your faith and your traditional values.

Concentration: Staying Focused in Times of Distraction by Stefan Van der Stigchel

How to concentrate in a world of beeping smartphones, channel surfing, live-tweeting, pop-up ads, and other distractions. We are in the midst of an attention crisis-caused in large part by our smartphones. There's a constant stream of information that we are powerless to withstand because it shows up in our notifications. More and more of us are finding it harder and harder to concentrate. The good news, Stefan Van der Stigchel reports, is that we now know more about brain and behavior than ever before, and he draws on the latest scientific findings in his account of concentration. He explains, among other things, that the battle for our attention began long before the digital era; why our phones are so addictive; the importance of working memory (responsible for executing complicated tasks) and how to increase its capacity; and why multitasking is bad for our concentration, but attention rituals help it. We can win the battle for our attention, Van der Stigchel argues, if we have the knowledge and the tools to do it.

Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching & Learning (2nd Edition) by Teacher Created Materials

The brain is the basis of everything we do: how we behave, communicate, feel, remember, pay attention, create, influence, and decide. Why We Do What We Do combines scientific research with concrete examples and illustrative stories to clarify the complex mechanisms of the human brain. It offers valuable insights into how our brain works every day, at home and at work, and provides practical ideas and tips to help us lead happy, healthy, and productive lives. The thoughts you have and the words that you speak all have an effect on your neural architecture - and this book explains what that means in a way you can understand.

Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Our Brain To Get the Best Out of Ourselves and Others by Helena Boschi

The brain is the basis of everything we do: how we behave, communicate, feel, remember, pay attention, create, influence, and decide. Why We Do What We Do combines scientific research with concrete examples and illustrative stories to clarify the complex mechanisms of the human brain. It offers valuable insights into how our brain works every day, at home and at work, and provides practical ideas and tips to help us lead happy, healthy, and productive lives. The thoughts you have and the words that you speak all have an effect on your neural architecture - and this book explains what that means in a way you can understand.

Taking Care of Yourself by a Collaboration

Too many working parents focus solely on those around them, completely losing sight of what they need themselves. But neglecting your own needs and wants can prevent you from being healthy, productive, and happy. Taking Care of Yourself provides expert advice to help you identify what you value most out of your work and home life, make choices that align with those values, and manage the emotions that come with them. You'll learn to: prioritize the areas of your life that are most important to you-and let go of what's not; cope with the sacrifices you're making both at work and at home; deal with the feelings that come with being a working parent, including guilt; carve out time for your mental health and your physical well-being; communicate your needs and expectations with your boss and your family; and feel more present both at work and at home.

Can't get enough or working through a different challenge?