What was your summer reading? Summer reading can be for professional development or personal enjoyment, and maybe even both. This summer I read  Mindset by Carol Dweck. It discussed expectations that we have on our children and students. It looks at how our thinking, our comments and our actions play a part on how others will react and value the need to do their best. One idea that I took from the book was that My words and actions will affect how my daughters view themselves and their worth as a learner. It makes me think about the words I use with them daily and if I had said something that has hurt their precious soul. Carol Dweck used the examples of a Fixed mindset ( this is all I got, I can't learn anymore, I am as smart as I can get) vs. the Growth mindset (you can always learn more, I am not smart today but can always continue to learn more). This simple but profound thinking will help Me, My students and My family- We are forever learning-I have a Growth Mindset!  Speaking of help...I read the Bestseller book, The Help, by a new author, Kathryn Stockett. There is a social debate about this book--It did not honestly show the pain and struggles that the black maid endured in Jackson, Mississippi, and it is racist in its depiction of white and black woman and how it holds no value in the life of woman today. Well all I know is that  I enjoyed the book! I felt the pain of the characters. I resented the treatment and prayed a thankful prayer for the job I have today and for what women endured in the past. A lifestyle that was only because of the family they were born to and their skin color. Stockett readers to see a life that we don't talk about in books during the civil rights movement. It hopefully shows how future generations have moved beyond the cycle of being a maid or the ignorant thinking of the wealth family. I honor the pride and devotion to do what is needed to be done for their family and their own survival. I enjoyed both books. I have grown as a mom and a teacher. I have grown as a black woman. I can appreciate what I have, where I came from and how I want to steer my beautiful daughters to go in the future.  I think I chose two books that were professional and personal growth for me. What reading journey did you take this summer?