A great read for any teacher regardless of number of years of service is Educating Esme: Diary of a Teacher’s First Year. This hilariously funny book, first published in 1999 but revised and republished in 2001, was recorded by 24-year-old Esme Raji Codell, a first-year teacher in an inner-city public school in Chicago.

The diary shines a spotlight on a real-life classroom from the perspective of a beginning teacher. Codell presents her daily battles with bureaucrats, gang members, abusive parents, and her own insecurities, but in the process she reveals what it takes to be an exceptional teacher.

This highly-acclaimed book is recommended by School Library Journal and Publishers Weekly. You can find the volume on the web site of Barnes and Noble at the following link: Educating Esme.