School Holiday Reads - Mindset, Wellbeing & the Future of Learning

As the school term winds down and the holidays stretch ahead, it’s the perfect time for educators to press pause, take a breath, and reconnect with the ‘why’ behind our work. For many of us, the break isn’t just about rest; it’s a space to recharge our thinking, revisit our purpose, and dream a little about what’s possible in education.

At The EduShift Collective, our mission is to support schools in transforming learning experiences to better prepare young people for the future. That transformation starts with courageous conversations, powerful provocations, and renewed purpose. And sometimes, a good book is just the spark we need.

This week’s holiday reading list focuses on mindset, wellbeing, and the evolving nature of learning. These three titles will challenge your thinking, expand your understanding of learners, and help you return to Term 3 feeling clear and grounded.

1. World Class Learners: Educating Creative and Entrepreneurial Students by Yong Zhao

In a world defined by rapid change, automation, and global complexity, are we truly preparing young people to thrive, or just to comply? In World Class Learners, Yong Zhao challenges traditional education systems and argues for cultivating entrepreneurial, creative learners who can drive their own futures.

For educators, this book is a call to shift from test-driven learning to student-centred environments where risk-taking, passion, and real-world problem-solving are celebrated. Zhao explores how we can create schools that nurture global competencies, not just national benchmarks.

What makes this read so powerful is its forward-thinking vision: schools that embrace diversity, encourage personalisation, and value learners as producers rather than consumers of knowledge.

Whether you’re working on strategic visioning, rethinking your curriculum, or exploring learner agency, this book offers a compelling argument and a practical roadmap, for redesigning education with the future in mind.

2. The Whole-Brain Child by Dr Dan Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson

This book might sit in the parenting section, but its insights are gold for every educator who works with children. Blending neuroscience with practical strategies, The Whole-Brain Child unpacks how young brains develop and how we can respond to behaviour in ways that build emotional intelligence, regulation, and resilience.

Through 12 simple strategies, Siegel and Bryson explain how to support integration between the different parts of a child’s brain, helping them move from chaos to calm, or shutdown to connection.

For educators, this book provides more than just classroom management tips. It deepens our understanding of what’s going on under the surface when students act out, disengage, or struggle to learn. It reminds us that behaviour is communication, and that every interaction is a chance to build connection and capacity.

Perfect for teachers, wellbeing teams, and leaders wanting to build trauma-informed, emotionally safe learning environments, The Whole-Brain Child is an accessible, science-backed reminder of what it really means to educate the whole child.

3. Let Them by Mel Robbins

This one’s not your typical education read, but it just might be the mindset reset you need these holidays. In Let Them, Mel Robbins shares a deceptively simple idea: when people behave in ways you can’t control or don’t understand, just let them. Let them opt out. Let them gossip. Let them underestimate you.

For educators and leaders, this message can feel surprisingly freeing. In a profession where we care deeply, sometimes too deeply, about every student, every parent interaction, every colleague’s response, Let Them offers an invitation to release the weight we carry and focus our energy where it truly counts.

Schools are emotional ecosystems. We’re constantly navigating the needs, expectations, and behaviours of others, often while holding ourselves to impossible standards. This book gives permission to step back from people-pleasing and micromanaging, and instead focus on what truly matters: being grounded, present, and purposeful in how we show up for others.

Whether you’re leading a team, supporting a tricky class, or grappling with self-doubt, Let Them is a powerful reminder that we don’t need to fight every battle or win every opinion. Sometimes the most impactful leadership move is to let go, protect your peace, and stay anchored in your values.

A final note for Part 1

We hope these reads give you space to think more deeply about what matters most... for yourself, your students, and the future of learning.

Next week, we’ll share Part 2: a new list of reads focused on innovation, culture, and trust in schools. Until then, you can also revisit our previous reading list here:

👉 Fuel for the Fire: Holiday Books Every Education Transformer Should Pack