Derek Mitchell: I think reading is really awesome because it both builds your mental patience, your intellectual flexibility, even as it feeds the soul. Alec Patton: This is High Tech High Unboxed. I'm Alec Patton, and that was the voice of Derek Mitchell, CEO of Partners in School Innovation. This is Derek's fourth time on the show, and in today's special mini episode, he's sharing his daily reading rituals. I approached Derek about making this episode because I agree with him about reading, that it builds my intellectual flexibility and feeds my soul. I had so much fun talking to Derek about how he reads, and I'm excited to share this episode with you. Let's get into it. This is going to be a day in Derek's reading Life. Derek Mitchell: Sure. Before I get into it, I really do think we need a reading renaissance in our country these days. Even I've noticed myself as I've gotten more into the social media and the fast media ecosphere, just my patience for reading gets taxed. And so I think reading is really awesome because it both builds your mental patience, your intellectual flexibility, even as it feeds the soul. And so I make a point of literally reading in three time points in the day and pretty much I stick to it. Every once in a while the middle of the day gets tricky. And so I have this routine where I read a book in the morning, it's on my stand. And usually my morning book is either a biography or a history. I'm reading Making of the Second Ghetto now, which is about how Chicago created the mental model we currently have now about urban ghettos. Really, really interesting stuff. Sometimes the morning reading is a deep history too. For instance, I read Churchill and the Jews was one of my recent reads in the mornings. So the main idea is to expand my brain with the morning read and it almost never fails. Alec Patton: And that one's on the stationary bike. Derek Mitchell: Right. Exactly. You got it. Exactly. So usually I read just as I wake up before I get start the other morning rituals, but if I'm running late or I don't feel like it at that point in time, sometimes you have the sleep in the eye and you don't really want to start focusing on books, I take it to the stationary bike with me and do the reading there. Alec Patton: Are you going to the gym or do you have an in-home stationary bike? Derek Mitchell: I have it in my house. Alec Patton: Nice. Derek Mitchell: Actually, it's in my garage, a stationary bike right now. Alec Patton: Got it. Are you a coffee drinker? Derek Mitchell: Yes. Alec Patton: Coffee before book, how's that work? Derek Mitchell: Generally the coffee is after. Alec Patton: Okay. Derek Mitchell: It's part of my setup to start my morning meetings. Alec Patton: Got it. Derek Mitchell: So I just make sure I have my coffee with me before my first Zoom. Alec Patton: All right. And about how long is that? How long is your morning read normally? Derek Mitchell: It varies and it depends often on how much I'm enjoying the book. If I'm really enjoying it and it's getting to the end of the book, I start rationing the pages. I say, okay, you're only going to read five pages because I want the reading to last. But for books like Churchill and the Jews and probably the one I'm currently reading, I'm going to want to get through it. And so I won't slow myself down. I'll just read until I need to get myself showered. So typically it's 30 minutes, sometimes 45 minutes. That's the morning. Biographies, histories, books about really great famous people, but usually it's really stuff I have interest in that I want to learn more about. The new time reading is almost always related to work. Like the book I'm reading now is called Change Monster, which was recommended I think by your boss, Ben. He quoted it in some recent thing and I thought, oh, I got to get that book, and I put it up on the top of the stack, and so I'm reading it now. And it's essentially about how change happens in corporations. What are the human characteristics that enable or impede organization's ability to transform and change themselves. Really fascinating stuff. A lot of overlap with schools and districts, but also a couple, I'm finding some things that are actually different too, profit motive stuff particularly. Alec Patton: Yeah. Sure. Derek Mitchell: And the idea there is to get something that's useful for the doing of the work, some insight or some knowledge or some skill that could help me be of better at my job after having read it. Alec Patton: Are you annotating this one? Are you reading with a pencil in hand? Derek Mitchell: No. No, not at all. Alec Patton: So you're not an underliner? Derek Mitchell: No, sometimes I dog ear a page. Alec Patton: Got it. Derek Mitchell: When I find a quote that I want to use or something I want to share specifically, a section with staff, or a piece that I think would be great piece for the team to jigsaw in our next PD, I just dog ear the pages. Alec Patton: Got it. Derek Mitchell: I'm a purist with my books, so I try not to do anything that destroys them... Alec Patton: Got it. Derek Mitchell: ... too much. So I'm okay dog earing, but I'm not okay underlining, if that makes sense. Alec Patton: Yeah. Yeah. And how long are you reading for? Derek Mitchell: Oh, so the middle of the day reading is only the amount of time I have for lunch, so it's usually 30 minutes, 40 minutes. Sometimes it can be as few as 15 if I have a work meeting that gets overlapped with lunch. And that book generally is in my workbag or sitting on my desk at home. And I point out where the books are because it's important for the ritual, for the routine. Alec Patton: Well, yeah. I should also ask, where do you sit to read for your lunchtime read? Derek Mitchell: Usually at my desk or in my car. I find I'm in the car often when I'm either going to or coming from a meeting, the time overlaps with the lunchtime hour. Alec Patton: But you're parked in your car reading a physical book, you're not just driving and... Derek Mitchell: Yes. Yes. I don't really do electronic books very much or even listening to the book on tape. Alec Patton: Got it. Derek Mitchell: The evening reading is the fun stuff. So I'm a science fiction fantasy fan, and so my nighttime reading, which is really a ritual for me, is typically something that gives me great dreams and is really fantastical. I'm reading a great series now that is, I don't know how it describes itself, it is definitely fantasy, but it's military tactical fantasy, if you can imagine that. And I give behind the evening reading is to disconnect my brain from all the work stuff. So to give myself a break and to recharge my creativity and allow me to sleep calmly, and like I said, give me really fun dreams. Sometimes I reread fun books for my science fiction fantasy category in the evenings because I feel like I don't feel risking when I finish a book and I want to be able to have a really disconnect, I go back to something that I've really liked rather than pick up something new. And I find I only do that with the fun reading. Alec Patton: So where's that set up? Derek Mitchell: That book is also on my bed stand. So both the morning and evening readings are on my bed stand. Alec Patton: How long do you usually read for give or take? Derek Mitchell: Actually, that's funny you asked that because sometimes it can be a long time. I find this two hours have gone by and I'm like, oh, I got to get to sleep. And other times I'm really tired when I'm going to bed, and so it's only just a few pages. I say, hey, I'm going to find a good breaking point and read to that point and then stop. So it varies a lot. Alec Patton: All right. Now for somebody who's going to try the Derek Mitchell exercise program, can you give one or two or three starter books that might be a good... If you're thinking what's a good morning book, what's a good lunchtime book, what's a good evening book to get into this? Derek Mitchell: Yeah. Interesting. Interesting. A good morning book was Obama's book, Dreams From My Fathers. That's a good morning book. It's breezy, and what's funny, you can hear his voice as you read it, which is nice. And hell, I miss hearing his voice. Be kind of fun to pick that one back up again. How did I mention it? And it's interesting and thoughtful. So that would be I think a good starting book for the morning. Alec Patton: Yeah. He's narrating nature documentaries on Netflix now. Derek Mitchell: Is he? Alec Patton: Yeah. Derek Mitchell: Oh, I have to find some. Thanks for letting me know that. That's great news. I also think in terms of the afternoon reading, I probably would recommend Rudy Crew book, Just Connect it's called. J-U-S-T Connect. And it's really about the importance of teachers, parents, and students being in relationship with one another if you're really interested in getting results. And that's Dr. Rudy Crew. He was a chancellor of New York City schools for a while, a really great transformational leader. And oh boy, for the science fiction fantasy, the evening readings, I would recommend Stranger in a Strange Land, which is a combination of science fiction fantasy actually, and a brilliant, brilliant, brilliant book. It could even be a comedy. You find yourself laughing out loud reading it. But it's about the very first inhabitant of Mars. Wonderful, wonderful book. So those are some good starter books to get started if you haven't read any those already. Alec Patton: Awesome. Derek Mitchell, thank you so much. This is perfect, perfect, perfect to head into summer with this. Derek Mitchell: Yeah. I love my summer reading. Very excited for the summer to start. I can actually expand on the amount of time I spend in each grouping in the summer, which is very cool. Alec Patton: You got any books lined up? Derek Mitchell: Oh, are you kidding me? I have tons lined up. I always do. I'm actually right now looking forward to reading a book called Leading Equity. There's another podcaster, his name is Sheldon Aikens. He's somewhere in the Inland Empire. He wrote this book called Leading Equity. And given what's happening in the political context, I'm dying to read it and get a good sense of how much uptake there'll be given where we are in the world and the challenges with DEI from the federal perspective, et cetera. So looking forward to that one. Alec Patton: Yes, indeed. Any sci-fi fantasy you got lined up? Derek Mitchell: The books I'm reading now are a series, and so it'll be the very next one in the series, which I- Alec Patton: Yeah. I don't think you said what that was called. What's the series called? Derek Mitchell: Oh, the books are by Brian McClellan, and he has two series. The reading now is called Blood of the Empire. It's a really wonderful science system in the books that I think folks will find a lot of fun and super interesting. But it's the second book in a second series, and there's a first series you're going to want to read first. Alec Patton: I'll put links for everything. Awesome. Derek Mitchell: Really excited renaissance of reading. Let's get at it people. It's going to be a lot of fun. Alec Patton: We're making it happen. Derek Mitchell: We're making it happen. Alec Patton: All right. Thanks so much, Derek. Derek Mitchell: You're very welcome, Alec. It's great to talk to you yet again. Alec Patton: High Tech High Unboxed is hosted and edited by me, Alec Patton. Our theme music is by Brother Herschel. Huge thanks to Derek Mitchell for this conversation. We have links to all the books we talked about in the show notes. Thanks for listening.