Angie Kuhnle - "The First Days of School"

I chose the book “The First Days of School” by Harry and Rosemary Wong. I chose this book because a former co-worker of mine who graduated from the program at the University of Winnipeg last spring emailed me and told me I had to read this book before I graduate and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity. Having now read the book I agree with him.

I feel that this is a book I can return to over and over again as I continue to prepare for teaching, but will find it especially helpful when I first start setting up and preparing for my own class. The reason I feel this way is because many of the suggestions this book gives would be best implemented in the first few days of school and need to be consistently used. In practicum and when we start teaching if we are only doing short term positions, we do not have the opportunity to make all of the choices and be consistent in our teaching practices because we are not there 100% of the time. It is important to be consistent in our own teaching though, so I think that as we prepare for our final block this year and for our two blocks next year we must imagine what kind of teacher we will eventually be, and try to work towards that from the beginning. With that in mind this book is a great resource to use in order to imagine what our future classrooms will look, sound and feel like. 

In this assignment I will give a brief summary of some of the sections, with my own considerations and critiques. Some of the ideas go against what we have learned so far this year (in this class, in our practicum schools and in other areas of development) but that doesn’t mean either belief is wrong. We, as teachers, need to decide what feels right for us, and every resource we come in contact with needs careful consideration, which is what I will do in this assignment. I will also include photos that I took from the book, of text boxes I found interesting or short lists of summaries for the chapters that might be useful in deciding if this is a good book for you to read. 

This book used the term “Effective Teacher” quite frequently, and most sections had boxes which defined how effective teachers handle certain scenarios. The first section of the textbook discusses what it means to be an effective teacher and why it is important. One thing that I really liked about this book is that the authors seem to understand that being an effective teacher is not something that is automatic or a decision someone makes, but rather is a process that every teacher should be working towards. I feel that this book is, in a way, a self help book which guides readers towards becoming an effective teacher. At the end of each chapter or major section a small summary list appears explaining the steps the chapter outlined in order to become an effective teacher. Here is the first one: (Photo - pg. 9)

Another section I found quite important is the section on teacher education and preparation. The book flat out says that when we graduate we will not be prepared, that our experiences in university, student teaching and any other professional development will not fully prepare you for what you are about to experience. I think this is a major wake up call that if we expect to be perfect right when we get our own classes, we wont be so we need to have realistic expectations for ourselves and remember that it is perfectly fine to not be perfect. The book suggests learning from those around us, especially once we start working in a school, by talking to other teachers, and finding a role model. (photo - pg. 21)

           The book also gives tips  like when to ask your students questions during a movie: (photo - pg. 32),

or how to dress for a teaching position: (photo - pg. 55),

or how to create seating plans and how to help students find their seats on the first day of school (photo - pg. 106).

I feel like this book is a paper version of pinterest (a website where you can share your teaching - and other creative ideas - with others). I can see pictures or read about other teachers’ ideas and begin to consider my own plans. There are also “How Not To...” lists to show readers the potential consequences of poorly thought out choices. There are so many small ideas that can really help a new teacher with those difficulties they may face. One struggle that I found in practicum was unsharpened pencils leading to kids becoming distracted by the pencil sharpener. In the book, they suggest an unsharpened an sharpened pencil jar that would eliminate this distraction. You see, sometimes it is the small things that someone thought of and shared with you that will make all the difference in eliminating stress in the classroom  (photo - pg. 202)

         I was interested on the section on consequences under classroom management (Chapter 18) because it suggested that teachers create a system that includes rules, consequences and rewards. We have been told several times in the last year that intrinsic motivation is more effective than extrinsic motivation. While I do agree with the idea that rules should be easily accessed and I think that the book’s ideas about not interrupting teaching to deal with consequences for behaviour are important, I’m not sure how I feel about rewarding students for good behaviour. I think this is something that I will need more experience with over the next few years before I make a decision. 

        Overall, I think this book is a great read, I will certainly be turning back to it for ideas and suggestions. There are so many ideas packed into this book that I think every reader could pull out different topics that they find important. I think there are areas you could reference in a job interview and more than anything, it is a great way to start considering what you want your life as a teacher to feel like. If you are looking for another teacher resource, definitely check this one out! 

Reference List:

Wong, Harry K., Wong, Rosemary T., (2009) The First Days of School. Singapore: Harry K Wong Publications Inc.