I chose the book Everything
a New Elementary School Teacher Really Needs to Know (but Didn’t Learn in
College), by Otis Kriegle. I chose this book because it seemed like
something that applies to all of us as early year’s teachers, and something
that everyone would be able to take something away from. I found the book easy
and entertaining to read, as most of it was written from personal experience. Kriegle
provides his own insight as well as others through stories, and boxes within
chapters called BTW, where he
provides tips for new teachers.
Summary
BEFORE THE SCHOOL
YEAR
The book was separated into four different sections, for
easy navigation. The first one was called BEFORE
THE SCHOOL YEAR. I think this is the one that I took the most away from
because I have no idea what goes into preparation for a new school year. I also
believe this is what we have been talking about a lot in class. We have worked on
our ‘dream classrooms’ which involved setting up an optimal learning environment.
As a brand new teacher I believe that it would take an even longer amount of
time to prepare your classroom for the year as you probably do not have all the
necessary resources.
Throughout this section, Kriegle also provides hints and
tips including Making Your Classroom Work
for You, where he provides his insight in room design, the classroom
meeting area, classroom materials, and decorating. Within this section, he also
includes Learning Your Schools Culture,
this is a particularly large chapter that includes topics that will help you
learn how things run at your new school, including how to talk to your
principle (very important), calling in sick, student assessment, and Getting to
know the parents. The last chapter within this section was called Setting up for a Terrific Year, which
includes all the things that you might not think about until you are actually
teaching, but will thank yourself later if you think about it now. These topics
range from homework collection, lesson plans, and interactive whiteboards.
One of the chapters within this section that I took a lot
away from was the chapter called STAY
COMFORTABLE: CLOTHES AND SHOES. I had never realized how good of an idea
this was until I had read the chapter where it suggests always having an extra
pair of clothes and shoes handy. In my practicum school there are a lot of arts
and crafts going on all the time, and the opportunity for a mess, is very
present. Having an extra pair of clothes within the school eliminates any
potential embarrassment or discomfort due to messes of any kind.
DURING THE SCHOOL
YEAR
The second section of the book was called DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR. This chapter
includes day to day dilemmas that you might encounter as a first year teacher,
or even an experienced teacher. This chapter was interesting to me because it
would be chapter that I would flip open to a specific page if I was
experiencing a particular difficulty such as getting the student’s attention.
Kriegle separated this section into two chapters: Working with Students and Working with your Principal. The first
chapter provides insight into how to manage your classroom behaviour; he
includes points about seat assignments, hand raising, field trips and
consequences for misbehaviour. Although most of these topics could be read
before the school year starts, it also provides a great reference for teachers
to flip to, in time of need. The second chapter
provides Kriegle’s insight into working with your principle. I believe this is
an important chapter for everyone to read, as everyone should learn how to work
well with their principal. The point
within this chapter that I found the most interesting was to try and solve the
problem on your own. I think it might be everyones first instinct to run to the
principal to let them know what is going on, but using other resources to solve
the problem might be faster, and not waste the time of the busy principal.
YOUR STUDENTS’
FAMILIES
The third section of this book is called YOUR STUDENTS’ FAMILIES. This chapter
was a very important one for me. I believe establishing a good relationship
with both the child and the child’s family is crucial to the learning
environment. It includes almost all the aspects of being a teacher that scare
me a bit, such as angry parent visits and sharing bad news within the class.
This chapter was separated into three different sections.
The first one, The Parent Teacher
Relationship, talks about what you might want from parents or what they
might want from you. It also talks about different methods of communication,
and whether you should communicate by phone, e-mail, or face-to-face meeting. This
is important to know, as technology evolves, it is important to evolve with it,
and keep up to date with methods of communication. The second chapter: Communicating with Families, gives suggestions to send home a note on the
first day of school providing all the information that parents might be
interested in hearing, such as information about yourself, methods of
communication, attendance policies, future field trips, etc…This chapter really
emphasizes having a good communication system with the families of the
children. The last chapter of this section is called When Families Come Into the Classroom. It provides helpful tips
about impromptu visits, and also planned parent-teacher nights. This is
something that every teacher should become acquainted with because at one point
or another, they will be meeting with parents to discuss the child.
YOUR LIFE AS A
TEACHER
The last section of this book is called YOUR LIFE AS A TEACHER. This chapter is specifically odd hints and
tips that will help any teacher when they may become overworked or
overburdened. It also provides insight into looking into what is your job and
what isn’t, and perhaps you should exhaust yourself with things you needn’t be
doing.
This chapter was separated into two different sections: Managing
the Workload and Balancing Your
Responsibilities. The first chapter focuses on odd tips and tricks that Kriegle
has provided, such as leaving your work at school, delegating your workload,
and planning your lessons one week ahead of time. All of these things will help you reduce the
headache that they could provide if not done. The second chapter talks about
staying focused on what the ideal teacher is. It talks about important it is to
not be counted on as a parent, social worker, or therapist, by your students, because
this could add some unnecessary strain to your already busy workload. I think
this is easier said than done for most teachers, so this could be a good read
for them.
Critique
I found this book very resourceful and full of insight into
things that I had never even thought of posing a problem. I really enjoyed the author’s
real-life stories that were often very humorous, and being able to learn from
them is a huge asset. Having the tips, stories and advice will be very helpful
for any future teacher, and even for an experienced teacher who might be having
difficulty within their classroom.
There were many connections made between the book and our
class. The first one that I notices, as mentioned earlier, was the classroom
design. This book and the activity in class really make you think about how you
should set up your classroom. It also emphasizes community building, which is
something that we have mentioned in class. Building a strong classroom
community is a huge contributor to academic performance, but I believe that it
takes skill to achieve this.
Overall I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone
who is becoming an early year’s teacher. It covers a wide range of topics of
all kinds, and teachers can be sure to use it at least once or twice in their
classrooms.
Resources
Kriegel, Otis. Everything
a New Elementary School Teacher Really Needs to Know: (but Didn't Learn in
College). Minneapolis: Free Spirit, 2013. Print.
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