Theory
and Practice: A Collective Teacher’s Toolbox
Angela
Kramer
Book:
Brenny, K. & Martin, K. (2005). 1000 Best New Teacher Survival Secrets.
Naperville, IL., Sourcebooks, Inc.
Summary
1000
Best New Teacher Survival Secrets is a collaborative
piece of work by Kathleen Brenny and Kandace Martin, who have a combined
educational experiences of almost 70 years! Through their work in the field of
education, in the day-to-day teaching of students, they have gained much
knowledge and wisdom, which this book documents. This book details the many
insights and lessons that educators Kathleen Brenny and Kandace Martin have
gleaned in their educational experiences.
To me, there is no
position that is more critical to student learning than an effective classroom
teacher. Research tells us that teachers have profound influences on student
achievement. The tips in 1000 Best New
Teacher Survival Secrets are geared towards current and especially future
teachers; to help them gain a deeper understanding of the many decisions faced
by teachers, the complexities of the position and the best practices that need
to be exercised. This book looks at strategies to help find better ways to
solve problems that you will face, to recognize a better way to do things, to
enhance student learning and to find the joy of teaching. The tips, discussed
more fully below, are intended to help maximize learning opportunities and
challenge readers to always think of a better way to impact learning. 1000 Best New Teacher Survival Secrets
is a book that is filled with many pearls of wisdom that will assist current and
future teachers to becoming significant teachers that positively affect student
learning.
Helpful
Resources and Strategies
1000 Best New Teacher Survival Secrets
has 12 sections, which detail: getting started, classroom management,
developing lessons, teaching the lesson, assessing student learning, utilizing
resources, working with ESL students, students with special needs, reaching out
to parents and community, maintaining professionalism, personal management, and
safety in schools. The book also has a detailed appendix, in the form of lists,
which highlights professional organizations, websites, learning supports, and
books that are available to teachers.
The
first strategy, tips 1-113, focus on ‘getting started’. In the getting started section
the authors advocate for new teachers to become familiar with, ask questions
and inquire about all aspects of the school system – the staff, students and
policies. The second strategy, tips
114-213, focus on ‘classroom management’. In the classroom management section
the authors advocate for new teachers to set goals and class rules early on in
the year, to deal with issues such as behaviour management, in order to develop
a classroom environment built on trusting, respectful relationships. The third
strategy, tips 214-295, focus on ‘developing lessons’. The authors give
teachers advice on allowing time to develop lessons that have clear objectives
and expectations of both the teacher and the students. The fourth strategy,
tips 296-373, focus on ‘teaching the lesson’. In this section, the authors
pointed out the importance of the teacher being aware of differences in
learning styles, and push new teachers to think about the presentation and
clarity of their lessons. The fifth strategy, tips 374-449, focus on ‘assessing
student learning’. Here the authors advocate for the encouragement of student
involvement in the various forms of assessment. The sixth strategy, tips
450-518, focus on ‘utilizing resources’. This section explores all the various
resources that teachers are able to access – library resources, community
resources, media resources, and professional development resources. The seventh
strategy, tips 519-597, focus on ‘working with ESL students’, and highlights
the trend of rapid growth of ‘English as a second language’ (ESL) students that
make up our schools and classrooms. Within this section, there are resources
and strategies that teachers can utilize as these type of students enter into
schools. The eighth strategy, tips 598-667, focus on ‘students with special
needs’. The authors stress the importance of teachers familiarizing themselves
with special needs within their school or classroom and how the student(s)
deals with the need as an individual. The ninth strategy, tips 668-733, focus
on ‘reaching out to parents and community’. At the heart of this section, the
authors stress the importance of open and effective communication to foster and
maintain positive relationships between all parties. The tenth strategy, tips
734-803, focus on ‘maintaining professionalism’. Topics addressed in this
section focus on teacher self-improvement through conferences and workshops.
The authors advocate of the acceptance of personal responsibility as a teacher
and the acknowledgement that you are a representative of your school. The eleventh
strategy, tips 804-892, focus on ‘personal management’. As teachers we have to
be effective at time management and dealing with the stresses of the job. This
section highlights different tips for exercise, nutrition and managing a life
outside of school. The twelfth strategy, tips 893-1000, focus on ‘safety in
schools’. The topics addressed within this section include: bullying safety,
playground safety and safety on outings. The latter half of the tips focus on
safety drills that are and should be in place within the school system.
Critique
1000
Best New Teacher Survival Secrets sets out to help teachers
and educators to gain a deeper understanding of the many decisions faced by
teachers, the complexities of the position and the best practices that need to
be exercised. The book looks at strategies to help find better ways to solve
problems that you will face, to recognize a better way to do things, to enhance
student learning and to find the joy of teaching. The tips are intended to help
maximize learning opportunities and challenge readers to always think of a
better way to impact learning. I fully believe that 1000 Best New Teacher Survival Secrets does all of the above. Not
only does the authors lay out the book in 12 easy-to-navigate sections, but
within such sections, each tip is clearly worded so that it can easily be
understood and implemented by the teacher.
The broad coverage of
the book is a characteristic that I found to be lacking within the book. On the
back cover of the book, the authors state that the book “covers important
issues across all grade levels”. 1000
Best New Teacher Survival Secrets was published in the United States in 2005.
Even though the United States has a fairly diverse population and schooling
systems, you cannot cover all the school cultures and dynamics. The setting of
the book, I found, was a school system that is very white, middle-class and American,
and the tips were a direct reflection of this. However, school systems are
never homogeneous and neither are classes, or even individuals. Although many
of the tips can be extrapolated to different school systems, such as vocational
or trade-focused schools, it would have been nice for the authors to focus
their attentions onto other schooling cultures.
Overall, 1000 Best New Teacher Survival Secrets
is a book that is filled with many pearls of wisdom that will assist current and
future teachers to becoming significant teachers that positively affect student
learning, and I would suggest this book as a must read to every teacher!
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