Christine Scott - Everything a New Elementary School Teacher Really Needs to Know

The requirements for this assignment was to read a teachers resource book and provide a brief summary for our colleagues.  The book I have chosen is Everything a New Elementary School Teacher Really Needs to Know (But Didn’t Learn in College) by Otis Kriegel. 

 

I chose this book because I found that it covered many of the items a new teacher would need to know.  I also found the book was laid out very well which made it easy to read.  Throughout the book the author who was also a teacher puts in examples from when he was a teacher which can be very helpful as well.

 

 

Summary

The book format is great in that it is broken into four parts with each section having chapters that follow the heading title.  The first section is Before the School Year.  The chapters in this section are helpful for new teachers that are unsure about how to set up their classroom and policies that they may not have been aware of. 

I found the first chapter of the book to be very important as it discussed setting up your classroom.  The first chapter “Making your Classroom Work for You” had many good ideas to organize your classroom to help you throughout the year.  It discussed room design, and making sure you can maneuver easily around the classroom (pg. 8).  This is something that would seem to be common sense but in reality you may not have thought of. 

Another topic in chapter one was the importance of a meeting area.  In my practicum classroom this is where the students sit to listen to instructions and also where morning meeting is held.  The book says to set up your meeting area in a way that you are able to see the door. (pg. 14)  The author explains that this way you can see people that are at the door without having to move away from your students. 

            This chapter also had some very useful tips for setting up your classroom library.  Throughout the year it has been stressed upon us to start collecting books for our classroom library.  This book has seven different ideas that will help in collecting these books that are not going to cost you a fortune. The author says there are many free and cheap ways you can get books. (pg. 19)  Some of the ways to get free or cheap books according to the author are visiting other teachers in your grade level and see who has some extras, go to the librarian, or ask parents to donate books for the classroom library.

            The final chapter of this section titled “Setting Up for a Terrific Year” discusses lesson plans, daily schedule, and many other ideas for making the school year run smoothly.  The author writes that an important thing to do is to write the daily schedule on the board. (pg. 63)  This gets the students in the habit of reading the schedule to know what they are doing every day.  The author also states the importance of lesson plans and making sure you write one out.  He says, “The thought and effort you put into planning will directly impact your success as a teacher.”(pg. 66)

The second section of the book is titled, During the School Year.  This section deals with all the details that you will have to take care of throughout the year.  The first chapter “Working with Students” I found to be very useful.  This chapter deals with getting their attention, transitions and classroom management.  The author addresses ways to help teachers keep the classroom manageable so students can learn.  He discusses not being afraid to stop everything and order a moment of silence if the class is getting out of control. (pg. 106)  He also says do not rush from one step to the next. The book discusses the importance of consistency and student input, (pg. 111) encourage the students to participate in brainstorming a list for classroom behaviour.  The author also says you can get students to do this for a list of consequences for bad behaviour as well. (pg. 115)  Giving the students a role in the rules and consequences of the classroom will help to build classroom community.  “Building a supportive community, where everyone feels welcome and safe to learn, is one of the most important things you can do as a teacher.”(pg. 121)

The Third section in the book is Your Student’s Families which gives suggestions for communicating with families, coping with unhappy parents, successful parent-teacher conferences, and managing parent volunteers. (pg. 143)  The author also suggests sending home a weekly note to let parents know what is going on in the classroom and what they have done. (pg. 165)  He also says it is important to encourage parents to come and get involved in the school.

The last section of the book is titled Your Life as a Teacher which gives tips for how to avoid getting burned out and how to stay healthy and happy. (pg. 205)  In the first chapter of this section it points out that staying ahead will help to keep you from being overwhelmed.  The author recommends planning ahead one week. (pg. 208)  At the end of the book the author points out you will make mistakes just like he did and any other teacher has done as well.  He says, “Teaching is not about perfection.  It is about being present in the moment and working to inspire your students.” (pg. 226) 

Critique

I do not really have much to criticize about the book.  I found the book very useful in that it seems to address everything you would need to run a classroom for the first time.  I really found the book quite useful and one that I think I will be looking over again and again.

The only issue I had with the book was that it was written by an American author and therefore geared towards schools in the United States.  I found some of the topics in the book irrelevant because it was not written for a Canadian school system and our schools are not run the same as American schools. 

 

Resources

             Kriegel, Otis. Everything a New Elementary School Teacher Really Needs to Know: (but Didn't Learn in College). Minneapolis: Free Spirit, 2013. Print.