Kara Fryklund – “The First Days of School” by Harry K. Wong & Rosemary T. Wong

Summary:

            The book I chose to critically examine and reflect on is How to Be an Effective Teacher: The First Days of School, written by married couple Harry K. Wong & Rosemary T. Wong. This book is the leading book on classroom management and lesson mastery. I found this to be an excellent read as it doesn’t sugar coat the job of teaching. It tells us that our education and schooling will NOT prepare us for our first days in the classroom and that the success of our school year comes largely from how the first few weeks of school play out. The following is a summary of the text split into five sections, as done within the book.

Unit A: Basic Understandings – The Teacher

            This first unit articulates an introduction as well as explanation that the “successful teacher must know and practice the three characteristics of an effective teacher” (pg. 1).  The three characteristics of an effective teacher is one that has positive expectations for student success, is an extremely good classroom manager, and one that knows how to design lessons for student mastery. All three of these characteristics are explored further within Unit B, C, and D.

Unit B: First Characteristic – Positive Expectations

Having positive expectations for students is key for believing that a child can learn. Harry and Rosemary Wong state that the level you believe a child can perform is directly transmitted to the student (pg. 10). Therefore, having positive and high expectations will push the learner to achieve these results.

Positive expectations are important for many reasons, however, one of the most important is that positive expectations enriches students achievement not only in your class, but also in their every day life (pg. 35).

Along with an overview of why positive and high expectations are important, as well as outlining the difference between an expectation and a standard, this unit discusses how to help students succeed through the joining of the school and family, with events such as first day of school celebrations, or family days. Moreover, this unit discusses how to dress for success and respect. This includes the teacher modeling to students that you are what you wear. Additionally this unit shares how to become a more “invitational” teacher, helping student to realize their full potential through people, places, policies, procedures, and programs. Finally, this unit demonstrates how to increase positive student behavior through the carful choices of our actions and words. A smile and a simple “please and thank you” can really go a long way. “When you look at the truly effective teachers, you will also find caring, warm, lovable people” (pg. 69).

Unit C: Second Characteristic – Classroom Management

            Classroom management is extremely important within education. Without control and management, lesson plans mean nothing. Unit C discusses how to be an effective classroom manager and generate a space where students can learn in a task oriented environment. The followings are tips and procedures for effective classroom management:

a) How to Have a Well-Managed Classroom: a successful teacher works on having a well-managed classroom, prepares students to know what they are to do, has students working on a task (as well as themselves), and provides a classroom with little confusion or waste time.

b) How to Have Your Classroom Ready: a successful teacher is ready when the work is ready, the room is ready, and when they are ready. They maximize student learning and minimize student misbehavior (pg. 91).

c) How to Introduce Yourself to Your Class: a successful teacher cultivates a positive reputation, and therefore students will enter the classroom with high expectations. They communicate with their students and parents before school begins through a welcoming letter, and greet the students with positive expectations. Finally, a successful teacher has the seating chart and first assignment waiting on their desks. This sets the mood of a working and learning environment.

d) How to Arrange and Assign Seating: a successful teacher assigns seating on the first day of school (before they enter the classroom), has all the seats facing the them for the first day of school, and arranges the seating to expedite the task (pg. 120).

e) How to Post Your Assignments: an effective teacher has a posted morning routine where everyone can view it, has the assignment(s) posted daily in a consistent location, and teaches the class where to find the assignment. All of these factors motivate the student to do the assignments.

f) When and How to Take Roll: a successful teacher begins with an assigned task RIGHT AWAY. The teacher takes roll after the students are on task and does not disturb them in doing so.

g) How to Maintain an Effective Grade Record Book: a successful teacher knows what work and observations should be recorded, designs or modifies a grade record book to record results, and keeps running progress of student work (pg. 140).

h) How to Have an Effective Discipline Plan 1 – Rules: a successful teacher has the rules and expectations posted prior to the first day of school with no more than 5 posted. The teacher also makes sure these rules and responsibilities are well understood and adapts them where needed.

i) How to Have an Effective Discipline Plan 2 – Consequences & Rewards: the effective teacher thinks about a plan before school begins and conveys it once school begins, discusses it with the students and makes sure it is reasonable, involves the administration the help guarantee and enforce this plan, and has high expectations and confidence in his or her capacity to teach young people self discipline (pg. 166).

j) How to Have Students Follow Classroom Procedures: “The number one problem in the classroom is not discipline; it is the lack of procedures and routines” (pg. 167). Therefore, an effective teacher has well-thought-out procedure for every activity and teaches the procedures for different activities early in the school year. Additionally, turns classroom procedures into routines and reteaches them when necessary. Finally, giving praise to reinforce correct procedure when appropriate.

Unit D: Third Characteristic – Lesson Mastery

            “The effective teacher knows how to design lessons to help students reach mastery” (pg. 195). This unit discusses the student learning and achievement, including how to increase student learning. Wong & Wong state that to increase student learning and achievement, you must increase the amount of time the student is working (pg. 196). Therefore, an effective teacher focuses on their students learning, not a subject or grade level. Additionally, they maximize student learning by keeping children actively engaged and focused at all times. Students must earn their own achievement.

            Motivating students to complete their assignments can be a difficult task if not approached correctly. It is important to be precise and offer greatly structured lessons in order to obtain a higher achievement rate. The effective teacher administers purposefully objectives for each assignment that are readily available for their students as well as prepare assignments that will increase the rate of their student’s success.

            Getting students to pass their tests can be a daunting and difficult task for some students. It is important to remember that the purpose of a test is to determine if a student has mastered the objectives that you have taught them (pg. 229). The effective teacher must use both formative and summative testing techniques as well as use formative test to determine where a student needs the most help. An effective teacher also grades and encourages for percentage mastery.

            Getting your students to work cooperatively is going to differ from year to year. Different personalities and interests are going to change your approach. However, there are certain guidelines you can follow. The effective teacher supports group work by writing activities that support cooperation, works cooperatively by him or herself, and helps enhance the culture of the school within their classroom. “The greater amount of time students work together and the great the responsibilities students take for their work, the greater their learning” (pg. 245).

Unit E: Future Understandings – The Professional

            “The teacher who constantly learns and grows becomes a professional educator” (pg. 269). This unit discusses teacher happiness and how to continue to grow as a professional educator over the course of your career.

            Achieving happiness and success as a teacher can sometimes feel impossible, especially as a new teacher. This book states that how a person chooses to act and behave will greatly influence their lifetime happiness, including their career as a teacher. Therefore, the effective teacher makes their decisions wisely, practices techniques for improvement, and develops and updated annual portfolio that they are an effective master teacher.

            “The rewards in education and life go to the person who is a professional” (pg. 293). With that being said, becoming a professional educator includes many elements, some of which are implementing a career risk plan, documenting professional growth, and being able to state for others why they are a professional educator (pg. 311).

Resources:

1) Classroom Procedures (pg. 193): You could be the best speaker and facilitator of words and concepts in the world, but in my opinion, without classroom management, you will have a very hard time reaching order within your classroom. Procedure and routine is extremely important in early years teaching, so here are some procedures to rehearse with your students in order to achieve a high level of classroom management:

2) Discipline with Your Body, Not Your Mouth (pg. 164): It is a daunting feeling as a future teaching thinking about the day that you will have to discipline a student in your class. Here are some techniques that promote calmness and patience while disciplining with your body, and not your mouth:

Critique:

            Overall, the main idea behind this book, The First Days of School, is that being an effective teacher will lead to success. Therefore, the book provides the strategies for becoming an effective teacher. The purpose of this book was to help all teachers “jumpstart” by beginning school successfully (pg. ii). I found Wong & Wong to be extremely successful at conveying important techniques, resources, and messages that are and will be extremely useful for any new teacher for many years. I personally picture what my first year of teaching might look like all of the time and truly believe that this book addresses many aspects of “the first days of school,” that I would not of given a second thought if I had not read this book. For this reason, I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity as I learned that from the first assignment, to the seating chart, to the way your students walk in the room for the first time, can all be contributing factors to the way the rest of your school year is going to go!

            With that being said, there is one item that I would like to comment on...

            1. Having a first assignment ready on the first day of school: I do not agree
with this. I believe and support that the way your students enter your classroom on the first day sets the tone for the entire year. Although having a first assignment ready at their assigned seat reinforces the notion that school is a serious place for learning, I believe that for young children in early years, it can be extremely intimidating. We need to be creating a space, as noted in our class discussions this past semester that feels like not only the teachers, but also the students. By taking complete control right at the start, I feel it could be detrimental to a child’s willingness to participate or voice their opinion and who they are on that first day. “What if I get in trouble?” ‘Is it okay to go and get a Kleenex?” We need to be establishing and balance that makes children feel comfortable in essentially a space they will be spending the next ten months.

            Overall, this book is an excellent resource for new teachers. It offers a lot of insight and really allows you to think hard about how your future classroom will look. It connects to many of this courses main ideas such as motivation, classroom management, as well as really painting the picture of teachers being a leader. We are role models to these kids and we need to act like it. “Let us be reminded of the tools you have at your command, because of your talents, your traits, and your training…and because you chose to become a teacher” (Irish Marcuzzo, pg. vi).

Wong H. K., & Wong, R. T. (1998). The first days of school: how to be an effective teacher (1st ed.).

                         Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications.