Ronald Allan Suban - The Everything New Teacher Book

Summary

The book I chose to review was, “The Everything New Teacher Book,” by Melissa Kelly.  The book covers a wide variety of issues such as: 1) Setting the Ground Rules, 2) Behaviour Management, 3) Technology in the Classroom, 4) A Variety of Teaching Methods, and many more.  It even covers topics such as avoiding stress and illness, working with substitute teachers. and even online teaching!  The one aspect of Kelly’s (2010) writing, is that she is never biased.  Every concept is accompanied with a list of pros and cons and explanations of both sides.  She allows the reader to reflect and make decisions based on the information from the text. There are twenty five chapters in total, but I will discuss a few key ones that I believe are unique to this book.  

Avoiding Stress and Illness: “…You cannot be an effectivee teacher if you aren’t in good health——or if you aren’t a happy and satisfied person” (Kelly, 2010, pg. 167).  As educators, we come in to contact with numerous students daily.  Kelly (2010) explains that we must practice prevention of germs, teach our students proper manners, and that once in awhile, it is okay to conserve energy and conduct a lesson plan that consists of taking notes or watching a movie.  Stress is another hot topic in this chapter.  Stress can come from external factors such as administration and students, or also internal factors such as high expectations of ones self.  To combat the stress that teachers face, Kelly (2010) suggests that we should do activities that promote stress relief and that, “stress relief beings and ends with your mind” (Kelly, 2010, pg. 174).  We literally need to sweat the small things and make sure that we are getting enough sleep, exercising, and practicing good eating habits!

Technology in the Classroom: “…Technology at times, has been viewed as the saviour of public education.  However, technology is not a solution in and of itself.  Presented or used improperly, technology in the classroom may prove to be ineffective, a costly way of wasting valuable teaching time” (Kelly, 2010, pg. 127).  Kelly (2010) discusses important aspects of incorporating technology in the classroom.  The chapter discusses why school divisions purchase technology, why teachers fail to incorporate technology in the classroom, and various types of technologies that teachers can use with their lesson plan.  One important note that Kelly (2010) said was,  “teachers lack training in new technology” (pg. 129).  Working in the inner city this summer at John M. King school, I have experienced the reality of teachers being unable to use smart boards in their classroom due to lack of training.  School divisions have spent thousands of dollars on these Smart Boards, yet only give one to two days of professional development to become familiar with the technology.  As a result, we can see some teachers today using the smart board for the purpose of only projecting material, or sadly, not even using it all.  

Beyond the Classroom: “Leaving the classroom can present new learning opportunities—and new problems” (Kelly, 2010, pg. 157).  As teachers, we have the capability to use our community resources to take our students from traditional classrooms on a field trip to have an educational experience that would not be possible within the school.  Some of the positives of taking students on field trips are that they reinforce concepts in class, students view you in a new light, and is a different method of learning for the students.  Kelly (2010) goes on to state that although field trips are extremely beneficial to student learning, the organization and preparation are extremely time consuming.  Teachers new to plan effectively, sets rules for the students, collect money, gather chaperones, and make sure the field trip is productive.  

Helpful Resources and Strategies

The Everything New Teacher Book by Melissa Kelly, includes a CD with a variety of resources that are integral for every new teacher to have.  Example resources are: end of the year checklist, seating char examples, student information sheet, substitute information form, parent contact log,  weekly lesson plan, daily lesson plan, unit plan, monthly calendar, graphic organizers, and many more! The resources that I provide below, are self explanatory, but I believe unique to this book.  

Sample Substitute Lesson Plan - This is a perfect resource to make sure substitute teachers are set up for success.  Substitutes are not a topic that are covered in our education studies.

Parent Conference Form - Parent/Teacher dialogue are integral to a students academic success.  This resource allows teachers to keep track of goals, concerns, and to keep record of parent involvement.

Sample High School Syllabus - High School Syllabi are not a common item seen in classrooms.  It is important to layout the course so students can be set up for success in the classroom.

Beginning of the Year Checklist - Great resource to keep a first year teacher organized, or even veteran teachers.  

Critique

The Everything New Teacher Book by Melissa Kelly is a necessary read for all educators; new and veterans.  Relating the text to course material covered in our Psychology course, Kelly (2010) supports and provides practical applications for the topics covered in our course.  Teaching students with diverse needs, individual education plan, individuals with disabilities education act, and inclusion in the classroom are all presented unbiased to the reader.  As mentioned above, Kelly (2010) approaches all these concepts without being biased, but providing extensive information on each; providing pros and cons, arguments for and against, never influencing the reader to one side.  The chapter I found most relatable to our course material was chapter 15: Avoiding Stress and Illness.  In our Psychology class, we discussed the issues of teacher burnout and the importance of health and play.  Kelly (2010) supports all activities we did in class such as: snack break, body break, and our discussions on being happy and living a stress free life.  Kelly (2010) does well to develop and all around teacher and presents content to readers that are not often discussed in teacher education.  Topics such working with administration and colleagues, extracurricular activities, online learning, twenty-first century skills, dealing with the unexpected, and many more! I would rate this book 10/10 due to its vast information and ease of access.