Customer Reviews

The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I recently received a copy of the newly revised version of The First Days of School, and I love it! I'm enjoying it so much that I don't want to rush through it. I read it a little at a time, savoring it like a wonderful piece of chocolate. Everything is clearly written, and much of what is written is quite profound in its simplicity. I love the sidebars with extra information and inspirational stories, as well as the internet links to additional resources. The page layout is attractive and easy to read. Many people are familiar with this book as a "must have" for beginning teachers, but as a 27-year veteran, I can say that this book is just as powerful today as it was when I first read it years ago. There is much wisdom tucked inside its pages!

I am a high school science teacher. My principal gave my a copy of this book when I started teaching 13 years ago. Since then, I have read it every August before I start the school year.

I enjoy reviewing the components of good teaching (positive expectations, classroom management, and lesson mastery). However, my favorite part is the section called, The Teacher as a Professional. It helps me maintain a positive and professional attitude during the school year which is not always easy to do. Thank you Harry and Rosemary Wong for inspiring me to be a teacher-leader, not a worker!

I bought this book as a student teacher because reviews had suggested it along with Teaching With Love and Logic. Overall, I would say that The First Days of School is a useful book, specifically its emphasis on the implementation of procedures as a way to prevent class management problems. However, the layout of the book seems to target an elementary student instead of a professional. The side bars contain important information at times, yet often, they seem to be space fillers to create a longer book. In addition, information is repeated so that the reader begins to feel like the authors believe that s/he is not intelligent enough to understand a concept when stated once. Lastly, the book is not well written, making it slightly difficult to read due to the style used.

I still would recommend the book. Some suggestions seem like they would be extremely effective (and even common sense or common courtesy) yet they are overlooked by most of the teachers whom I have observed as a student teacher. I feel that Harry and Rosemary Wong have written a book that reminds us that we are professionals who must act in a professional way, meaning: prepare as much as we can, create procedures that help to manage a classroom, be organized, dress well, become a role model, introduce and reinforce respect. They also include helpful examples of procedures that can easily be adapted to fit any classroom.

I used to to teach high school English and History in Singapore for eight years, and I am now settled in the US, and working towards a masters (and eventually a PhD) in education. I was recommended this book in one of my graduate classes, and am very impressed by it. In fact, I wish that I had this book when I was a beginning teacher 13 years ago. "The First Days of School" is a highly organized educational resource that takes educators (both novice and experienced) step-by-step through the skills and strategies that teachers can use to become more professional in their teaching and learning. It covers all the basics such as the skills needed to succeed in one's first year of teaching, i.e. having positive expectations for student success, being an efficient classroom manager, designing effective lesson plans and implementing them successfully in the classroom, and finally being a lifelong learner.

This edition of the book also comes with a DVD "The First Days of School" which features Chelonnda Seroyer, voted "Teacher-of-the-year" at her school. Ms. Seroyer used "The First Days of School" to come up with effective procedures that she could use in her classroom to attain positive learning outcomes, and shares these procedures in the DVD.

A handy and practical resource, I'd recommend this to all novice and experienced teachers.

More copies of this book have been sold than any other book in education! And no wonder, because the methods described by Harry Wong are tried and true. The 4th edition has been updated to include the latest in technology. This is a great book that blends the art of teaching with the science of teaching!

Due to the economy, in most states teachers are facing larger than ever class sizes. Therefore it is even more crucial that teachers make classroom procedures a high priority! I would highly recommend this book for new teachers, student teachers, and veteran teachers! There is something for everyone in this book!

Last night I sat down and started reading this book from the beginning and somewhat past midnight I had to force myself to put it down to go to sleep.

Why is this? It's not that it's such a sweeping, romantic epic -- my
other bedtime reading just now is War and Peace. (Also quite good!)
Partly because I'm just very interested in teaching and everything to do
with it. But there's something also about how it exactly models the
behaviors and attitudes the authors are trying to cultivate. It's extremely well organized and well-paced -- in a nutshell, well-managed. It's also very inviting and warm. To make advice about posting assignments somehow draw you further into the text is quite an achievement.

Erica Schoenberger
Professor
Dept of Geography and Environmental Engineering
The Johns Hopkins University

I purchased this book for a teacher-preparation class and I have thouroughly enjoyed it! It gives great tips to teachers just starting out and I've noticed that my classmates and I have been feeling more ready than ever to get in the classroom. We keep describing it as "experience in a book", as it's full of inspiration and stories that give us confidence and prepare us for the classroom management that theory can't tell us how to handle. Love this book!

I was required to buy this book for a class and read it as part of my student teaching preparation. I agree that the book contains some very good pieces of advice. However, the authors sound like motivational speakers on a mission in a stadium filled with thousands of people. Many statements sound like slogans even though they might lack logic. Consider this example: "The difference between an effective teacher and an ineffective teacher. There's only one difference: The ineffective teacher is simply not doing what the effective teacher is doing. Do what the effective teacher is doing, and the ineffective teacher will be effective - instantly" (p. 22).

It was difficult to force myself to read through dozens of pages of inspirational quotes and exclamation points to collect a few pages worth of useful material. Disappointing; even though the ideas behind the method are valid.

I liked the book because, even though I have just gotten my master's degree in teaching, this covers some paracticalities that weren't covered in school. I highly recommend it.

After teaching in the public schools for over 20 years, I came upon this book. I wished I had read it before my first day of teaching. This book has changed my life - really. After going to countless workshops, graduate ed. classes and inservices, I still did not know many of these practical, time-tested techniques of teaching and classroom management and often felt that college had not prepared me for this job. I am no longer counting the years to retirement, I am excited every day to teach my wonderful 6th & 7th graders!