Customer Reviews

Not In My Classroom!: A Teacher's Guide to Effective Classroom Management

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Transitioning from college teaching to middle school teaching next year, I eagerly anticipated reading this book for some hands-on advice about discipline in the classroom. What I got was an unorganized mess that read more like a corporate handbook that offered very little in the way of actual advice (unless you consider gossiping with other teachers about students, gossiping with secretaries about other teachers, and wearing business formal dress, advice). If you really want practical advice about controlling a classroom, I would highly recommend Setting Limits in the Classroom by Robert J. MacKenzie. Not only is it a great book that shows you how to establish limits in your classroom by treating your students with respect and demanding the same in turn, it is chock full of examples. With it, I feel much more confident about entering a 5th grade classroom, and I noticed that it was also applicable to my college classroom as well (students only change a bit between 10 and 18, it seems). I'm not sure what Not in My Classroom would be useful for.

I read the first chapter and was so put off by the tone I put it down. Later, I decided to give it another chance because I feel there is always something to learn from anyone. I did not take anything away from this book besides that I would never want to be in the author's classroom. There were very few specific ideas to use, but rather very smug anecdotes about what he has done with his students and no evidence for how and why they work. Another, better, book to read would be "Teaching with Love and Logic" by Jim Fay and David Funk. This book was so unhelpful that it was the one I weeded out when I needed extra shelf space for a more helpful book on teaching and classroom management.

When school was out in May 2006 I really felt burned out and wondered if I was being an effective teacher. I kept asking myself if I really wanted to go back for an 18th year of teaching. However, after I read Mr. Wootan's book I felt optimistic and rejuvenated. I found ideas that had been used once upon a time, but had forgotten somewhere down the line. There are many useful ideas for new teachers as well as those of us who have been around a decade or more. I found myself anxious to get back to school. I really looked forward to meeting the new students, nearly 120 of them. I don't know if I would have had the courage to start a new year without Not in My Classroom, but it certainly gave me the jumpstart that I needed.

I did not find this book beneficial. The book was full of chatter, and lacked real subtance on controling behavior problems in a classroom. I am not going to say the book is useless. The book was not what I was hoping for in a classroom managment book.

While I somewhat pride myself on my ability to effectively work with middle school students in a music classroom, I am always looking for new ways to redirect a student, or to approach and handle a negative situation. I purchased this book during my first two years of teaching hoping it would serve as a supplement to my classroom management and discipline procedures. While the book did present some important points for someone who is just entering the education field, it was not what I was looking for. If you are looking for disciplinary advice, look elsewhere. Aside from this, I found the overall tone of the book a bit pompous, and there were some questionable points. For example, when dealing with "class clowns" who are constantly seeking attention, he advises to give them the attention they want by assigning responsibility to the student such as answering questions. While I normally would not hesitate to give extra responsibilities or leadership to a student, this completely goes against the entire process of behavior modification. While there is some common sense advice in this book, it is not a tool for classroom discipline.