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

~ (Author), Rosemary T. Wong (Author)
Key Phrases: self managers, invite students, effective assignment, The First Days of School, Teach Students, Introduce Yourself (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The best-selling book ever on classroom management and teaching for student achievement with over 3.3 million copies sold. The book walks a teacher, either novice or veteran, through structuring and organizing a classroom for success that can be applied at any time of the year at any grade level, pre-K through college.

The book is used in thousands of school districts, in over 100 countries, and in over 2,000 college classrooms. It's practical, yet inspiring. But most important, it works!

The new 4th edition includes updated research, photos, and more examples of "how-to" along with an implementation DVD, "Using THE FIRST DAYS OF SCHOOL" featuring Chelonnda Seroyer.

This is the most requested book for what works in the classroom for teacher and student success.

About the Author

Harry K. Wong and Rosemary T. Wong are award-winning teachers and new teacher advocates. Harry is a native of San Francisco and is arguably the most sought-after motivational speaker in education today having given some 3000 presentations to over a million people. He has been called "Mr. Practicality" for his common sense, user-friendly, no-cost approach to managing a classroom for high-level student success. The March 2006 issue of Instructor magazine named him one of the 20 most admired people in education along with Maya Angelou, Howard Gardner, and Oprah Winfrey. He has received numerous other teaching honors.

Rosemary is from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her classroom success led to her selection as one of the first Mentor teachers in California. She has received many Silicon Valley business honors and the Southeastern Louisiana University Distinguished Alumni Award.

Profits from the sale of their book fund "The First Days of School Foundation." That foundation has built and funds the 250 student "Wong Mean Reth Learning Academy" in the jungles of Cambodia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Harry K. Wong Publications; 4 edition (January 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976423316
• ISBN-13: 978-0976423317
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,541 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #1 in	Books > Nonfiction > Education > Lesson Planning
  #2 in	Books > Nonfiction > Education > Education Theory > Classroom Management
  #5 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Education > Professional Development

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have for Veterans as Well as New Teachers!, December 21, 2008

By	Laura Candler (Fayetteville, NC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unreasonably good, January 18, 2009

By	Erica Schoenberger - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too "motivational speaker" for me, January 18, 2009

By	Elizaveta Temidis "middle of the night reader" (New York) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.