Review: How to Be an Effective Teacher: The First Days of School by Harry and Rosemary Wong

How to Be an Effective Teacher Book: The First Days of School by Harry K. Wong & Rosemary T. WongQuote: "What you do on the first days of school will determine your success or failure for the rest of the school year. You will either win or lose your class on the first days of school."

The first days of school are so critical

The first days of school can make or break you.

What you do or do not do during the first days will affect your classroom for the entire year.

What does it take to be effective?

An efficient person is someone who does things right

An effective person is someone who do things right consistently

What is an effective teacher?

The effective teacher affects lives

The Four Stages of Teaching

Fantasy: A naïve belief of a teacher that they are infallible. They believe that in order to be a successful teacher they have to befriend their students. They only want to engage in fun activities with their students to keep them happy.

Survival: This teaching stage is when the teacher goes into survival mode. They only want to try to make it through the day. They find busywork for their students to do and show videos to pass the time. They do not enjoy being in the classroom and they often refer to it as babysitting.

Mastery: Teachers who reach this stage know how to achieve student success and employ effective practices. They know how to manage their classroom and have high expectations of their students. They teach to make a difference and are excellent problem solvers. We should all strive to be at level 3 as teachers.

Impact: The final stage is when you are able to make an impact on your students. This type of teacher has an appreciable effect on a student's life. You are definitely a teacher when you reach this stage.

The Three Characteristics of an Effective Teacher

The effective teacher has positive expectations for student success

This teacher believes that the learner can learn.
Whatever this teacher expects from their students, the student will be a product of their expectation.

The effective teacher is an extremely good classroom manager

An effective teacher has a well-ordered environment and positive academic expectations.

KEY" *Remember we are not there to discipline our classroom, we must manage it*

The effective teacher knows how to design lessons for student mastery

An effective teacher must know how to design lessons in which a student will learn a concept or a skill. They must also know how to evaluate the learning to determine if the student has mastered the concept or the skill.

Hardships Will End "InshaAllah"

First year teachers feel isolated, vulnerable and deeply concerned at how they are perceived, however, they are afraid to ask for help.

First year teachers need support from the district, administration and their colleagues in order to prepare themselves for the things that they were not prepared for in college.

We Are All in a Helping Profession

Always remember that you are here to touch lives, not just to work as you would on any other job. Teachers are here to enhance the quality of others' lives.

Take Responsibility for Yourself

Don't isolate yourself from other teachers. Always stay open minded and be ready to try new things that your colleagues may have to share.

Don't be ineffective. If you know that something is not working, don't continue to use it. "If you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always gotten."

Remember, good habits are easy to develop and bad ones are difficult to break. Break the bad habits before they become apart of your teaching. Develop good habits that keep your classroom happy and productive.

Get to Know Your Colleagues

Getting to know your colleagues can be so beneficial. Share ideas, learn from one another and listen to one another. The happiest and most successful teachers, administrators, parents, and school board members are there to work with you to help you become an effective teacher so that you can affect your students.

Research is Critical

Don't rely on the way that you were taught to work in today's classroom. Always take time out to research new and innovative ways to teach and reach the children of today. Find out what works and use it. (http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/)

An Effective Teacher

Establishes good control the first week of school
Does things right, consistently
Affects and touches lives
Exhibits positive expectations for all students

Establishes good classroom management techniques

Designs lessons for student mastery

Works cooperatively and leans from colleagues
Understands the research process

Is flexible and adaptable

Knows the difference between an effective teacher and ineffective one