Education: Boost Your Intelligence

This book is fantastic- a great reference book for a first year high school teacher!
Rating: 5 / 5

I worked at a rather “urban” school, in the suburbs, so I can’t imagine what I saw was so different from “normal,” but I was pretty unprepared for what I experienced after reading this book. Some of the ideas were helpful, but not enough. It’s still worthwhile reading, but I’d probably borrow it from the library and ead it once, rather than buying it to keep on my shelf.

The subtitle definitely over-sells the book.

#1 thing I would add: “expect that, every week, some once-a-year or once-a-semester task will come up that will take between 5 – 40 hours. Try to find out about these in advance, but don’t expect you’ll be able to.”

#2 thing I would add: “Try not to start with a new principal, or a new department head. They’ll be too busy learning their jobs to properly support you with yours.” I had both, and am now a former teacher.

There’s plenty more, but I can’t write my own book here.

Rating: 3 / 5

This guide for beginning teachers begins with the simple statement that “teaching matters,” and continues through seven sections and over 400 pages of how to keep that in mind through the daily logistics of organizing, planning, managing, assessing, and communicating with parents and peers. This text is written as a casual, informative reference complied through direct, specific examples and experiences in each chapter, with catchy little boxes popping up on the pages such as “teaching terms” and “tales from the trenches.” The authors have provided a comprehensive description of how to succeed in the classroom based on practical advice: providing sample lesson plans (incorporating multimedia and various helpful websites), classroom management tips (creating the environment and maintaining self control), and basics of nurturing student relationships (smile, write a letter, reward successes).

Reading through this massive guide, I found that much of the advice and practical tips offered were really based on solid theories of educational scholars, such as Canter’s ideas for positive feedback through assertive discipline, and their advice based on Glasser’s choice theory to increase student motivation. This text was valuable to my personal formation of philosophy because it offered practical applications of lofty ideals. Over 400 pages, this text pretty much covered the gamut of potential issues that might arise in the daily classroom, and not only did it give sound advice on how to handle various factors associated with planning, management and communication, but the authors provided their own personal insight and experience with many of the situations they discussed. I plan on referring to this text as a practical how-to guide, and utilizing the myriad rubrics, evaluations, forms, and lesson plans that are provided to more efficiently streamline the daily business so I can focus on effective teaching.
Rating: 3 / 5