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Feb 29, 2008

Mr.G rated it:

This book came highly recommended from several sources. I had received a copy as a gift when I began teaching at the high school level, but I hadn't bothered to open it until recently.

After reading it, I'm glad that I didn't adopt Wong's methodologies as a first-day secondary teacher. My classes would have eaten me alive. It's not that the book is necessarily poor, but I believe that it is best-suited for K-5 teachers, who deal with students at a much earlier point in their deve More...

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Jan 01, 2009

Ross rated it:

This book is given to new teachers in my school district, to help them start the school year. That's a scary thought for me, because I've never been a big believer in Wong's ideals about what teaching is.

He largely stays on the surface here, with how to dress, what to put on the walls, how to make a strong impression, etc. He definitely advocates a perpetuation of traditional schooling, with desks in rows, strict adherence to straight lines, no talking unless spoken to, and stringent More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 06, 2008

Ayacalypso rated it:

This book taught me several things that were not taught in my teaching courses, for example:
- How spending time at the beginning of the school year, teaching class procedures instead of content will actually maximize instructional time for the rest of the year.
- How to use a predictable daily routine to get students to begin working right away and minimize transition time.
- When is the best time to take role.
- Stressing the element of student choice in managing behavior ( More...

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Aug 18, 2007

Tristan rated it:

I'm drafting up a lawsuit against my teaching college for not exposing me to this book. Possibly class action, on behalf of my first-year students.

These are insights that I could easily have come up with on my own, if left to my own devices for 20 years or so. I'm glad I didn't have to do that. The book doesn't beat around the bush. The important parts are in bold, with pictures and diagrams. Any teacher can benefit from reading this book, or even just flipping through it for the ke More...

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Feb 22, 2012

Irene rated it:

You shouldn't read this book cover-to-cover. It's not meant to be "the solution" for every situation that arises in the first few days of school. It's meant to get the educator thinking about what's going to happen in those first few days. How will you prepare for these different situations?

Anyone who's taught for at least five years in the public school system knows that your school year will be smoother and students will learn more if you establish clear procedures in More...

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Jul 31, 2011

Alison rated it:

I have to tell you I've had about 5 copies of this book. I've given all but one of them away to student teachers I've mentored, people I know who think about going into teaching, or anyone who is interested. I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!!
I was first introduced to Harry Wong in an intro teaching class back in 1999 at CMU. It was the textbook we had to use in that class. I remember seeing it on the shelf in the book store & being glad it didn't cost a $150. That was about the extent of it, but th More...

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Apr 05, 2011

Maggie rated it:

This was my Bible when I first began teaching high school and 5 years later, I always glance over this about a week or so before school starts to keep my focus in the right place. I dearly treasure this book. Some say this is not for high school - well, they are wrong. You don't have to adopt ALL of his ideals (my classroom is set up in a horseshoe-type arrangement), but the basics are forever - and let me tell you this, I am constantly told "wow, you have amazing classroom management" More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 21, 2010

Jimyanni rated it:

I was a bit uncertain when it came to allocating stars to this book; it's not a solid, unquestionable five star effort, but it was just too good to leave it at four stars. My objections, which almost cost it a star in its ratings, is that the authors have a tendancy to overstate their case on occasion, as when they discuss the value of teachers having positive expectations of their students. They say, in almost so many words, that whatver you expect of your students, that's what you'll get. Now, More...

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Jan 09, 2010

Dana rated it:

I bought this book because it was recommended on Amazon.com for new teachers. This book is a useful tool for any student teacher or first year teacher. It includes a few chapters on the importance of procedures within the classroom. Many management issues are related to students not knowing what is expected of them. By explaining, modeling, practicig and reminding the students of the expected steps for each classroom activity, a teacher can avoid the unwanted chatter and small interruptions More...

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Sep 28, 2009

Umm Layth rated it:

A friend of mine lent me this book. I remember when I first asked to borrow it, she cautioned me that it was aimed towards teachers at a regular school. Well, I love benefiting from as many things as I can, even if it isn't geared towards me. I found great benefit in this book. It has wonderful reminders to be positive and have high expectations. It has many examples that help us realize what is a negative/low expectation and what is a positive/high expectation. Sometimes we forget that we think More...

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Sep 20, 2011

Cruton rated it:

I would be difficult to give an annotated review of this book as it is essentially already in note form but here are some of the things that I found particularly note worthy.
-look for new teacher programs in place you go
-must go out of way to encourage students to learn, essentially must be font of enthusiasm and encouragement always
-learn student names even if this will be somewhat problematic for me in particular
-classroom management paramount
-consistency is key, rules More...

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Apr 10, 2010

Jill rated it:

I got this book when I started the education program at NIU. I mistakenly tried to read this from the beginning, but I then realized that the authors were right at the beginning of the book - this is a resource book, not a novel.

The authors of this book emphasize consistency, clear and high expectations, and effective lesson-planning in order to be a good teacher. I think all of these things are very important! It pains me to see all of the teachers who just "wing it" and s More...

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May 31, 2011

Jason rated it:

There is some useful information here and I was inspired by much of the advice. However, a lot of the methods are impractical for a high school educator like myself. If you are a new teacher of elementary or middle school, this book could be very useful. Also, although Harry Wong's tips can be helpful, I personally feel that it you have something that works, use it. Each group of students is different. I decided to try the "give me five" approach this year. My sophomores and at-r More...

1 comment like

Oct 01, 2007

Nicole rated it:

Despite the corny, kiddish cover and the lame rectangular shape of this book, it is extremely helfpful for first year teachers or teachers (ahem, Christian!) who aren't, well, the most organized. It's not a classic for nothing! Oh, and ignore all the silly illustrations, and skip over the parts about how "noble" it is for teachers to drive Chevys, too. Now that I think about it, maybe I should just photocopy the good parts for you.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 05, 2011

Julia rated it:

Before my first year of teaching began, I tried to read this book -- but I was put off by its uncritical, chicken-soupy tone. And then I got to the section (yes, a whole section) devoted to the importance of dressing in business suits for teaching, and I tossed it in a closet. What, just because I have a tattoo and wear comfy clothes, I can't be the most effective teacher?

Two years later, after struggling and growing as a teacher, I found myself about to teach 8th grade for the firs More...

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Dec 17, 2009

Angela rated it:

Starting a new job this year caused me to pull out this old 'classic'. I really feel that every teacher should take a few minutes to read through this book at the start of the year. Sure, Wong is a little idealistic, but his attitude and desire for excellence are goals to which we should all aspire. Re-reading this really helped me get my year off to a great start.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 09, 2008

Thomas rated it:

This book was recommended by my alternative certification program so I picked it up. I didn't finish since I realized early on that it was the kind of book that I was going to have to force myself to read and not particularly enjoy to boot. What I did read was well-written and good advice. The problem was with the tone - negative opinions were squeaking through without any analysis of why these things were negative (teacher dress being an example) except nostalgic reasons - and the arrangemen More...

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Aug 14, 2011

Carolyn rated it:

Highly patronizing of students and will be more than likely to develop reactive behaviour, especially from children who are old enough to recognized when they're being treated as inferior and immature. This establishes the teacher as the central authoritative figure and attempts to give them control over the classroom via various manipulative strategies. Though the teacher is typically the centre of the classroom, a learning-focused method of teaching (rather than maintaining organizational stru More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 19, 2009

Elizabeth rated it:

As other reviews have noted:
This isn't a book you "read". Skim, yes. Read, no.

This is very "old school". And while i certainly wouldn't adivse throwing the baby out with the bath water there were some suggestions in here that I just couldn't get behind.

But as a more "touchy-feely" kind of person (I'm INFP) i appreciate a different perspective (my guess is ESTJ) on how to be a good teacher. The school I will be teaching at thoroughly e More...

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Dec 16, 2009

Julie rated it:

This is sort of the business side of teaching. It's all about how to manage your classroom, which is something I feel isn't emphasized enough. It's easy to understand and use in your own classroom.

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Jun 11, 2011

Megan rated it:

The book itself gets 3 stars – it has some great content, but the format, fluff, and style were distracting. The poetry and inspirational encouragement are trite and off-putting. They misquote research fairly often, though it's not even necessary to include – the anecdotal evidence they provide is a good enough reason to experiment with their tactics. In spite of the flaws, I think it is an important book to read for new teachers.

The accompanying DVD, on the other hand, made me raise More...

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Sep 22, 2011

Cortney rated it:

I've read and re-read this a few times over for my classes. It's all about classroom management. Some of it is good, some of it is a bit too info-mercially for my tastes. They make it sound like "follow these easy steps and you'll have the perfect classroom!", as though it's an easy equation. When dealing with human beings, and especially children, nothing is as simple as do X and Y will follow. That being said, I have gotten a lot of good ideas from it. It's just important to remember More...

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Jul 15, 2009

Julie rated it:

When I taught in Utah, this was required reading before the 1st day. I remember certain parts of it giving me focus and direction. After a really rough 1st year back after grad school, I pulled this out again and re-read it. Much of it is second nature to me at this point--which is great--but there were some things that I'd been forgetting to do. It was nice to be reminded. This next year should be better for many reasons, including that I re-read this book.

If you ever know anyo More...

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Aug 31, 2011

Tom rated it:

I'm so glad I read this book. While it does seem best suited for elementary teachers, some minor tweaking can easily make it relevant to secondary teachers as well. What you need to do while reading this book is keep the basic theory of what Wong is saying in mind, and then use it in a way that suits you, your personality, and your style of teaching. There is no book out there that can claim, "This is the book that can end all of your problems and turn you into a fantastic teacher!" More...

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Mar 23, 2009

Bird rated it:

I have very strong feelings about this book. Personally, I think most of it is useless. If you have zero classroom management skills, it could be a helpful resource. However, Harry Wong has some bizarre ideas about the teaching profession, many of which I do not agree with.

The most obvious example that springs to mind is his view on "dressing as a professional." (Yes, there is an entire section devoted to this.) He states that teachers should dress professionally bec More...

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Jul 02, 2007

sydney rated it:

UUUUGGGH. All signs pointed to 'yes': an administrator I respected recommended this book as a good manual on how to approach classroom management from the beginning of the year, it was referenced often as a good starting point for new teachers, it was the same size and shape as Fred Jones' Tools for Teaching.

But Harry K. and Rosemary T. Wong might be a little bit crazy. They self-published this book so they could have complete control over every aspect of it, which means that it's More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 26, 2010

Sara rated it:

As a 'veteran' resource teacher of four years I wasn't sure I would get a lot out of this book. I found out otherwise as this book is really a teacher self-improvement guide. The first section illustrates the attributes of an effective teacher. The bulky middle section goes into the particulars of classroom procedures which are useful not only on the first day of school but beyond and the last section deals with becoming a master educator and generally improving the image of the elementary schoo More...

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Sep 06, 2010

Jess rated it:

Harry K. Wong is the man! That's what they all say and mostly it's true. He tells (reminds) you things you know, things you should know, and things you can't believe you didn't know.

I think it's best suited for those working in elementary classrooms. Some of it works for other areas and ages, but many of the suggestions/plans work best when you see young kids every day, all day. I wish he had a section on specials or more ways to adapt the ideas to work in specials. One of the More...

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Aug 22, 2009

Colin rated it:

This book is often required reading for beginning teachers, and well ought to be. While there is a lot of "fluff," this book was excellent preparation for a first-time teacher. I recently re-read it to see what I might be forgetting as I plan to go back to teaching in two days, but I found that it is not as much help to an experienced teacher - it really is aimed at beginners. But I would heartily recommend this book to anyone thinking of going into teaching.

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Jul 01, 2009

Megan rated it:

Because I am becoming a certified teacher through non-traditional means, I have begun reading all that I can on classroom management. So far, this book is the best that I've read on the subject, though many of the techniques seem better for an elementary classroom rather than secondary school.

Basically, Wong advocates these things: the importance of creating a structured classroom, creating lessons with a goal that students clearly understand, and developing lessons using a variet More...

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