The First Days of School Quotes

“You can accomplish anything with students if you set high expectations for behavior and performance by which you yourself abide.”
― Harry K. Wong, The First Days of School

“It is very reassuring to your students that you know what you are doing.”
― Harry K. Wong, The First Days of School

“Students want a safe, predictable, and nurturing environment—one that is consistent. Students like well-managed classes because no one yells at them, and learning takes place. Effective teachers spend the first two weeks teaching students to be in control of their own actions in a consistent classroom environment.”
― Harry K. Wong, The First Days of School

“not all students complete their assignments, often because they either cannot understand the assignment or they fail to see the reason for doing it. In both cases, the assignment may be poorly designed.”
― Harry K. Wong, The First Days of School

“getting the students to comprehend and achieve. There is no one right way to do this. Just like classroom management, there is no one right procedure for getting the students to do what you want them to do. There are many options, but they are based on core information.”
― Harry K. Wong, The First Days of School

“School is not a place where students come to listen to lectures, fill in worksheets, and endure boredom. Nor is it a place reserved for those who can tolerate the drab and dirty look of many schools.

School is a concept wherein students are welcome to learn and enhance the quality of their lives without fear of intimidation or harm, guided by hospitable and caring people in a clean and orderly environment.”
― Harry K. Wong, THE First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher, 5th Edition

“One of the most frequently used and useless phrases in education is, “I have so much to cover. How am I going to finish it by the end of the year?” Notice that the word I is used twice and the word student is never used.”
― Harry K. Wong, The First Days of School

“When the students have no idea what is to be learned, and the teacher has no idea what is to be taught, no student learning can take place.”
― Harry K. Wong, The First Days of School

“when the assignment does not spell out what the student is to learn. There are no standards, no objectives, and no activities done for a specified reason. It’s like shooting arrows blindfolded hoping that one will hit a non-existing target.”
― Harry K. Wong, The First Days of School

“The effective teachers spent time organizing and structuring their classrooms so the students knew what to do to succeed.”
― Harry K. Wong, The First Days of School