Oh, if only there were a "book"

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Home : 2001 : November : 4

Oh, if only there were a "book"
By Mariella

Donna: I think even experienced classroom teachers of many years wish there were some sort of "book" or magic trick to solve all behaviour/discipline problems! But there is no one trick, or even list of tricks. One book
that a lot of teachers use is Harry Wong's The First Days of School. I've purchased this book (I'm in Canada, so it was pretty pricey) and find that even for a sub, it's a great investment. It helps you get to thinking about what behaviours are important to you (is a quiet classroom a priority or is noise okay if kids are working well together?) and gives a lot of really good ideas for

things like establishing and teaching classroom rules and routines. It's a big book, though! There are some good sub sites on-line (do a search under "substitute teachers" - you'll find a lot) and there are wonderful sites with games, reproducables, puzzles, etc. which can be lifesavers for times when little or no work has been left or if you have a lot of quick workers who finish early. Also, as I've said, watch other teachers when you are working as an aid - see how they manage their students and how they deal with minor and more major infractions and misbehaviours! You can really learn a lot by watching experienced teachers (although what I've found is they make it look so easy when, in reality, it's not!). And have fun - I find that subbing is, for the most part, an awful lot of fun!