How to Survive and Thrive in the First Three Weeks of School

Made me really analyze my setup of my classroom and how I structure my teaching.

The information contained in this book is essential to new teachers. It explains in details and step by step the most important and basic routines and rules for your classroom so you can have a productive school year.

This book is very helpful in setting classroom expectations to start the year off strong and positive. I highly recommend it!

A must buy

Great for all teachers.

Do not believe ANYONE who says this book is worthless. This book is worth its weight in gold and a must have for ANY teacher! It is the perfect graduation gift, gift for a student teacher, or ANYONE you know who teaches! This is my BIBLE FOR TEACHING! I read this book every summer to help get motivated! This book does not say to do the same thing over and over and over again! It tells you about strategies THAT WORK from veteran teachers! And hey, as a veteran teacher myself, I am all for using things that work, and always looking for new ideas! You will want to read this cover to cover over and over again (highlighter in hand)! WORTH THE MONEY AND THEN SOME! THIS WILL BE A CONSTANT ON YOUR BOOK SHELF!

The teachers in our school have a strong background in brain-based teaching and learning. We hoped that this book would use brain-friendly strategies to set up school routines because the book is based on insights from "with-it teachers"-- the best in the business, in other words.Don't be fooled. This book's definition of "with-it teachers" includes one of the biggest problems in education today: teachers who have taught exactly the same way for so long that they are stuck in a rut and are on auto pilot, running their programs almost as though the students don't exist. They often use old techniques that are now considered ineffective-- sometimes even detrimental to student learning and success.Here are a few of the more damaging suggestions in this book:* If students are too loud, "stop immediately and assign mundane independent work." How can any teacher actually plan on wasting class time?! We have so little time as it is that all of it should be precious.* Take away recess if students are too loud. Brain research clearly shows that students need recess time to process new information. Taking it away is just plain bad for brains.* Have a time-out for pencils if students are tapping their pencils. Which teacher has time to waste running around stopping students from pencil tapping? Besides, this sets up a huge power struggle when students decide to tap on purpose. And what do you say to parents when the child says, "I couldn't work today because my teacher put my pencil in time-out"??Rewards are highly touted in the book, despite new research demonstrating that material rewards are ineffective and damaging to long-term motivation and delayed gratification. So much for being "with-it" teachers. This is a book set in the past-- and a dangerous past at that.