Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful book!
Review: This book was a great read! From the minute I read the first chapter, I knew this book would be an asset to my teaching career. As a first year teacher, classroom management has been one of the things that I truly felt needed improvement. One learns only so much in one's education classes at college. No textbook can ever truly prepare oneself for all of the behaviors, attitudes, problems, etc. that a class will throw at a teacher. However, Dr. Mackenzie has written a book that comes very close.All fourteen chapters of this book really help demystify the act of managing a clasroom. The first third of this book helps teachers see what things they are doing that may not be working for them and their students. This is done through real world examples and through tables that chart what the teacher is doing and comparing that to how the student is reacting. There are many examples of different management styles and how students react to them. The reader can pinpoint the exact moment where the loss of control occurs. (When I read these chapters and saw the tables, I realized some key points in my managing style that I definitely needed to change.) The next chapters of the book give real world examples about how a teacher can get his/her message across to the students clearly the first time. These chapters also discuss how to not fall into the power struggle trap with students while supporting teacher-made rules with "instructive consequences." The last two chapters show teachers how to apply what is in this book towards real life situations within their classrooms. They discuss solving problems with homework, and there is a chapter devoted solely to the children who suffer from hyperactivity or inattentiveness. This was an eye-opening chapter. Dr. Mackenzie puts "the shoe on the other foot" and makes teachers see how the ADD or ADHD child perceives the classroom. In his examples, he showed stimuli that could be thought of as an infintesimal distraction but to the ADD or ADHD student, this stimuli could throw the student off for an entire day. I loved this book because it was clear and to the point. It provided tangible examples. It made me realize that I can have a better and more successful classroom management style that the students will understand and respect. Dr. Mackenzie is very supportive and reminds teachers that these changes will take time, but the results will be seen. I can say that my teaching has improved for the better after reading this book, and I would highly recommend it to every teacher not just first year teachers.
Rating:
Summary: informative and precise instructions
Review: This book was such a relief because it covered classroom discipline, from the beginning, without talking down to the reader. The chapters are organized so that you can implement the methods right away, in a useful sequence without becoming overwhelmed. You need to read this book if you fear you are a pushover in the classroom. I have used these methods in a multicultural classroom with more than half of my students as non-native English speakers. It really works! There is a tremendous feeling of respect between everyone in the classroom. I was especially pleased with the effect on one of my students who was severely abused as a child and who grew up very untrusting in foster homes, etc. In September, he was violent with himself and with other children, striking classroom objects or people when he was angry. Other teachers are amazed at how much he has changed since the beginning of the school year. I owe so much to the advice in this book.
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