When I found out that I needed to take an ABQ course in order to be granted certification to teach in Ontario,  I went into panic mode! It had been a long time since my last experiences as a student and I felt that I needed to refresh my skills. I asked for advice on the TpT forums and someone suggested I started by reading “The First Days of School” by Wong and Wong.

WOW! I am so glad I followed that advice! This book is an excellent reference for any teachers starting their careers, for those getting back to the classroom after a long absence, or even for teachers that just need to refresh some of their classroom management skills.

TITLE: The First Days of School

AUTHOR: Harry K. WongRosemary T. Wong

CATEGORY/GENRE: Nonficition – Professional Development

OVERVIEW: This book is divided into chapters and addresses the following topics:

A – Basic Understandings – The Teacher (addresses the basics of what it is to be an effective teacher)

B – First Characteristic – Positive Expectations (everything about positive expectations and their importance in the classroom)

C – Second Characteristic – Classroom Management (strategies for classroom management and its importance)

D – Third Characteristic – Lesson Mastery (tips on how to design lessons tailored to your students’ needs)

E – Future Understandings – The Professional (about what defines a professional teacher)

MY OPINION: What mostly surprised me in this book was the accessibility of its content. Easy to read and visually appealing, this book provides excellent content without the heaviness usually found in professional development books.

Each chapter is complete with useful information and examples of how teachers should apply the new knowledge to their classrooms. I also appreciate the testimonials and input from in-class teachers that have used this book as a guide to their practice.

The DVD is also a great addition to the content of the book. You can explore the experiences of one particular teacher and see first-hand the effectiveness of the book.

One other aspect of the book that I appreciate, is the small summary at the end of each chapter. This one-page, point-form summary, highlights the most important facts/tips for the chapter. This is very convenient, especially when you just want to quickly refresh the content of each chapter.

With a fairly accessible price, this book is the perfect companion for a truly professional and effective teacher. I would gladly recommend it to beginning teachers as well as to veterans.

RELATED LINKS: Visit the Harry K. Wong Publications website for this and other resources from these authors E.

I hope you enjoyed reading this “Land of Books” post 🙂

Make sure you drop by Mrs. Jump’s Class and take a look at what other teachers are reading. Click the image below!

Take care,

Catia