Today is the beginning of the new school year for me and my colleagues, and many of you will be getting back into the saddle in the next couple of weeks. As I prepare, my thoughts have returned to three of my past posts that still seem timely.
The first is called “Mean ‘Til Hallowe’een: Classroom Discipline and the First Day of the Semester.” I wrote this in 2007 and return to it at the beginning of every term. The question: does it help to be strict and unsmiling for the first few weeks?
Another is a commentary on one of my favourite books for educators: Harry and Rosemary Wong’s The First Days of School. If you have a week or so before you start teaching, run out and get your hands on this book and read it before classes begin. Even if you’ve already started, the book has many, many valuable insights about knowing yourself as a teacher and being the most effective teacher you can be.
Finally, I am returning to the teaching resolutions I made at the beginning of 2010, and I am renewing those resolutions for the coming semester. Do you have resolutions for this school year? I’d love to hear them.
Feel free to leave comments on the posts themselves, or to comment below. You can also visit my Facebook Page, “Like” it, and leave your thoughts there!
Image by Simona Jakov
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