Book Resources

Classroom Behavior and Time Management

7 Strategies for Developing Capable Students                                                      

            - Stephen Glenn

The number one goal of every parent and educator is to help children become successful adults. To achieve this goal children must learn self-discipline, responsibility, and judgment—the very same principles that help them become good students. But how do we teach such essential concepts in today's complex and temptation-filled world?  Help children become more confident, motivated, respectful, and emotionally stable.

Positive Discipline                                                                                    

            - Jane Nelson

The key to positive discipline is not punishment, she tells us, but mutual respect. Nelsen coaches parents and teachers to be both firm and kind, so that any child–from a three-year-old toddler to a rebellious teenager–can learn creative cooperation and self-discipline with no loss of dignity. Inside you’ll discover how to

• bridge communication gaps
• defuse power struggles
• avoid the dangers of praise
• enforce your message of love
• build on strengths, not weaknesses
• hold children accountable with their self-respect intact
• teach children not what to think but how to think
• win cooperation at home and at school
• meet the special challenge of teen misbehavior

Lost at School                                                                                

            - Dr. Ross W. Greene

Psychiatrist and Harvard professor Greene follows up The Explosive Child with an in-depth approach to aid parents and teachers to work together with behaviorally challenging students. Greene's philosophy is driven by the recognition that "kids who haven't responded to natural consequences don't need more consequences, they need adults who are knowledgeable about how challenging kids come to be challenging." Greene's "Plan B" system, which is fully and clearly explained in the course of the book, emphasizes identifying challenging behaviors-acting out, hitting, swearing, poor performance in class-and then working with students to find actual, practical ways to avoid them. Helpfully, Greene uses a fictional school for examples, devoting several pages to illustrative anecdotes in each chapter, greatly increasing the material's accessibility. Greene's technique is not fail-proof, principally because it requires the good will and hard work of all participants; a section on implementing Plan B in the face of real disagreement or apathy would have been helpful. However, Plan B has all the qualities of accessibility, logic and compassion to make it a solid strategy for parents and educators.

Comprehensive Classroom Management:    Creating Communities of Support and Solving Problems                                                                               

            - Vernon Jones

Comprehensive Classroom Management presents practical methods for creating a positive learning environment, working with behavioral problems, and dealing with a range of challenges in the K-12 classroom. The authors use real-life examples to help both pre- and in-service teachers understand and apply the principles of classroom management in their own classroom situations. The text uses numerous case studies, examples, and descriptions of specific strategies based on current research and classroom experience. Comprehensive Classroom Management features classrooms ranging from kindergarten through the twelfth grade. It focuses on creating positive learning environments for students, and provides extensive, practical materials on both problem solving and building individual behavior change plans for students with behavioral problems.

Tools for Teaching: Discipline, Instruction, Motivation 

            - Fred Jones

In Tools for Teaching, Dr. Jones describes the skills by which exceptional teachers make the classroom a place of success and enjoyment for both themselves and their students. Tools for Teaching integrates the management of discipline, instruction and motivation into a system that allows you to reduce the stress of teaching by preventing most management headaches. Dr. Jones helps you reduce student disruptions, backtalk, helpless handraising and dawdling while helping you increase responsible behavior, motivation and independent learning. These skills are made accessable by practical, down-to-earth language and many examples and illustrations that provide the next best thing to attending one of Dr. Jones' workshops. The second edition also includes an Overview DVD of Dr. Jones entire program; including how to use the Study Group Acitivity Guide, workshops, and parent videos.

Fires in the Bathroom: Advice for Teachers from High School Students

            - Kathleen Cushman

This book covers a range of subjects, including how to get to know students, how to earn their trust, how to judge their behavior and what to do when things go wrong. However, the students' demands can sometimes seem unrealistic, especially for teachers in overcrowded public schools-for extra tutoring sessions, for the use of primary source material instead of just textbooks-and the author does not aid her student co-authors by keeping their comments relatively short and by presenting them out of context. For struggling teachers, Cushman's self-questionnaires are the reason to buy. Although best for new teachers, this chance to hear the authentic voices of students should not be overlooked by anyone involved in teen education.

Reluctant Disciplinarian: Advice on Classroom Management from a Softy Who Became (Eventually) a Successful Teacher

            - Gary Rubinstein

Based on the author's disastrous first year of teaching—which began with no classroom-management skills—this humorous personal account offers clear and specific advice on how to become an adept classroom manager. Funny and practical, this new edition also continues the author's story, sharing what he has learned since leaving the teaching field for five years and then returning to the classroom. From discussing why learning to discipline is so difficult to outlining the tactics that both do and do not work, this book shows how a "softy" eventually became the Teacher of the Year over the course of four years and offers encouragement to teachers who are currently struggling.

Setting Limits in the Classroom, Revised: How to Move Beyond the Dance of Discipline in Today's Classrooms

            - Robert Mackenzie

The theoretical bases of this book are partly tough love (say what you mean, mean what you say, and do not say it meanly), natural consequences (if a child makes an error, let them experience the natural consequences, a la Dreikurs), and logical consequences (to defuse power struggles). The heart of the book is setting limits with kids and shortening down the time from discussion to action (from warning to consequence). There is no "cute" theory or exhortations to love the children more.

MacKenzie sees teachers as integral to the guidance process, as more capable in helping children than the administrators or guidance counselors, who may be more distant from the problem and the child. Thus, this book may leave teachers and parents feeling "empowered."

Secrets of Classroom Behavior Management: Beyond the College Textbooks for New Teachers

            - Mamie Jefferson-Hill

New teachers have no idea of the challenges they will face when they walk into the classroom for their first year of teaching. Whether it is a public school in the inner city or an upscale private school, students today lack discipline, making it stressful and difficult for new teachers. Mrs. Hill has brought her extensive teaching experiences from all of these settings together in this practical guide to managing classroom behavior. These behavioral strategies are not theory but proven methods to improve the classroom experience for children and teachers. If you put these methods into practice your students will benefit from the discipline. They will be able to learn the skills needed to take their place in society because you will not be spending all your time attempting to correct unruly behavior.

Successful Classroom Management: Real-World, Time-Tested Techniques for the Most Important Skill Set Every Teacher Needs

            - Richard Eyster

Each year, tens of thousands of new teachers head out for their first teaching job, ready to fulfill a lifetime dream. However, most teachers have nothing to prepare them for or support them on one of the most important parts of their job: how to effectively run a classroom and handle the students.

Successful Classroom Management is the first book to give you the skills you need to manage a classroom effectively. Richard H. Eyster and Christine Martin present the lessons that have made them the most sought-after seminar trainers on the topic, addressing:

Handling Classroom Problems
Troubleshooting Issues
Enforcing Discipline
Inspiring Students
Creating an Engaging Classroom Atmosphere

Filled with expert advice, stories and tips from teachers, and spot-on techniques, this is your new essential handbook that will help you not only survive in the classroom, but also live your dream and give your students the full gifts that come from a great education.