I came across an abandoned book recently called The Unauthorized Teacher’s Survival Guide by Jack Warner and Clyde Bryan. It is truly an excellent resource for beginning teachers (especially those who will be teaching Elementary)! It is short (only 168 real pages) and very smooth reading (that is to say, it’s quick to read and quite entertaining). The small glossary it included helped me with my Praxis II exam, and in general the advice and suggestions it offers are wonderful to consider. The book is from 1995 (it dates itself by referring to CDs as “a term that started buzzing around teacher’s lounges…this past year”) but it reads like a book that has just been published.
Its main sections include:
- Fitting in with the Staff
- All those Buzz Words!
- Rapport with Your Students
- Rapport with the Parents
- Those Extracurriculars
- Classroom Environment
- Discipline and Classroom Control
- Managing Your Stress
- Teacher’s Supplies
- How to Prepare for a Substitute
- Time Management
- The Teacher’s Many Hats
- Ask the Old Pros
- I Think I Can…I Think I Can
The book can be found on Amazon (1995 version, 2005 version) for $12 or less. I highly recommend it!
