I love getting book suggestions from other teachers and this year I am using a combo of Audible and Amazon Prime to help me read at least one book a month. When I find something I consider to be one of the best books for teachers, I will share about it here on the blog.
Who is Gerry Brooks? Most of us find this celebrity principal from a humorous YouTube video that is shared on social media. In addition to his legendary videos, he travels to speak to large groups of educators and inspire them to keep fighting the good fight. When I heard Gerry Brooks was coming out with a book, I pre-ordered it immediately and I did not regret it one bit.
This isn’t a professional development book that you will need a highlighter and legal pad to read. This book is like having coffee with a dear friend who always appears when you need their advice the most. In a gentle, non-judgemental way, Gerry Brooks instantly makes you feel understood and gently shares tips for a smoother school year. His tips are for teachers, but also for parents and administrators. He is a true leader who understands how to make teamwork happen.
You will want to read this book but while you are waiting for your copy to arrive, I wanted to share my top 20 takeaways that really warmed my heart as a teacher. This will be one of the best books for teachers to read in 2019.
1. Assessment stress is real
It isn’t to be minimized. It is to be acknowledged. If you think testing season is stressing you out, take a moment and look around to see who else might be stressed. Ask yourself how you might be able to help them. That might take away the powerless, soul crushing feeling of testing season.
2. Bathroom etiquette makes a difference
At the start of the school year, one of the first things I want to know is when I can eat and when I can go to the bathroom. In that short time window when I can go to the bathroom, I want things to go smoothly and that means the school staff needs to all be on the same page about basic etiquette.
3. Communication matters
We know how you communicate makes a difference. We know when you communicate can affect the outcome of a situation. Somehow hearing from a principal, calmly, who isn’t your principal helps give a worldly perspective about how administrators, parents, and teachers ALL can improve to move the needle for students.
4. Compassion is vital
Nothing helped me understand the importance of compassion quite like becoming a parent. We have a lot of cards stacked in our favor in our home. We value education and work very hard to help our children succeed at school and beyond. The small things that seemed so easy before kids – permission slips, reading logs, getting places on time, providing a single piece of posterboard, having XYZ on hand when you arrive to the first event – those small things are HARD. Being a parent is humbling and a little compassion for all the behind the scenes moving parts that we do not know about is a must as we examine home and school partnerships.
5. You don’t have to be right all the time
Did you know that compromise is an option on the menu? I think sometimes we all need the reminder that we can meet in the middle and be OK with it, as long as everyone feels valued and heard. This book was just the reminder that I needed.
6. Act your age
If age appropriate behavior bothers you, then you need to move to work with students who are a different age. Don’t try to make five-year-olds or twelve-year-olds act a way that makes you feel comfortable. If age appropriate behavior is getting under your skin, then you are the one who needs to make a change.
7. Bossy children are a blessing
Some days a bossy child is the gift you didn’t know your classroom needed. As I reflect on my first year as a middle school teacher, I can name 3 flute players who always had their nose in my business daily in the front row of that band room. By the end of the year, as I became more overwhelmed, these became the students who helped me not lose my glasses or my keys or reminded me to take attendance or pass out permission slips. If you let them into your bubble, give them an important role, you might BOTH be thankful for those bossy students.
8. New cooks follow the recipe
When you are a new chef, you follow the recipe. Be open-minded and learn about the old way or the new way before judging and pushing back. Try a new curriculum. Try the way a school culture is used to operating.
Watch. Listen. Reflect. Then decide if small changes might improve the recipe.
9. Homework
Assigning homework is not your only job. Why is homework important? What happens if they do it? What happens if they don’t? How long should it take? What will they need? What should they do if they need help? Teachers spend so much time complaining that families don’t meet their homework expectations. Teachers should also reflect and see if they have laid the foundation for success and done their part when assigning the homework. Are families set up for success with homework in your classroom?
10. Eat lunch with others
I know some of you just wanted to skip over number ten after reading that heading. As a music teacher, I was on an island already and the weeks that I stayed in my office and just worked did not help my big picture stress level. When I did step out of my office and eat with a group, there was always someone there who hadn’t had the chance to get to know me before and as our relationship became stronger I saw the benefits to my classroom immediately.
Once a week, you have to socialize with the staff. Positive school climate is a team sport and you have to step away from your desk at least once a week to eat lunch with someone else. I read the book and I agree with the team sport angle, but I am not one to change my behavior only for the reason of being a team player.
I do know that once I started eating with teachers on other teams and in other departments, people got to know and trust me.
When students had a conflict, it was easy to start a conversation. When they saw something that could help me, they would call. Taking the time to build those relationships pays off in ways that are hard to see unless someone takes a moment to explicitly tell you that you need to be eating with your colleagues at least once a week.
11. What Do You Need?
When is the last time you asked someone what they needed? What a simple strategy that we sometimes forget about. When you see an overwhelmed colleague, ask “What do you need?” When you see a student having a bad day, ask “What do you need?”. When you see a frazzled parent, what would it be like to ask how you can support them? Could you say this to your administrator? It is so hard to ask for help and to see people struggling. Sometimes removing two or three small barriers from someone’s day can clear a path for them to move mountains and do their best work.
12. Be grateful for pull-out services
I have taught during grade level study hall. If anyone was looking for a student, they would call thinking: maybe they are in the band room. If anyone needed to make up a test, touch base with a counselor, snap a yearbook photo, etc. . . just this once maybe they could be pulled out of band. Any phone calls for announcements and assemblies were saved for this time slot as well. I know first hand how maddening it is to assess students for their report card, prepare for a concert, and progress through your curriculum with never ending disruptions.
The book reminds us to be grateful, not frustrated. A mindset shift can be so powerful.
For every teacher who is frustrated with pull-out interventions and support staff disruptions, there are probably ten teachers who would give anything to have those support measures available for their students.
13. Ask
It warmed my heart to hear how humble this superstar principal is. If you don’t fully understand what is being taught, ask. If you don’t fully understand a new initiative or expectation, ask. No one is a mind reader and they won’t know what you need to do your job effectively. Be brave, be humble, speak up, and ask for help.
14. Social Media
Social media can be so positive. It can be a way to connect with families on their phone, where they are already spending time. It also means it is harder to disconnect and that you need to be hyper-aware of your digital footprint and constantly check it for things that could negatively affect your career. Can you set a reminder on your Google Calendar once a year to pause and reflect on yours?
15. Feedback
Do you work best when you have timely, specific feedback? I do! Are you providing that for students? Are you providing that for parents? Are you providing that for colleagues and teammates? When you need feedback, are you brave enough to ask for it? There is so much we can learn through reflection and asking the right questions.
16. Favorites
I always thought that having favorites and treating them differently was a bad thing. I loved how Gerry Brooks explaining the benefits to this fact of life in the book.
Don’t be jealous if you aren’t a favorite in the school. Reflect on how you can become one. Respect is earned. Show the value you bring to the table. Show your connections with kids. Show the results you can get in your classroom. Be a person people turn to for solutions. Favoritism is here to stay, so accept it and reflect on what you can do to become a favorite teacher.
17. Extracurricular activities
Activities that occur outside of the school day are just as important as school for some students. It is a balancing act and as a teacher it is easy to be so focused on your piece of that 24 hour day that you throw shade on anything getting in your way. Remember that as the teacher we don’t know the full picture of why a student is signed up for so many or so few activities. Maybe they need this activity to have self-confidence, or to feel comfortable socializing with others. Maybe it helps them trust other adults or burn off energy so they can sleep at night.
18. Goodie Table Day
It’s so easy to skip the staff breakfast, the PTO luncheon, or the end of year retirement party. Let me guess, you are SO BUSY? You have SO MUCH TO DO? So does everyone else at that party. They make the time, because they know it matters. People matter. Relationships matter. Having good rapport and being a real person as a part of the staff makes everything else easier, all year long. It’s a time investment that will pay off more than that pile of papers you have to grade.
I will tell you as a Work At Home mom, that I wish I had stopped and treasured those events when I was in the classroom. The school I worked at most recently had so many. It was overwhelming. I constantly felt guilt pulling me to my pile of work and those important social events. As I get older I realize how important they are and I would love to stop by for an afternoon baby shower or walk through a Goodie Table Day line with 80 familiar faces.
19. Not everyone’s summer break is magical
I was always counting down to the next day off or vacation or wishing for a snow day. Some years it was all that was keeping me going. I wish I had read this book a decade ago so I could be a bit more sensitive in the outward display of my emotional journey throughout the school calendar.
Let’s reflect on summer vacation for a moment. Principals are still working year-round to prepare for you to have a great school year all over again in the fall. That paraprofessional in your classroom may be worried about paychecks halting when school is not in session. The teacher next door may be headed to graduate school or to a low paying retail job in hopes to keep afloat financially until back to school time.
Working parents may be scrambling for a spot at a camp they can’t afford so they can keep their boss happy and keep working when school is not in session. Some parents may wish they could afford a vacation for their family or a camp their child is requesting but it may just not be in the cards.
If you are sitting by the pool sipping lemonade or going on the vacation of a lifetime, just remember that your summer vacation is well deserved but may not be the experience everyone has coming up on the calendar.
20. Teachers remember
Teachers remember so much about the students they spend their days with. Teachers also remember their colleagues. They remember kindness, compassion, communication, innovation, and so much more. They remember the way you made them feel.
When you go back into school tomorrow, pause for a moment and reflect on how you want to be remembered.
Everyone will be talking about this book. It will be one of the best books for teachers in 2019.
I could not wait for my pre-ordered copy to arrive. It was a short read that you certainly could take to the beach with you. If you follow Gerry Brooks on YouTube, then you will find yourself reading the book in his voice. He is not your principal, he is everyone’s principal. He is a friendly mentor, in education for the right reason – for the kids. He wants to help you be the best teacher you can be and this book is filled with his gentle suggestions and food for thought.
I loved that he wrote the book talking to principals, teachers, and parents all at the same time. It really sent the message that we are all responsible and that we all need to work together for kids to have the best day at school that they possibly can. This book will make you feel understood, make you laugh, and help you be a better teacher tomorrow. Every time you read it, I suspect it will have a new lesson for what you need that day.
This book will be on my bookshelf for a long time and it is a must read for all teachers so get your copy today.
Have you read this book? Let me know what your favorite part was!
Take a look at some more of my Favorite Things HERE
