The Art of Teaching Children, page 49
planning for, 165
Reading the Picture strategy for, 169
secret, 164
sharing and, 169–70
tennis versus volleyball in, 168
Think-Pair-Share strategy for, 168–69
“Would You Rather” questions and, 170
tasks on first day of school, 61
special, 28–29
Tchaikovsky, Pyotr, 34, 202, 348
teacher boards, 55–56
Teacher Design Center, 52, 53, 113
teachers ability to effect change, 205–6, 307
as artists, 122, 223–26
Back to School Night and, 2, 67, 68, 172, 188, 225, 316, 318, 321, 326, 328, 344–46, 366, 392
challenges of, see challenges
changing schools, 329–30
collaboration and, 86
grammar of, 174
influence of, 347–52
leaving the profession, 405–6
new, 331–43 accepting that you won’t reach all your students, 334–35
asking for help, 336
children’s learning windows and, 339
classroom management and, 333
comparing yourself to more skilled teachers, 339
compassion and, 333
correcting papers and, 335–36
custodian and, 337–38
exasperation in, 335
firmness and kindness in, 333–34
giving your students a fresh start, 331–32
helping children listen, 340–41
judging colleagues, 337
learning from everyone, 342–43
lessons and, 338, 341–42
meeting children where they are, 334
observing master teachers, 338–39
one question to ask yourself, 343
quitting of, 405
and reinventing the wheel, 332
students’ caregivers and, 339–40
treating students as if they are your own children, 341
visiting last year’s teachers, 332
writing yourself a letter, 343
pride in, 42–44
staying in schools where they are unhappy, 329
teacher mode, 255–57
teachers’ words, 249–54 handwritten notes, 252–54
teacher tricks, 298–99
teaching in American schools, 81–83 inspiration and, 265–66
and learning how things are made, 265–66
nature and, 262–63, 265
notebooks and, 264–65
observation and, 263–64
solitude and, 265
thinking time and, 264
curriculum in, see curriculum
enthusiasm in, 278–80
fun in, 267–77 asking for drum rolls, 270
and being called “Mom,” 272
fake calls, 277
fake praying, 277
fill-in-the-blank stories, 273
finding in lessons, 276–77
Footprints game, 274
imaginary characters, 275–76
leaving messages, 275–76
letting children say no, 271
mispronouncing words, 269
naming your hair, 277
playing television tunes, 273
in reading aloud, 125–26
reading punctuation, 271
sharing numbers about yourself, 271–72
silly steps, 269–70
sound stories, 273–74
talking and, 170–71
talking to a mascot, 270–71
using different voices, 272–73
Wastebasket Ball, 275
humor and laughter in, 243–48, 410–11 acting shocked, 244
being wacky, 244
breaking into song, 247
checking for fevers, 246
dancing, 247
dressing up, 245
having one joke, 248
making mistakes, 244
meme of the week, 247
playing dumb, 244
playing sad, 245
predicting the future, 246
pretending something is really hard, 247–48
pretending you’re lost, 245
sharing your masterpiece, 246
smiley faces, 248
supersizeing it, 246
wearing funny things, 245
lessons in, 307–12, 338 bringing to life, 213–14
engagement in, 309–10
on first day of school, 67
introducing, 309
real objects in, 310–11
that don’t go as planned, 341–42
see also curriculum
making things, 295–97
nurturing of creativity, 208, 261–66, 295
personal teaching, 238–42 sharing hobbies and passions, 239–40
sharing schoolwork from when you were a child, 239
telling personal stories, 240–41
shopping and, 231–37
smiling in, 281–83, 306
storytelling in, 298–303
surprise in, 289–94
teachable moments, 227–30
teaching truths, 304–6
thankfulness and, 258–60
wonderment in, 284–88
teasing, 17–18
technology, 84–87, 189, 285–86 as better, 394
in classroom advantages of, 390
changes in, 84–87
learning and, 394
math and, 158–59
phones, 85–87, 286, 298 conversation skills and, 165
rotary, 84
see also screens
television tunes, 273
Temple, Shirley, 201
tests, 86, 87, 111, 261, 386 giftedness and, 218
Testing Speech, 386–88
thankfulness, 258–60
Thanksgiving, 364
theater trips, 203
theme park maps, 182–83
Think-Pair-Share, 168–69
think time, 264
32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny (Done), 140
tidying up, 273
ties, 32
tiredness, 377–81
tragedy, 383–85
train songs, 192
transition cards, 320
trauma, 359–60
travel, 265 brochure project, 183
sharing experiences of, 186, 347
treasure box, 74–77
Turn & Talk (Think-Pair-Share), 168–69
Turner, William, 264
TV carts, 85, 86
Twain, Mark, 264
typewriters, 84
typing vs. writing by hand, 140, 188
University of California at Berkeley, 282
University of Southern California, 191
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 359
US Constitution, 190, 211
US Department of Education, 165
Valentine’s Day, 14, 21
Van Dyke, Dick, 201
Van Gogh, Vincent, 197, 245
Velveteen Rabbit, The (William), 16, 365
verbal/linguistic learners, 95
video games, 389, 390
Viorst, Judith, 307
virtual trips, 286 geography and, 183–84
museum tours, 200
theatrical performances, 203
visiting children off campus, 29
visualization, 125
visual smartness, 92–94
vocabulary, 167, 209 math, 151–52
see also words
voices, using different, 123, 272–73
Waldorf Schools, 394
wall decorating, 54
Warhol, Andy, 197
Washington, George, 211
Wastebasket Ball, 275
Wax Museums, 212–13, 228
welcoming children at the door, 70–73
well vs. good, 173
winter break, 374–76
wonderment, 284–88
Woolf, Virginia, 262
word problems, 153–54
words, 96–107, 128–29 acting out, 209–10
art and, 200
capitalization of, 103–4
English language learners and, 99–100, 152
Happy List and, 105–7
names of things, 101
prefixes in, 96–97
and reading aloud, 121
similes and, 102–3
smartness with, 91–93, 95
synonyms, 104–5, 209
vocabulary, 167, 209 math, 151–52
and writing lists, 103–7
World War II, 205, 212, 228
worrying, 378–79
“Would You Rather” questions, 170
Wright, Frank Lloyd, 262
writing, 103, 132–47, 265 art and, 198
assignments, 112, 117, 127, 264
authors’ tea event and, 144–45
balancing two schools of thought on teaching, 141
brainstorming ideas for, 135
“chunking” of, 142–43
conferences, 138–39
different types of, 136–37
drafts and rewriting, 137–38, 140, 311
explaining process of, 137–38
how-to papers, 70
lists, 103–7
love of, 142
modeling process of, 145–47
music and, 198, 202
out loud, 146, 147
with a partner, 137
place for, 137
practicing, 136
proofreading, 138
and reading aloud, 121–22
reading assignments, 112, 117, 127 remembering your audience when assigning work, 141–42
of research reports, 141
scaffold supports in, 142
sentence starters for, 143–44
sharing your own, 140–41
students sharing with classmates, 139
supporting reluctant writers, 142–43
as talking on paper, 142
Writing the Room strategies, 139
writing versus typing in, 140
writing, cursive, 187–89
writing by hand vs. typing, 140, 188
yard duty, 37–38
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Author’s Note: As teachers, one of our most important responsibilities to our students is to protect them. For that reason, throughout this book, I have altered names, timeframes, and in some cases specific details, while simultaneously striving to capture the true spirit of the stories I wish to pass along.
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ISBN 978-1-9821-6566-6
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Phillip Done, The Art of Teaching Children
