75 Ways to Be a Better Teacher Tomorrow
75 Ways to Be a Better Teacher Tomorrow With Less Stress and Quick Success
By Annette Breaux and Todd Whitaker
(Routledge/Eye On Education, 2018 – Learn more)
Reviewed by Laura Von Staden
In typical Annette Breaux and Todd Whitaker style, this concise, tips-packed book is a quick read with strategies that can easily be implemented tomorrow.
Yes, there are 75 chapters, but they are each two pages long, begin with a clear title (making it easy to return to each strategy as needed), and then include two sections: “What to Do” and How and Why to Do it.”
Each strategy is well addressed in short order, but in a very usable form, including the why, thus living up to the first two of the “Five Things This Book Will NOT Do For You” (front matter):
1. Overwhelm you and
2. Eat away at your precious time.
The authors also remind us not to try all 75 at once but to implement one or a few, and then come back for more. The set-up of the book definitely lends itself to this type of usage.
My top go-to’s
Some of my favorite strategies include Ask Yourself Five Questions (p. 3); Leave One Compliment a Day (p. 11); and Invite an Administrator to your room (p. 23).
Even a veteran teacher can continue to push themselves forward on the endless road of improvement with these tips. Tip 39 suggests that we shorten our activities because our brains work much better with short chunks of information/challenge at a time, much like leveling up in a game, and much like the way the authors have formatted this book for us.
75 Ways to Be a Better Teacher Tomorrow is the perfect reference for both novice and veteran teachers. An absolute must have, but don’t put it on your shelf, keep it within arm’s reach, and prepare to be a little more effective every day.
Dr. Laura Von Staden is currently a Middle School Gifted Math and Science teacher in Tampa, Florida. She serves on numerous committees in her school district, works closely with the local university, and writes curriculum. She is also a professional development consultant, and previously served as an Exceptional Student Education Specialist and as a mentor.
