If you have ever had the opportunity to observe a master craftsperson at work, one of the first things you will notice is how easy they make their work look. This principle applies to artists, athletes, plumbers and painters. It also applies to teachers.



If you were fortunate enough to have some master teachers in your K to 12 schooling or for your university student teaching, you will have seen this principle at work. You will recall how easy they made teaching look. For the most part, their classes just flowed. The teacher would ask the students to do something, and the students did it. The teacher would cue the kids to transition into a new activity, and the kids transitioned. There was little conflict, few arguments, and the vast majority of classroom time was spent engaged in learning.



It is a pleasure to observe these kinds of behaviors in the classrooms of master teachers, but this leaves us with an important question: how do they do it? Just how did these teachers get their students to be so cooperative and have their classroom running so smoothly?



That is what THE SUCCESSFUL TEACHER’S SURVIVAL KIT: 83 simple things that successful teachers do to thrive in the classroom will show you – the kinds of things that master teachers do to make their classes work – both for themselves and for their students. You too can become a master teacher. This book will show you how.

Preface: Fish Discover Water Last

Acknowledgements

Introduction: Establishing Legitimacy

How to Get the Most from this Book

Section One: What You Need To Know and Do before School Even Starts

Introduction: The Importance of the Teacher and the Power of Positive Thinking

The Question You MUST Answer First!Do Your Christmas Shopping in the Summer!The Stomach and the Brain – Have Food Available for Your KidsVomit, Coffee & Ketchup – Have a Change of Clothing Available for YourselfMints and Toothpaste – Essential Tools for Effective TeachingThe Best Teacher Prep Tool Ever Made – Large Capacity Flash DrivesWho’s the Boss? Probably the PrincipalWithout This – Nothing Else Really Matters: Lessons from a Student to a TeacherEstablish a Seating Plan That Allows Maximum Proximity to Your StudentsTick. Tick. Tick.The Problem of Pens, Pencils, Paper . . .How Sponge Activities Can Prevent All Kinds of Discipline IssuesFacebook, Twitter and TwitsThe Only Three Ways to Teach a ChildNo Matter Where You Go – There You AreIs Teaching Really Your Gift?Half Step, Full Step, Step and a Half: How Many Steps Will Your Kids Be Taking With You This Year?Section Two: What You Need To Do With Your Students on The First Day And During The First Week Of School

Introduction

You Never Get a Second Chance to Make a First ImpressionPizza and Movies: The Best Investments You May Ever MakeWhy Procedures and Routines – The Way We Do Things in Our Classroom – Are Critical to Successful TeachingStart Teaching the Curriculum on Day OneTo Know Them Is To Love Them . . . Well, Most of the TimeWhy Should the Kids Listen to You? The Importance of Establishing Legitimacy.Fired Up? Ready to Go?Let Horton the Elephant Be Your Role ModelEven Monkeys Know When Something is UnfairWhen You Are Vastly Outnumbered, Fighting is UnwiseThe Importance of FaceNever Look Back When Asking a Student to Follow You Out of the ClassroomDon’t Just Stand There – DO SOMETHING!Knowledge Has ValueDid I Do That? Helping Students Keep Track of Their AchievementsAlways Have a Plan B.What Did You Learn in School Today?Section Three: What You Need To Do During The First Month

Introduction

Eyes Open; Ears Open; Mouth ClosedThe Best Teachers You Will Ever HaveSecretaries, Custodians and Teacher AidesWho Knew? Ten Minutes is a Huge Chunk of TimeMaybe Not 50 Shades of Gray – But 49 For SureWhat’s the Difference Between a Classroom and a Petri Dish?Want to Avoid Classroom Chaos? Bait the Hook to Suit the Fish!How to Train a Tiger – The Art of Negotiating with Your StudentsPractice Saying, “I’m sorry” and really mean itGetting the Elephant to Go Where You Want It to GoYou Don’t Want to Send Kids to the Principal’s Office – At Least, Not OftenWhen You Bring a Problem to Your Principal, Always Bring a SolutionWhen Your Students Tell You Stories about Their FamiliesHow to Get Parents/Caregivers to Look Forward to Your Phone CallsParent’s/Caregiver’s and Emails – Managing ExpectationsDon’t Confuse Activity with AchievementWhat Do You Mean You Only Taught That Once? The 9 Laws of LearningIn Pursuit of Peppermints and PEZ™So You Reached the End of September – Time to Take a Good Look Around YouSection Four: What You Need To Do During the Rest of the Year

Introduction

Great Teachers are Great Storytellers with Great Stories to TellRemember the Starfish Story – You Cannot Save Them AllYou Must Learn to AdjustNot My Circus – Not My MonkeysRemember. . . There Is Always Enough Time To Do the Most Important ThingsLearn to Make Staff Meetings ProductiveLearn to Say “NO” NicelyMake the 80 - 20 Rule Work for YouBecome First a Good AnimalWho Do You Need to Forgive the Most?If Your Name is Johnny, You Must be BadI Am Not My Older Brother . . .Remember This About Your Students – They’re Not Done YetYou Can’t Free a Fish from Water - Your Students Live at HomeThey Already Have FriendsDo You Want to Hear a Joke?How to Use Music to Sooth a Savage BeastWhen You’re Sick, Tired, Cranky, or Having a Bad DayYou Are Rarely the Target – Even When They’re Aiming at YouEvery Artist Was First an AmateurYou Are Never DoneWhen You Stop Learning, You Are DoneYou Don’t Bring in an Elephant to Teach the Color GrayHow Do You Eat an Elephant?Why We Don’t Try to Teach a Pig to FlyThe IKEA Effect – The Pride We Feel in Work We Do OurselvesIf You Are Working Harder Than Your Students in Class, You’re doing It Wrong!The Virtue of FrustrationLet This Year’s Students Help Make Your Courses Better for Next YearSo You Reached the End of June – Time to Look BackSection Five: What You Need To Do During the Second and Third Years of Teaching, and Going Forward From There

Twenty-Eight Essential Truths About Teaching

Lastly: The Secret to Success in Teaching

Three Recommendations for Further Reading

References

About the Author