The Joyful Teacher by Berit Gordon
Usually I will do some form of PD over the summer by signing up for a training, but between a cross- country move, starting at a brand new school, and the conclusion of the most stressful school year, I needed a break. However, I stumbled across this book on Instagram, and I am SO glad I did. Let me tell you why I think it is the new must-read PD book for every teacher, from newbies to veterans.
Although Wong’s classic First Days of School is an incredible resource, after reading The Joyful Teacher ( this is NOT an affiliate link or paid promotion, I just really love this book!) I honestly wish I could redo my first year of teaching with this book in my toolbox. Gordon does an incredible job of providing strategies, anecdotes, mini- lessons, and fresh ideas to improve every aspect of your classroom.
Here are a few of my favorite things about this book:
1. It includes an entire section on self- care and boundary- setting
This was definitely something I struggled with during my first year ( and let’s be real, I STILL struggle with it). One of my favorite things Gordon mentions is creating a “Happy File” of good things from students that you can go back to when you’re having a rough day. I have one of these folders and I usually put notes from students, assignments that made me laugh, and sometimes notecards with memories I write on them.
I will NEVER forget, for example, discussing Hamlet 3 weeks into the school year at a new district, with about 6 district people ( including the superintendent) in my room.So I was more than a little on edge and of course wanted everything to go perfectly. Midway through the discussion, a student asked a question about Shakespeare. As I was answering, another student (who I honestly wasn’t even sure was paying attention) burst out suddenly with “Miss, how the f*** do you know so much about Shakespeare?” I wasn’t sure whether to laugh, address the language, or answer the question. It’s a moment that makes me giggle every time I think about it.
Keeping these little memories tucked away for those rough days is such a great practice for newbies and veteran teachers alike. I’m not big on clutter, but keeping hold of those items can be a nice little pick me up.
2. A framework for simplifying daily lesson planning
It took me a long time, and I mean a LOOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGGG time, before I felt confident enough to plan lessons in a simple way that worked for me ( and didn’t take forever or require a crazy amount of work). I sure could have used this section. I bookmarked a page about mini- inquiry lessons that get students asking questions about whatever you’re learning, which I am definitely going to try out this year.
3. Strategies for setting clear expectations and managing behaviors
This section brings Wong’s practices right into the 21st century, where teachers aren’t respected by students simply based on our title – we have to earn it. Gordon provides simple strategies to create solid systems and expectations for behavior in your classroom. It’s a solid read even if you’ve been around the block a few times. Gordon talks about creating norms, using entry work to set the tone, and tons of ideas for exit tickets.
4. Ideas for modern formative and summative assessments
I’ve never really been a “test” type of teacher. I have always preferred to let students show me what they learn. Gordon outlines dozens of ideas for making assessments meaningful.I love the idea, for example, of a “Compliment Conference” (169) and using sticky notes and chart paper to quickly gauge where students are at with a task. For example, you might have columns for “pre-writing” “Thesis” or “body paragraph” and students place a sticky note with their name in the column for what they are working on. This would make it SO easy to group kids in the moment or address the needs of students who are struggling.
5. Teacher led/ independent learning best practices
There’s been a ton of research done since I was a student – and even since I myself was in teacher school – about best practices surrounding instruction. Gordon outlines these in a way that makes sense and has lots of actionable advice for making the most of our instruction time.
6. The importance of getting students’ names right
Teachers always spelled my name wrong when I was a kid, so it was really special to me when teachers took the time to get it right. It’s not just spelling – pronouncing kids’ names correctly is even more important. I recently took a class where the instructor pronounced a student’s name incorrectly. The student corrected her politely, but the instructor called her the wrong name every time. The student was too polite ( and probably hurt and embarrassed) to correct her again. I can’t imagine how devaluing it must feel to have your name, a core part of your identity, ignored like that. So let’s take the time to get them right, people!
7. A quick tracking activity to gauge how well you know each student
I find sometimes that a couple of months into the school year, there are still students that I don’t REALLY know. I also have trouble remembering names with faces ( I think they call it face blindness?) and so even though I know a student, making the connection isn’t instant. Gordon offers some great ideas for recalling what you know about each student so that you can visualize which students you need to get to know a little better. I am anxious to pput this idea to use this year!
8. How to effectively praise students
I am a proponent of the Love and Logic method of parenting ( it works really well on my cat! Just kidding) ever since I learned it while working for a summer camp years ago. One of the big tenets is about praise – praising the product, choices, and the effort versus the student. Gordon gives a bunch of strategies and sentence frames to help change your thinking and the words you use when discussing work with students.
BONUS Reason for why this is the new must-read PD book:
Okay so all the content in this book is FABULOUS, but my most favorite thing about the book is that it is COLOR CODED! So, as I am going through my school year and want to reference a specific topic, I can easily see what color it is and look for those color pages. It is INSANELY easy to find what you are looking for in this book.
Have you read the Joyful Teacher? What were your favorite parts? Let me know in the comments!
