3rd Edition
What Great Teachers Do Differently Nineteen Things That Matter Most
What are the beliefs and behaviors that set great teachers apart? In this internationally renowned bestseller, Todd Whitaker reveals 19 keys to becoming more effective in the classroom.
This essential third edition features new sections on why it’s about more than relationships, how to focus on a consistent, engaging learning environment, and the importance of choosing the right mode—business, parent, child—to improve your classroom management.
Perfect for educators at any level of experience, for independent reading or for schoolwide book studies, this practical book will leave you feeling inspired and ready to do the things that matter most for the people who matter most—your students.
Acknowledgments
Meet the Author
Introduction
Chapter 1 Why Look at Great?
Studying Effective Teachers
Chapter 2 It’s People, Not Programs
Programs Come and Go
How Open Classrooms Got Started
Assertive Discipline: The Problem or the Solution?
It’s Not What You Do, It’s How You Do It
The Poor Lecturer’s Classroom
Chapter 3 The Power of Expectations
Expectations
Rules
Stop the Thumping!
Consequences
Set Expectations at the Start of the Year
We Are Still Undefeated
Chapter 4 If You Say Something, Mean It
The Football Coach
This Time, I Really Mean It
Smile When You Say That
When You Are Ready
From Four to Three
Class Rules the Day
Chapter 5 Prevention versus Revenge
When a Student Misbehaves
Sending Students to the Office
"Nuthin’ Happened"
A Teacher’s Bag of Tricks
Respect Your Students, Their Parents—and Yourself
Twenty-Four Students on the Side of the Teacher
Restoring Trust
Chapter 6 It Is More Than Relationships
Relationships, Expectations, and Consistency
The Start of the School Year
Teaching Is Complicated
It Takes All Three
Chapter 7 Choose The Right Mode
The Disruptor
At Home
Every Day
Business Mode
Office Referral
Chapter 8 High Expectations—for Whom?
Are High Expectations Important?
Chapter 9 Who Is the Variable?
Who Is the Variable in the Classroom?
What If the Students Do Poorly?
How Do We Deal with the Demands of Others?
Chapter 10 Focus on Students First
Change for Students’ Sake?
How Broad Is Your Vision?
Three Ways to React
Focus on Colleagues Second
The Hotel California
Remember What Matters
How Do You View Your Siam?
Chapter 11 Ten Days Out of Ten
We Never Forget That One Time
You Do Not Have to Like the Students
The Power of Praise
Five Strategies That Help Praise Work
Too Much Nice
Chapter 12 Be the Filter
How Is Your Day Going?
The Angry Parent
Filter Yourself
When the Teacher Sneezes
One Goal, Every Day
Where the Elite Meet?
The World Outside School
"This Is the Worst Group of Kids We’ve Ever Had"
Perception Can Become Reality
Chapter 13 Don’t Need to Repair—Always Do Repair
Some Never Need to Repair—But Always Do
Some Always Need to Repair—But Never Do
I Am Sorry That Happened
The Highway Patrol
Chapter 14 The Ability to Ignore
Hey, Pretzel Face!
Ignore Minor Errors
Understand the High Achievers
Chapter 15 Intentionalness
Why Does Stefan Always Pick Noah?
The All-School Assembly
The Faculty Meeting
Flexible Seating
Chapter 16 Base Every Decision on the Best People
Shoplifters Will Be Prosecuted!
This Means You!
What Will the Best Students Think?
The Best Students Will Be "Fine" No Matter What
The Teacher’s Pet
Chapter 17 In Every Situation, Ask Who Is Most Comfortable and Who Is Least Comfortable
Treat Everyone as If They Were Good
Uncomfortable Feelings Make People Change—One Way or Another
Pay for Performance
Chapter 18 Put Yourself in Their Position
Teacher Pleasers
Model the Behavior You Expect
How Others See Us
What Do You Choose to Be?
Chapter 19 What About These Darn Standardized Tests?
Without Success, Tests Become the School
Raise Those Test Scores!
Keep Testing in Perspective
So, You Want to Improve Your Reading Scores?
Chapter 20 Make It Cool to Care
Having a "Cool" Classroom
The Great Teacher
Merry Christmas, Everyone!
Who Are the Legends?
Touch the Heart, Then Teach the Child
Chapter 21 Clarify Your Core
Nineteen Things That Matter Most
References
Biography
Todd Whitaker (@toddwhitaker) is a leading presenter in the field of education and has written more than 50 books including the bestseller What Great Principals Do Differently. He is a professor of educational leadership at the University of Missouri.
"The book is full of salient reminders for all teachers, regardless of the number of years spent in the profession. … Whitaker deserves commendation for his ability to weave his professional knowledge and personal experiences together to create an individualized book full of opportunities for reflective thinking about things that matter most."--S. Mia Obiwo and Diane Truscott, Teachers College Record, February 16, 2021, https://www.tcrecord.org
"What Great Teachers Do Differently will challenge your thinking; give you the impetus to become an even better teacher; might reaffirm your teaching philosophy and methodology; inspire you. Most of all, it will remind you that “Every teacher makes an impact. Great teachers make a difference.” (p.126) Be that teacher!"--Linda Biondi, MiddleWeb Review, February 18, 2021, https://www.middleweb.com/44638/nineteen-things-great-teachers-do-differently
