Reviews Ready, Set, Teach!

Education Review

Written by teacher educators long-associated with induction programs and published by Kappa Delta Pi, an international honor society in education, Ready, Set, Teach! A Winning Design for Your First Year is a practical, easy-to-read guidebook for the beginning teacher. Organized into nine “lessons,” authors Enz, Kortman, and Honaker anticipate novice concerns in the areas of instructional planning and assessment; classroom organization, including establishing relationships with students and their parents; and growing as a professional. For new teachers who find themselves without the ongoing support of a mentor, especially those who come through alternative routes of teacher preparation, this book can help fill the void. The book’s greatest strength comes in the many immediately useful tips and ideas shared, including instructional strategies for getting to know students at the elementary, middle and high school levels and thoughts on organizing a “substitute folder” for unexpected absences. Although novices come to the profession with a beginning toolbox of instructional techniques and strategies gleaned from prior experience and teacher preparation, they are typically eager for fresh new ideas like those offered in this volume. In addition, scattered throughout are sample templates useful in planning daily lessons, writing a newsletter for parents and preparing for parent/teacher conferences. Importantly, the ideas and tips offered are designed to meet the needs of all teachers, K–12. Further, the text is organized for quick reference. When I shared Ready, Set, Teach! with a group of beginning high school teachers, they were uniformly enthusiastic about the practical aspects of the book. At the same time, Ready, Set, Teach! misses an opportunity to shape new-teacher thinking in substantive ways. There is little theoretical discussion of the teaching and learning process and few references to the professional literature for continued self-study. To illustrate, in the opening “lesson” readers are encouraged to assess their personal style as Executive, Humanist or Classicist (see Stamm and Wachtler l997) according to a seven-question survey. The authors introduce this important and useful task with the following statement: “Though each orientation approaches the art and science of teaching in a remarkably dissimilar way, it is important to remember that all three orientations embody effective, successful practices" (p. 3). Certainly this discussion deserves more than three pages and a neutral stance allow. If we are truly committed to preparing thoughtful and reflective practitioners, we must expect that even our newest recruits already recognize basic understandings, such as the need to communicate regularly with parents, but still need help thinking through meaningful ways of doing so. Our challenge during these critical early years is to both address their immediate concerns and take them seriously as learners. Once left to sink or swim alone, new teachers can now choose from a growing set of self-help books designed to ease their transition into the classroom. From personal narratives to pedagogical guidebooks, these books offer ideas and resources for the novice teacher, as well as words of encouragement and support. Perhaps their greatest gift, however, is the potential to frame how a new teacher thinks about teaching and learning well into the future. Although woefully short on thoughtful discussions about the teaching and learning process, new teachers will likely find the practical ideas, tips and templates found in Ready, Set, Teach! to be a handy reference as their first year unfolds. Reference Stamm, J., and Wachtler, C. (1997). Philosophy of education work book: Writing a statement of beliefs and practices. New York: McGraw-Hill. Reviewed by Cynthia L. Carver, Assistant Professor, Western Michigan University, whose research interests include new teacher induction policies and practices.