The Pocket Mentor: A Handbook for Teachers

This book is like having your own mentor. You get practical information on classroom management, discipline, lesson planning and recordkeeping. I wish I had this help when I started teaching...

As a novice teacher, I read this book with vigor during my first break. It contains valuable information that I wish I'd known before I started. I'm sure all teachers eventually figure out what works for them, but it would be great if every new teacher could carry this book in his pocket during those first trying months. It's nice to know that most teachers experienced frustrations, questioned their choice of profession, and wondered if they would ever be able to juggle the tasks required of them. Unfortunately, this book tries to answer all the questions at once, leaving the reader with reassurance that they're not alone, some good general suggestions, but few specific solutions to common problems. It's good--but I wish it had gone further. Also, my editon contained many typos and seemed tied to specific local school policies and procedures.

Experienced and practicing classroom teachers, Chris Niebrand, Elizabeth Horn, and Robina Holmes collaborate to offer the reader strategies for dealing with other teachers, school administrators, specialists, aides, substitutes, parents, intruders, and (above all) their students. The Pocket Mentor offers sound, easy-to-follow advice on managing time, avoiding or coping with stress, and handling the wide ranges of duties, responsibilities, and concerns every K-12 teacher faces. The Pocket Mentor is packed with helpful hints on subjects ranging from wardrobe choice and record-keeping, to where to safely store everyone's "stuff". The Pocket Mentor is an absolute necessity for all novice teachers and has much of value to offer even experienced classroom instructors.