My Book

For my book, I am reading 32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny; Life Lessons from Teaching by Phillip Done. As far as I have gotten, it seems like a very good book. In the opening of the book, there is like a little poem. It is called I am a Teacher. It talks about all the things he does as a teacher like wear dandelions and clovers in his pockets, he fixes office supplies that don’t work, knows the difference between Australia and Austria, and can make a telescope out of a toilet paper roll. This poem is very cute and, for most teachers, true.

The first part of the book is about dealing with the class list and students. Done says that he remembers years like the Chinese do, year of the Rebecca, year of the Dylan, and so on. The first week or so you have to do the seating chart, and then rearrange it when you see how kids interact with each other. If two are doing a light saber duel with rulers, you have to separate them, if they are having burping contests, you separate them, and if they are talking too much, then you have to separate them.

Done states there are six different kids of class rooms,

• The Shock has every inch of the room covered with kids' work, banners, and posters. everything is also labeled
• The Chi has mirrors to impose balance, plants to soak up sound, wind chimes to absorb negative energy, and plays soft music during reading time
• The Natural makes everything super green. One of the teachers at his school threw away the Rubbermaid, poured everything into baskets, removed the carpet, and pulled the fluorescent light bulbs. They also wear hemp and eat carrot sticks.
• The Piler piles paper everywhere. One the desk, floor, on the animal cage, in the filing cabinet, and on other piles. they are also dreamers
• Hospitals don’t hang anything on the walls, doors, or cupboards. Do not lick their fingers to clean the overhead, and do not add extra vinegar and baking soda to the papier-mâché volcanoes
• The Model Home has fake trees in the corner, plastic runners on her carpet, and all of her books are the same color
  

He also states that you can mix the kinds of classrooms, like shock and pile, chi and model home, and natural and shock. But some do not mix, like hospital and shock, or natural and hospitals.