The Eleven Commandments of Good Teaching: Creating Classrooms Where Teachers Can Teach

"Full of tactics and techniques, straightforward and interesting, this book is loaded with good examples drawn from Gill’s own trials and errors. Its best contribution may be the expression of a mind-set for successful teachers-dedication, empowerment, and positivity-that can help fulfill the promise of a teaching career."
-James Lent, Professor Emeritus
Vanderbilt University

"I utilized this book as summer reading for our entire faculty and received an excellent response! It was the basis for an interesting, provocative, and productive discussion during the first faculty meeting of the year."
-Tom Holmes, Director of Upper School
Dunn School, Los Olivos, CA

Straight talk from a veteran teacher!

Vickie Gill offers both new and veteran teachers practical advice on how to achieve a classroom environment that promotes exemplary teaching and learning. In this updated edition of her best-selling book The Ten Commandments of Good Teaching, she has added an eleventh commandment to help teachers combat the feeling of failure.

Whether you’re a new teacher or a not-so-new teacher, this book offers you the courage to follow your instincts and illuminates the ideas you need to succeed. Gill’s casual, conversational tone, communicates the joy she has experienced in the classroom. Drawing on experiences from her 21 years in the teaching profession-the good, the bad, and the ugly-she illustrates each commandment with real-life classroom stories and offers concrete guidance for staying enthusiastic and committed to excellence.

The suggestions here will help you:

• Focus on why you became a teacher in the first place
• See your students as individuals with differences
• Ask for the help you need from your principal or from school support staff
• Maintain an open mind and a flexible attitude
• Pick your battles with care
• Use your own good common sense

Gill’s strategies can change the way you feel about teaching and about your students, and help you make rediscover the joy of teaching.