What Great Teachers Do Differently: 17 Things That Matter Most by Todd Whitaker

What Great Teachers Do Differently: 17 Things That Matter Most Reviews

• 
  Aletheia Weisz

  This has been super helpful. As I start thinking about what I am doing in my class and start to apply these 17 things in my classroom, I see a difference. My attitude has changed and I can see students improving almost every day.
• 
  Christina Despain

  I really appreciate that our new principal had us read this book-before the start of the new year! It affirmed a lot of what I’ve believed for years, but have never seen anywhere else in print.
  I find it curious that a book about what great teachers do differently had zilch about the logistics of what teachers actually do. There wasn’t anything in the book about the science of teaching. It didn’t even mention backwards lesson planning, how to create and teach to objectives so students meet a standard, critical thinking vs. recall (depth of knowledge), creating quality assessments, standards-based grading, vertical and horizontal alignment in a program, proficiency scales, etc. I find it curious because the how-to is what all of our professional development centers on which begs the question, “Why is there a gap between what “great teachers do differently” and what we do in practice to become better teachers?”
  This book wasn’t about effective instruction per se which is what we center on in our PD, it was about the core beliefs, attitudes, people skills, collegial, parent, admin, and student relationships, energy, and who the teacher is as a human being. For example, is she a Negative Nancy or is she a Mary Poppins? (The book never refers to Mary Poppins, but every time a new characteristic of a great teacher was named, that is who I pictured he was describing.)
  In my opinion, while super important, this book is incomplete. Great teachers do need to be incredibly loving, patient, and inspiring people. We should hold ourselves to a higher standard than everyone else, but we also need to be masters at the science and art of teaching and learning. That person that can do both is, to me, truly a “great teacher.” This much I know, I’ve got a long way to go!
• 
  Ivonne Rovira

  Who knew such a slim volume could be packed with so many good ideas? While indispensable for a novice teacher, What Great Teachers Do Differently: 17 Things That Matter Most will serve as a good reminder for even veteran teachers of the importance of concentrating on changing behavior instead of getting even with misbehaving students, being a better colleague and taking cues from the best students, not the worst. Why did I wait so long to read this?
  
  This is a book to read and re-read. Highly recommended.
  
• 
  Luke

  This is my second year teaching and my principal gave this to me to read for fun. I'm really glad that he did because within these first few years of teaching, I would like to be the most productive teacher I can be. I want to be a teacher that reflects on what I have control of and what I can do in order to make my classes better. This book is a very quick read and a simple reminder that a lot of the things that go on in your classroom have to do with you, the teacher. The attitudes that your students have, the expectations of your students, the hopeful results of their learning, all stem from you and your hard work. If something in your classroom isn't working, instead of blaming the students first, ask yourself what you could've done better.
  
  There are many things that I could work on to be better and they have nothing to do with my content. This short but powerful pick up allowed me to reflect on what I've done this year and what I can do within the time I still have to change attitudes and behaviors.
• 
  Haley

  Super vague. This book did not provide a lot of sound advice or steps to take to actually accomplish what “great teachers” do.
  
  It had a constant underlying message of teacher martyrdom and that if you complain you’re a bad teacher.
• 
  Lysh

  This is by no means a bible to live your teaching career by, but there is a reason it was gifted to me in my first year of teaching. Alas, if only I had time to read in my first year on the job.
  
  Herein lies a blueprint to build a successfully managed classroom, to support your students to become self motivated and caring humans in this confusing world. This book is greatly positive and focuses on what you can do to become better in every aspect of your job. It is full of good reminders for anyone, regardless of the number of years they've spent in the profession, but particularly for early career teachers who want some guidance on how to manage themselves in a professional manner.
• 
  Kerri

  These are great tips and I really loved the content. I felt like it got a bit repetitive in driving points home though- which as teachers is something we do every day- so bonus points for great modeling? (Looks at that praise followed by criticism🤦‍♀️ not something I do a lot of!) A lot of us could benefit from the tips and tricks. One of my biggest ones is keeping a positive and upbeat work environment. No one likes to work in a negative environment!
• 
  Simon

  Good, easy book on improving your teaching skills. Focus on people, not systems. Don't punish the whole class for the mistake of one person. Take interest in your pupils lives.
  
  I find education very important, not for the content itself. More for the influence it has on children. A good teacher can make or break interest in a subject. And interest in a subject far surpasses intelligence.
• 
  Zainab Alqassab

  Quick read, audio only 3 hours. Nothing presented in this book is new to me nor did it add any value. I prefer practical books, the ones when addressing issues would offer solutions and steps to tackle such problems. However, it was not that bad, i would call it a “ Reminder” book or “spiritual” book.
  
  
  2.5 ⭐️
• 
  Poly

  Super vikend motivacija i self-analiza!
• 
  Rebecca Hudson

  Must read for educators!
• 
  Andrea Bobadilla

  the ideas I found in this book are already well known, maybe it would be a better book for new teachers with zero experience..
• 
  Monique

  
  This was a read assigned to me for Professional Growth work and finished some time ago but I am just getting around to reviewing it—Anyways I got a lot from this book as it was read in chapters and discussed in a literature circle setting and as a new educator learning everyday that teaching is not for the weak this book was a gem I have highlighted and will refer to as I move on in this career path..Being a teacher isn’t easy by any means and being a great teacher is a rare feat but they have shared some secrets and similarities here—attributes and characteristics I see in many of my colleagues, definitely all the ones I truly admire..I think I will just give some of my favorite takeaways from this read though there were seventeen amazing things that this book went over.
  *Great teachers have high expectations for students but even higher expectations for themselves*
  Its true the best teachers will call parents, give bad grades and kick you out of their class for disrupting others and they are still respected, their work completed and their lessons reach the students..These teachers state what they will or will not accept and stand by it—Classroom Management 101 and a skill I admittedly struggle with but through this book and some great teacher mentors I am learning…
  
  *Great teachers create a positive atmosphere in their classrooms and schools*
  That’s so important, students have to want to be in your class and want to be around you in order for you to make an impact..I learned from my school’s convocation—Students don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. So true.
  *Great teachers have the ability to ignore trivial disturbances and the ability to respond to appropriate behavior without escalating the situation*
  You don’t have to attend every argument you are invited to—this was powerful as I have a tendency to acknowledge those students disrupting, causing me to lose my train of thought and get flustered and irritated and then the students have won. I have learned to not engage negative behaviors for as long as I can and this was a hard lesson for me but a well needed one for my sanity and my disposition. I had to look back at cause and effect of why I was not succeeding and this was a huge component so I had to learn to ignore and cling to the ones engaged and hope that my teaching gets through to who needs and wants it.
  *Before making a decision or attempting to bring about any change, great teachers ask themselves one central question: What will the best people think?*
  I loved this one, if you want to keep the best people around then do what is best for them and then others will change to become that..Touching people’s emotions can spark change and making them uncomfortable can make their behavior shift. I liked the psychology there, it works and makes you focus on the good students, the ones who do pay attention and want to learn versus fighting losing battles with those who are intent on not engaging in the class and eventually they will realize they are not impacting the class or the teacher.
  *Great teachers treat everyone as if they are good*
  No kid wakes up and wants to be bad everyday, there are factors at play, emotions and a home life we may know nothing about so compassion, empathy and enacting a clean slate daily, while difficult is key..It is imperative kids know there are no grudges held and opportunities to improve and be great at something that day and everyday.
  So many teaching gems here I am glad it was our team read, I am learning so much about education and teaching is slowly becoming second nature and somewhat easier each year though every day is soo unpredictable!
  
• 
  Jacob

  Lots of the material in here isn't new, but it's good to have as a reference, especially if you are a teacher. The writing is clear, accessible, and upbeat so it was an enjoyable read. I agree with almost everything the author says, but I would particularly like to call out the following points:
  
  - The author says that you can't learn from only bad examples. I don't think that's true, but it IS harder. It also leads to some creativity when you spend time figuring out "why is that a bad way? How could it be done in a great way?" Sometimes you come up with novel approaches that are even better than the existing "great" ways. Also, I think it's a lot easier to figure out how & why something doesn't work than how or why something does.
  
  - A third of the principles are about focusing on people (yes!). The first one, "People, Not Programs" is good, but I'm not sure the author fully communicates why it's good. Programs are all about "forcing" poorer teachers to be better teachers (or preventing teachers from teaching poorly), and I don't think that's possible to do with a program. Witness the current endorsements of Common Core programs, where all the arguments I've seen come down to "if you don't teach kids the underlying principles the old way but you do teach them the underlying principles the new way, the new way is totally better!" What they are not saying is that it's totally possible to get the opposite implementation, where the fundamental concepts aren't taught the new way either, and it's no better.
  
  - One of the points, "Base Every Decision on the Best People", is a concept EVERYONE needs to understand, in education or any other organization. Have you ever been part of an organization that created a new rule because a few people were causing trouble? And the effect was only to make life harder for the people who didn't need the rule, while those who did ignore it anyway? It's a lazy and ineffective approach but it's done all the time, and this author talks about why it's a terrible idea and backfires. It's related to the programs above, where leaders are trying to force poor performers to be good performers by addressing the problem indirectly through a rule or program instead of dealing with the problem individuals head-on. Everyone who is a leader or manager should learn this doesn't work and how to actually solve the problem without making life harder for the majority of good performers.
• 
  Nancy

  I know people who think this is the best book of teacher common sense ever printed. And I know people who think that teachers who depend on books like this probably can't figure out how be good teachers on their own--making the book an expensive, thin-gruel crutch with limited value to accomplished practitioners.
  
  I liked the book much more than I thought I would (with a couple of exceptions). There's a great deal of sound thinking in the book. Michael Fullan has said that a good philosophy is a lot more important that a packaged "tool" when it comes to problem-solving in the classroom--and Whitaker does a good job of identifying those homey philosophies, especially in the first 14 chapters. Things like avoiding "revenge" when a student challenges you, and putting the right people in place rather than the right programs. Even if you're a skilled veteran teacher, it doesn't hurt to be reminded of those timeless principles. And if you're a novice, ideas like these can really help shape a successful career.
  
  Whitaker's folksy tone grated on me a bit, but the stories he uses help drive home his concepts. It was near the end of the book when I became disenchanted--the chapters added in the second version, where he suggests that standardized tests do provide valuable information, and recycles the myth that if you're teaching the right stuff in the right way, test scores will take care of themselves. It's at this point that his Kindly Administrator Who Engenders Teacher Leadership voice took over--and I tuned out. Way out.
• 
  Dori Stowell

  This is a definite must read for any teachers in a school system! I was able to get a lot of great ideas, but some chapters were a stretch for me as a private piano teacher. It challenged me as a teacher to teach towards the best of my students, as opposed towards the students that are the difficult students. This should be a standard in all undergraduate programs for teachers and administrators.
  
  I wish that Mr. Whitaker would have given some more concrete ideas, though for how to be a great teacher. Most ideas are abstract, and teachers would have to come up with their own ideas to become a great teacher. I was looking more for a how-to book.
• 
  Lynn

  I agree with these 17 things inane ways and think I will keep this book around to keep them in mind. I also see this guide as having a focus on teachers being the end all to education and getting the blame for education also. Teachers can't be the whole game in education and teachers can't be the ones to blame either. While teachers try to their best to succeed and grow as professionals, they can't be the ones pointed at and blamed when things are imperfect also. There needs to be other factors which education is based on, this author exclusively looks at teachers, good and bad as being the solution to education quality. I'm not sure I agree.
• 
  Jody

  This is a wonderful book with very real examples of what makes a good teacher great. I read it as a faculty assignment and am grateful that I had the opportunity to think of all my colleagues as I read. Oh, and it's short. And validating. Because although there are things I need to improve, there were some things in the book that I recognized myself as doing well.
• 
  Mary

  Excellent advice for teachers. Succintly, witty, thoughtful.
• 
  Duane

  Good, practical information for educators. However, some passages are rather sexist. In most examples, the good teachers are women and the bad teachers are always men.
• 
  Arlene

  So much great wisdom for teachers. I read this for my Becoming a Teacher course last semester and got so much out of it.
• 
  Jennifer Jarrell

  Great read for teachers who teach to make a difference!
  
  This book is a great read for teachers who teach because they want to make a difference in the lives of their students!
• 
  Nora

  The author, Todd Whitaker, is an interesting thought leader from Missouri with a background in teaching and being a principal with many publications to his name. This book is essentially a quick assemblage of tips for being an effective and meaningful teacher. He sprinkles in examples for every recommendation from experiences throughout his career. It is short, sweet, and to the point.
  
  In summary, the following list is Whitaker's compilation of the 17 things that great teachers do:
  1. Never forget that it is people, not programs, that determine the quality of a school.
  2. Establish clear expectations at the start of the year and follow them consistently as the year progresses.
  3. Manage classrooms thoughtfully. When they say something, they mean it.
  4. When a student misbehaves, great teachers have one goal: to keep that behavior from happening again.
  5. Have high expectations for students, but have even higher expectations for themselves.
  6. Know that they are the variable in the classroom. Good teachers consistently strive to improve, and they focus on something they can control: their own performance.
  7. Focus on students first, with a broad vision that keeps everything in perspective.
  8. Create a positive atmosphere in their classrooms and schools. They treat every person with respect. In particular, they understand the power of praise.
  9. Filter out the negatives that don’t matter and share a positive attitude.
  10. Work hard to keep their relationships in good repair to avoid personal hurt and to repair any possible damage.
  11.Have the ability to ignore trivial disturbances and the ability to respond to inappropriate behavior without escalating the situation.
  12.Have a plan and purpose for everything they do. If plans don’t work out the way they had envisioned, they reflect on what they could have done differently and adjust accordingly.
  13.Before making any decision or attempting to bring about any change, great
  teachers ask themselves one central question: What will the best people think?
  14.Continually ask themselves who is most comfortable and who is least comfortable with each decision they make. They treat everyone as if they were good.
  15.Have empathy for students and clarity about how others see them.
  16.Keep standardized testing in perspective. They focus on the real issue of student learning.
  17.Care about their students. They understand that behaviors and beliefs are tied to emotion, and they understand the power of emotion to jumpstart change.
  
  
  “If anyone were to ask your students if you love teaching and enjoy your time with them each day, what would they answer?”
  
  “Great teachers focus on expectations. Other teachers focus on rules. The least effective teachers focus on the consequences of breaking the rules.”
  
  “we define connected educators simply as ones who are actively and constantly seeking new opportunities and resources to grow as professionals.”
• 
  Diane

  Whitaker's take on great teachers, which I find also applies to great managers.
  
  Seventeen Things That Matter Most
  
  1. Great teachers never forget that it is people, not programs, that determine the quality of a school.
  2. Great teachers establish clear expectations at the start of the year and follow them consistently as the year progresses.
  3. Great teachers manage their classrooms thoughtfully. When they say something, they mean it.
  4. When a student misbehaves, great teachers have one goal: to keep that behavior from happening again.
  5. Great teachers have high expectations for students, but have even higher expectations for themselves.
  6. Great teachers know that they are the variable in the classroom. Good teachers consistently strive to improve, and they focus on something they can control: their own performance.
  7. Great teachers focus on students first, with a broad vision that keeps everything in perspective.
  8. Great teachers create a positive atmosphere in their classrooms and schools. They treat every person with respect. In particular, they understand the power of praise.
  9. Great teachers consistently filter out the negatives that don’t matter and share a positive attitude.
  10. Great teachers work hard to keep their relationships in good repair to avoid personal hurt and to repair any possible damage.
  11. Great teachers have the ability to ignore trivial disturbances and the ability to respond to inappropriate behavior without escalating the situation.
  12. Great teachers have a plan and purpose for everything they do. If plans don’t work out the way they had envisioned, they reflect on what they could have done differently and adjust accordingly.
  13. Before making any decision or attempting to bring about any change, great teachers ask themselves one central question: What will the best people think?
  14. Great teachers continually ask themselves who is most comfortable and who is least comfortable with each decision they make. They treat everyone as if they were good.
  15. Great teachers have empathy for students and clarity about how others see them.
  16. Great teachers keep standardized testing in perspective. They focus on the real issue of student learning.
  17. Great teachers care about their students. They understand that behaviors and beliefs are tied to emotion, and they understand the power of emotion to jump-start change.
• 
  Laura

  I Infamously do not like school-required or district-required book studies. This book was not as hated as some of the previous book study books.
  
  The author has a lot of experience in education but very little experience as a teacher. He was a principal at 26, then worked as a consultant, and is now a professor. He studies teachers. I have to admit that I haven't a whole lot of respect for teachers who couldn't hack the public school classroom.
  
  He asks a lot of teachers which is saying a lot because teachers who stay in the classroom ask a lot of themselves. Burnout is easy and we already face a 50% quitting rate by the end of five years (which is astounding considering most education schools nowadays take five years to graduate a teacher).
  
  I'd have preferred hearing from a teacher who was in the classroom for a long time (15+ years), long enough to have gone through the educational fads at least once.
  
  All of that aside, I was able to pick up some words of wisdom to apply to this year so I gave him a higher-than-average rating for books I'm required to read by my district.
• 
  Donna

  I thought this would be a how to type of book. But it's not. It's more like a why you do the things you do type of book.
  While somethings seemed intuitive and everything seems easy enough, putting it into practice is harder than you think. There are many little quirks that you do without thinking. When he talks about great teachers versus the rest, or even bad teachers you can automatically think of those around you who would fit into those categories.
  This book definitely gives you food for thought. I liked it. And will refer to it later.
• 
  Melinda

  Not so much a how-to book but a why-to book. At first, I was not impressed because I expected a how-to book, and it isn't. Once I got to about chapter 3, though, it clicked, and then I saw that it met its objective beautifully.
  
  And, it sorely disappoints the hopes of anyone who thinks good teaching can be accomplished by something as banal as 'insert tab A into slot B, repeat.' It's NOT what you do, it's how you do it.