Why Didn't I Learn This in College? Teaching & Learning in the 21st Century

by Paula Rutherford

Just ASK Publications & Professional Development Softcover with 349 pages. Find some helpful survival tips and strategies, activities and tools for educators of all types.

Genres: Teaching, Education, Nonfiction, Professional Development

Paperback

First published February 1, 2009

Reviews

[zero · Rating 4 out of 5]

practical, concrete approach - earned a place on my teaching shelf for sure

[Sheila Thoburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has many helpful tips, but some that aren't. I would say it is helpful for a new teacher or one who has struggled with classroom management.

The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher has more context so I would recommend it over this one. Though that one is full of excessive amounts of fluff and could be better organized.

I would say this one is more of a compilation of helpful tips.

[Grek Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fabulous resource book for teachers at any level. It really does offer an opportunity to take a step back from our practices and be reflective on the areas that we need to work on. What I find is difficult about that in reality, though, is there’s not enough time in the day to balance lesson design and delivery And assessment… And then reflect on not only the areas of our strengths and improvement, but also what are the causes and remedies or the solutions. This even goes for collaborating informally with colleagues and doing peer-observation. Going through this resource was a helpful reminder of what I am doing well. It also gives concrete questions and protocols to follow that can help pursue self-guided professional development (And job embedded, too) in the pursuit of becoming a more effective educator.

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book for new teachers or student teachers. I unfortunately picked up this book and decided to read it into my fifth year of teaching so a lot of this was knowledge I had already gained from being in the field. This would be a great book for those who have not yet had a lot of experience in teaching and who need a guiding hand and setting things up in the most effective and beneficial way for them.

[Micah Sauls · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why I Didn't Learn This in College is a very helpful book with different resources. I find it to be a great book for people like myself that are just getting into teaching. With many resources in this book it gives new teachers something to build on and also veteran teachers something to look back on. One thing I would say I didn't enjoy as much is that it was a tough read as the many bullitt points made it hard for me to really sit and read it instead of just skimming through it.

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Used for college course but decided to keep it, useful everyday as a teacher.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is the perfect book for new teachers. I also found it helpful for mentoring.

[Ella Tallent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why Didn’t I learn this in College was a highly informative book. I created a bridge between what we did learn in college and the practicality of using it in a classroom. It emphasizes the importance of soft skills that could be overlooked in a college classroom setting. It also helps with the transition from college to workforce and being okay with growing and changing. While I liked the information, I did not the vessel because it was a lot of bullets point textbook style; however, take this with a grain of salt because I am not a big reader.

[Temeika B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paula Rutherford does an excellent job categorizing and explaining instructional and management aspects of teaching.  In addition, she discusses pertinent information that will help educators maintain their personal and private lives to avoid the unnecessary pitfalls of becoming an incompetent educator. In ten carefully sequenced sections, she leads you through a step by step guide that is sure to become your best companion as you enter the classroom or rejuvenate your instructional practices. Notably, she provides an abundance of resources and materials to accompany her exceptional advice. If you would like to become more efficient and consolidate many of the professional development tools you have, this is the book for you.

Furthermore, I would recommend reading the book straight through the first time and annotating the ideas most beneficial to you.  Next, place it on your desk and use it as a mentor, I know I will this year!

I give this book five stars for its organization, information, and delivery.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this is definitely not an attractive book (ugly cover, formatting, font, etc.), it's the motherlode of resources for K-12 teachers, covering classroom management, lesson-planning, active learning strategies, working with special populations, working with parents, teaching literacy, and much more. From tiny hints to reproducible handouts, this book should be in every teacher's and instructional coach's classroom.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a GREAT resource for new teachers and a good refresher for veteran teachers. Easy to read format with lots of researched based ideas, printables,resources and references. Should already be in all Jeffco libraries as TLs were given a copy for their schools.I have tons of sticky notes in mine.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book needs to be assigned reading for any education class. I really wish I had this book as a resource while in college and student teaching. now I can't wait to try some of the questioning techniques, grouping assignments, and lesson assessments in my own room!

[Radwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comprehensive guide and reference for teachers. Thorough coverage of aspects of the teaching process.

[Ellon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really does need to be assigned in college. :) It is a great resource, especially for someone who is already in the field and could use some toning of teaching procedures.