Taming of the Crew : Working Successfully with Difficult Students

by Brian D. Mendler

Book by Brian D. Mendler

Genres: Education, Nonfiction

131 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Becky Shattuck · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first and last chapters of this book got me thinking a bit about classroom and school environment, as they deal with keeping kids in the classroom, teaching to the whole child, developing relationships, and not forcing kids to fit into a mold. That said, much of his reasoning behind his bigger goals seemed to fall short. I agree we want kids to stay in the classroom whenever possible. His reasoning? So they can do well on state tests and so it reflects better on how well we do our job. I'm not sure I agree with that reasoning.

The rest of the book doesn't always support his bigger ideas. There are endless tips on how to get kids to do what you want. There are tips on giving kids different colored cups to hold up to represent how well they understand something, tips on teaching them finger signs to hold up when they want different things, tips on how to set up desks, and so on and so forth. Most of his classroom set up and instruction were actually very traditional.

[Barbara Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the opportunity to hear a presentation by Brian Mendler and then brought him to our school to do an all day presentation. His presentation was excellent and so is this book!

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the chance to see Brian Mendler in person. This book reminds me of all the strategies he talked about during his presentation. So good!!

[Tedi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very direct and helpful with strong advice for teachers dealing with the management of students and also and explaining the reasoning behind them. It's a fast read but it's packed full of really strong, usable strategies.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would recommend this book to any educator. It has lots of good strategies and explanation of behaviors. Just like any resource, it will not apply to everyone or you may not believe everything but its good food for thought. It was an easy read.

[Zack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not as many Shakespeare references as I had hoped...but still very useful.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for future professional development days during this school year.

[Caryn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Would be useful for new teachers.

[Shana Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will defiantly have to check out the other classroom aide books by this author.