I Wish My Teacher Knew: How One Question Can Change Everything for Our Kids

by Kyle Schwartz

One day, third-grade teacher Kyle Schwartz asked her students to fill-in-the-blank in this "I wish my teacher
knew _____." The results astounded her. Some answers were humorous, others were heartbreaking-all were profoundly moving and enlightening. The results opened her eyes to the need for educators to understand the unique realities their students face in order to create an open, safe and supportive place in the classroom. When Schwartz shared her experience online, #IWishMyTeacherKnew became an immediate worldwide viral phenomenon. Schwartz's book tells the story of #IWishMyTeacherKnew, including many students' emotional and insightful responses, and ultimately provides an invaluable guide for teachers, parents, and communities.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Teaching, Professional Development, School, Adult, Audiobook

272 pages, Hardcover

First published July 12, 2016

Reviews

[sAmAnE · Rating 4 out of 5]

بهترین معلمان می‌دانند که هوش و *مهارت‌های تفکر انتقادی* با تلاش و سخت‌کوشی آن هم در مدت زمان طولانی به وجود می‌آید.
.
به نظرم بحث آموزش و پرورش و کلا نظام آموزشی ارتباط بسیار مهمی با سبک زندگی و فرهنگ و شرایط جامعه‌ی هر کشوری داره. کتاب درصد بالایی برای معلمان ایرانی مفید بود ولی در خیلی از فصول نویسنده به ارائه آماری از کشور امریکا در باب جمعیت جامانده از تحصیل و وضعیت بی خانمان‌ها و دانش‌آموزان آن‌ها، تغییر محل زندگی و تغییر مدرسه ... پرداخته بود.
البته بخشی از کتاب هم به نکات ساده‌ای پرداخته بود که می‌تواند *ارتباط موثر* و سازنده بین معلم و دانش‌آموز را تقویت کند، بخصوص مفید معلمان تازه‌وارد.
نویسنده معلمان را موظف کرده در مواردی خود را جای دانش‌آموزان بگذارند و به نحوی مشکلات (مشکلاتی از قبیل فقر، وضعیت خانوادگی و ... ) آن‌ها را درک کنند.
برای همین عنوان کتاب "کاش معلمم می‌دانست"، انتخاب شده.

[Nada · Rating 2 out of 5]

I Wish My Teacher Knew by Kyle Schwartz is not the book I expected. The publicity for the book implies that the book is about student responses to the author's question. It's not. Rather, this book is research, case studies, and techniques for elementary teachers. In addition, the format of the ebook makes for difficult reading. On the other hand, if the book impacts even one teacher's ability to teach one student, it will change a life for the better. And, for that, I wish it success.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2016....

Reviewed based on a publisher’s galley received through NetGalley.

[Fateme · Rating 4 out of 5]

خیلی به معلم ها ایده می‌دهد برای ساختن کلاسی تعاملی با بچه ها که تنها هدف آن فقط یادگیری مهارت های آموزشی نیست بلکه یادگیری مهارت های زندگی و روزمره هم بسیار مهم است.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was just going to be a book with the post it’s of the students responses. It’s actually much deeper than that, the why and what behind the answers.

The publisher/editor did a poor job of placing the stories within the chapters. They are not at natural breaks. Often in between sentences and paragraphs. I would have prefers blank space opposed to flipping around the stories.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Wish Every Teacher Would Read...

When Kyle Schwartz asked her elementary students to complete the sentence "I wish my teacher knew...", she did something extraordinary and her students rewarded her with their honesty.

"I wish my teacher knew I didn't have pencils at home to do my homework", wrote one little girl. Soon enough, Kyle had set her mind to addressing all of the issues faced by her students.

Kyle Schwartz doesn't pretend to be the perfect teacher - she freely admits that she's made her fair share of mistakes - but she does have some very valid, very relevant suggestions for teachers today. Suggestions which will:

1. Help you to increase learning inside your classroom.
2. Help you to foster a sense of community inside your classroom.
3. Help you to provide a more inclusive and supportive environment inside your classroom.

At the core of Kyle's approach lies a simple statement, made by child psychologist James Comer, that "no significant learning occurs without a significant relationship" and the belief that every child matters.

She outlines and tackles real issues that face many of our students - food hunger and bereavements, for example - and her practical suggestions cover everything from how to welcome new children into your classroom, to holding 'family-school conferences' instead of a traditional 'parents night'.

"Understanding the realities of our students' lives may not always be comfortable, but facing these issues head on is the best way to understand and help our students." - Kyle Schwartz

If you're a teacher, you will benefit from reading this book and you will enjoy reading it! (I predict several eureka moments and lots of head nodding...) It doesn't really matter which country you live in, or what age range you teach there, as the issues our students face are the same.

All of my teacher friends will be getting copies of this - from me! - for Christmas.

I Wish My Teacher Knew will be published July 12th by Da Capo Lifelong Books.

[Layal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has to be read by each and every primary and secondary classes teacher.
If all teachers were made aware of all the issues students may be facing, and on which this book sheds light with extra precision and detail, I believe our entire world would be a better place to live.

Nevertheless, in most cases, I found that the matters discussed in this book may only apply to the American society. Our students living in the Palestinian -or Arab- society can unfortunately barely relate to any of them. And quite shockingly, the book did not address the serious topic of bullying. How can you discuss school difficulties without a mention of bullying?!


“I have incorporated Family Learning Projects into my classroom. I have learned a few key aspects that have helped make them successful. One is to make these projects optional and ungraded. Even though they are not required, most students still complete the projects. Each time a student brings in a project, it is like free advertising motivating more and more students to go home and give it a try. I also leave it up to the student to decide if they would like to publicly present their project to the class. They almost all choose to stand at the front of the class and share, but I don’t see the point in forcing students to engage in public speaking if it causes them extreme discomfort. I also do not see a need to grade the projects. The purpose is for students to take the learning we have done in class in whatever direction they choose. Making Family Learning Projects graded would mean that I would have to create grading criteria, and in this case it might stifle creativity.”

Good teachers believe in their students’ abilities; great teachers teach students to believe in their own abilities.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The format of this book is poorly done which makes it very hard to follow in some places. It reads like a textbook, but instead of the "box" off to the corner of side, it's right in the middle of the paragraph. Which breaks up the paragraph and causes the reader to have to go back to figure out what's going on. I'm not sure if this is because it's an ARC or if that's how it's going to read as an e-book.

Another way it reads like a textbook is that there are so many facts and figures. I do appreciate the knowledge, but the way the author wrote it made it sound so technical and boring. I was expecting more of a Post Secret or People of New York type book. Except, there were no post cards. The same "I wish my teacher knew" cards were repeated over and over again. I thought the book would be filled with them. I honestly felt like I was back in school doing homework.

Also, the author pats herself on the back a bit too much. Yes, she did some great things. But so have other teachers without bragging about it. And that's the feeling I got reading this book. I thought being an educator was a team effort. She made it sound like she single handedly did everything by herself.

The writing style is very pretentious. Some of the stories feel unrealistic and unbelievable. And the ideas just seem far fetched. The education system is already stretched as far as it can go, with more and more cuts being made every day.

This is not a book for the average person. This is a book for teachers.

[Shaylyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ehhh, I wouldn’t strongly recommend this one. Maybe it would be inspiring to pre-service teachers? But I think it’s very basic overall, not particularly astounding or challenging in any way… also seems a bit outdated. There are plenty of other relevant books for teachers touching on the same topics.

[Sadra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this book reminds me of the Dunning–Kruger effect, and I think Kyle Schwartz is precisely at the point of the blue arrow when writing this book about the teaching profession!

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liked the idea of this book and the activity… didn’t care for much of the book itself. Leading a classroom with the understanding you don’t know what any student is coming through the doors with is the baseline. It just felt like this was supposed to inspire me, but it made me say “duh” a lot. Again, just my thoughts. Happy if it brought you joy!

[Gary Anderson]

Colorado third grade teacher Kyle Schwartz uses a simple activity to develop community in her classroom. She invites students to share responses to this prompt: “I wish my teacher knew …” Their answers reveal much about her students’ anxieties, joys, home lives, and school-related concerns. In I Wish My Teacher Knew: How One Question Can Change Everything For Our Kids, Schwartz expands on this activity by explaining the broad categories of responses and their sociological contexts, including poverty, grief, and stereotyping. I was especially heartened to see Schwartz’s discussion of the experiences of children in military families. Schwartz then offers practical, adaptable ways to develop classroom communities in all grades to help students feel safer at school and become more successful learners. One of the most illuminating sections of I Wish My Teacher Knew involves research explaining why most pre-packaged (and expensive) character education programs fail to produce significant results. Although the subtitle hyperbolically overpromises, I Wish My Teacher Knew is worthwhile for its optimism and pragmatism.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a book I would recommend to newer teachers, not so much a general audience (unless you're in the business of policymaking). I liked the inclusion of specific teaching strategies and ways to implement them as teachers are often met with vague, general suggestions on how to strengthen their classroom community and support their students. Many parts of this book read like a college essay, though, but weaving Schwartz's personal experiences throughout the novel helped to balance this a little.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 STARS

The title of this book should actually be changed to "The Things All Teachers Should Know". I really think that everything Kyle Schwartz put in this book is absolutely essential to every single teacher, classroom, and administrator...no matter what teaching philosophy you have, or how many years you've taught. If anything, this book would be a great refresher to read every year to get ready for the next. I wish I would have read it in college - it would be a great introduction to teaching textbook for preservice teachers as well.

Here are a few specific things I absolutely loved about the book:

0 Her undying emphasis on relationships, community, and team building
0 Her amount of research that she shares with her readers (even though sometimes the stats were depressing)
0 The tips and tricks she's found that have worked in her classroom
0 Things that have worked in both her classroom and school, on her own and with colleagues
0 The specific stories that were included
0 She included stories from other teachers as well
0 Focus on making things equitable, not equal
0 I love how she starts off with her personal childhood views about school (she didn't really love school as a kid)
0 We should not be our kids' friend - but we should ALWAYS make a point to be their allies.
0 I love the fact that there was an entire chapter dedicated to student character development
...And...
0 The focus on growth

And I know I'm not technically supposed to quote from the book until publication (which will July 12th, 2016) but...

"In an age of teacher and school accountability, we are missing the something if we don't teach our students that they are the ones who need to take ownership of their own learning."

**I received an Advanced Electronic Copy of I Wish My Teacher Knew: How One Question Can Change Everything for Our Kids for free through NetGalley**
**This review is based on an uncorrected proof, the novel is subject to change until publication**

[Matt Legacki · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel that this book is best read by new teachers. As someone with experience this is a lot of things I've learned over the years. Additionally for my district a lot of these ideas have been adapted as best practice. There was not a whole lot that I found useful or new.
As a special education teacher I felt that the authors short paragraph on special education was a disservice. It didn't talk about the issues facing the field and the way its talked about is a very vain surface level and came off as a savior mentality in my opinion. It would have been better for the author not to mention Sped in my opinion as a sped teacher.
In addition this book has been out for a while. It might be just the time I read it, returning to school after the Covid pandemic forced a year of virtual learning. A lot of this talked about the issues and challenges of education in public schools and then put a lot of burden on the teachers in the book. It came off as toxic positivity. But that might just be where my head is at in this point in time. I found 'Trauma Stewardship' a much more relevant and meaningful book in relation to the challenges mentioned by the author.
It also felt that for a book about 'I wish my teacher knew' there was a lot less student voice in the text than I had expected. The title was misleading as it was not student centered. It was about what teachers can do with students, but I wasn't reading a lot of what students want from teachers and how we can change practices. Some, but not enough to match the stated purpose of the book.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for sending me an e-Arc of this book. Although I Wish My Teacher Knew: How One Question Can Change Everything for Our Kids revolves around one teacher's experience in the US classroom, there are plenty of universal themes that ring true in education. One of the most important elements is that it is important to make a connection with each and every student that enters your classroom.


A highly engaging teacher tool that wasn't too "textbookish!"

[Hannah Goldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think every single human who works with children in any capacity should read this book. I learned SO much. I learned about myself as a teacher, how I could’ve better helped previous students, and how I can better help them in the future. You can be a teacher of any grade any learn from this. It’s geared towards elementary and secondary, but I’m a preschool teacher and it rocked my world. Even post-secondary could benefit! Not enough nice things to say about this book. Obviously some things weren’t applicable as I teach tiny humans, but never hurts to learn! 💛

[Jeanne M · Rating 5 out of 5]

So important to read this as we emerge from Covid. Kids are struggling and there are ways to help kids in our classes.

[Kailee Kittle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok. It took me over 3 months to finish, so clearly I wasn’t absolutely enamored with it.

I appreciate the time the author took to write this book and some of the ideas within. I, however, was anticipating a more student-centered novel. A look into their brains and what THEY want out of their relationship with a teacher, how THEY want to be treated, and what makes THEM feel supported. A lot of this was about students, but it wasn’t really their voices. I didn’t want to know how to be more aware of my student’s socioeconomic status. I can do that. I wanted to be more informed about student’s experiences.

[Kellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. Of course, I had seen the articles around the time the "I Wish My Teacher Knew" exercise went viral, so I was curious as to what would be in a book by the same teacher.

Thankfully, the book goes a bit beyond that exercise, and it focuses on building strong classroom communities. There is a good bit of research involved, as well, on what today's students are likely dealing with outside of school.

Chapters include:
1. Welcome and Farewells: Building Community Even in Transition
This chapter explores how mobile today's students are and gives tips and strategies for ways to make new students quickly feel at home, as well as ways to ensure leavers know they will be missed. I especially liked the idea of welcome kits. Because I teach in an international school, we have a slightly higher rate of turnover amongst our students, and the welcome kit is something easy to do that can make a difference in how the student feels immediately upon entering the school.

2. Students and Poverty: Building on Resources and Breaking Down Barriers
So many of today's students are living in conditions at or approaching poverty. This chapter not only covers the statistics but also gives strategies teachers can use to help kids who may be in this situation. Many teachers may not be aware of how many of their students struggle to get enough to eat each day because the students often have developed coping strategies or methods to hide their circumstances. The idea of a food drawer is a great one, as is having sets of community supplies rather than requiring all students to provide their own.

3. All Families Count: Including Families in All Their Forms
Families today are becoming less and less "traditional" (mother + father + kid(s)), and we need to be aware of that as teachers. I found the reminder to use more inclusive language, such as saying "Families" instead of "Parents," to be helpful. Even just asking students to identify their family groups can give teachers a better understanding of their students' lives. Good stuff.

4. We Will Get Through This Together: Supporting Students Through Grief and Loss
This chapter focuses on the idea that children can grieve for a variety of reasons, not just a death, and that their grief can have a significant impact on their learning. It helpfully identifies signs of grief so that teachers know how to recognize it in their students. I found this incredibly helpful because my students have often had to leave behind their home country, friends and family, so I should expect them to grieve that loss and see signs of that grief in their work or approach to learning. Thankfully, the chapter also gives strategies teachers can use to support students as they experience grief or loss.

5. When Students Are in Danger: Supporting Students in the Trauma-Informed Classroom
Teachers have the responsibility of observing students and questioning and/or reporting any mistreatment of the children in our care. We need to be aware that there are likely students in our classes that have experienced trauma. This chapter identifies signs of abuse so teachers know what to look for, and it also gives more strategies for how to ensure that students feel safe in your classroom. I liked the reminder to only make promises I know I can keep, and found the examples of these types of promise quite helpful.

6. Value-Driven Classrooms: A School Culture That Develops Character
Character education is a big part of what my school is focusing on currently, so I found this chapter incredibly relevant to my current teaching. I took copious notes and can't wait to begin integrating some of the teacher tools from this chapter into my current practice.

7. You Got This! Building A Classroom Culture of Self-Efficacy
Who hasn't heard of growth mindset and grit? Get thee to a library immediately if those are unfamiliar to you, and check out anything by Carol Dweck or Angela Duckworth. This chapter explores these two ideas, together with optimism (Martin Seligman makes for some good reading on that one), and gives concrete tips for helping students to develop in ways that encourage them to accept learning as a challenge and to stick with it when it gets tough.

8. "I Can't Wait to Learn More:" Classrooms Where Student Engagement Thrives
This chapter is all about engagement and its importance to learning. Finding ways to hook students into the lesson or topic can greatly increase the learning they experience. There are some good ideas here, but this chapter is part of why I only gave 4 stars instead of 5. It doesn't seem as well-developed as the others. It still has some useful information, though.

At the end of the book, you will find a Teacher's Guide to exploring "I Wish My Teacher Knew" with your own students. This can be helpful if you struggle with building a close classroom community.

I found the book to be a helpful resource overall. The other reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5, though, was that this book tends to focus primarily on the elementary or primary years. While some of the tips and strategies can be easily adapted for older students, some of them just wouldn't work. The research is useful, though, and this book provides a good reminder of just how many different issues our students may be struggling with outside of school.

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC to read and review.**

[Shae Wall-Denzler · Rating 3 out of 5]

“When our schools take steps to meet the needs of our students in every aspect of their lives, we ensure they have the resources to learn.”

“Students bring so much more than just their backpacks to school.”

Good tips for working with students with trauma.

[Tabitha Czarnecki · Rating 5 out of 5]

a must read for prospective teachers or current teachers!! filled with stories about Kyle’s students that break your heart but bring perspective to the role you’re taking on as an educator. such a simple question that i will be bringing to my classroom

[Virginia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought-provoking and with plenty of relevant advice. The style of the writing makes it easy to read. The character of some of the real examples shared, often heartbreaking, made it quite hard to read. A book worth reading by teachers of any level!

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative, heart-wrenching, a book every teacher should read.

[Becca Akins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for one of my College education classes, and I really enjoyed it. I book marked so many pages to reference in the future. The topics covered are incredibly important. I definitely recommend this book to those going in to the education field.

[Kat V · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sort of isn’t the book you think it will be after the first chapter but it is filled with god and useful information, especially if you work at a Title I school. 4 stars

[Rhonda Spilde · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I will keep it as one I plan to reread in the summer. Note a ton of new information but many good reminders for buildings relationships within the classroom.

[Marissa Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down the most genuine, instructionally supportive, and passionately inspired “teacher” book I’ve ever read. Thank goodness I randomly crossed paths with this book.

[George Kasnic · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent practical guide to building community, and its importance, in the classroom. Actual lessons, examples and pragmatic approaches. Incorporating it into my first week lessons. Be warned, doing this properly requires you as an instructor to be genuinely open, honest, and vulnerable with your students.

Courage.

[Kylee Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly validating and encouraging. This book is full of great ideas to increase student engagement and connection.

[Jennifer Clausen-greene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is fantastic book that every single teacher should read. It starts off explaining the project the author came up with for her to get to know her students better. It then goes on to explain the number of things the students had to say and how they're very important for a teacher to know to properly teach and engage students. It's well researched, clear, and has lots of personal examples. My only issue with this book, had nothing to do with the writing.

The bad: Formatting: I got this book as an ARC so I am not sure how it will appear once published but the ARC has grey areas and normal print areas and pictures are usually hard to read or just black squares. The formatting overall was TERRIBLE! I received an early e-book copy, which messed up the format of this book. That meant that I couldn't see pictures properly and that paragraphs would sometimes be mixed together. That therefore made it hard for me to get a proper look at this book, and thereby lessened my enjoyment. But I'm sure that by the time the book is published these errors will have been fixed and those who read it will be able to properly enjoy it. Other than that I would have really liked to have seen more stories that the kids wrote about what they wished we knew. There were so many of the same stories printed over and again and I was looking forward to some really deep insight from those notes that I felt could have been better if the author included more unique ones instead of just the same ones. It got redundant.

I don't want anyone to think that these few "bad" issues took away from the books message. They did not. The book was very insightful and helpful. It really made me stop and think about the challenges so many children go through on a daily basis and how it affects their academic learning. Just to be more informed as a professional will go along way in how we approach children in the classroom and some possible accommodations that can be made. Overall the book was heartbreaking. Its things we know kids go through but block out and want to believe these tragedies are not nearly as common as they actually are. It reminds me of a quote "be kinder than necessary, you never know what someone else is going through". I do not remember who said this, but I heard it years ago and it has always stuck with me and its something I teach my kids, but its also something that applies to every profession, especially those dealing with children. We need to create an environment from day one that lets our kids know we are approachable, we care and we have a deep desire to help, even if that means going the extra mile. This is a great book that I plan to buy some copies of to give to my teacher friends.

Disclaimer: I received this on a read-to-review basis from NetGalley. Thank you to the author, Kyle Schwartz, and the publisher, Da Capo Lifelong Books, for the opportunity.