Reluctant Disciplinarian: Advice on Classroom Management From a Softy who Became (Eventually) a Successful Teacher

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I laughed my way through this book in less than 2 hours, and yet I put it down with a clear vision of how I was going to move forward in my classroom as well as help the teachers under me to be more effective.

If you work with difficult students or are just having big problems helping your students behave, this is a GREAT book. Rubinstein validated many of my beliefs that have helped me maintain the learning environment in my classroom. He also helped me articulate why what I do works to other teachers who say to me, "The kids are so good for you. They're not good for me!"

There's nothing worse than classroom management advice from someone who's "never been in your shoes." Rubinstein jumped into teaching middle school in the inner city with hardlly any training. His students were ruthless. Five years later, he was voted teacher of the year at his school and his students were successfully mastering their work.

Rubinstein is incredibly humble and lays it all out--his failures, his misguided philosophy of teaching, and his slow and bumpy road to success.

Rubinstein is quite critical of teacher preparation programs. As someone who went to an excellent university for teacher preparation, I didn't appreciate his knocks on colleges of education, but what he says is true of many certification programs. I'll forgive him becuase his book is sooooo good.

One note, I found the strategies very appropriate for middle and high school teachers. It may not be as appropriate for primary teachers. Still, it's hilarious and the philosophies are sound.

Buy this book. If will re-motivate you, rejuvenate you, and excite you about the months and years of teaching ahead of you.

While this book is fast-paced and written with a sarcastic tongue, it was largely impractical. If you want a story about first year teaching, this is your book. If you want answers to your questions regarding discipline, this is not the book to purchase. The author starts off asking a lot of questions regarding discipline that I have but fails to answer any of them in the book. Much of the information that he presents is fairly common knowledge (e.g. don't yell, don't be your students' friend). Save your money to purchase one of the more expensive books on discipline. They may not be as entertaining to read but they are much more useful.

In the spring semester of 2004, Mr. Rubinstein was my trigonometry teacher. For those of you in New York state, that's the equivalent of the last term of Sequential Math III or the last term of the Math B curriculum. Being a tenth grader at the time, I found his methods of teaching to be one of the best. Not only did I enjoy being a student in his class, but I also enjoyed learning math and because of him, I continued to pursue advanced math classes.

When he made a mistake, he was never afraid to let us correct him. He is a humble man and is able to connect with his students on a personal level. There was never anything fake about him.

Now that I am a senior in Stuyvesant HS, I look back and see that I never had a math teacher, or teacher of any subject, quite like Mr. Rubinstein. There are only a few teachers like him and I feel lucky to have been taught by him.

If his book is anything like the way he teaches, then many people will learn from him by reading this book.

As a third-year teacher, I found the book easy to read with plenty of laughs - especially the author's accounts of staff-required inservices. However, there were few actual classroom management techniques offered, which was my purpose for buying the book. It's an enjoyable read for those teahers wanting to feel relief in knowing others had made the same mistakes in classroom discipline efforts, but look elsewhere for management plans to use in your own classroom.

My brother is a TFAer and turned me onto this book. It was so great, I read it in one sitting. I have only been teaching for 3 years, but this is one of the books I wish I would have read before I started. Teacher education does not prepare you for most of what goes on in an urban classroom. I made a lot of these mistakes, too. But I also have grown as a teacher and it's great to see that other people also have success after difficult first years.

I enjoyed reading about this first year teacher's mishaps. However, as funny as it was, there is no sound advice to apply within one's classroom. This is a short fast read with lots of little pictures. I read it in about 1 hour. Lots of white space/blank page space. I was sort of disappointed at the end. I felt like the rest of the book was missing. He states the problem and the solution, but not HOW TO apply the solution. One page he was a novice, then he was going into how he won awards. I think he could do a lot by adding/revising, making Part 2 of this.

The other books on the subject (and I've read the top seven or so) are all too theoretical, dense, boring, and advocate techniques that simply don't work in an out-of-control secondary class. "First Days of School" is one of the few books that is decent in terms of practicality and readability. However, it is too elementary-focused for secondary teachers. Also, it advocates a standard pattern of incremental steps (writing names on the board with checks and so on).

As Rubinstein points out - relying on this type of pattern of incremental discipline in an out-of-control classroom is like trying to slay a dragon with a fly swatter. This author also sets himself apart from the competition by focusing on how appearance and techniques lead you to be respected as a "Real Teacher."

Let's say you are (like me), the instructor for a graduate course for new teachers. If you assign this book, "Assertive Discipline," and "Discipline with Dignity," I guarantee you that the only one most of the new teachers will actually finish reading is "Reluctant Disciplinarian."

This was a cute book, but not helpful. I'm a 2nd year teacher, and while Rubinstein has amusing anecdotes, most of what he has to say is just common sense, boiling down to: keep your temper, be yourself, and plan for everything. I was really looking for some gems of wisdom, but was very disappointed in this overly quick read. If someone you know has it, go ahead and read it. Otherwise, just talk to teachers with experience - that will help you more than this book.

I liked the humor in this book. Rubenstein is honest and says what we're all thinking when we're in front of a classroom--and can't say. He's a great story teller, and you can picture the situations when his students outwit him. He does offer some good advice and admits that all teachers are works in progress and still learning--and that we should be! My only disappointment with this book is in its format; there is a lot of white space. However, the amount of white space makes it a quick read, which is a must for any busy teacher!

I got this book, because I was having trouble controlling the kids in my Sunday school class. It gives some good common sense approaches to classroom behavior and it gives you insight into the authors struggle to become a good disciplinarian.

If you are in a teaching role with kids and started out wanting to make things fun and interesting, but feel like you have lost control, this book will help.

I read Mr. Rubinstein's book and laughed so hard that I didnt think I could read anymore because my sides hurt so much. I laughed because of the humorous situations, sure, but also out of relief that I was not the only one. I failed to teach because I failed to discipline, and it wasn't for the lack of effort on my part. I owed those children a disciplined classroom and I wasn't providing it. This book helped me get past my own issues with failed discipline by recognizing my short comings and conquering them. This book will cure your psyche that you may cure your classroom management. It is a must read for any classroom teacher if for no other reason, just for the laughs.

Look...if you want a complete "How To" book for new teachers then go buy "The First Days of School". If you want to laugh and feel related to, buy this book. This book made me laugh and made me realize that it wouldn't always be so bad. And it did give me some solid, un-touchy feely advice on how to avoid getting walked all over. There are things I picked up from this book that I would NEVER read about in any other book (like why you should answer questions in less than 1 second). So many teaching books nowadays highlight how the perfect teacher behaves and realizes I'm not even close to being there simply makes me feel overwhelmed and hopeless. This book gave me hope.

To all you teachers who feel like throwing in the towel because of those unruly and seemingly unmanageable students, do NOT despair! There is still hope! In his book, Gary Rubinstein writes candidly about his somewhat disastrous first year of teaching. His hilarious tales of his personal struggles to become an efficient classroom manager took me back to my own difficult first year and gave me new insights into behavior management and discipline in the classroom. This is a quick and engaging read, and I highly recommend it to any classroom teacher who is on the verge of shredding that teaching certificate and heading for the hills! Don't give up! Read this book. It will give you back your courage--and, if nothing else, it will restore your much-needed good sense of humor!

A few weeks ago, I started teaching at a local high school without any prior classroom experience--what a disaster! I wish I had read this before I walked into class that first day. It goes beyond all the classroom discipline theory books and gives specific advice on what you should and should not do as a new teacher. And it's FUNNY! My wife even started reading it just for the humor. Every new teacher should read this before their first day.

I was so impressed that Mr. Rubenstein had been named teacher of the year, and that he used humor in his title that I really wanted to read his book.
Many of us want to hear eachothers' stories and gain knowledge, new perspective, or steal from another teacher's toolbox of tricks.
My opinion of Mr. Rubenstein's experience is that he has become a hardened, sarcastic, and unresponsive teacher. His theories and strategies are very last century, and I do not mean 1990. While I applaud his ability to poke fun at himself, to recognize that he is always under the microscope of his students, and to have created a strategy that "worked" for him, I cringe at the lessons (humane, societal, responsive, responsible) that he's teaching his high school students.
My suggestion to all educators' looking for a helpful book on classroom management and discipline is to first take a good long hard look at themselves and ask two questions. First, What do I want the children to learn? Second, How am I planning hte activity for success?

This book really helps when you are feeling down about being too nice. That's the only way to put it. It shows how kids really prefer structure, and less touch-feely stuff. Fair price, not a how to book, more of a "why to".

I received this book yesterday and finished it this morning. Rubinstein's writing is both interesting, hysterical, and practical. I wouldn't say that my classroom is out of control, but it is my first year of teaching and there is (obviously) room for improvement. This book makes you look at yourself as a teacher and truly reflect on your management skills. If you are an experienced teacher, choose this book for your paras and student teachers - I wish I would have read it last July before my first job!

This book is one of the few I've seen that is specifically targeted at middle school teachers and their unique classroom management challenges. I bought this book because the author is, like me, a middle school math teacher, but his suggestions are good for any secondary teacher. His suggestions are concrete, and practical - even in a school without ideal students or ideal administrators. Rather than vague suggestions like, "Have a positive attitude," this book talks about specific situations that are likely to arise and how to handle them. Buy this book!

He does not tell you how to make the transformation from reluctant to strong willed. I figured he would have some words of advice or to think of something else when the class is out of control or arguing back............. but he doesnt.

He does tell what does work and what doesnt work which is a start but not an end all do all to master the classroom.

Good book- wasn't great-
don't necessarily look for tips in here- it's just a fun, quick read

I bought this book because I was desperate. I had been teaching a little more than one semester and things were not getting better. I was shocked! My student teaching experience was awesome but once I had my own classroom I was a big ol' softy. I really felt like Rubinstein had walked a mile in my shoes. I laughed so hard I nearly cried at some of his stories. This book really helped me discover what I could do to change. This coming fall is going to be great because I am well prepared, thanks to this book!

This is a good pass-around book for new teachers. Since I'm currently student teaching, it fit the bill as a friendly introduction to some of the most basic dos and dont's of classroom management. Kind of like a "For Dummies" book, except that in this book the jokes are actually funny.

However, I can't imagine that if you've been teaching for more than a year or two you'd learn anything here.

It takes only a few hours to read, the cartoons aren't bad, and it is, thankfully and appropriately, a paperback.

There are just some days when you question yourself repeatedly, "Don't I just suck as a teacher?"

For those down in the dumps days, reading this book gives you a renewed sense of courage and hope to continue your path as a teacher.

Thanks Gary! :)

As a teacher who just completed a very difficult first year, this book gave me a great deal of relief. I wish I had read this book earlier. The advise is practical and real! In addition it was an easy and quick read, which we teachers really need!

Rubinstein may hope that first year teachers will read his book and not make the mistakes he made, but chances are the readers who pick up his book already have completed their first year. While this book does not give an encyclopedic array of tips like the "First Days of School", it is a funny and reflective treatise on classic first teacher mistakes. I used it as part of my summer "therapy" after a disasterous first year -- it helped me get over being a complete failure and start thinking about how I was going to approach my second year.

This book is for every teacher, new and veteran. I hve been teaching for 7 years and found wonderful ideas in the book. I'm one of those people that discipline comes hard for. I found myself in so many of his examples. It was an enjoyable read and it still sits on the corner of my desk for me to refer to for ideas, or just as a reminder. This book is a must read for all teachers!

This is an excellent book for all teachers! Even after years of teaching I learned a lot from this book. It lets you know what you are doing right and clues you in to why some things don't work in teaching. Very enjoyable and a quick read for teachers.

If you are looking for a how to on classroom management try Lee Canter. If you are looking for a good laugh that is both genuine and filled with warmth, this is the book.

Such a quick and enjoyable read, I could not believe that a book about classroom discipline could be so funny! Honestly, this is far more than a text book. I think it could also be marketed as a collection of humorous and insighful essays about a young man's first jouney out into the real world. However, it is a must-read for ANY new, as well as seasoned, educator.

I so enjoyed "Reluctant Disciplinarian". Gary Rubenstein, in recalling his experiences as a beginning teacher, will cause you to laugh out loud as you read and identify with his very well written memoirs...of what doesn't work and how that classroom management is not taught to student teachers going through the student teaching program.

This book is a must read for beginning and experienced teachers alike.

This book was hilarious and gave some good advice to beginning teachers and more experienced teachers. We passed it around at school. Mr. Rubinstein gave a great look into what we all knew but didn't want to admit.

I found this excellent because it was honest. I have encountered some of the same situations, but the feedback I received was rarely so clear.Most people will tell you what you need to do, not why or what to look for. We will all screw up, we will entertain illusions of our own success based on one blessed moment.

The book breaks it down logically and pragmatically. It includes a chapter on developing a teacher persona. I could never copy another teacher, pretend I was someone else, as some advised me. A persona is more personal, while employing some of the best of those teachers we want to emulate.

There's not enough in this book to warrant purchasing and/or reading it. A large proportion of the work contains the author's introduction of himself (not applicable in the classroom) and then he espouses what not to do (equally not applicable because the information is not immediately countered by what a teacher should do). What a teacher should do for discipline problems, the author explains, comes down to deciding what kind of teacher you want to be. He provides 5 examples of different "types" of teachers (overly generalized, although amusing, and mostly unrealistic). The only value in this book emerges in the last 10 pages when the author's colleagues share their brief insights to quick classroom management problems.

I bought this book after my first year teaching and it's no surprise why. I was in the same situation that Rubinstein was in his first year. The kids walk all over you because you're soft. You come back your second year with a vengeance, vowing not to crack a smile and beat the kids into submission. That doesn't work either.

Rubinstein describes his journey as a reluctant disciplinarian. The book will have most teachers, especially the newer ones, rolling on the floor with laughter...because most of us have been there! Although he offers helpful advice, it's more a book of comfort and encouragement. Most teachers have to find their own niche, and what worked for Rubinstein didn't necessarily work for me, now in my 6th year teaching. It's a great and quick read, though; great summer reading for teachers who are struggling through the same thing or want to take a trip down memory lane, laughing all the way.

The first few pages of this book are virtually the same as the Ron Clark book, "The Essential 55". I did not find much practical advice in this book.

This book offers new and experienced teachers alike, a humorous look at the consequences not "being" the teacher and guiding your students to appropriate classroom behavior.

I'm coming out of retirement after teaching for 32 years, returning to a grade 6-12 Indian school. I happened upon this book completely serendipitously and really enjoyed it. Rubenstein, emotionally, is close to my personal approach to discipline. One of my previous high school principals told me I needed to take a more aggressive approach to student discipline in the library I managed. I apologized for not being stricter and told him that had I wanted to be aggressive, I'd have joined the Marines. A quick read, this manual has captivating cartoon illustrations and the philosophy indicated makes a lot of sense. Be organized, fair, inter-act frequently, and don't personify the B word [borrrrrrrrrrring]. I'll be back in the classroom within a month, and I'm probably not going to smile until at least after Thanksgiving recess.

This book chronicles the first three years of Gary Rubinstein's teaching career. In the first year he is a self proclaimed "softy," - he wants to believe that if you care about students and have interesting lessons, there is no need for being authoritative and having rules, the (high school) kids will recognize these things and toe the line. This is a myth brought on by watching inspirational movies about teaching too often - you want interesting lessons, and you want to care about the kids, but they also need structure and rules. After being walked all over the first year, he decides to be a complete hard nose his second year - no smiling, no laughing, you care about the kids, but you don't necessarily show it. This also backfires, when he realizes he has become so unapproachable that none of the kids even tell him when one of their classmates dies suddenly. This leads Gary to a comfortable median between being too soft and being too hard, and by combining the two he ends up being a successful teacher.

Quote: "Teachers should be prepared to utter a decisive answer to any question within two seconds."

I liked this book both as a memoir and a book of broad, general advice on classroom management. If you already have things under control and just want a few little new ideas, this book is probably not for you. If you want to get lots of good, general advice for managing a high school classroom, this would be a better fit. I liked this book because it was entertaining, short, and helpful. It acknowledges weaknesses both in learning classroom management at education colleges (where this is often a weakness because theories often don't pan out when confronted with actual children who don't *know* that if you have non book work and you care for them, they are supposed to be good. Rubinstein's book contains bits of wisdom such as, "many students perceive working in groups as not really working at all," calling parents without warning is far more effective than warning students that you will call," and "actions are more powerful than threats."

This book was a joy to read! As a former softy I really saw myself in it. I really wish I had read it 7 years ago. So many headaches would have never happened! I think every teacher can see themselves in this book. Even if you are a seasoned pro, you will enjoy this book. (It even made me laugh at the dentist!)

I laughed till I cried at some of disasters in Mr. Rubenstein's book. As a former junior high school teacher I recognized a lot of the failures and many of the successes. Well worth reading by both novice and experienced teachers.

An absolute necessity for ANYONE new (or old) to the teaching profession! Everyone who has worked with children will relate to the hysterically funny anecdotals of Gary's first year of teaching. I laughed, learned and Loved it! A MUST READ!

One of the best qualities a person can possess is the ability to see folly and laughter in the things we do. Mr. Gary Rubinsetein is that kind of person. He looks back at his first year and laughs, and with that act of laughing, he learns that there is a better way to do things. And as a result, he blossoms into a great educator - the school's "Teacher of the Year."

So much of being an effective teacher comes from practice, that reading more extensively into the varies learning modalities or the newest trend in classroom management will only improve your reading skills, not your teaching skills. Just because I read books about Mixed Martial Arts, for example, doesn't mean that I can walk into the octagon and be ready to fight. Any professional fighter will tell you that stepping into the octagon is one of the ways to become a better fighter; any teacher will tell you that teaching is a way of becoming a better teacher. The process of stepping in "there" is a necessary ingredient in the process of becoming better.

Becoming an effective teacher takes time, reflection, and the ability to handle disappointment. These are all lessons that are expounded in the book "Reluctant Disciplinarian." This is a must read for all new teachers.

If you have any intuition for teaching, this book offers little. So who has the time, really? While I did appreciate the suggestion that real teachers dress the part, I was rather unimpressed with the rest. If you're looking for guidance, though, and are a new teacher who doesn't trust her instincts, this might be worth the read.

This book is really for people like me who are softies when it comes to discipline but provides some good ideas that are rather helpful. I have found myself referring to it periodically.

I had gotten this book as a Good Luck present for my boyfriend, who just got his first teaching job. He admits that he has had trouble with classroom management and other books he had gotten were unrealistic. This book, he believes because the author found himself in a unique situation in his education career, is different because they present real problems with real solutions (and fun little sidebars too!). I flipped through the book briefly and I saw that there were case-scenarios. He said that he actually finds real situations that he has encountered and he learns a lot by comparing what he did to what the author did.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone starting in teaching, as well as a great gift to young teachers!!

This book is better suited for middle school teachers and beyond. As an early childhood teacher, I did not get as much out of the book as I had hoped.

I purchased this book for my wife. She is the head of English at a middle/lower socio-economic level High School. They have a number of younger or perhaps newer to the profession teachers.
My wife was very pleased with the information and strategies offered in this book. It has been especially useful in helping some of her teachers deal with discipline and classroom management issues that are commonly found in todays classrooms.
We would recommend this book to teachers.

This was a cute book and a quick read, but not much help. Very little solid advice, and most of that was common sense. There are better classroom management books available.

Very good reference about a teacher's dilemma in handling class discipline. Portrays the difficulties of a new teacher handling his first teaching assignment, his adjustment, and success with the students.

I bought this book because I too am a softie disciplinarian. See, I'm not exactly trained in the areas I'm teaching, thus my classroom management skills for the subjects I am teaching are kinda... undesirable. So I bought this book hoping for suggestions as to how to improve, and while this book was very humorous and entertaining, I also saw how much I am not a softie. This guy was really bad. I also don't agree with the whole not smiling thing. That is not a part of my personality, thus the kids would see right through me and it would still create problems, not solve them. I didn't really get any good ideas as to how to improve. I would have been better served checking this book out at the library and reading it just for some positive thinking about my own teaching methods. I like the book, but it wasn't what I expected.

Takes the scary out of student teaching. Fun and easy to read with lots of great ideas and advice.

I was looking for some help in managing some serious behavior issues in my classroom. This book didn't offer anything new or helpful.

This book was an entertaining read, I will admit, but I was disappointed by it. When I was a first-year teacher, I probably would have found this a useful book (though there were other books that I found much *more* useful), but as an experienced teacher, I found nothing in it that I didn't already know. If you've made it past your first few years of teaching, it's a waste of money.

This book was a good read, but didn't really tell me anything new. The author is very funny and talked about things I definitely related to as a teacher. It just wasn't what I wanted as far as strong ideas for being a good disciplinarian.

A hilarious and easy read, this book rings true and has really helped me grow as a teacher. I gave it as a gift to beginner teachers who loved it!

This book is a fast read for beginning teachers who might want a glimpse into one teachers journey.

This is one of the best books that I have read. It really and truly gives great advice on how to be a "real" effective teacher. This book was helpful for me because I was a first year "softy" teacher and so was the author of this book. He shows ways that teachers can become effective teachers even though they were not their first year of teaching. I recommend tihs book to second year teachers who are looking to do better then they did their first year of teaching.