“Dealing with Difficulties” by Luke Prodromou and Lindsay Clandfield

Do you like teaching? Are you a teacher? Or do you have desire to be a teacher?

I am a teacher. I have no idea why can I be a teacher due to my lack interest toward “this world”. After I graduated from college, I entered my job proposal in several companies. It was my dream to become a businessman or executive who worked in a company (or has my own corporation someday). But we, as human being, can only do the best and wait for God to do the rest. After several job interviews, there was not even single company who wanted to hire me. I was jobless for about a month. This condition made me desperate because I have to earn money for my wife and my son. Luckily, my wife never lost any faith to me. She always supported me in my hardest time and said that I will get a job someday. Her words became my “second wind”. Suddenly I found extra gusts to find job again. It looked like my luck rose as well as my spirit. My colleague told me that there was a vacancy in an Elementary School. I entered my proposal, and now I am, a teacher.

First week in my school, I thought that teaching children would be piece of cake. But I was wrong, my class turned into chaos. I’ve lost my voice because I have to shout all day long just to control my class and it didn’t work at all. I was frustrated; I poured my sigh to my wife, I have no idea how to deal with children.

The next day, my wife gave me a surprise; she borrowed me a book entitled “Dealing with Difficulties” from library. She said I have to read this book so that I could have background in teaching children (she is so sweet, isn’t it?).

Dealing with Difficulties looks at the typical classroom and teaching management problems facing teachers and students in five main areas: large classes, discipline, mixed-level classes, homework and teaching exam classes.

Front cover of Dealing with Difficulties

I will try to review this book because I find this book is very useful.

Pros:     

1. It covers all the problems which teachers probably faced in their teaching and learning process, like latecomers, disturbers or unfinished homework. 
2.  It offers you solution how to deal with those problems. Interestingly, the solution provided not in form of theory, but in interesting activities. 
3. Although it is by English and Canadian author, but you can apply those activities to any class size and any grades because the content of this is universal. 
4. This book uses simple words, not like any other educational books which use sophisticated words (I don’t even have to open my dictionary to understand this book’s content).

 Cons:

1. Nothing, I love this book very much.

For me, I feel like I find an oasis in the middle of desert. This book becomes my guide throughout my teaching process. I try to practice one of the activities from this book entitled “point card” to control my class, and surprisingly, it is worked.

I recommend this book for everyone who loves teaching because if you can control your class, everything will be fine. You do not have to shout all day long just to muffle the chaos which happen in you class. Trust me, if you read this book, you will one step closer to be a great teacher. Try it, it works. Special thanks for my wife who have borrowed me this book from library (you don’t know how it is so priceless to me).