I found myself making countless notes to apply directly to my teaching. It offers practical advice for real-life scenarios and reminds us that consistency is key. A must-read for anyone wanting to be the GOAT.

The first book I’ve read that treats teachers and students as human beings. Unlike dry instruction manuals, this prioritizes compassion to help new teachers stay in the profession. 5 stars from me.

“The Greatest of All Teachers” is a well written, user-friendly, and specific guide for beginning and new teachers who usually struggle with classroom management skill development. As a former mentor teacher, building principal and Indiana University School of Education professor, I found this book to be a valuable resource for early career educators. It includes research-based strategies which should be easy for teachers to incorporate into their daily routines.

A practical, narrative-driven look at effective teaching. Through authentic classroom stories, Frontain presents strategies that feel realistic and immediately applicable. Her conversational tone makes the book accessible while still prompting meaningful reflection. The tips can be implemented in your very next class. As a teacher of 20 years, I still found valuable insights that sharpened my practice. The book reinforces that impactful teaching comes from intentional, manageable refinements. This is a must read for any teacher.

As a former educator and principal, I have not been this fired up about a book on educational ideas and philosophy since my introduction to the “Art of Teaching” By Hilbert Hyatt back in 1982 during my B.Ed. degree. I remember clearly being inspired and affirmed that not only did it seem that I was doing things right but it aligned perfectly with my own philosophy on teaching and working with middle school students. And now with “The Greatest of All Teachers”, I feel that renewed sense of enthusiasm and affirmation I initially felt long ago. I found this book very relatable, particularly writing from the perspective of a young struggling, but capable, teacher (Cassie). Unfortunately, I feel a reason we lose good teachers within the first five years is because of a loss of enthusiasm and confidence partly from a lack of true direction. Some young teachers just cannot seem to see past the mountainous work load and frequent failures to come out the other side realizing it truly is the right calling, as teaching is a calling, in my humble opinion. I have been retired from the role of principal now for ten years and I wish I had had this wonderful resource to give to my new teachers, struggling or not. It is a toolbox of ideas that are tangible and effective, even if your school year has already begun. The four pillars are effective and a clear roadmap to get back on track if one falls off the rails, so to speak, which happens to us all. I particularly found the classroom management section, especially the reference to using a seating plan, incredibly useful and logical. And I could not agree more! So many good things come from that one tool alone, including learning names faster and easier. The four pillars framework would build confidence in young teachers and, in my view, once you have that confidence and start to see successes, especially in classroom management, everything changes, for the better. At this point, a new teacher can start to affirm the calling that brought them to this crazy profession in the first place. This book provides a practical, straightforward guide and a positive path forward, which would be so helpful and appreciated by said new teachers. Creativity and enthusiasm are great, wonderful traits and always desirable when hiring any new teacher, but it’s not enough. You need some structure on which to hang these delightful qualities. This book provides this, and much more, in very clear and concrete ways. I wish I was a principal again, if for no other reason, than to add this book to the required arsenal of tools needed for new, struggling teachers, on day one!