79+ Best Harry K. Wong Quotes: Exclusive Selection

Harry Wong is an author and educational speaker who has authored over 30 publications. His works include The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher and New Teacher Induction. He has also appeared in an award-winning video series, The Effective Teacher. Inspirational Harry Wong quotes will help you during those tough times, and hopefully give you some insight.

Most Famous Harry K. Wong Quotes

In an effective classroom student should not only know what they are doing, they should also know why and how. – Harry Wong

Marjan…You are making a difference in the lives of students and in the world. – Harry Wong

The three characteristics of an effective teacher are: has good classroom management skills teaches for mastery has positive expectations for student success. – Harry Wong

Your expectations of your students will greatly influence their achievement in your class and in their lives. – Harry Wong

Treat students as though they already are what they can be, and you help them to be capable of becoming what they will be. – Harry Wong

Call (or write) each home before school begins and again within two weeks. Teachers + Parents = Good Students. – Harry Wong

The number one problem in the classroom is not discipline; it is the lack of procedures and routines. – Harry Wong

What you do on the first day of school will determine your success for the rest of the year. – Harry Wong

Have the room ready for instruction and make it invitational. – Harry Wong

The most successful classes are those where the teacher has a clear idea of what is expected from the students and the students know what the teacher expects from them. – Harry Wong

One of the greatest gifts a caring teacher can contribute to children is to help them learn to sit when they feel like running, to raise their hand when they feel like talking, to be polite to their neighbor, to stand in line without pushing, and to do their homework when they feel like playing. By introducing procedures in the classroom, you are also introducing procedures as a way of living a happy and successful life. – Harry Wong

The single greatest effect on student achievement is not race, it is not poverty – it is the effectiveness of the teacher. – Harry Wong

It is the teacher – what the teacher knows and can do – that is the most significant factor in student achievement. – Harry Wong

A well-managed classroom is a task-oriented and predictable environment. – Harry Wong

The most important day of a person’s education is the first day of school, not Graduation Day. – Harry Wong

Half of what you will accomplish in a day will be determined before you leave home. Three quarters of what you achieve will be determined before you enter the classroom door – Harry Wong

Stand at the door and greet the students. – Harry Wong

Give each student a seating assignment and a seating chart. – Harry Wong

There must be an assignment posted, and in a consistent location, when the students enter the room. – Harry Wong

Start each class with an assignment – immediately. Do not take roll when class begins. – Harry Wong

Position yourself in the room near the students: problems are proportional to distance. – Harry Wong

Credibility: Display your diploma and credentials with pride. – Harry Wong

Dress in a professional manner to model success and expect achievement. – Harry Wong

The three most important things that must be taught the first week of school are discipline, procedures and routines. – Harry Wong

Discipline: Set rules, consequences, and rewards immediately. – Harry Wong

State your procedures and rehearse them until they become routines. – Harry Wong

The family as a support group, is the guardian and disseminator of culture. The school and the church help the family to disseminate culture. – Harry Wong

Learning is most effective when it takes place in a supportive community of learners. – Harry Wong

The greater the time students work together and the greater the responsibility students take for their work, the greater the learning. – Harry Wong

Cooperate with each other, compete only against yourself. – Harry Wong

Cooperative learning will prepare students for the competitive, global world economy. – Harry Wong

Academic Learning time (ALT): The greater the time students spend working successfully on task, the greater the student’s achievement. – Harry Wong

Meaningful Harry K. Wong Quotes

The greater the structure of a lesson and the more precise the directions on task procedures, the lower the error rate and the higher the achievement rate. – Harry Wong

To increase assignment completion, state your assignments as a set of criteria or objectives. – Harry Wong

Use criterion-referenced tests to evaluate the performance of the students. – Harry Wong

The more frequent the tests, the higher the achievement. – Harry Wong

Grade on percentage attained, not on the curve. The curve has done more harm to education than any other technique. – Harry Wong

Mastery learning plus tutorial instruction results in higher achievement than students taught in a conventional manner. – Harry Wong

If a student masters a criterion, give the student enrichment work. If the student does not master a criterion, give the student remediation and corrective help. – Harry Wong

The shorter the assignment, the higher the achievement rate. – Harry Wong

Intersperse questions throughout a lesson. Ask a question after sentences rather than after sentences and you increase the retention rate by percent. – Harry Wong

Wait Time: Wait five or more seconds after asking a question. – Harry Wong

Reading: Use short lines and paragraphs. Note how periodicals and junk mail are written. – Harry Wong

Determine the learning style of your students. Student achievement is greater when the teaching style matches the learning style. – Harry Wong

Students score higher on a test measuring attitude towards school and attitude towards a subject when they learn from an activity-question approach than from a textbook-lecture approach. – Harry Wong

Most teachers teach as they were taught in college, a non-validated model of teaching (book, lecture, activity, test). – Harry Wong

Learn to make CHOICES to enhance your life. Stop DECIDING what to do because others are doing it. – Harry Wong

When you see in a given situation what everyone else sees, you become so much a part of that situation that you may become a victim of that situation. – Harry Wong

Percent of the teachers are complainers or survivors; percent of the teachers are happy and successful. percent of the teachers expect the teachers’ organization to bring them rewards; percent of the teachers create and strive for their own rewards. – Harry Wong

Workers are concerned with time and money. They sit at the back of meetings and put in time. Leaders are concerned with enhancement and cooperation. They have a career, are talented and are professionals. Some teachers are workers, others are leaders. – Harry Wong

The four stages of teaching: Fantasy, Survival, Mastery, and Impact. – Harry Wong

There is no nobility in being better than someone else. The only nobility is being better than who you were the day before. – Harry Wong

Self-esteem results from school achievement. You cannot give someone a better self-esteem. The role of a teacher is to engineer student success. – Harry Wong

Teachers can only give what and who they are themselves. – Harry Wong

You may be the only stable adult your students will ever see in their lifetime. You may be their only hope and dream for a brighter tomorrow. – Harry Wong

Each person has unlimited potential. Humans are the only species able to improve the quality of their lives. – Harry Wong

You can have your achievements, or you can have your excuses. – Harry Wong

You are the only person on the face of the earth who can use your ability. It is an awesome responsibility. – Harry Wong

The most important factor to a professional is the quality of the work and the commitment to the craft. – Harry Wong

A professional is someone who does not need supervision and regulation to: have a continuing growth plan to achieve competence and continually strive to raise the level of each new group of students. – Harry Wong

I believe that every teacher can be effective. – Harry Wong

Inside every great teacher there is an even better one waiting to come out. – Harry Wong

Those who dare to teach must never cease to learn. – Harry Wong

The teacher enhances the life and spirit of people. – Harry Wong

It is the teacher who makes the difference in what happens in the classroom. – Harry Wong

By far the most important factor to school learning is the ability of the teacher. The more capable the teacher, the more successful the student. – Harry Wong

Stop asking, what am I supposed to do? Start asking, what must I know that will help me to accomplish what I need to do? – Harry Wong

There is an existing body of knowledge about teaching that must be known by the teacher. Power comes to those with the knowledge. – Harry Wong

Since there is no one best way to teach effectively, the teacher must be a decision maker able to translate the body of knowledge about teaching into increased student learning. – Harry Wong

There is no accomplishment without RISK. – Harry Wong

The First Days of School Quotes

You can accomplish anything with students if you set high expectations for behavior and performance by which you yourself abide. – Harry K. Wong, The First Days of School

It is very reassuring to your students that you know what you are doing. – Harry K. Wong, The First Days of School

When the students have no idea what is to be learned, and the teacher has no idea what is to be taught, no student learning can take place. – Harry K. Wong, The First Days of School

not all students complete their assignments, often because they either cannot understand the assignment or they fail to see the reason for doing it. In both cases, the assignment may be poorly designed. – Harry K. Wong, The First Days of School

One of the most frequently used and useless phrases in education is, “I have so much to cover. How am I going to finish it by the end of the year?” Notice that the word I is used twice and the word student is never used. – Harry K. Wong, The First Days of School

The effective teachers spent time organizing and structuring their classrooms so the students knew what to do to succeed. – Harry K. Wong, The First Days of School

Students want a safe, predictable, and nurturing environment—one that is consistent. Students like well-managed classes because no one yells at them, and learning takes place. Effective teachers spend the first two weeks teaching students to be in control of their own actions in a consistent classroom environment. – Harry K. Wong, The First Days of School

getting the students to comprehend and achieve. There is no one right way to do this. Just like classroom management, there is no one right procedure for getting the students to do what you want them to do. There are many options, but they are based on core information. – Harry K. Wong, The First Days of School

when the assignment does not spell out what the student is to learn. There are no standards, no objectives, and no activities done for a specified reason. It’s like shooting arrows blindfolded hoping that one will hit a non-existing target. – Harry K. Wong, The First Days of School

FAQ: Harry K. Wong Quotes

Who is Harry K. Wong?

Harry K. Wong is an American educator, speaker, and author known for his expertise in classroom management and effective teaching strategies. He is widely recognized for his book, The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher, which has sold millions of copies and is used by educators worldwide.

What is the central theme of Harry K. Wong’s teachings?

The central theme of Harry K. Wong’s teachings is the importance of effective classroom management and establishing procedures and routines to create a conducive learning environment. He emphasizes that the effectiveness of the teacher significantly impacts student achievement.

How has Harry K. Wong contributed to education?

Harry K. Wong has made significant contributions to education through his books, seminars, and training programs. His work focuses on providing practical strategies for teachers to manage classrooms effectively, improve student engagement, and enhance educational outcomes. His book, The First Days of School, is a seminal work that provides actionable advice for teachers at all levels.

Why are Harry K. Wong’s quotes important for educators?

Harry K. Wong’s quotes are important for educators because they encapsulate key principles of effective teaching and classroom management. His insights help teachers understand the importance of preparation, consistency, and creating a positive learning environment. These quotes serve as reminders and motivators for educators to strive for excellence in their teaching practices.

How can Harry K. Wong’s quotes be used in a classroom setting?

Harry K. Wong’s quotes can be used in a classroom setting in various ways:

• Inspirational Posters: Display his quotes in the classroom to inspire both teachers and students.
• Professional Development: Use his quotes during teacher training sessions to highlight key teaching principles.
• Classroom Discussions: Incorporate his quotes into discussions about classroom management and effective teaching strategies.
• Personal Reflection: Teachers can reflect on his quotes to evaluate and improve their teaching practices.

What is “The First Days of School”?

The First Days of School is a comprehensive guide written by Harry K. Wong and his wife, Rosemary T. Wong. The book provides practical advice for teachers on how to be effective from the very first day of school. It covers topics such as classroom management, establishing routines, lesson planning, and creating a positive classroom environment.

What are some key concepts from Harry K. Wong’s work?

Key concepts from Harry K. Wong’s work include:

• Classroom Management: Establishing procedures and routines to create an organized learning environment.
• Effective Teaching: Strategies for engaging students and enhancing learning outcomes.
• Consistency: The importance of being consistent in enforcing rules and procedures.
• Preparation: The need for thorough planning and preparation to ensure effective teaching.
• Student Engagement: Techniques to keep students actively involved in their learning.

How has Harry K. Wong’s work impacted teachers and students?

Harry K. Wong’s work has had a profound impact on teachers and students by providing practical, research-based strategies for improving classroom management and teaching effectiveness. Teachers who implement his methods often report increased student engagement, improved classroom behavior, and higher academic achievement. His work has empowered educators to create positive learning environments where students can thrive.