Rafe Esquith the author of Teach like your Hair’s on Fire, always seems to put the children he teaches first. He has been referred to by the Washington Post as “the world’s most famous teacher” (Deloza, 2014). He is known for his incredible dedication and commitment to the children he teaches (Deloza, 2014). From the very beginning, his book allows you to experience, both Esquith’s love of teaching and his journey with Room 56, a classroom, in a struggling neighborhood in Los Angeles. The book is insightful and inspiring, as it connects us with an award winning, selfless and talented teacher, Rafe Esquith and his grade 5 students.
Great teaching requires sacrifice and consistently puts the development of the child first Esquith, after teaching for over 30 years and writing several award winning books, exemplifies this child centered philosophy of teaching. His purpose is to share his dedicated and selfless approach to teaching with teachers, in the hope that they too, will be inspired ‘to teach like their hair is on fire.’ He believes that commitment to each individual student is essential. As a role model, he stresses the importance of being dependable and providing an atmosphere that is safe and that promotes the love of learning. He focusses on values and teaching his students to respect themselves and others, to be kind and to always work hard (Esquith, 2007). With Esquith’s simple motto of, “be nice, work hard and there are no shortcuts, in the classroom” (Esquith,2007), it is easy to see why his students are so happy and successful.
In the first section of Esquith’s book, There’s no Place Like Home, Esquith focuses on how Room 56 creates a safe haven, and provides children with shelter from t...
... middle of paper ...
...ulman, 1987).
One can’ t help but be inspired when Esquith states, “If we ask great things of our children, we must show them we believe great things are possible” (Esquith, 2007).
Works Cited
Deloza, L. (2014). Good teachers fail all the time: Straight talk from Rafe Esquith. Reading
Today, 31(4), 11-13.
Esquith, R. (2007) . Teach like your hair's on fire: The methods and madness inside Room 56. New York: Viking.
Esquith, R. (2013, June 1) Real talk for real teachers. (2013, June 1). Kirkus Reviews.
Esquith, R. (2014). Can’t wait for Monday. Educational Leadership, 71(5),20-22
Hornblower, Margot. (2000, April 24). This teacher works six days a week. Time, Vol. 155, Issue 16. 0040781X
Shulman, L. (1987). Knowledge and teaching: Foundations of the new reform. Harvard Educational Review, 57, 1-22.
Marzano, R. J., & Brown, J. L. (2009). A handbook for the art and science of teaching. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Wallis, Claudia. “How to Make Great Teachers.” Time Online. 13 Feb. 2008. Web. 16 March 2011.
Rogers, C., Lyon, H., & Tausch, R. (2013). On Becoming an Effective Teacher. New York: Rutledge.
Lacks, C. (1997). The teacher's nightmare: Getting fired for good teaching. English Journal, 86 (2), 29-32.
Daniel Meier uses “One Man’s Kids” to demonstrate how he, inspired by benefits that could not be spent or calculated, surpassed the stereotypical presumptions of others to become a first grade teacher. Meier begins by introducing readers to his life in the classroom: injuries, fighting, questions, and an endless need for multitasking. Despite the chaos surrounding him, Meier argues his work is not “traditionally male”(1). To him, there is no end goal, no final achievement, no rights to be earned. He states, “My energy is spent in encouraging, supporting, consoling, and praising my children” (Meier 1). As a responder to the emotional distress of a room full of six year olds, he finds himself unable to submit to stereotypical bluntness and
Shulman Lee s. “knowledge and Teaching: Foundations of The New Reform.” Harvard Educational Review, 1987: 57, 1-22.
10. Straker, Heather. May 22, 1998. It's not what you know; it's how you get to know it. Times Educational Supplement. Issue 4273, p24, 1/4p. Retrieved on October 3, 2003. http://www.tes.co.uk.
Hardy, Lawrence. "Why Teachers Leave." The American School Board Journal. Vol. 186 (June 1999): 12-17
"Reasons vary as to why teachers are reluctant, but the book hits on several that I personally relate to."
Goldman, Todd Harris. Teachers: Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes. Ed. Patrick Regan. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2001. 23. Print.
Marzano, R.J. (2007). The art and science of teaching. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Evans, D. N. (2006). Models, strategies, and methods for effective teaching. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Mir, S. (2011), Education woes: Shortage of teachers a threat to public schools, Tribune, 3 April.
Along these two weeks we have been prompt to make a recall to our own way of learning and why we became a teacher: Was it because coincidence, due to life circumstances, maybe because family tradition, was it a conscious decision or because someone influenced us? Whatever the answer is, we have to face reality and be conscious that being a teacher does not only means to teach a lesson and asses students learning. It requires playing the different roles a teacher must perform whenever is needed and required by our learners, identify our pupils needs and preferences, respecting their integrity and individuality but influencing and motivating them to improve themselves and become independent.
When people watch movies such as The Ron Clark Story, they form an image in their head of a teacher willing to do anything and everything for his/her students. In this movie the viewers witness numerous cases of how much effort Mr. Clark puts into the education of his students.