Customer Reviews

Entertaining an Elephant: A Novel About Learning and Letting Go

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One of my all-time favorite teacher books is Bill McBride's Entertaining an Elephant: a novel about learning and letting go. The dedication is to those who have chosen to teach love rather than fear. McBride's heartwarming story is about a teacher who resisted change, clung to the grammar drill and kill and had trouble dealing with students. The janitor shows him a better way to relate to kids, people in general. "The future will depend on what we do in the present." Gandhi As we struggle with new strategies, reform movements, and the demand to change the way we are as teachers, this book can soften our hearts, relieve our stress, lessen our fears, and give us hope for the future.

As a 28-year veteran high school English teacher, I entered Entertaining an Elephant with minimal expectations. After all, I pride myself on being "up" on current research in the teaching of writing, language and literature. I'm not afraid to gut my curriculum when something better for my students comes along. However, after reading Bill McBride's book, I realized that I still had much to learn about "letting go." In fact, the book so influenced me that I have altered my annual plan for English I Honors for the year 2000 already! I found the book to be extremely realistic in its depiction of the broad spectrum of humanity we teach every day. It was equally on target in relating the kinds of conflicts, the stress, the burn-out many professionals experience, particularly in public education. I understand that over 20 colleges and universities around the country are using the book as required reading in various education departments. Every teacher, whether in English or not, and every wannabe teacher should read this truly insightful and inspirational text. Wannabes will gain insight; veterans will acquire either affirmation or an epiphany! Either way, our students win as well.

Bill McBride takes a tired out teacher and shows how everyone can learn new things. The book is popular with teachers...and for good reason. It helps them see how there is always the possibility of renewal and transformation. The search for the title reference is worth the whole reading and it makes perfect sense. Especially now, as the end of the year begins to roll down, teachers will relate to the situation! Buy it now.

I am a teacher. I love teaching. I teach in a tough public school, and my favorite students are the "difficult" ones. I train teachers how to be better teachers because that is how much I love teaching. And I have to say, I hated this book. It was one incredibly long cliche--a story that has been told countless times before, and always better than this. It is poorly written (which is probably why it was not published by any major publishing company and why the reviews on the back are written by people no one has ever heard of.) It is full of mixed metaphors and simplistic maxims on life. I am not sure Bill (or William) McBride has a real understanding of students, teachers, or janitors--as none of his characters seemed even slightly believable. This book has a lot of syrupy sweetness, but nothing substantial enough to really offer teachers hope or inspiration for long.

This is a wonderful inspirational book for all teachers. Gets at the heard of why we are teaching and what we should be teaching

I found this book to be very helpful to teachers. It is interesting, funny, and very sad at times. What I found to be the most important idea conveyed in the book was the reminder that teachers are also human beings subject to errors, and sometimes it does not matter how many years they have been teaching. Teachers are still learning and continue to learn throughout their careers. Teachers can learn from other people no matter if they are not teacher themselves.

Sometimes teachers who have been teaching for many years can continue holding an idea or teaching strategy that is not very effective without noticing it. Sometimes these experienced teachers can build an ego that does not enable them to accept that they could be teaching in ineffective ways. This is a call for all teachers (especially experienced ones) that they too are subject to mistakes, and should accept other people's suggestions or critiques no matter how painful they could sometimes be.

I was surprised at the negative reviews for this book. It seems like these reviewers may have well identified themselves with Mr. Reaf (protagonist in the book), who was not willing to accept the school janitor's advice even after he knew it was effective.

This a great book for those veteran teachers who have been teaching longer than I have been alive. I have a college profesor who uses this term "teachers who have taught one year thirty times" to make some comments on teaching. I feel that this book is a great example of that term. Those teachers that he is talking about should get a hold on this book.

I highly recommend this book - it makes one stop & examine one's own outlook and biases about so many things. It helped me to put things in perspective & get to know myself a little bit better and hopefully grow more as a person!

I had high hopes for this book after hearing its praises sung by my grad school prof and reading the reveiws on the back of the book. I was truly disappointed. By page 20, I could predict what was going to happen because it is the same tired book about teaching that has been written hundreds of times before. Just another example of the assault on teachers--everyone knows more about teaching and kids than the teacher! A sentimental piece not worth the time or effort.