Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire: The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56 [Paperback]

Rafe Esquith (Author)

Book Description

Release date: December 18, 2007

Read Rafe Esquith's posts on the Penguin Blog.

The New York Times bestseller that is revolutionizing the way Americans educate their kids-"Rafe Esquith is a genius and a saint" (The New York Times)

Perhaps the most famous fifth-grade teacher in America, Rafe Esquith has won numerous awards and even honorary citizenship in the British Empire for his outstandingly successful methods. In his Los Angeles public school classroom, he helps impoverished immigrant children understand Shakespeare, play Vivaldi, and become happy, self-confident people. This bestseller gives any teacher or parent all the techniques, exercises, and innovations that have made its author an educational icon, from personal codes of behavior to tips on tackling literature and algebra. The result is a powerful book for anyone concerned about the future of our children.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Esquith is a modern-day Thoreau, preaching the value of good work, honest self- reflection, and the courage to go one's own way."
-Newsday

"Politicians, burbling over how to educate the underclass, would do well to stop by Rafe Esquith's fifth-grade class."
-Time

"The most interesting and influential classroom teacher in the country."
-The Washington Post

About the Author

Rafe Esquith has taught at Hobart Elementary School for twenty-two years. He is the only teacher in history to receive the National Medal of Arts. He has also been made a Member of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth. His many other honors include the American Teacher Award, Parents magazine’s As You Grow Award, Oprah Winfrey’s Use Your Life Award, and the Compassion in Action Award from the Dalai Lama. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Barbara Tong. Read CBS's news story on Rafe Esquith.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Books; Reprint edition (December 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0143112864
• ISBN-13: 978-0143112860
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.5 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (148 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,435 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > Education & Reference > Schools & Teaching > Education Theory > Philosophy & Social Aspects
  • #99 in Books > Education & Reference > Schools & Teaching > Pedagogy

More About the Author

Rafe Esquith has taught at Hobart Elementary School in Los Angeles for twenty-four years. He is the only teacher to have been awarded the president's National Medal of the Arts. His many other honors and awards include the American Teacher Award, Parents magazine As You Grow Award, Oprah Winfrey's Use Your Life Award TM, and People magazine's Heroes Among Us Award.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

79 of 81 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book of Inspiration and Ideas from the "Hobart Shakespeareans" Teacher January 27, 2007

By Modern Transcendentalist

Format:Hardcover

During our teaching careers, most of us have experienced a few "Ah-ha" moments. For Rafe Esquith, his wake-up call was literally when his hair caught on fire during a science experiment. Why was he the last one in the class to realize his head was ablaze - because he had inadvertently reached classroom nirvana.

I think of it as being in the zone, Esquith labels it "ignoring the crap," either way, this gifted teacher had a transcendental moment that altered his educational philosophy forever and his influence is rapidly spreading into classrooms across the globe. Part quixotic and possibly part "mad," he has transformed his 5th grade class, of mainly ESL students, into Shakespeare-quoting individuals who have learned how to take charge of their own learning.

Esquith's book challenges such issues as the obsession with high-stakes testing, unresponsive administrators, ineffective professional development opportunities, and the "demons" that take away our energy and spirit. At the heart of his "cookbook" is getting students to take responsibility for their actions and to value failure as an integral part of the learning process.

Check out this book because it explores the realities of teaching difficult students, as opposed to your typical educational log of impractical theories. Pick up this book if you agree with his classroom motto of, "Be nice, work hard. There are no shortcuts." Finally, purchase this book if the biggest fear for your students is that they become ordinary.

Lastly, what really motivated me to buy this book was that Esquith hasn't been lured out of the classroom. Instead, he continues to embrace his mission of finding the different keys it takes to ignite each of his students.

Michael James D'Amato, author of "The Classroom"

72 of 79 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Panning for Gold... February 6, 2007

By Ken C. TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

Rafe Esquith's latest book is aimed at teachers and parents, but the parent part is mostly lip service -- this is mainly a book for teachers. If you're interested in this "teacher of the year's" methods, this book may be worth a look. It is less so if you teach a particular subject, as the book is better suited to elementary teachers who are generalists and teach English, math, social studies, science, art, music, and gym (to name a few) because he devotes an entire chapter to each. High school and middle school teachers will find less of interest here.

OK, so what is it you're looking for from a book like this? If you're more in it for Rafe's STORY and for what goes on his classroom, have a ball. If you're more in it for selfish reasons -- that is, methods you might emulate yourself in the classroom, proceed with care. There's no denying the book contains some useful advice and methods, but it also devotes much attention to matters beyond the realm and finances of most teachers -- full-play productions of Shakespeare, field trips that involve airplane flights (not buses) cross country, film festivals and book clubs held after school or at 6:30 in the morning. Clearly this is a devoted man and, by comparison, some teachers may feel depressed by all he pulls off (while still maintaining a life of his own).

Highlights for me were the Six Levels (in which Rafe explains wrong reasons and right reasons that kids obey their teachers), the well-thought out attack on standardized testing (the bane of any school), and the overall iconoclastic tone. Also, a few of his ideas were illuminating. True, there were not a lot of practical ideas for the classroom, but there were some and some are bound to be of use for teacher/readers.

If I taught elementary grades, I'd invest in this book and add it to my professional library (go ahead, set the bar high for yourself). If I taught junior or high school (or were simply a parent interested in education), I'd check it out at the library and pick the chapters that best suited my interests.

In any case, the bottom line is this: we should all be grateful for teachers like Rafe Esquith.

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read for Every Teacher December 29, 2007

By Luke Reynolds

Format:Paperback

Rafe Esquith is vulnerable, challenging, inspiring and honest. These qualities reveal themselves in this candid look at his own teaching practices, and how he has been able to motivate fifth grade students in a rough school district of Los Angeles to succeed in glorious ways. The winner of a variety of national awards, Esquith uses his words to encourage and challenge readers to demand the best they have to offer, and to demand the same from the students they work with. I read the book cover to cover, and was inspired to become a better teacher. If you are looking for hope, inspiration and growth as a teacher or parent, then this book is for you.