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59 of 66 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Work hard, be nice.", September 24, 2005
This review is from: There Are No Shortcuts (Paperback)
After I saw a documentary about Rafe Esquith, I decided to read "There Are No Shortcuts," in which this unique educator gives his perspective on the rewards, challenges, and disappointments of teaching in a Los Angeles public school. Esquith has two decades under his belt fighting entrenched bureaucrats who prefer conformity to individuality. During his years in Hobart Elementary School, he has taught inner-city children Shakespeare and other works of classic literature as well as advanced mathematics and music. In addition, he has given his students the skills and the confidence to achieve more than they ever dreamed was possible. All of this comes at a price. Esquith almost went bankrupt paying for the materials that he needed to support his curriculum, and he ended up in the hospital after putting in long hours with little sleep. He still works from dawn to dusk, as well as on Saturdays and school holidays, but he attempts to avoid burnout by occasionally taking some time off to relax with his family.
One of Esquith's mottos is "work hard, be nice." He certainly works hard, but he is not always nice in his criticism of the educational establishment. He skewers incompetent and indifferent teachers and administrators, ridicules irrational and obstructive rules and regulations, and even has a few harsh words for his own union, which he has supported over the years. Anything or anyone who prevents an educator from doing whatever he can to bring out the best in every student gets thumbs down from Esquith. He believes that a teacher should be able to come into school to work with students during his free time, be allowed to take kids on overnight trips, be permitted to create his own course of study, and be given respect by his fellow educators, even though he refuses to toe the party line.
"There Are No Shortcuts" is not a "how-to" book for new public school teachers. If anything, it's a cautionary tale about how a person who sticks his neck out is in danger of getting it chopped off. Esquith is not now and has never been a typical teacher, and few will have the desire or the energy to emulate him. However, he is inspiring in his desire to uncover his students' untapped talents, and he has given a great gift to those fortunate enough to have been in his classroom. It is heartwarming to learn that some of Esquith's former students go on to Ivy League schools and become successful professionals. Many of them keep in touch with their former mentor and a few take the time to revisit Hobart to lend a hand. It is also amazing that such luminaries as Ian McKellan and Hal Holbrook are enthusiastic fans of Esquith who regularly visit his classes.
Although Rafe Esquith is an award-winning teacher who has received widespread media coverage, he is not a saint. He confesses that he has made some serious errors, and he admits that he may occasionally come across as rude and intolerant. Esquith's passion for his job and his disparagement of teachers who coast rather than strive for excellence has aroused animosity in some of his colleagues who may be resentful of his fame and what they perceive as his sense of entitlement. Why should they have to follow the rules while Rafe Esquith gets special treatment? He makes no bones about how little patience he has for the many underachievers who stand in front of the nation's classrooms. These include educators who are lazy, rarely read, use the boring textbooks provided by the school instead of stimulating materials, and who refuse to give even a minute extra of their time to their students. Is Rafe Esquith an altruistic and heroic individual who is correct in his assessment of public education? Or is he an arrogant, unrealistic, and self-serving publicity hound? Whether you are a cheerleader or a critic, no one can dispute the fact that this is a man who expects a great deal of himself, his students, and everyone else, and he has no intention of lowering his standards anytime soon.
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147 of 174 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Alternately inspiring and frightening, March 6, 2005
I ran into this book at a used book store five hours ago and have been reading it since, rapt. I had never heard of this guy, but since I am becoming a teacher I found his insider account of finding success in a tough school intriguing. And the book is never boring. Also, I'm sure many of the kids he taught benefited from his passion, creativity, fundraising abilities and personal largesse with his time and (modest) income.
Honestly, though, the guy is a nut. At one point he takes the older kids on a 31-day tour of 25 college campuses?!?! Is that really necessary? Useful? Wouldn't three or four have sufficed? At another point he is working crappy second, third and fourth jobs to buy presents for the kids and take them on trips. When a father is shot in the neck, he practically moves in with the wife and daughter -- and then is suprised when he doesn't get a thank you note ... maybe he inspired some jealousy?! He stares down murderers, takes on LA Unified any chance he gets -- by the end I was waiting for him to drive up the stairs on a motorcycle like Jim Belushi in "The Principal." After all, he's teaching at what he describes as "The Jungle" (which seems a bit extreme a name for even the roughest K-5!)
The guy's martyr/megalomania level is off the charts. He so desperately needs to be these kids' uber-father figure, it's genuinely scary. And despite the occasional bone he throws other teachers, he is very clear that NOBODY is even in his league as a teacher. Plus, he has set up his class where his kids are constantly performing to public acclaim, which then reflects back on the director.
Furthermore, he glosses over so many issues to make his story sexier. For example, immigrants are statistically much more likely to jump the achievement gap than minorities who have been here more than a generation, but everything is simplified here as "inner-city" vs. "middle-class." And nowhere in my reading did I pick up that his class was not an "average" fifth-grade class, but selected as an upper-track class ("gifted").
Overall, although it was a lively read, I found this a rather disturbing book, because if it takes Gen. Patton meets Mahatma Gandhi to make change in the schools then we're in even bigger trouble than I thought. No doubt, this guy is a good teacher -- and folks with big egos and neuroses accomplish all sorts of amazing things in this world -- but as a blueprint for renewal, this was discouraging rather than inspirational.
Take what you like and leave the rest, they say in AA, and that's what I'm doing with this one.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing and inspirational for some, intimidating for me, March 31, 2006
This review is from: There Are No Shortcuts (Paperback)
Rafe Esquivel has an amazing classroom going in California. Here he gives some episodes and advice for young teachers seeking to build off of his success.
Rafe transitioned from an elite district to an underprivileged elementary school and struggled to reconcile doing all for his students with overcoming district resistance. He does not mince words on his dislike for administrators. He's pretty transparent with his personal flaws. Many teachers spend out of their own pockets to help their students. Rafe admits taking this to extreme and self-destructive levels with his desires to take kids on class trips. Eventually he stresses himself out to the point where he endangers his students and he takes a much needed break to recharge.
Like most teacher books, Rafe's deep attachments to his students comes through. Most of the time, his relationships lead to challenging his students to positively go beyond their expectations and exceed their potential. Rafe also shares a couple of episodes where students took advantage of him and how he's learned to set more appropriate boundaries for necessary self-preservation.
Ultimately, Rafe's classroom takes off and he gains support of famous Shakespearean actors and the trust of his students. He puts in gargantuan hours but his students rise to the challenge and succeed academically and eventually go on to professional success. He develops some very creative systems such as classroom currency to motivate students. I also applaud him for establishing a real classroom community where past students actively participate in after school and before school hours. Having students form a band and put on performances, helps them to gain practical skills and self-confidence that shows how emphasizing the arts can be a powerful insprirational and spirt-affirming educational tool. Systems such as these help him translate an exceptional elementary school experience for his students into success in college and beyond.
I don't know if books like this will inspire teachers or intimidate them. For me, it kind of reaffirms my decision to stay on the nonprofit/for-profit side of teaching where I can operate free of bureaucratic nonsense. If we have to take underprivileged kids on plane trips to keep spark motivation, we're not going to be able to make long-lasting organizational change.
Hopefully a book like this can inspire a few administrators to provide the institutional changes necessary to internally reward outstanding teachers like Rafe Esquivel and give teachers the respect they so richly deserve.
4 stars.
--SD
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