If ever there were a book that would make you go 'duh', it is this one. The enlightenment within its cover is astounding. There was nothing new in this book, just reminders of everything you knew about school, education, and growing up. Every teacher and parent should read this book. Every school administrator should have this book on their desk! Rafe Esquith has given us a wonderful reminder in this book; teaching and learning can be fun, and every child can be taught and still have fun in school.

A wonderful read, and well paced. Esquith has many years of experience behind him, but never loses the reader. You are guaranteed to have flashbacks, and wants of a better educational experience (if yours was lacking). ( )

At first I was excited about this book. It gave me some good ideas about how to incorporate literature and film into the curriculum, but upon further investigation, many of the "useful" web sites that Esquith mentioned were businesses selling products, not offering educational information. Very disappointing. ( )

Esquith teaches fifth grade in inner-city LA. His classroom is always successful in every subject. They also perform Shakespeare plays; perfectly. Esquith and his students travel the country to perform.

I picked this up because of its intriguing title. The author teaches fifth grade in an inner-city Los Angeles school. He has won numerous accolades and awards for the (mostly extra-curricular) activities he exposes he provides for his students, all of whom are impoverished and ESL. This is his second book, and it purports to give the specifics of his instructional “genius.” (Yes, those quotation marks signify my disdain…).
This man is very dedicated to his students, but has not a good word for any other member of the teaching profession, and even less that is positive to say about administrators. Moreover, he has an ego the size of mainland China that completely obliterates the message he thinks he is sending. He spends A LOT of print talking about teaching humility in his classroom, but his boasting and bragging contradict the very definition of the word.
He is known and appears on T.V. for the extra time he puts in with his students. His fifth graders perform Shakespeare plays (in their entirety) set to rock music (performed by students) each year. He spends hours before and after school helping these students with extra math, music, and the lessons needed for fifth graders to comprehend Shakespeare. He takes his students on frequent road trips that we all wish we could afford (without chaperones—how does he get away with that????). I can’t fault his dedication, in spite of his self-promotion, but all of this good stuff is done BEFORE and AFTER school, and during vacations.
And the grand revelations that make him the world’s greatest classroom teacher: ho hum….1. Start the day with grammar warm-ups right away, because “We do not waste time in Room 56.” Um…walk around most schools each morning and you’ll find much the same in the upper level rooms. 2. He uses Novel Ties for students to respond to literature. So did my teaching team—until we created something better than canned questions. (also—why are fifth graders reading To Kill a Mockingbird and other high school level texts when there is SO much great literature aimed at younger readers? TKaMockingbird is probably my favorite book, but would not have meant so much to me at 10!) 3. Here’s a newsflash for you: Science instruction should be HANDS ON!!!!!! Wow—I wish someone would have told me that years ago!
This book would have been so much more effective with more details on what goes on during the SCHOOL day, and without the condescending attitude toward the rest of the education profession, who are by and large, dedicated and hardworking. ( )

Every teacher should read this book! ( )