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! ( )

This book will draw strong feelings on all sides. It is a written by a teacher in Los Angeles detailing his success with teaching 5th graders. He is not shy about touting his program, his methods. But, hey- if it works, why not? He is out spoken, critical and opinionated. Again- why not? Over bearing, self righteous and condemning. It may not sit well with all readers, especially some educators. But he puts his time, effort and heart into his career. He includes "A Day in the Life" as Appendix D- his daily school schedule which starts at 6:30 am and ends after 6 pm. Any teacher who is that dedicated to his students deserves to brag. He is best known for creating The Hobart Shakespeareans, his students who put on uncondensed plays of Shakespeare that include music they chose and perform themselves.

The strength of the book is the inclusion of concrete teaching ideas that are practical and replicable in any classroom. While many of his activities (field trips to Washington DC for example) are not going to be as applicable to the average classroom teacher (yes, he does describe the how and why they should be) Part Two "The Method" does have many excellent lesson ideas. This book should be read by all teachers, to show the possibilities out there, outside the box, beyond the usual and the mundane. It belongs on all educational bookshelves. I know I already took it to school to share with others. He also blasts (as well he should) the ridiculous lengths the standardized testing craze of NCLB has caused. He is not loathe to point out what is not working in current educational methodology.

He brags, boasts and crows his success. But he also gives the facts that support his claims. I would not want to be the teacher who works in the classroom down the hall from him but I would be pleased to have him as a consultant in my classroom. ( )

A must read for anyone aspiring to be a teacher or anyone with kids in school ( )