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eBook editions

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

by Rafe Esquith

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

ISBN13: 9780670038152
ISBN10: 0670038156
Condition: Standard
Dustjacket: Standard
All Product Details

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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

From one of America's most celebrated educators, an inspiring guide to transforming every child's education.

In a Los Angeles neighborhood plagued by guns, gangs, and drugs, there is an exceptional classroom known as Room 56. The fifth graders inside are first-generation immigrants who live in poverty and speak English as a second language. They also play Vivaldi, perform Shakespeare, score in the top 1 percent on standardized tests, and go on to attend Ivy League universities. Rafe Esquith is the teacher responsible for these accomplishments.

From the man whom The New York Times calls "a genius and a saint" comes a revelatory program for educating today's youth. In Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire, Rafe Esquith reveals the techniques that have made him one of the most acclaimed educators of our time. The two mottoes in Esquith's classroom are "Be Nice, Work Hard," and "There Are No Shortcuts." His students voluntarily come to school at 6:30 in the morning and work until 5:00 in the afternoon. They learn to handle money responsibly, tackle algebra, and travel the country to study history. They pair Hamlet with rock and roll, and read the American classics. Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire is a brilliant and inspiring road map for parents, teachers, and anyone who cares about the future success of our nation's children.

Review:

"Passionate and inspiring....With anecdotes that are alternately amusing and disheartening, Esquith details the joys and frustrations of teaching and offers valuable insights to parents and teachers alike." Booklist

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

Review:

"Rafe Esquith is my only hero." Sir Ian McKellan

Synopsis:

Praise for Rafe Esquith:

“Rafe Esquith is my only hero.”—Sir Ian McKellan

“Politicians, burbling over how to educate the underclass, would do well to stop by Rafe Esquith’s fifth grade class as it mounts its annual Shakespeare play. Sound like a grind? Listen to the peals of laughter bouncing off the classroom walls.”—Time

“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

Synopsis:

From the man whom "The New York Times" calls "a genius and a saint" comes a revelatory program for educating today's youth. This work is a brilliant and inspiring road map for parents, teachers, and anyone who cares about the future success of children.

About the Author

Rafe Esquith has taught at Hobart Elementary in Los Angeles for twenty-two years. He is the only teacher to be awarded the president's National Medal of the Arts.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 4 comments:

Longhorn4Life, March 12, 2009 (view all comments by Longhorn4Life)
As an aspiring teacher (to be certified this year) I found this book as well as his pre-qual "There are No Shortcuts" to be awe-inspiring. He delivers enough real life downers to let us know that it won't be easy and when we feel like giving up it doesn't mean we aren't made for this. He also has plenty of pick-me-ups to focus our minds on the overall goal we have as teachers. I would love to have an opportunity to visit his class for a week and see the magic happen in person. Other than my own teachers growing up, he is going to be a role model of mine for quite some time. I can see myself re-reading his books over and over as needed for insight and comfort.

As for the teacher below who feels his accomplishments are granted based on the students he teaches, we all do what we can with what we have. Raife simply wrote a book about it. Your comment sounds as if you feel underappreciated. I think Raife does a great job at setting realistic expectations for situations just like that. We don't teach for recognition, we teach because we believe we are building the foundation for a better future.

I would highly recommend this book for any parent, teacher, or would-be teacher. It lets us know what our potential is. It helps us strive to be better. The Education community would be much less enthusiastic without stories like this!
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(3 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)
JayRealtor, March 13, 2007 (view all comments by JayRealtor)
This is a book by a fifth grade teacher who far exceeds realistic expectations of a teacher. Almost all the students in his classroom #56 are from non-English speaking families. This does not stop Rofe from expecting and obtaining an extremely high level of student outcomes.

While it is unrealistic to expect a teacher to do all that he does, there certainly is a vast array of his activities that a teacher could do in the classroom. Several teachers working together could do many of his activities. An entire school working together could do what he single-handedly accomplishes.

The most important theme of his book is that every moment offers an educational experience. As an example, rather than his class riding to a local art museum in a school bus, they take the city bus. This provides him with the opportunity to teach students about riding a bus, bus fares, and bus schedules.
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(17 of 31 readers found this comment helpful)
elmlish, March 1, 2007 (view all comments by elmlish)
I just listened to an NPR "Speaker's Forum" special on Rafe. I thought he was an incredibly inspiring man and gave a wonderful performance. I plan on buying this book soon.

I would like to add that during his talk, he mentioned that the students in his particular class are chosen at random. He said that he gets all levels of development, economic background and various degrees of mental problems. Tourette's Syndrome was one ailment mentioned.
Throughout the talk, he emphasized that his kids were normal kids and he was a normal, average guy, nobody special.
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(14 of 25 readers found this comment helpful)
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780670038152
Author:
Esquith, Rafe
Publisher:
Viking Books
Subject:
Education
Subject:
Philosophy
Subject:
Teaching Methods & Materials - General
Subject:
Teaching Methods & Materials - Classroom Planning
Subject:
Education -- Philosophy.
Subject:
Ethics -- Study and teaching.
Subject:
Education-Classroom Resources
Subject:
Education-General
Copyright:
Edition Description:
B-Hardcover
Publication Date:
20070231
Binding:
HARDCOVER
Grade Level:
from 12
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
256
Dimensions:
8.58x5.74x.94 in. .82 lbs.
Age Level:
from 18

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Related Subjects

Education » General
Languages » Foreign Languages » Spanish » Education » Classroom Resources
Languages » Foreign Languages » Spanish » Education » General
Languages » Foreign Languages » Spanish » Education » Multicultural

Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire: The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56 Used Hardcover
0 stars - 0 reviews
$13.95 In Stock
Product details 256 pages Viking Books - English 9780670038152 Reviews:
"Review" by , "Passionate and inspiring....With anecdotes that are alternately amusing and disheartening, Esquith details the joys and frustrations of teaching and offers valuable insights to parents and teachers alike."
"Review" by , "Esquith is a modern-day Thoreau, preaching the value of good work, honest self-reflection and the courage to go one's own way."
"Review" by , "Rafe Esquith is my only hero."
"Synopsis" by , Praise for Rafe Esquith:

“Rafe Esquith is my only hero.”—Sir Ian McKellan

“Politicians, burbling over how to educate the underclass, would do well to stop by Rafe Esquith’s fifth grade class as it mounts its annual Shakespeare play. Sound like a grind? Listen to the peals of laughter bouncing off the classroom walls.”—Time

“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

"Synopsis" by , From the man whom "The New York Times" calls "a genius and a saint" comes a revelatory program for educating today's youth. This work is a brilliant and inspiring road map for parents, teachers, and anyone who cares about the future success of children.
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