Inspiration: Rafe Esquith

"Be Nice. Work Hard."~Rafe Esquith's Class Motto

I don't often blog explicitly about my work as a middle school (seventh grade) English Language Arts teacher, but this post is as much about folks making a differences in the lives of others, as much as it is about a man who shares a professional link with me. The goal of the post, on top of sharing a little more about myself, is to hopefully interest some of you to take an interest in a the work of an educator who is making a difference in an arena (low income schools with immigrant children) where success is not always emphasized or shared.

This morning I had the chance to go back in time and view a story of interest from the previous night's "edition" of the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. Turning on the tube, I was pleased to see a new story about Rafe Esquith, Teacher Inspires Kids to Love Learning, and more to the point, the success Esquith has had with inner city Los Angeles students as an elementary school classroom teacher. Like many, I suspect, I first became aware of Esquith and his teaching methods in 2004 when his first book, There Are No Shortcuts, was released in January 2004, and he was featured on a variety of media outlets ranging from 60 Minutes to Oprah to NPR news.

Unbeknownst to your truly, Esquith has just written a freshly minted tome chronicling on his teaching experiences entitled Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire: The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56. The editor's summary, as captured on Barnes and Noble.com describes the book thusly:

Rafe Esquith teaches fifth grade in Los Angeles, but his fame stretches far beyond his Hobart Elementary class of first-generation immigrants. He has been honored by Oprah Winfrey and Dalai Lama; he's won the American Teacher Award; Sir Ian McKellen (pictured to the right) calls him "my only hero"; and he is the only teacher to be awarded the National Medal of the Arts. What makes him so special? Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire! not only answers that question; it gives a jump-start to any teacher or parent who cares.

It's half way through the academic calendar and I've got a day and a half of grading state assessments to look forward to. As most teachers will tell you, it can be a challenging and draining experience, and I reckon I'll need a good "recharging" this weekend... It looks like I'll be hitting the bookstores after work today.

Adio, wli nanawalmezi.