An amazingly dedicated 5th grade teacher shares some of the secrets of his success in the classroom. While elementary focused, a lot of the ideas could work in secondary classrooms as well. Not all the methods will be for everyone - some clearly require a huge commitment of time and (occasionally) money - but I'm pretty confident any teacher who reads this will come away with ideas to improve his/her classroom culture.

Lots of great ideas and methods

This book would be a great resource for an elementary or middle school teacher. However, there are also some good tips for teachers at higher grade levels.

Many of Esquith's ideas are not ground-breaking, but his dedication to an impoverished area of Los Angeles (school on weekends, before and after hours availibilty, field trips to faraway cultural and educational facilities) is. On a sidenote: Esquith is quick to reply to e-mails. He is an asset to our profession and a true gentleman.

I really had a hard time relating to this teacher. I feel he thinks he is better than everyone else. I understand the need to keep down television time, but to be upset that there is a big screen at a sporting event seemed a little stupid to me. He had great seats and those of us that sit in the nose bleed area it is nice to be able to look on the screen and see what we might have missed. He also made a big deal about movies and seemed to think his taste in movies is the best. I really didn't care for some of the choices for movies to show his students were. I did like what he does with giving the students extra time and attention. I guess I just don't understand his other ideas on television and movies.

I have a love-hate relationship with this book.

On the one hand, I appreciate Esquith's dedication to his students, and I think his attitude as a teacher is commendable. He's very positive about his students and classroom, and this is great. The fact that his methods are most applicable to the primary school level where he teaches is inconvenient, but I think teachers at the secondary level can learn from his dedication and enthusiasm.

On the other hand, I hate how he frequently dumps on the education system and other teachers' lack of professionalism compared to his. I find this negativity quite off-putting. And then this negativity about the state of education in the US becomes especially obnoxious when it follows his other frequently made claims that he's nothing special. I have to take his modesty with a grain of salt when he consistently describes his winning ways as a contrast to the failures of so many others in public education--from teachers to administration--who he says are dropping the ball. Like so many other books written by award-winning teachers, the author seems to be doing a fair amount of not-so-subtle self-promotion. His repeated explicit claims that he's nothing special just leave me with the impression that he thinks he is hot stuff.

I really like a lot of what Rafe does with his students and will be taking away a decent amount of ideas for my own classroom, but I have to say that there were many times I wanted to roll my eyes. I'm sure that there are amazing things happening and he gets fantastic results, but Rafe brags a little too much for my liking. I would have given this book a way higher rating had there been less bragging.

A good look into a classroom that works. Don't read this book and try to do everything Rafe does though, at least not right away. The man is pretty amazing

This man's teaching made me feel even more inadequate as a teacher but aren't the kids who have him lucky? What an inspiration to teachers everywhere with multiple ways to make a classroom more... more everything.. more welcoming, more educational, more inspiring, more fun. He has a self-contained classroom and it truly is his kingdom.

This is one of those books about teacher heroes that don't really propel the conversation about education in the United States.