The essence of Rafe Esquith's philosophy on teaching (he teaches 5th grade), as I understand it, is caring. He sees all his students as beautiful. It comes through in the text, both explicitly and underneath the lines of his down-home, here's-what-I-like-to-do prose. And when you finish reading--if my own experience is any measure--you'll care more, too.

Esquith has devoted his life to teaching--he works with students Monday through Friday from 6:30am till 5pm--and that workaholic dedication, and the safe place he creates in Room 56, more than the lesson plans he reproduces in this book, would seem to account for his phenomenal success (e.g., each year, his inner city L.A. students treat each other with respect, learn to play instruments, perform an unabridged Shakespeare play, and excel on standardized testing).

But how much of Esquith's teaching methods for fifth graders apply to teaching, say, college? Hard to say. Should we teach "character, honesty, morality, and generosity of spirit" in college? I'd like to think so.