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

An inspiring, must read novel!

This is an inspiring book by Rafe Esquith that I would recommend it for any teacher; young or old, new or tenured, elementary or secondary. I would even recommend it for any parent or soon to be parent, because in a way, Rafe Esquith raises his students in room 56. I would also recommend it for any person who enjoys reading, just in general, about great and inspiring people. People who set their lives out in front of them, take it for all it is worth, and try to change the world in whatever way they can.
The reason I decided to pick up this book and begin reading was because the college I attend had an opportunity for me to go and see him. I go to Illinois State University, where you will find that among the business majors, the engineering majors, and the pre-med majors, the majority of the students you will encounter here are education majors of all sorts. So having a teacher, who he himself has won the Oprah Winfrey Angel award, Oprah Winfrey's $100,000 "Use Your Life Award", Parents Magazine's "As You Grow Award", the Disney National Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award, a Sigma Beta Delta Fellowship from John Hopkins University, and was made an honorary member of the Order of the British Empire, coming here was, I felt, quite the opportunity.
While there, I heard one of the most inspiring speeches I have ever heard. Where he works, to give a quick summary of what you will quickly find out in the beginning of the novel anyway, is in a poor LA neighborhood, where for most of the students, English is a second language. His students willingly come to school, almost year round. The doors of his classroom, room 56, open at 6 AM for any student who wants to come (and several do) and has lots of after school activities in his room till 6 PM, where many students stay. He changes their lives, and in order to find out more, this is where I must leave you, to buy the book for yourself, and see how one man, can indeed, changes the world.
As repeated, throughout the book as a saying in room 56 for the students to always remember to work hard to achieve their dreams, "After all, there are no shortcuts."~Rafe Esquith

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Great book with great ideas!

I definitely learned a lot an got a lot of ideas for my classroom from this book.

Good book very inspirational

Teachers of all experience levels can appreciate this book. Offers neat ideas (most easy to implement).

A most amazing author and teacher!!

This is a must read for all parents and teachers!! I couldn't put this book down. I was able to find an email for the author and he spent 30 minutes with me on the phone helping me apply his principles to my younger children. I am a home school mom and was looking for things to keep my lessons fun and interesting. He defiinitely paved the way for me. Thanks, Rafe!!

A reviewer

Teach Like Your Hair is On Fire was absolutely wonderful. The teacher in the story is giving his all to these kids so creatively and with such concern for their character. I finished this book in one day and immediately bought it for two teachers I know. You will enjoy the roller-coaster of emotions as Rafe Esquith integrates art, music, travel and Shakespeare into his instruction of 9 and 10 year olds.

It is so insteresing it made me stay up late to finish it!

I am a teacher and an avid reader. Mr. Esquith's book is outstanding. There are so many reasons I enjoyed it but one of the primary reasons is he discusses math, science, reading, P.E. and the other 'Core' classes individually. I emailed our English faculty and everyone is reading this book. Today I ordered his other book and I just can hardly wait until it arrives.

A Book of Inspiration and Ideas from the ¿Hobart Shakespeareans¿ Teacher

During our teaching careers, most of us have experienced a few ¿Ah-ha¿ moments. For Rafe Esquith, his wake-up call was literally when his hair caught on fire during a science experiment. Why was he the last one in the class to realize his head was ablaze - because he had inadvertently reached classroom nirvana. I think of it as being in the zone, Esquith labels it ¿ignoring the crap,¿ either way, this gifted teacher had a transcendental moment that altered his educational philosophy forever and his influence is rapidly spreading into classrooms across the globe. Part quixotic and possibly part ¿mad,¿ he has transformed his 5th grade class, of mainly ESL students, into Shakespeare-quoting individuals who have learned how to take charge of their own learning. Esquith¿s book challenges such issues as the obsession with high-stakes testing, unresponsive administrators, ineffective professional development opportunities, and the ¿demons¿ that take away our energy and spirit. At the heart of his ¿cookbook¿ is getting students to take responsibility for their actions and to value failure as an integral part of the learning process. Check out this book because it explores the realities of teaching difficult students, as opposed to your typical educational book of impractical theories. Pick up this book if you agree with his classroom motto of, 'Be nice, work hard. There are no shortcuts.' Finally, purchase this book if the biggest fear for your students is that they become ordinary. Lastly, what really motivated me to buy this book was that Esquith hasn¿t been lured out of the classroom. Instead, he continues to embrace his mission of finding the different keys it takes to ignite each of his students.

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