So, I decided that left me with the option of reading a book. I was going on a long car trip this weekend back and forth to the Auburn homecoming game and this would be a wonderful way for me to pass the time! I decided to check out a book from the lab and I read "Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire" by Rafe Esquith during my car trip.
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| I've got a burning, burning love for teaching! |
First, I would like to say that I am so glad that I read this book! It is one of the best books I've read in a long time and I read lots of books. In the very beginning, I wasn't all that excited about reading a book about teaching. However, my attitude quickly changed and I found myself thoroughly entertained and my car trip just flew by in no time at all! Upon completion of this book, I had this feeling that this is truly a book that all teachers and future teachers should have to read. I also believe that principals should give this book to teachers who have gone stale and make them read it. While we are at it... I believe all leaders, specialist, board members, legislators, etc. anybody that has a hand in education ought to be required to read this book also! School systems and classrooms all over America would be much better off if they did!
I will try to summarize this book for my blog assignment, but I must recommend to anybody reading my blog to just go on ahead and read this book. You will be glad that you did! This story is based on real life experiences that happen in Room 56. The classroom is located in a bad area of Los Angeles, California. The students are fifth graders and they are taught by Rafe Esquith. This book was not written to brag about what a wonderful teacher is doing out west in California, but was written rather as a guide, a plea, a challenge to all teachers every where to "teach like their hair's on fire"!
Throughout his book, Rafe mentions many great techniques to help students become educated and well rounded members of our society. As teachers, we are the role model on how to be a good citizen. We have to earn and gain our students trust. Then, and only then, we can begin teaching our students to have a personal code of behavior and to follow it (the Atticus Finch Level of "To Kill a Mocking Bird"). No longer should they do something or not do something based on fear, reward, or to please someone else. Each student has to develop and stretch farther than that and come up their own personal code of behavior that is a very real part of their own individual soul. In Rafe's opinion, this personal code of behavior is just as important a skill to teach as math, science, etc.
Rafe goes on to give his methods and successes for teaching everything from reading to music to P.E. For example, reading should only be taught with joy, passion and excitement. Rafe even lists some of his favorite works, books, movies and plays. All of his favorites also teach some sort of moral or life lesson. He also gives some great examples of how to take the boredom out of social studies. He recommends using hands on activities with students like using www.worldatlas.com to teach geography. He also suggest investing in the Marcy Cook method of teaching children math in a very "meaningful and useful" way. You can get more information at www.marcycookmath.com. Science should always be taught in a lab, not out of a book...and on and on and on. He even gives instruction on how to teach the best game ever invented....baseball!
The children also learn economics using a hands on approach. The students in Room 56 are all given several classroom jobs the first day of school. Each of these jobs receives some type of payment and the children receive a monthly paycheck for their accumulated work. The children deposit this money with their banker. Then, they use their money to rent their seat in the classroom. They even use ledger sheets, checks, and fake money. Rafe teaches them to save their money and to delay gratification....skills that they need for real life. He also teaches them to problem solve by using a method. First, understand the problem and then choose an appropriate strategy. You are know ready to solve the problem and then analyze your answer. They go over this in great detail throughout the year and they use real life situations and problems.
Rafe also does a great job of building character in his students. During the Christmas season, the class gets together on December 24 to feed, entertain, and clothe five hundred homeless people. He has students who are now in high school and college who will still come back to help with this annual event. He even gets the parents involved and they all try to do so much for the community. In Rafe's own words, he says "I am proud of my students for many reasons. I love to celebrate with them when they get accepted to college, etc...but, when it is all said and done, I am most proud of their service to others".
I would not be able to summarize this book without mentioning that Rafe has a special name for Rm 56. He calls his students the "Hobart Shakespeareans". He uses Shakespeare throughout the year to teach many valuable lessons to his fifth graders. Every year, they also have a Shakespeare production performed by the kids. They spend the whole year preparing for it and it includes speaking roles, music, dance, and an intermission complete with food and drink! Rafe believes the production teaches the students about language, music, teamwork, risk, discipline, hard work and self-discovery.
This book made me laugh, it made me smile, it made me feel warm, and it made me cry. I got to read about a teacher who goes the extra mile every day he goes to work. Rafe stays after school most days and is involved with the students even on the weekends. He takes them on special trips and he even attends their high school and college graduations. His job never ends and he tirelessly works as hard as he can to reach each and every one of his students and he tries to make a real difference in all of their lives.
I have always heard that teaching is a profession, but I had a different feeling after reading this book. Teaching is really more like a business. Each room is a different company or business. Each teacher is the business owner. There are always unpleasant things to be done in each business. It might be paying the bills or mopping the floor, or filing papers, or dealing with an unsatisfied customer. In the classroom some of the unpleasant things might be giving standardized test, teaching with textbooks, dealing with demanding personnel, not having adequate supplies, etc.
But heres the rub....for the business (classroom) to do really well, the businessman (teacher) has to do his very best. If he doesn't, then his business will fail and he will eventually have to close it or go out of business. But the really good businessman will always go the extra mile to make sure that everything is running smoothly. He will make changes where ever he sees necessary. He is always ready to move forward or change for the benefit of his company. He will work nights and weekends if necessary. He will give his best work and adequate time for his company.
We teachers need to move away from the idea that we are professionals. We need to start looking at ourselves as professional "business owners" and our job is to keep our business going this year and every year. We have to go the extra mile, we have to try our hardest, we have to reach our students, we have to bring out the best in them... no matter what it takes. We have to succeed, they have to succeed, our classroom has to succeed.....or its finished. It is essential that we have that commitment and that drive of a successful business owner. I saw that in Rafe and he really is teaching like his hair, his heart, his body, his soul and everything is on fire! He is doing whatever it takes and he is running a very, very successful company in Rm 56 and everyone is better for it! Its a win-win situation and his company is definitely in the green!
So, if you want to know how to be a great teacher...
do yourself a favor.... and read this book!
Then, go out and teach like your hair is on fire!
P.S. By the way, Blog Assignment #13 didn't turn out to be unlucky after all. In fact, I feel extremely lucky for having had the opportunity to read this book and learn from Rafe.
Rafe goes on to give his methods and successes for teaching everything from reading to music to P.E. For example, reading should only be taught with joy, passion and excitement. Rafe even lists some of his favorite works, books, movies and plays. All of his favorites also teach some sort of moral or life lesson. He also gives some great examples of how to take the boredom out of social studies. He recommends using hands on activities with students like using www.worldatlas.com to teach geography. He also suggest investing in the Marcy Cook method of teaching children math in a very "meaningful and useful" way. You can get more information at www.marcycookmath.com. Science should always be taught in a lab, not out of a book...and on and on and on. He even gives instruction on how to teach the best game ever invented....baseball!
The children also learn economics using a hands on approach. The students in Room 56 are all given several classroom jobs the first day of school. Each of these jobs receives some type of payment and the children receive a monthly paycheck for their accumulated work. The children deposit this money with their banker. Then, they use their money to rent their seat in the classroom. They even use ledger sheets, checks, and fake money. Rafe teaches them to save their money and to delay gratification....skills that they need for real life. He also teaches them to problem solve by using a method. First, understand the problem and then choose an appropriate strategy. You are know ready to solve the problem and then analyze your answer. They go over this in great detail throughout the year and they use real life situations and problems.
Rafe also does a great job of building character in his students. During the Christmas season, the class gets together on December 24 to feed, entertain, and clothe five hundred homeless people. He has students who are now in high school and college who will still come back to help with this annual event. He even gets the parents involved and they all try to do so much for the community. In Rafe's own words, he says "I am proud of my students for many reasons. I love to celebrate with them when they get accepted to college, etc...but, when it is all said and done, I am most proud of their service to others".
I would not be able to summarize this book without mentioning that Rafe has a special name for Rm 56. He calls his students the "Hobart Shakespeareans". He uses Shakespeare throughout the year to teach many valuable lessons to his fifth graders. Every year, they also have a Shakespeare production performed by the kids. They spend the whole year preparing for it and it includes speaking roles, music, dance, and an intermission complete with food and drink! Rafe believes the production teaches the students about language, music, teamwork, risk, discipline, hard work and self-discovery.
This book made me laugh, it made me smile, it made me feel warm, and it made me cry. I got to read about a teacher who goes the extra mile every day he goes to work. Rafe stays after school most days and is involved with the students even on the weekends. He takes them on special trips and he even attends their high school and college graduations. His job never ends and he tirelessly works as hard as he can to reach each and every one of his students and he tries to make a real difference in all of their lives.
I have always heard that teaching is a profession, but I had a different feeling after reading this book. Teaching is really more like a business. Each room is a different company or business. Each teacher is the business owner. There are always unpleasant things to be done in each business. It might be paying the bills or mopping the floor, or filing papers, or dealing with an unsatisfied customer. In the classroom some of the unpleasant things might be giving standardized test, teaching with textbooks, dealing with demanding personnel, not having adequate supplies, etc.
But heres the rub....for the business (classroom) to do really well, the businessman (teacher) has to do his very best. If he doesn't, then his business will fail and he will eventually have to close it or go out of business. But the really good businessman will always go the extra mile to make sure that everything is running smoothly. He will make changes where ever he sees necessary. He is always ready to move forward or change for the benefit of his company. He will work nights and weekends if necessary. He will give his best work and adequate time for his company.
We teachers need to move away from the idea that we are professionals. We need to start looking at ourselves as professional "business owners" and our job is to keep our business going this year and every year. We have to go the extra mile, we have to try our hardest, we have to reach our students, we have to bring out the best in them... no matter what it takes. We have to succeed, they have to succeed, our classroom has to succeed.....or its finished. It is essential that we have that commitment and that drive of a successful business owner. I saw that in Rafe and he really is teaching like his hair, his heart, his body, his soul and everything is on fire! He is doing whatever it takes and he is running a very, very successful company in Rm 56 and everyone is better for it! Its a win-win situation and his company is definitely in the green!
So, if you want to know how to be a great teacher...
do yourself a favor.... and read this book!
Then, go out and teach like your hair is on fire!
P.S. By the way, Blog Assignment #13 didn't turn out to be unlucky after all. In fact, I feel extremely lucky for having had the opportunity to read this book and learn from Rafe.
