Book:
Real
Talk for Real Teachers: Advice for Teachers from Rookies to Veterans: “No
Retreat, No Surrender!”
By
Rafe Esquith
Summary:
In
the book Real Talk for Real Teachers:
Advice for Teachers from Rookies to Veterans: “No Retreat, No Surrender!”
the author, Rafe Esquith, discusses his past and present experiences about
teaching. Esquith has been a
teacher in the public school system for over thirty years and has used his
experiences to offer insight and ideas to consider. The book is organized into
three sections, ‘Once Upon a Time’, ‘Growing Up’, and ‘Master Class.’ These
sections are based on life stages of teaching, which are beginning teachers,
midcareer teachers, and veteran teachers.
The author discusses that at every stage of their career, teachers need
differing forms of nourishment to keep inspired and improve their teaching
techniques. There are twenty-five
chapters in the book and each chapter is based on different situations within
teaching where Esquith describes his own experiences and how he dealt with the
various occurrences. New teachers
need encouragement and Esquith explains how in each year you teach you
continually grow and should take every experience as a learning
opportunity. He recognizes that it
is not only new teachers that have bad days, but also veteran teachers and it
is essential to learn how to turn these days into better ones. As stated by
Esquith (2013), “Develop the ability to have amnesia and forget bad
moments. When a difficult parent
or colleague does something insensitive or awful to you, feel bad about it for
a few minutes and then move on.
Stewing about the craziness of the job won’t help you or your kids” (p.
150).
This book gives advice and ideas on how to deal with
classroom management and challenge students to grow as not only learners, but
also as members of society. At the
end of almost each chapter, Esquith ends with bullet points entitled “For Your
Consideration” where he provides insights and ideas that teachers should
consider when experiencing the situations in the topic of the chapter. Esquith conveys the important principle
that classrooms should not be where teachers are just talking, but where
students are actually doing.
Esquith does
not only discuss the positives of teaching but also how hard it can be but to
never give up on your students or yourself as a teacher. Every teacher has feelings of
frustration, whether it is with administration, students, parents, or
curriculum but there are other teachers you can always turn to for support. Things in the classroom do not always
turn out how you planned but you can always change your lessons and teach it
another day. As stated by Esquith
(2013), “Every disaster that happens is an opportunity for you to get
better. Nothing feels better than teaching a great lesson that failed the year
before because of what you have learned” (p. 57). Futhermore, Esquith believes that
teachers should be mindful of what they are able to achieve and not focus on
what you cannot. As noted by
Esquith (2013), “Accept the fact that you do not have more influence over a
student than the child’s family or economic situation. Continue to be the best
teacher you can be every day for every student despite the reality that the
odds are stacked against you” (p. 124).
Resources & Strategies
The author states that teachers should bring their passions
into the classroom and incorporate them into lessons and discussions because
your passions are what you can excel at and will always enjoy. He believes that the best teachers are
those who are able to put themselves in the classroom and smile at every
chance. Esquith’s passions are
Shakespeare and baseball and he incorporates these into his classroom and also
in extracurricular activities. The author feels that it is so crucial to involve students
in the process of creating and maintaining the standard of the classroom and
make connections to the curriculum. The author works at Hobart Elementary
School in Los Angeles and uses his passion for Shakespeare and incorporates it
into his classroom objectives which are:
1.
Our mission: Be nice.
Work hard.
2. Our motto: There
are no shortcuts.
3. Hobart
Shakespeareans are honest.
4. Hobart
Shakespeareans show initiative.
5. Hobart
Shakespeareans take responsibility for their actions.
6. Hobart Shakespeareans
are aware of time and space.
7. Hobart
Shakespeareans are never afraid to ask questions.
8. Hobart
Shakespeareans understand the importance of presentation.
9. Hobart
Shakespeareans are organized.
10.Hobart
Shakespeareans are humble.
The author believes that teachers should not teach for the
tests that students will have to take, but to teach for the life skills that
students will need for the rest of their lives. He has high expectations of his students, and uses various
teaching methods depending on the students he has, in order to reflect the
various learning styles of students in the classroom. Teachers need to be
positive as their personalities reflect onto their students and that teachers
need to maintain a balance in their life to remain positive. Students need to be treated with
respect and if you want students to show kindness to each other, teachers must
do the same and demonstrate respectful, positive behavior.
This
author has also written the following books on teaching:
There Are No Shortcuts
Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire
Lighting Their Fires
Critique:
I
believe that this book was great in the fact that the author does not only talk
about the positives in teaching but also the difficulties that teachers
experience, and that you are not alone.
It is encouraging to know that even veteran teachers have their
struggles but that you can lean on them for support and your situation is not
unique. I appreciated the “For
Your Consideration” bullets at the end of each chapter, as they gave some advice
that I could relate to in my own experiences in teaching, as the chapters were
about the author’s experiences. I
was able to relate some of the author’s strategies to the theories we discussed
in our Psychology course. For
example, the author agrees that students should be at the center of learning
and that teachers do not need to stand at the front of the room and dictate
information to students. Students
can be part of their learning experience and should be given initiative to
explore.
The
downfall I experienced with this book is that it is American as the teacher is
an educator in California. He
discusses preparing students for state exams and standardized tests throughout
the book, which is something I have not experienced in my practicum and can not
relate to in my teachings thus far.
Another point the author argues that I disagree with is creating a wall
of fame of former students in your classroom. As discussed by Esquith (2013), “Create a Wall of Fame in
your class. Put up the names of former
students who are now in college.
Place the names under banners of the universities they attend. Remind kids that collage is not the top
of the mountain, but a place that they might want to make a part of their
life’s journey” (p. 196). Although
I feel it is a nice gesture to commemorate past students, I feel that this may
lead to students feeling compared to with past students and that attending
university is the top goal to strive for in life, as that is the only way to be
mentioned in his classroom. I
personally would not do this in my class.
The author also notes that not every student can be reached and at some
point teachers should devote their efforts to the students who want to learn. I believe that it is our duty as
educators to educate all students and that is our reason for being in the
classroom. We should not let any child feel that we have given up on them.
Except
for the American undertones, I feel that this author is influential and
discusses the important impact hard work, self-reflection, and a positive
attitude can have on improving your role as a teacher.
Reference:
Esquith,
R. (2013). Real talk for real teachers:
advice for teachers from rookies to veterans: “no retreat, no surrender!”. New
York, New York : Penguin Group.
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