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Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire: The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56 Audiobook
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(3.01) - 2,490 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Best-selling author Rafe Esquith, the only teacher to receive the National Medal of Arts, has garnered the American Teacher Award and numerous other honors. Still teaching fifth graders in a small, leaky classroom in downtown Los Angeles, Esquith fosters a wholesome climate where character, humility, and diligence matter and support is unconditional. For his mostly poor and Hispanic students, Esquith models two maxims: Be nice and work hard, and There are no shortcuts. And his students thrive!
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"Rafe Esquith's book is realistic, enthusiastic, and encouraging. He focuses his teaching on meaningful interactions and is able to communicate his passions to the reader. I recommend this book to teachers, parents, and young adults thinking about a career in teaching."
— Sue (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Rafe Esquith is a genius and a saint. The American education system would do well to imitate him. These children’s lives have been changed by their year with this man.”
— New York Times -
“Esquith is a modern-day Thoreau, preaching the value of good work, honest self-reflection, and the courage to go one’s own way.”
— Newsday -
“Throughout each school day, Esquith teaches life skills: how to think about problems, how to plan a strategy to solve them and, most important, how to work together and be nice to each other. While his goals are inspiring, he’s also practical—most chapters include affordable, how-to directions for a variety of his most effective classroom activities; he’s even got a few tips for revamping those inescapable ‘test prep’ sessions.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“This practical how-to book is a guide for new teachers and a revitalizer for frustrated professionals. James Yaegashi’s performance is full of the zest that has won Esquith accolades from fans as diverse as Oprah Winfrey and the Dalai Lama.”
— AudioFile
Awards
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A USA Today bestseller
Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire Listener Reviews
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" Has some really good ideas and some far fetched ideas. Either way, it was an interesting read. "
— Krystin, 2/19/2014 -
" Some of his advice falls in the category of "very good but I am already trying to do it", while the rest falls in the category of "Does not apply" Worth reading once for the new teacher just for an additional perspective from an accomplished teacher but I have no reason to ever crack it open again. "
— Erik, 2/19/2014 -
" I learned a few things from this guy. And he is enthusiastic about his students, who rise to the high bar he sets. Chapter two, "Searching for Level VI," is especially good. An admirable true story. "
— Kelli, 2/18/2014 -
" You don't have to be a teacher to appreciate the ideas, beliefs and insight in this book. I found quite a few things that I will use to help my son. I think it would benefit any parent of a young child to read this book. "
— Tanisha, 2/10/2014 -
" This is another MUST READ. Excellent overview of what he does in his classroom and ideas to help any parent educating their children at home. These are Leadership Educational methods. "
— Ann, 2/2/2014 -
" This book was recommended by Veritas Press, and I'm so glad they did! It was inspiring even for our homeschooling! I don't agree with all his viewpoints, but overall I found his book to be a great boost to my vision of our homeschool. "
— Emily, 1/19/2014 -
" A must for every to-be educator! Rafe is a miracle worker inside Room 56. His methods are phenomenal and extend way beyond the classroom. "
— Christina, 1/19/2014 -
" ugh. i read this because i am a masochist "
— Amanda, 1/13/2014 -
" Audio book. Inspiring for anyone who teaches anything. "
— Kim, 1/9/2014 -
" Great book! Lots of good ideas and teaching techniques. "
— Tikifire, 1/6/2014 -
" This man is an excellent writer. Rafe Esquith offers a myriad of suggestions and solutions for becoming a more effective teacher. "
— J, 12/29/2013 -
" Nice dose of inspiration but some advice is unrealistic. "
— Sue, 12/21/2013 -
" Most of it was pretty good. Much of it was unrealistic (in my world), but there were several parts that really resonated with me and made me want to be a better teacher. "
— Claire, 12/18/2013 -
" Inspired me! This man made a difference in the lives of his students. "
— Kathy, 12/15/2013 -
" This is Rafe's second book. It's full of practical applications for the classroom, along with great advice from one of the best teachers in the country. It's inspirational and left me feeling "on fire" about teaching! I love Rafe! "
— Emalei, 12/14/2013 -
" Very helpful book for anyone working with either kids or adults who act like kids (think corporate meeting settings). "
— David, 11/13/2013 -
" A great resource for teachers of any age. Inspiring. "
— Leslie, 11/11/2013 -
" teachers always inspire me so i loved this book. "
— Katherine, 6/7/2013 -
" Awesome read. Reminds of some of the lessons that I learned when I was a kid and have forgotten. "
— Moses, 6/3/2013 -
" Literally hands down the best book I've ever read. "
— Stuck1od, 9/16/2012 -
" Great book for a new teacher...progressively. "
— Jason, 7/9/2012 -
" A successful teacher's story seemed like a good idea as a read for a future teacher. The short version of his "secret of success" though is that the trick is basically to be over-dedicated. "
— Jien, 4/23/2012 -
" My experiences inside my classroom reflect a similar situation. Oh well.. we all can't be perfect "
— Gayle, 4/13/2012 -
" Love this book! Striving to be as dedicated as this teacher, I fall short. Still, some wonderful anecdotes and advice in his triumph within this challenging and amazing profession. "
— Mara, 7/9/2011 -
" I thought the author verged into arrogance on more than one occasion, although I did find a few suggestions (including the book report portion) to be somewhat useful. "
— K, 6/9/2011 -
" Full of great ideas for teachers. "
— Becky, 5/25/2011 -
" It's amazing how this man works in the classroom. If more teachers had his enthusiasm and love for learning it would certainly help our educational system... some ideas for me as a homeschool mom. "
— Misty, 5/23/2011 -
" What inspiration! There are no excuses to why schooling needs to be boring other than just not caring. "
— Maria, 5/23/2011 -
" I loved this book. It's a quick read and inspirational without being cheesy. It's absolutely amazing what this man does every year with a class of 5th graders. A great book for parents or anyone working with young children. "
— Cortney, 5/19/2011 -
" A demystification of what it means to be a great teacher. Bravo! "
— Kasey, 5/10/2011 -
" This man is an excellent writer. Rafe Esquith offers a myriad of suggestions and solutions for becoming a more effective teacher. "
— J, 5/9/2011 -
" Nice dose of inspiration but some advice is unrealistic.<br/> "
— Sue, 4/25/2011 -
" Excellent book about teaching-inspirational. I highly recommend "
— Nicole, 4/8/2011 -
" BRILLIANT <br/>BRILLIANT <br/>BRILLIANT <br/>BRILLIANT <br/>BRILLIANT <br/>BRILLIANT "
— Demetra, 3/22/2011 -
" Great book! Lots of good ideas and teaching techniques. "
— Tikifire, 3/21/2011
About Rafe Esquith
Rafe Esquith is an American teacher who taught at Hobart Boulevard Elementary School, in Los Angeles, California, from 1984 until 2015. Esquith has authored books about teaching and his annual class Shakespeare productions were featured in the 2005 documentary The Hobart Shakespeareans.
His teaching honors include the 1992 Teacher of the Year, for The Walt Disney Company’s American Teacher Awards, a Sigma Beta Delta Fellowship from Johns Hopkins University, Oprah Winfrey’s $100,000 “Use Your Life Award”, Parents Magazine’s “As You Grow Award”, National Medal of Arts, and Esquith was made an honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire.
About James Yaegashi
James Yaegashi has appeared in numerous Broadway and off-Broadway productions, film, and television roles. He was also a popular radio disc jockey in Japan. He is a four-time winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award for audiobook narration, and his voice-over credits include a featured role in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.