When Ron Clark walked into his fifth-grade class in rural North Carolina, he was confronted with a tremendous challenge. The children had little interest in learning, and were sorely lacking in guidance. How would he transform a group of apathetic kids into disciplined, thoughtful, and curious students? He quickly realized that they needed to learn some basic rules.
Clark compiled a list of 55 lessons, and soon, his fifth-grade students--who once struggled to read at the third-grade level--were reading at the sixth-grade level . . . and loving it. What's more, they were gaining something crucial-self-respect. Those 55 lessons evolved into what Clark calls The Essential 55 -- guidelines for living and interacting with others.
The Essential 55 will prepare parents and educators to teach students the rules for life -- everything from knowing how to say thank you, to acing an interview.
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"I read this early in my teaching career. Though I would never have 55 rules for my classroom, I loved the focus on the kids and what is best for them. Teachers help students learn about more than their subject areas. Teachers help students learn about life. The best lessons come in between classes."
— Jared (5 out of 5 stars)
" Loved the 55 rules, and Ron Clark's presentation of them. A very memorable read, with a lot of practical application. "
— Emilie, 2/16/2014" Great stuff mostly common sense put into practice. "
— Ann, 2/15/2014" I thoroughly dislike this book. Yes, most of the rules themselves are good. Yes, I have applied some of them in my teaching. But the way that he implements them, and his attitude towards his students, struck me as demeaning. "
— Billydinpvd, 2/13/2014" In my class, we watched The Ron Clark Story starring Matthew Perry and saw how inspiring this teacher is. Although I think all these rules are a lot to ask for and they seemed more like manners and rules of life rather than of students and in a classroom. "
— Jessica, 2/2/2014" I'm not usually a big fan of authors who post giant photographs of themselves on the front, but I did enjoy this book. Even though Ron Clark may be mildly obsessed with himself, he does have some excellent advice for teachers and students. He works with a lot of difficult students, especially in the inner city. The Essential 55 is a good starter book to helping under-privileged children develop into upstanding citizens that actually believe in themselves! I would argue that not all 55 rules are essential, but all of them are good. I did notice that a lot of the rules were stylized and might not fit every classroom and every teacher. It's a great, easy read that makes you think critically about what kids need in and out of the classroom. "
— Elise, 1/21/2014" I read this after seeing Ron Clark and hearing him speak at a conference sponsored by the Virginia Dept of Education this summer. His 55 rules are obvious, common-sense examples of courtesy and respect. Great foundation for any classroom. "
— Marianne, 1/10/2014" This book was amazing from a teachers standpoint. I had the opportunity to meet Ron Clark over the summer and was inspired to do so many things in my classroom this year. "
— Laura, 1/10/2014" Classroom inspiration for all teachers!Saw Ron Clarc speak at our Convocation and I bought his book- amazing man! "
— Ashley, 11/28/2013" Wonderful stories from a quality teacher. Ron Clark loves his students so well, he wants you to be introduced to each of them in his personal stories. A nice read for motivating teachers! "
— Lauri, 10/29/2013" This book is outstanding and will help any teacher to set clear guidelines in a classroom while helping students leap for success. "
— Louanne, 9/26/2013Ron Clark is the author of bestseller The Essential 55, which has sold more than one million copies in twenty-five different languages. He has been named “American Teacher of the Year” by Disney and was Oprah Winfrey’s pick as her “Phenomenal Man.” He founded The Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, Georgia, which more than 25,000 educators from around the world have visited to learn about the extraordinary ways that teachers and parents of RCA have helped children achieve great success. He has been featured on The Today Show and CNN, and his experiences have been turned into the film The Ron Clark Story, starring Matthew Perry.