There Are No Shortcuts: How an inner-city teacher--winner of the American Teacher Award--inspires his students and challenges us to rethink the way we educate our children | 
 enlarge | Author: Rafe Esquith
Publisher: Pantheon
Category: Book
List Price: $21.00
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Rating:  81 reviews
Sales Rank: 222093
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.9
ISBN: 0375422021
Dewey Decimal Number: 372.110092
EAN: 9780375422027
ASIN: 0375422021
Publication Date: April 22, 2003
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Product Description
The banner in Rafe Esquith’s classroom at Hobart Elementary School reads: “There are no shortcuts.” And his students are a testament to the power of that philosophy. These are kids who speak English as a second language, fourth--and fifth--graders who go to school in a part of Los Angeles where violence and despair are the norms of the neighborhood.
But the statistics are not what you’d expect: Esquith’s students score in the country’s top 10 percent on standardized tests and go on to colleges such as Harvard, Princeton, University of Chicago, Swarthmore, Stanford, and UCLA. How do they do it?
Esquith’s view—that learning isn’t easy and that it shouldn’t be—is an increasingly unusual take among educators. Success, he believes, comes from a strong work ethic and from dedication and perseverance on the part of children, teachers, and parents alike. But such ideas prove to be a hard sell to those who believe that hard work and fun must be mutually exclusive. On the other hand, visitors from all over the world have made a pilgrimage to this astonishing classroom.
Esquith’s students work hard. They are in the classroom at 6:30 a.m. and stay until 5:00 p.m. They come to school during their vacations. Each year the Hobart Shakespeareans, as Esquith’s students are known, perform one of the Bard’s plays—Sir Ian McKellen and Hal Holbrook are passionate patrons. These Renaissance children are outstanding mathematicians and scientists; they read Steinbeck and Malcolm X; they are artists; they play classical music and blistering rock 'n' roll. Above all, they are recognized for their impeccable manners, which serve them well as Esquith accompanies them all over the United States. They are, as many observers have commented, the gold standard in American education.
His former students in middle and high school return on Saturdays, where they read Ibsen, Chekhov, and eight Shakespeare plays a year. In their “Wake Up with Will” program, these eager youngsters travel the world with Esquith and his wife, from London to Paris to colleges all over the country. It’s a classroom where the American Dream really does come true.
There have been no shortcuts for Rafe Esquith, either. He had to learn the hard way: dealing with bureaucratic administrators, antagonistic colleagues, and his own impetuous and occasionally tactless, even confrontational, nature. But his history, peppered with funny and painful incidents, and a gallery of incisive portraits--Miss Mothball, Miss Busy-As-a-Bee, Mr. Incompetent--explains his extraordinary success as a teacher.
His scathing yet loving view from the front lines is the most trenchant look at American education to appear
in many years. It’s a full-alert warning signal, an inspiration, and a guide for teachers, parents, and all the rest of us who care about our country’s children.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 76 more reviews...
Just a beginning December 24, 2008
I have read all of Rafe's books and can say that they all inspire me to continue learning and teaching after thirty-seven years in the classroom.
There are No Shortcuts September 24, 2008
Excellent for Elementary Educators. Some application to Middle and High School. Inspires all teachers to reach for the best performance.Funny at times, but grounded in reality. Somewhat political at the end. Small disappointment.
 Awesome book, Awesome person! July 18, 2008
As a teacher, I highly reccomend Rafe's first book. His life story is truly inspiring and encouraging for those of us in the trenches of the classroom. I think it is a mistake to criticize his way of life or dedication, but rather look at your own situation, and see what you can learn from his experience. For instance, I applied his economic system (discussed in detail in the book) and my students loved it and learned so much from it.
On a personal note, Rafe, as busy as he is, has always taken the time to try and answer my questions regarding teaching. He truly practices what he preaches, "Be Nice, Work Hard." He came at the right time in life, when I was wondering whether I had chosen the wrong profession. My wife noticed how he helped change my attitude.
This man has dedicated his life to improving education, his student lives and now teacher's lives, as he travels the country speaking and writing. He puts the proceeds from his books into his classroom's non-profit group, which pays for student trips, etc. So by purchasing the book, you are not just helping him, but are helping the kids he teaches in the poor sections of L.A.
Thank you.
 There is a fine line between genius and insanity... April 17, 2008
... and I'm quite positive that Rafe Esquith stands firmly on the "insanity" side. This was an interesting read, though I would never use it as a guideline for how to teach, which is how it was presented to me. More of a how not to, or a jumping off point for thinking about the demands of education today.
Self-serving, but entertaining and educational... April 8, 2008
This book is clearly written by a teacher who is proud of his noteworthy achievements and who invests an immense amount of time and effort in his job. As his first book, it suffers from some self-centeredness and a desire to share stories of failures and successes within the public school system with his readers. The anecdotes are generally interesting, but he doesn't go far beyond them into specific classroom methods. Most discussion of methods happens at a high level. His second book, "Teach Like your Hair's on Fire," is much more interesting to read overall, but I'm glad to have read both.
As a private school teacher myself, he makes it sound like public school teachers must be masochists to put up with the many obstacles keeping them from success in the classroom. I have experienced precious few of the obstacles he describes, but my public school teacher wife assures me that his stories are ever so representative. This book is likely more applicable to public school teachers, especially new ones to the profession.
The audio version of this book is, unfortunately, not aided by the author reading it himself. It makes an already self-centered text come across as almost arrogant, at times. His intonation is somewhat monotone and his rhythm is strangely strained for such a stalwart shakespeare fan.
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