About book Real Talk For Real Teachers: Advice For Teachers From Rookies To Veterans: "No Retreat, No Surrender!" (2013)
The best one so far. I have read Esquith's books in this order and I rate them in the same order:Teach Like Your Hair is On Fire - really goodLighting Their Fires- even betterReal Talk for Real Teachers - best so farThis book does two things: First it helps you to better understand the public school system dilemmas, for teachers and administrators and students. Everyone has to answer to someone, and bureaucracy is as rampant as it is everywhere else. Second, it demonstrates how good teaching, learning, leadership and quality of character can all be achieved in spite and amid all of it. It doesn't diminish the hardship of it, it doesn't promise sunshine and rainbows. It hits hard with the realities of failure, discouragement, unfairness, betrayal, and more. But Mr. Esquith leads his fellow teachers, beginners to veterans, with the example of his own successes and failures, and continues, dedicated, day after day, making real and meaningful differences in the trajectory of those kids' lives. This is the second book I read by Rafe and I got more out of this book than is earlier book, Teach Like your Hair is on Fire. The chapter about the "Quiet Man" is so relevant today. In the principal-centered schools of today where teachers are viewed as "bad" if they disagree or challenge the leadership, his advice is spot on. Keep your head down, and do what they say. Challenging the administration is waste of time and will only get you labeled as a "bad" teacher. I got more respect for my opinions in the corporate world then I get in education. Nonetheless, I was inspired by this book and found Rafe's work with the Hobart Shakespeareans amazing.
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It is helping me work through my last year of teaching with a happier mind set.
—Emily
I liked a lot of what he is saying....I may pick it up again, but too busy.
—manu
