There Are No Shortcuts

I am a mom with 2 kids in elementary school. I bought and read this book after meeting Rafe and his students on a book tour they were doing. I read it in every spare moment I had. I am incredibly grateful for this book. It gave me wonderful insights into children. It gave me some really great, creative ideas on how to teach and parent them. It gave me hope that it IS possible to raise children to LOVE learning and also to become kind human beings. Furthermore, witnessing Rafe's struggles, through his stories, and seeing that he could maintain, and even build his love for his profession (and dedication to it) over the years, greatly encouraged me. I am not a teacher, but the types of opposition he encounters in the school system are also found in other professions, organizations and other aspects of life. In fact, the principles Rafe teaches for dealing with immature, mean and unreasonable people, and with difficult circumstances, are taught in many other circles, such as the business world, sports and religion. They are universal principles that relate to becoming a successful person, a leader, and a great human being. This book is easy to read, since it basically a collection of true stories, with wisdom and insights sprinkled in. Rafe is sincere, and he has one of the most generous hearts I have seen. I highly recommend this book for anyone. And I think it is a MUST-READ for anyone with a responsibility towards raising children.

I want to preface this review by mentioning that I am a teacher. I work in an urban, low-income district with students who have many similarities to those in Rafe's class. Though I teach high school students, many of the issues are all too familiar. I first became interested in this book after seeing an interview with the author on PBS. I immediately ordered the book and am so glad I did, as it could prove to be one of the most important steps that I ever take as an educator. It is having a huge impact on my philosophy of education and gave me many strategies for dealing with my students on a daily basis. I enjoyed my job before, and I work hard and try to do a good job, but am often worried that I'm not doing enough for the kids. And don't get me wrong, I am not going to arrive 3 hours early and stay 3 hours late to teach Sally some guitar lessons. If I did that, I wouldn't have any time to prepare engaging lessons. But I am enjoying my job more now and working harder now because I have a greater goal, in a sense. It's hard to really put into words just what this book did for me. But believe me, it's had a huge impact on my life, both professionally and personally. Thanks to Rafe for sharing his experiences and ideas with the world. And to those who get all wrapped up in the whole, "Oh, he's trying to come off as a martyr" thing - there's so much more to get out of this book! If you get caught up in that, you're bound to miss all those unpolished gems of ideas that are scattered throughout the book.

I had a few questions for Mr Esquith after finishing the book (namely how this could apply to high school and how he balanced his personal and professional lives). I did an Internet search, and emailed him. He responded the same night with a phone number and asked me to call. When I got in touch with him, he was working with a class, and took my 20 minute phone call to talk about teaching, personal life, etc. While people may have personal or philisophical issues with Mr. Esquith, how many authors are that responsive? While the reviews overall, were helpful, I think something needs come to the forefront of the discussion. This is not a book about what the ideal teacher is. It is certainly not going to provide all the answers or increase your student achievement after you finish the last page. Nor will it provide lesson plans for the year. Most of all it is not about measuring yourself against his achievements. The value of "There Are No Shortcuts" lies in the discussion of realistic philosophy from a successful teacher in the trenches. Regardless of what students he teaches, gifted, average or otherwise, it is a competitive world (always was, always will be) and the education many of our students receive is not adequately preparing them for this world, especially in the inner city. Mr. Esquith provides some solutions he tried with both failure and success, and opened his experience up to show his growth. I believe that these experiences are useful to any teacher, or aspiring teacher to question, analyze, or use in their personal growth as an educator. In my conversation with Mr. Esquith, he recommended that I get out and observe as many good teachers as possible. This book gives you a peak into his classroom. You take the good with the bad, analyze situations, learn from others, and you apply it to your circumstances. In the end, you are better off because you are looking for answers, not because you read a book and expected it to be the Bible that would save you. Read, enjoy, question and apply what is useful. It's well worth the $14 (less than $5 used) and 3-4 hours of reading.

Mr. Esquith clearly states why he wrote this book: "...this book is meant to be reminder OF WHAT PUBLIC EDUCATION CAN BE," in addition to giving hope to young teachers. I, too, teach in a large, urban school system (Charlotte-Mecklenburg NC) and I can identify with the rigid, top-down, "the administrators know what's right," abide-by-the-rules-and-keep-the-kids-controlled mentality. It's nice to know that I'm not alone and that someone else has prevailed.Make no mistake, Esquith IS a freak. He is passionate about teaching. Well ... GREAT! Mozart was passionate about composing, and the world is richer for it. For me, a teacher in public schools now for 8 years and previous experience as a college instructor, this book is an inspiration to NOT GIVE UP. Too often, I fall into the trap of teaching to the bright kids and give up too easily on the less able. I will work harder this year to teach every child, to not let administrators and burnt-out or cynical teachers pull me away from a dream I had in college to create greatness in students. Sometimes the worst place in the world for a teacher with hope is at the lunch table with other teachers who have given up.I came across Mr. Esquith's book by accident. Other books I've read this summer that have reinforced his message are Levine's "A Mind at a Time", Gardner's "The Unschooled Mind", and Gould's "The Biggest Job We'll Ever Have". And even though I've grown by reading and reflection, guess what? I'll still have to go to some useless In-service session and I'll get no credit for REAL professional growth. Such is the educational establishment, as Mr. Esquith so eloquently points out.No, this book is not Wong's "First Days of School." It's an inspirational book and a diary of one teacher's battle to achieve high standards against a wave of mediocrity.

The "reviewer" who wrote on April 26 from Los Angeles is incorrect in asserting that Rafe Esquith teaches highly gifted children, a statement that impugns the integrity of Esquith and the worth of his book. L. A. Unified provides special programs and magnet schools for the children identified as highly gifted, a quality not easy to define. While the majority of his students are "average", Rafe Esquith's special gift is his ability to provide the opportunities and motivation that elicit each child's gifts. High expectations and hard work account for their success.The book does a great job of describing the experiences leading to Rafe's beliefs and explaining what his school days are like, yet it neglects to mention that the music lessons at recess and lunch, the math tutoring before school, and the work on Shakespeare after school are open to other students at the school.No one exemplifies Rafe's catch phrases more than he: Work hard. Be nice. There are no shortcuts.