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Real Talk for Real Teachers: Advice for Teachers from Rookies to Veterans: "No Retreat, No Surrender!" Paperback – June 24, 2014

by Rafe Esquith (Author)

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The New York Times–bestselling author and world-renown teacher offers no-nonsense wisdom for teachers of all ages

There’s no one teachers trust more to give them classroom advice than Rafe Esquith. After more than thirty years on the job, Esquith still puts in the countless classroom hours familiar to every dedicated educator. But where his New York Times bestseller Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire was food for a teacher’s mind, Real Talk for Real Teachers is food for a teacher’s soul.

Esquith candidly tackles the three stages of life for the career teacher and offers encouragement to see them through the difficult early years, advice on mid-career classroom building, and novel ideas for longtime educators. With his trademark mix of humor, practicality, and boundless compassion, Esquith proves the perfect companion for teachers who need a quick pick-me-up, a long heart-to-heart, or just a momentary reminder that they’re not alone.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“[This] enormously valuable book will keep teachers energized.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“The only classroom teacher to receive the National Medal of the Arts, the author has taught fifth and sixth grade for more than 25 years at Hobart Elementary, an inner-city Los Angeles school where few of the parents speak English, poverty is rampant, and too often children lack supervision at home… Teaching is a tough job, but Esquith shows that its rewards can be profound.” —Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Rafe Esquith has taught at Hobart Elementary School in Los Angeles for twenty-eight years. He is the only classroom teacher to have been awarded the president’s National Medal of the Arts. His many other honors and awards include the American Teacher Award and People magazine’s Heroes Among Us Award. He lives in Los Angeles.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Prologue: The Sistine Chapel and My Wife’s Kitchen

I love my wife. A couple of summers ago, Barbara and I were given an amazing gift. A concerned friend thought we were working too hard and used his travel connections to send us on a practically free trip to Italy. We had always wanted to go. Among the many highlights, perhaps the best of all, was an unforgettable evening when we were given a private viewing of the Sistine Chapel.

Any person who has ever seen it will tell you (forgive me) that it is a religious experience. It is impossible to convey its astonishing, overwhelming effect. No picture or film even comes close to seeing it in person. One can actually sit back in a special chair with a headrest and practically reach heaven absorbing the soaring images above on the ceiling.

But what was more interesting to me was the painting on the front wall of the sanctuary.

As our guide taught us, Michelangelo painted this section of the chapel twenty-three years after the ceiling was completed. And it’s different. It’s bleaker than the joyous images overhead. Michelangelo had become gloomier since his younger days, and his paintings reflect this growing cynicism. Age and experience can do that to a person. I am definitely more pessimistic than I was thirty years ago when I began teaching. It was nice thinking I had something in common with Michelangelo.

I realized we shared something else. Even though he was gloomier, he was still painting. He had grown, changed, and suffered, but he remained true to himself. He was still an artist. I am proud that I am still a classroom teacher.

Michelle Rhee, the former chancellor of schools in Washington, D.C., is often at the center of many emotional arguments regarding education. She once stated:

Nobody makes a thirty-year or ten-year commitment to a single profession. Name one profession where the assumption is that when you go in, right out of graduating college that the majority of people are going to stay in that profession. It’s not the reality anymore, maybe with the exception of medicine. But short of that people don’t go into jobs and stay there forever anymore.

This might be true but that does not mean it’s a good thing. I think it’s actually a sad reminder of something that is wrong with our society. Lack of commitment is seen in every facet of our daily lives, from personal relationships to the renegotiation of contracts.

I am still teaching after thirty years. I say this not to criticize the many terrific people who have left the classroom to become administrators or move on to entirely different professions, but there is something to be said about a teacher who stays on the front lines. With years of experience, and professional maturity, one can change lives and reach children who previously were beyond reach. In this fast-food society, veteran teachers are a reminder that no one is a fabulous teacher in the beginning. A person might be a wonderful second-year teacher, but no one is truly outstanding with only a year or two of classroom experience. It takes a lifetime to become a master instructor.

I am a fortunate teacher. I have been helped by colleagues, former students, celebrities, and the business world to create the magical classroom known around the world as Room 56. Every day is filled with happy moments as youngsters discover the best in themselves. On an almost daily basis I am visited by returning students who drop in to say thank you and share a laugh about a past adventure.

Even more rewarding, after an exciting day of teaching I get to go home to a woman I adore. We have been happily married for more than twenty years, have lovely children, and now grandchildren. I have done my best to give Barbara my love, good times, and a best friend.

But there is one thing she wants that I have never been able to deliver. My wife wants a new kitchen. We live in a beautiful home built in the 1930s. Barbara, the smart one in this marriage, bought the house when buying one was still possible. It is a beautiful place to live, but the kitchen is adequate at best. Barbara would love to remodel it with modern conveniences, but it hasn’t happened yet.

I am a public school teacher. I do not make a lot of money, and, in fact, am at the bottom of the salary scale for teachers in Los Angeles. A teacher can climb the pay-scale ladder by taking additional classes after school, in the evenings, on weekends, and even online, but I have chosen to spend those hours teaching. I am not complaining, and neither is my wife. But I know she would love a new kitchen.

Having put four kids through college and graduate school, we don’t have a lot of money left over for luxuries. We live a fairly simple life and rarely go out. Because we are careful, a little bit of money can be saved every year. By my calculation, if I can teach for about five hundred years we should have enough savings to get Barbara the new kitchen.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 24, 2014
Edition ‏ : ‎ Reprint
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0143125613
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0143125617
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 5.08 x 7.76 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #686,771 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,438 in Instruction Methods
- #3,472 in Education Theory (Books)
- #6,986 in Education Workbooks (Books)

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Rafe Esquith

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Rafe Esquith has taught at Hobart Elementary School in Los Angeles for twenty-four years. He is the only teacher to have been awarded the president's National Medal of the Arts. His many other honors and awards include the American Teacher Award, Parents magazine As You Grow Award, Oprah Winfrey's Use Your Life Award TM, and People magazine's Heroes Among Us Award.

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Customers find the book provides practical teaching lessons and is particularly valuable for new teachers. Moreover, the book is easy to read and serves as a useful resource for both current and aspiring educators. Additionally, the narrative style receives positive feedback, with one customer noting how the stories are linked together in a series of pertinent anecdotes.

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50 customers mention "Teaching style"50 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the teaching style of the book, which provides practical lessons and expert advice for the classroom, making it particularly valuable for new teachers.

"...I will indeed be purchasing this informative and concise book for my teacher friends as a gift, and I know quite a few teachers, who will enjoy it...." Read more

"...Teachers is an incredibly quick and easy read that was engaging and informative, though at times somewhat repetitive...." Read more

"Book #12 Read in 2016 Real Talk for Real Teachers by Rafe Esquith This was the book I read with a colleague for my professional goal...." Read more

"...Real Teachers contains a wealth of information and advice for teachers and potential teachers from a truly great teacher...." Read more

40 customers mention "Readability"38 positive2 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as an amazing and easy read that is particularly useful for both current and aspiring teachers.

"...I will indeed be purchasing this informative and concise book for my teacher friends as a gift, and I know quite a few teachers, who will enjoy it...." Read more

"...Real Talk for Real Teachers is an incredibly quick and easy read that was engaging and informative, though at times somewhat repetitive...." Read more

"...The title says it all...this book was real and teachers will be able to relate well to it...." Read more

"...Excellent book!" Read more

11 customers mention "Narrative style"11 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the narrative style of the book, finding it interesting and realistic, with one customer noting it features a series of pertinent anecdotes linked together.

"...The author's inspiring influence is motivating, and interesting...." Read more

"...Personal accounts of struggles that give some great ideas/suggestions. Highly suggest." Read more

"...middle school teacher of over 30 years, I found this book both interesting and thoughtful...." Read more

"...the 7 Habits," in that it's primarily a series of pertinent anecdotes linked together in aid of illustrating the author's points, which are..." Read more

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Author/Reviewer Geri Ahearn
"INSPIRING, UPLIFTING, AND FILLED WITH WISDOM!"
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2013
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

New York Times bestselling author of Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire, Rafe Esquith delivers another Masterpiece of wisdom for teachers. Through this award-winning author's career, he offers expert advice for the class-room from many years of experience. Rafe Esquith gives food for thought for all teachers, especially those who are teaching in their early years. The author's words of wisdom and advice are highlighted for those who struggle everyday in the class-room setting. After devoting 30 years to teaching, Rafe Esquith portrays his countless hours for dedication to students as he encourages different skills, and techniques. In addition, he gives advice for those teachers in midcareer, offering positive building blocks for education. As the author encourages teachers to cope with overwhelming challenges, he also compliments their efforts. Rafe Esquith defines the true value of good work, honesty, and courage in-and-out of the class-room atmosphere. Also, he offers practical advice and helpful tips for parents. The author's mission is to help students excel as he explains that passion and understanding are also important. The author's inspiring influence is motivating, and interesting. I wish his books were published when my children were young, because this book is an excellent guide for teachers, and parents. I will indeed be purchasing this informative and concise book for my teacher friends as a gift, and I know quite a few teachers, who will enjoy it. Helpful, educational, and encouraging. Highly recommended!

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25 people found this helpful

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Dwight Stevenson
Real Talk - Quick Read
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2013
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Having just completed a teacher preparation program and accepted my first teaching job beginning this fall; I'm one of those rookie teachers Rafe Esquith is speaking of in the subtitle of this latest work of his.

Real Talk for Real Teachers is an incredibly quick and easy read that was engaging and informative, though at times somewhat repetitive. Despite the occasionally echoed passage, Real Talk is a refreshing addition to the current conversation concerning teachers, education and education reform. He decries high-stakes standardized testing and the flavor of the month "game changing" standards while encouraging teachers to "stay emotionally strong" and giving practical advice and anecdotes about ways to avoid the demoralizing burnout that too many teachers suffer from.

I may not have agreed with everything that Mr. Esquith put forward in his book, but I found it on whole to be a valuable read to help me reflect on my own practice. Chapter five concerning what he calls the "Quiet Man Approach," and his highlighting his issues with classroom management techniques such as SLANT in Chapter 4 were some of those points of disagreement I found.

These two chapters, however, were followed up by my personal favorite chapter, one that I will likely be reading to myself over winter break, titled: "19th Nervous Breakdown." If there's only one chapter you read from this book, read chapter six.

My copy is already filled with notes in the margins and underlines having read through the lens of a first year teacher. I'm sure I'll read it again in a couple years a little less green with some experience under my belt and take something else away from it entirely.

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11 people found this helpful

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Melissa A. Palmer
I highly recommend it to my fellow teachers
Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2016
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Book #12 Read in 2016
Real Talk for Real Teachers by Rafe Esquith

This was the book I read with a colleague for my professional goal. The title says it all...this book was real and teachers will be able to relate well to it. Esquith is an award-winning teacher but he has not forgotten the way he felt as a new teacher, as a teacher 5-10 years into his career or as a veteran. The book is broken down in these three sections, with things to consider at the end of every chapter. Every teacher would be able to get something out of this book. I highly recommend it to my fellow teachers!

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2 people found this helpful

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David J. Wilson
Excellent but sobering advice for teachers and potential teachers
Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2013
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Real Talk for Real Teachers contains a wealth of information and advice for teachers and potential teachers from a truly great teacher. This stuff has obviously been tested "in the trenches", and should be helpful to teachers of all levels of experience. The book certainly gives a very clear picture of the trials and tribulations of being a public school teacher in the U.S. at the present time. In fact, after reading the book I found myself asking who in his right mind would even consider a career teaching in America's schools. Esquith makes it all too clear that teachers are beset by inept and insensitive administrators, by parents whose little darlings can do no wrong, by inadequate budgets, by politicians who seek political advantage by beating up on teachers, by the totally unrealistic goal of "no child left behind", by being held responsible for factors over which they have no control (poverty and disfunctional families), by inaccurate and unfair methods of teacher evaluation, and by often being treated with contempt by the media. Much of the book makes it all too clear that teaching is no longer a profession in the U.S., but a singularly unattractive job.

Esquith's description of his teaching activities, which have won him a number of prestigious and well-deserved awards, make it clear that great skill, massive effort, 60-hour work weeks, and luck can often produce astonishingly impressive results. Ordinary mortals, however, should certainly seek a different line of work, at least in the U.S.

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Amazon Customer
Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 1, 2018
Format: KindleVerified Purchase

Best book of all time!

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Debraj Sharma
Five Stars
Reviewed in India on November 27, 2014
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Inspirational for those who are committed to improving in the teaching profession.

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helen rutter
interesting
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 26, 2013
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
a little too American but interesting none the less. Teaching is always fun but there are techniques (& tricks) that make life easier.

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Real Talk for Real Teachers: Advice for Teachers from Rookies to Veterans: "No Retreat, No Surrender!" Paperback – June 24, 2014

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5.0 out of 5 stars "INSPIRING, UPLIFTING, AND FILLED WITH WISDOM!"

5.0 out of 5 stars Real Talk - Quick Read

4.0 out of 5 stars I highly recommend it to my fellow teachers

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent but sobering advice for teachers and potential teachers

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars

5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars

3.0 out of 5 stars interesting

"INSPIRING, UPLIFTING, AND FILLED WITH WISDOM!"

Real Talk - Quick Read

I highly recommend it to my fellow teachers

Excellent but sobering advice for teachers and potential teachers

Five Stars

Five Stars

interesting