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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)

183 ratings

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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 ‏ : ‎ 9.1 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 1 x 5.1 x 7.7 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,366,123 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,419 in Instruction Methods
- #3,539 in Education Theory (Books)
- #13,041 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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Teaching style Readability Narrative style

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.

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

"...I have found this series of book inspiring and have used information directly or modified in my room....for the better...." Read more

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

"...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

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.

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

"...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

"...Excellent book!" Read more

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

"...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

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

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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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Jeb Ale
a teacher I wish my kids had
Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2013
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
"How could this guy claim much credit for a student going to a good college? He's only a fifth-grade teacher!" I thought to myself when I heard him on the Bob Edwards radio. His distinguished awards and simply being on the show made me want to see what he has to say in this book, a book for teachers, not for parents like me with kids nothing like his students and schools that couldn't be more different than his. He teaches in a poor school in a big city.

What a book and what a teacher! I'm convinced he has every right to take credit for his students' success, even years or decades after fifth-grade. I wish my kids had teachers like him for a year or two. I wish I had a teacher like him when I was in elementary school. What's so special about him? He cares little about what scores a student gets on a standard test or how good the final show is. That all reflects that students do not come in equal. He instills in students the value "be nice", "work hard", and take charge of your own learning and life. They do. His goal is to help a student be the best person she can be and he refines his methods through years of experience, good and bad, and with dedication. It's unfair to ask teachers to devote so much time and energy to teaching, and that's not what this book suggests.

I highly recommend this book to any parents or anyone else.

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3 people found this helpful

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MS FACS teacher
the perfect shot in the arm
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2014
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I would recommend this book, and all of the others, to any teacher teaching any subject. I have found this series of book inspiring and have used information directly or modified in my room....for the better. This book was perfect for me right now because I am experiencing feelings of burn out and lack of appreciation. My passion for teaching was burning out and this book helped me to remember what is really important. I am on the road to recovery and my skills as a master teacher are being honed to an even higher level. It is nice to look back at comments about being a beginning teacher and a look ahead at the challenges of staying fresh and dedicated as an instructor. This book cover teaching from beginning to the challenges to staying fresh and innovative in a system that can and often does eat its best and brightest.

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3 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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5.0 out of 5 stars Real Talk - Quick Read

5.0 out of 5 stars a teacher I wish my kids had

4.0 out of 5 stars the perfect shot in the arm

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

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5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars

5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars

3.0 out of 5 stars interesting

Real Talk - Quick Read

a teacher I wish my kids had

the perfect shot in the arm

Excellent but sobering advice for teachers and potential teachers

Five Stars

Five Stars

interesting