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Summary: The SPECTACULAR Book Review
Review: The Spectacular Educating Esme Book Review In the book Educating Esme by Esme Raji Codell, a new light is shed on the world of teaching. A book that is intended for the ages of 12 and up, it is educational and humorous. One of the most important criteria to judge a book is to base it on whether the author is qualified to write it. Considering that it was based on Codell's first year of teaching, she was more than qualified to write the book since it was based off of her actual experiences. Being that I will be entering my first year of teaching soon, this opened my eyes to many things I have never considered, such as conflicts with the teaching staff, child abuse, and even child neglect. Codell created a true depiction of how much work is really behind the teaching profession, and did so in raw journal form. Educating Esme is a book that shows the highs and lows, the humor and sadness, and the rewards and stresses a dedicated teacher must encounter. I strongly recommend this book for all of those who intend to be a teacher.
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Summary: Educating Esme, A Good Read
Review: Educating Esme, A Great Read Educating Esme, from author Esme Codell is a must read for anyone who wants a humorous and realistic account of the classroom. All first year teachers should be encouraged to check this book out. Veteran teachers will relate to Esme and her predicaments.
Teachers in their first years will benefit from Esme's realistic look into the profession of teaching with exciting and creative ideas which will engage students of any age. Her no-nonsense approach to discipline in the classroom sets the tone for an ideal learning environment.
Veteran teachers will also appreciate Esme's sense of humor and candid look at administrators and colleagues. She finds out through experience what works and what doesn't as she interacts with the people she works with. Esme is direct and sometimes shocking with the way she handles situations.
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Summary: A QUICK READ
Review: This award winning author, Esme Codell, shares her personal story of being a first year teacher in an inner-city Chicago elementary school. Her story is filled with many trials and tribulations of her colleagues, her boss, her students, and her student's families. This honest journal will share her excitement for the job and the many reasons why teaching is so hard. I believe the book gives you great ideas to implement to any classroom. Esme wants you to take her ideas adapt them and incorporate them into your classroom or home environment. Her passion for reading is very clear and should inspire everyone who picks up the book. It is a page turner and you will read it one sitting. I highly recommend this book to any teacher, or anyone interested in our future of education in the United States.
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Summary: Excellent book
Review: I would recommend this book to anyone who would like a good laugh. Codell writes in diary form, each entry dated, her first year of teaching and all the experiences she gained. It is set in a fifth grade classroom in a Chicago public school. She talks about her encounters with parents, including B.B.'s mom who beats her son right in front of Esme. On May16, Asha brings her two-year-old brother to school because there is no one around to watch him. She talks about her many encounters with Mr. Turner, the school principal. Esme and Mr. Turner are in constant conflict over Esme having her students call her Madame Esme. Ironically, Mr. Turner is so concerned about her being called a more appropriate name; he calls her Miss Cordell, when her last name is Codell. Even though she has many barriers throughout her first year, she sees the many rewards of teaching and how the most difficult and strenuous situations can be the most rewarding.
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Summary: FABULOUS!
Review: This book is great! I only hope I will be half the teacher she is! Read it for a laugh or a cry, you will get both.
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Summary: Self-Absorbed....
Review: A quick read, less than 4 hours. Not much substance or recommendation. Just more a "story". If you are looking for advice or direction- this book will not help you clarify your goals.
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Summary: brilliant author
Review: This author is brilliant. Great writing style. Incredible ability to tell her story.
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Summary: Doesn't quite stand and deliver...
Review: As a teacher who spent her first years teaching in inner city schools, I was curious and excited to read Educating Esme. I was disappointed that there was less introspection and too much self-promotion. I would be angry if I had been another teacher at this school because by "Madame" Esme's accounts, she is the only one who is working there. Her approach to teaching works for her, and I admire this and enjoyed reading about it. She is inventive and creative and helped her students a great deal. But, just because other teachers and administrators did not praise her every second and did not agree with all of her methodology, I felt she labeled them "bad," and this is not always the case. Looking in is always an enlightening experience. I enjoyed looking into Esme's classroom and came away with many great teaching ideas. Where this book falls short is looking at the long-term effects and their fundamental causes. Maybe I'm just a big picture type of person, but I thought Esme came across as very self-absorbed. A fast read, I think the title is misleading--Esme seems to believe that she has all of the education she needs.
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Summary: A Winner!
Review: EDUCATING ESME is the journal of Esme Codell, a bright funny young woman who is hired in a new school in Chicago to teach fifth graders. She is not your typical teacher: She wears mini skirts, has a wild mane of red hair, insists on being called 'Madame Esme' and hates red tape of any kind. She makes enemies of her principal and vice principal.(The vice principal makes Esme help her move furniture, yet critques how Esme puts her furniture in her room, the principal looks on and doesn't help when Esme's field trip bus gets stoned by a neighborhood gang.) But the students love her and their grades go up. Yet, Esme still has good old fashioned spunk, and all through the book the reader is rooting for her. This book is terrific! Also recommended: THE LOSERS' CLUB by Richard Perez
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Summary: A self-promoting reflection
Review: Clearly, Esme' is a creative, enthusiastic and dedicated teacher. However, her credibility is questioned as she reviews her first teaching year knowing all the answers to motivating students, managing uncooperative parents, and working with "in-your-face-supervisors". Although many of her teaching experiences are worth sharing, "Madame Esme's" arrogance, not to mention her gratuitous expletives, render this an unprofessional account as to how a teacher ought to conduct herself.
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