Educating Esme: Diary of a Teacher's First Year

Rating:
Summary: Awesome first person account!
Review: I read this book for an introduction to education class (a prerequisite for admission to the school of education) and fell in love with it almost immediately. Esme's description of the classroom and learning to teach your class based on their abilities and interests completely changed my outlook on becoming a teacher. I won't get my degree for another two years, but this book has already impacted how I act around the kids I work with in summer camp and the kids in the afterschool program that I work for.

Rating:
Summary: Not just for teachers
Review: This book was a perfect summer lighthearted pleasure. I've bought the book in a checkout line of my local bookstore, and was pleasantly surprised. Esme is wonderful, funny, and real. There is just something very simple and touching about Esme and her kids, the way she teaches, and the way she always falls on her feet. I am not a teacher, and the book was still inspiring. It reminds you that building a time machine out of an old box can make a difference when infused with enough passion. Reading Esme was like Bridget Jones without the cynicism.

Rating:
Summary: A Must for Anyone in the Education Field
Review: This is the most amazing book. It was required reading for an education course I took, and I have read it about 10 times since then. Esme is honest and has wonderful ideas and philosophies. I love how she stands up to the administration! All this and she's only a first year teacher!

Rating:
Summary: Honest and inspiring
Review: This is an honest and heartfelt look at a teacher's first year. I read it before I started teaching and it inspired me and prepared me for what was to come. Ms. Codell is a very dedicated teacher, and she is able to recognize the humor and tragedy in everyday situations. She doesn't sugarcoat the truths about schools, administrators, and society, but instead tells it like it is through the eyes of someone who hopes it can be better. I still open it and refer to it when I need ideas or a little perspective. I would reccommend it to teachers and non-teachers alike.

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Summary: I was there too!...
Review: I also taught with Esme. I loved her book. I thought it was hysterical. Never did I find Esme to be hurtful to special needs students. That is not her nature. She liked kids. She invited them to her house. She still sees some of her former students. If you want to pick on her for her story slant, fine. But don't pick on her for picking on kids. It didn't happen.

Rating:
Summary: Better than The Nanny Diaries
Review: If you liked The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus you will love this book! It is really, really funny and much better written. It is the same subject of the struggle to give kids the care they deserve. Both books are great for book clubs.

Rating:
Summary: Funny and wise
Review: Esme's story is laugh-out-loud funny and is for anyone who teaches or values public school today. Besides telling a wonderful tale of teacher versus psycho principal (and what teacher hasn't met one of those?), Esme offers a fresh view of what school SHOULD be with ideas for both new and veteran teachers. Would make a terrific gift.

Rating:
Summary: WONDERFULLY WRITTEN
Review: This book is great for first year teachers to read! The events that take place in this book are so realistic. This book truly opened my eyes to challenges that can occur in the classroom! I recommend this book to anyone who is or is planning to teach!

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Summary: Educating EVERYONE!
Review: Educating Esme is a fantastically funny, engaging, and sadly "real" book about teaching today. I laughed and cried as I read this fast-read book. It is a must read for all teachers and parents of elementary-aged children. Esme's realistic anecdotal records of her teaching experiences in a public school will open eyes to what is "really" happening in the schools. If you have ever wondered about public education and what teachers endure as public "servants," then read Educating Esme. You will see firsthand what teachers face on a daily basis. Scary, but true!

Rating:
Summary: Inspiring, to say the least
Review: I am a first year teacher and have found more support and inspiration in this book than any so far. It is a wonderful account of what can be done and should be done. It is a source of strength and motivation for those who teach in a unconventional way. A success story with a realistic approach that with lift your spirits and push you forward. A must have for all those who are determined to find a better way of teaching and learning.