Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful work, but...
Review: I admire the author. He has an intense dedication to his students. However, having read the book during my second year of teaching, I can tell you that a teacher should not have to sacrifice his/her life to be successful. I hope other teachers of low income children do not feel guilty that their eleven hour days do not stack up to the insane number of hours this teacher spends on his children.
Rating: 
Summary: Very uplifting and insightful!
Review: I did think the book would give me more guidelines, but it did help me see better into the education system especially since I am only going into my 2nd yr of teaching! I think it was helpful and I took notes on many things! Every teacher or person in education should read it!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Rafe is for real.
Review: I earned my teaching credential at the same time as did Rafe, twenty years ago at UCLA. I did not know him personally. But even then, his teaching was extraordinary. Over the years, I have read with deep respect of the exceptional work he has done. Twenty years ago, Rafe was passionate about teaching and zealous about earning success for his students. And now? He remains just as passionate, just as zealous. The question remains how such commitment can become embedded in a school culture. Rafe claims that more money won't make better schools. With this I disagree. While a man of Rafe's intense commitment is rare in any profession, teaching would attract and retain stronger candidates if it offered salaries commensurate with the training and hard work we seek in teachers. I also believe that people in LAUSD are as much victims as perpetrators of bureaucratic stupidity. LAUSD is positively byzantine, and embeds in its employees a defensiveness and territoriality which are difficult to resist. Rafe is not untypical of those teachers who buck that system: they pay their dues, get tenure, and then do the kind of job kids deserve. That said, there's a certain amount of good fortune in Rafe's story. I know other excellent teachers who had less luck, and who became increasingly defensive and private as the years rolled on. The first reviewer rightly noted (with what I presume to be a jealous colleague's bile) that Rafe toots his own horn. Well, good for him. The 90s have left a legacy of "autobiographies" ghost written for high-flying CEOs impressed to death with their own cleverness. As their companies collapsed in the 1990s, their books have rightly become objects of scorn. Rafe's been doing a great job for many years, and for a salary no greater than that of his less competent detractors. As for as I'm concerned, he's earned the right to blow his horn just as loud as he wants. In sum: this is a story of how one individual can make things go right in the lives of students. Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: Buy this book NOW!!!
Review: I find that on days when I am beaten down and just plain exhausted, I benefit from stories of people who have been even more tired and beaten down than I am and who have prevailed. And if they have prevailed in service of other people, that will cure me of any self-pity and lack of motivation that I might be brewing. Rafe Esquith has written such a book. I read this book and found myself moved to tears, over and over again. He doesn't flinch at revealing his own flaws and faults; we don't read the story of Mother Teresa of primary education. Instead we read the story of a man who has the same problems we all do: he doesn't make enough money, he is crabby sometimes when his car breaks down and he gets caught in the rain, he is hurt by angry words and takes that out on people inappropriately... But the thing is, he is also responsible for his own actions and apologizes when its appropriate, and moves mountains, every day, one stone at a time. In the face of discouragement, and boredom and apathy, he sticks with it. This book will lift your spirits, motivate you to achieve great things in your own life, and most importantly, inspire you to try to improve the world, even if that turns out to be in the smallest of ways. It makes you aware of your obligations to other people. I read this book and thought, 'I AM my brother's keeper and thank god for that.' Read this book and buy a couple more for your friends. I did. Christmas is coming! It's a book they'll treasure always.
Rating:
Summary: A Responsive Genuine Author
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Inspiration for everyone who wants to see kids succeed
Review: I picked up this book at the local library, simply because I'm in my third year of college as an elementary education major, and I like to read all I can about education. Rest assured, this book will be inspirational for all young teachers out there who are scared and nervous. In "There Are No Shortcuts," I finally got to read positive things about teachers. This is definitely not a "how-to book," but I don't think it's intended to be. This book is meant to inspire parents who want to help their children succeed. It is meant for teachers who have to deal with so many headaches that teaching may not seem worth it. I found this to be a quick read, and I would highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Not quite what I expected . . .
Review: I really wanted to like this book. I picked it up on the book store after scanning some of the passages and finding them inspiring. And I did find some of the story inspiring. But, the more I read, the more I got a negative sense about this guy. He doesn't seem to understand boundaries. It's subtle at first, with his students calling him "Rafe." Then it becomes so obvious with all the examples about the student confusion. Students at this age need to know where the boundaries of parents, teachers, coaches, etc. are, so they can feel comfortable where they are and safe pushing those boundaries and developing into healthy adults whether it be academically, personally or both. "Rafe" never seemed to learn this, even after his experience with the "Musketeers." I found myself wanting to tell him to go to therapy instead of looking to Atticus to help him solve his problems.
Rating:
Summary: An inspiration to all of us who dare to teach.
Review: I truly enjoyed Mr. Esquith's book. As a teacher myself, I am inspired by his devotion and philosophy on nurturing our future generation. The book portrays anecdotes of frustrations experienced by many great teachers. This book is the advocate of those who dare to go above and beyond the call of duty in the classroom. Bravo Mr. Esquith! Continue your extraordinary work!
Rating: 
Summary: A different point of view
Review: I was a student at this jungle school. I resent our school being referred to as the jungle. We had caring administrators and other wonderful teachers besides Mr. Esquith, who happened to be my teacher in 5th grade. I started the GATE program as a 3rd grader so I had two other great teachers before him. I am sorry to see that he does not give credit to other teachers who have also prepared and nurtured me to become who I am today.
When I was in his class, I have learned many wonderful things and I did like the economy system. However, my parents did not like it when I brought Rated R movies to watch to write a review to get extra points. He has many Rated R movies in his class. My parents are Catholic and they didn't like some of his ways. However, because they don't speak English, they trusted him to teach me well. I was also saddened when I couldn't go on trips because I didn't have the money. Even though people think he gets a lot of money from his foundations and from Oprah, we still had to pay hundreds of dollars. This is my dad's one month salary. One of the girls mentioned in the book, Joann, had parents who are millionaires with many businesses so she got to go on all the trips. Another girl he mentions in the book as being the sweetest is also lucky because her parents often donate money to his foundation and invites him over to her rich neigborhood home. I respect Mr. Esquith and he has given me opportunities. However, it was not an equal opportunity for all children.
Rating:
Summary: A Man In Search Of His Self-Worth
Review: I was extremely disappointed with this book. Instead of characterizing Mr. Esquith as a teacher who is committed to his students and their success, I would describe him as someone who never really felt good about himself unless he could present a list of accomplishments to you.
Mr. Esquith's approach to teaching is unusual, and most definitely impractical for most teachers and schools districts. If you read the book, you will come to understand that he has ready access to his school year-round, since the district is on a year-round teaching schedule. Therefore, the physical buildings are open when his class is on vacation, and he can utilize the facility for continued education of his students. Very few teachers can do the same. It is also apparent that Mr. Esquith has no personal life - his entire world is that school. Now I wouldn't knock that necessarily for a celibate monk, but this man is married and has children - what kind of lesson is he teaching his students about the value of marriage and children by staying away from his own?
I also perceived a move toward a specific selection of students, and gifted ones at that. He clearly states in the book that teachers from his school would choose students to be in his class because they thought these kids had the best chance of overcoming the many obstacles of the neighborhood. Nowhere did I find a statement that his classes were just a "roll of the dice". So he is clearly working with some advantages here, not the least of which is parental support.
Mr. Esquith also has no discussion of working with kids who have significant learning differences, and how he handles that. He only slightly mentions giving an easier part in the Shakespeare play to a kid who is shy or cannot read as well. What would he do with a child who cannot hear half the phonetic sounds, and so has great difficulty reading? What does he do with kids who have dysgraphia and cannot write the many compositions he talks about?
I also noticed that his "dinners out" never contained all of his class. 15 out of 40 kids is less than 50% of the class. Yes, he mentions that some kids are not ready to go out, YET. And that is true. But, does he select the diners or are they the kids who are available to go? I wondered a lot about that, because he always made his outings sound as if it were his entire class.
Speaking of his fellow teachers, I found his attitude toward them extremely arrogant and rude. Yes, there are some very incompetent teachers out there. But, his philosophy seemed to be that if you as a teacher were not putting in 14 hour days, 6 days a week, 50 weeks a year, then you were scum. Would he have a teacher who is a single mother keep the same schedule? Would he have a teacher who has a new baby follow his lead? Would he classify an excellent teacher who had fibromyalgia and could not keep such a grueling schedule as a slacker? His attitude was definitely not very generous or kind, despite his continued attempt to convince the reader of his amazing kindness! By the way, I am a parent, not a teacher, and I have seen plenty of bad teachers, but also many excellent ones, and they did not keep the same kind of schedule.
It should also be pointed out that he is giving his services away for free - the parents have free daycare for the extra time he spends with them, free tutoring, free everything. I do not begrudge them that at all - families in poverty deserve all of that and more. BUT, by providing all of those services for free, he enables the very system he blasts to continue to treat teachers as slave labor. So it is not as wonderful as he makes it out to be, because it perpetuates low salaries for teachers, which in turn prevents excellent people from entering/staying in the profession because they can't afford to teach and feed their families. And yes, teaching is a ministry, and so should not go to the highest bidder, but you have to be somewhat realistic.
The issue of liability crossed my mind several times as well as I read. How many school districts would allow a teacher to take students out by him/herself? That's a scary thought as the truth of sexual abuse toward children is revealed in various aspects of our society.
Esquith has some good points, but they are so far buried under his drive to prove to himself (and perhaps his late father) that he is a valuable human being, that they get lost. He pats himself on the back way too much for my taste.
I also did not get any sense that he teaches his kids about service to others. There was a little bit in the book, but his focus is truly self-achievement, measured by how much stuff he can cram into their little heads in one year. Achievement and value for just being is a fine balance, but Esquith never really discusses that. In some ways, his students seemed to me to be not clearly individuals valued for themselves, but commodities he needs to makes himself a success. Yikes.
I would love to have seen some statistics on his classes' future successes, as well as immediate successes. How many eventually drop out of school vs. how many go to college and complete it? I suppose, though, that he would only take credit for the successes, and place the blame for the failures on his successors.
In the end, I think the lesson his kids learn is that they are valuable not for themselves as people, but for what they DO. And that is a very dangerous lesson to teach;it gets us into all kinds of trouble on down the road.
Go read Dr. Mel Levine if you want to learn about kindness,the amazing qualities of kids as kids, and helping kids to succeed at school. His books are way more practical and grounded.
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