Educating Esme: Diary of a Teacher's First Year

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Summary: If you have taught in an urban setting should read this book
Review: Having just completed my first year of teaching in Chicago Public Schools, I appreciate Esme Codell's view. I had a difficult administration, at risk students and no supplies and I had a wonderful year. Thank you for sharing the realities urban teachers face every day.

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Summary: Same old story
Review: Esme is witty and seems to be an exceptionally creative teacher, but the story she tells here is one we've heard before: bright and heroic teacher takes on idiotic and inept system. There is NO ONE in this book who seems to have a lick of sense outside of Esme and a couple of her students. All of the other characters are complete buffoons. I've taught for 16 years in an urban school system, and while I've seen my share of incompetent parents and educators, I have no illusions (as Esme seems to) that I'm the only one out here trying to do the right thing. If you're looking for light reading, this book might satisfy, but if you want a realistic look inside a school classroom, this isn't it.

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Summary: An honest and refreshing insight into the teaching professio
Review: You don't have to be a teacher to appreciate Esme's honest and candid insights into her day to day teaching experiences. With youthful enthusiasm she inspires her readers to approach life with the same vigor and honesty that she does. She lets you in on her successes and failures and the overwhelming pride in her accomplishments. Her humor is evident as is her witty thoughtfulness that she offers her own classroom.

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Summary: The best, most realistic book about teaching I've ever read
Review: I could not put this book down. This isn't fiction, and it's not "Mary Poppinish" - this is what teaching is like. Like Esme, I have days in which I love my students, and then I have days in which I nearly have to tape my mouth closed so that I do not say out loud what I'm thinking. I've dealt with inane and incompetent principals, confrontational parents, and some situations in which all I can do is laugh. If you've been there, you'll love this book. Esme says what we all think, but only wish we could verbalize. I only wish that the book had been twice as long. And, thank you, Esme, for enforcing in my mind that there can be a hilarious side to situations that could drive you nuts if you allow it.

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Summary: Cheer or jeer, this is a book that has teachers talking!
Review: Like Esme herself, this book invites controversy and discussion. Whether readers find themselves cheering aloud or shaking their heads in disbelief,there are no dull moments in these pages or in Esme's classroom. Recommended reading for experienced educators and novices alike.

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Summary: OK...
Review: I recently read through the book and found it interesting, although not "exceptional". If this is the definition of an "exceptional" teacher then I work with exceptional teachers every day. Granted, there are some that are not adequate, but most do the same (or similar) things mentioned in this book. This year was my first year to teach and while there are many challenges in teaching (as mentioned in this book), most teachers do rise to the challenge and are very creative. I thought the book was just an inside view of what goes on pretty much regularly in any school.

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Summary: Entertaining, but misses the mark
Review: A student of mine recently loaned this book to me and asked me to read it. Having taught for 30+ years in various school systems, I found myself questioning portions of this book. I much prefer recommending books that are more realistic for my students to read. I am now a professor in the College of Education department at a university and I would like to give the same advice to other students of education and beginning teachers that I gave to my student - read the book for entertainment, yes, but "take it with a grain of salt." This book is best suited for the fiction shelves.

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Summary: Should be a best seller...
Review: I'm not a teacher, I don't have kids, and I loved this book. If we truly learned everything we needed to know in kindergarten, we must have had Madame Esme as a teacher - and she taught 5th grade. A quick read, you will find the book a parable of "do unto others as you would have others do unto you" applied in full force. Very funny, interesting and full of stories that make great discussion topics at the next boring party you attend. Just the story about the solution to a youngster who told every one to "suck his d__k" at every turn, makes the book worth reading. Enjoy.

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Summary: Save Your Money
Review: I just didn't find this book "close to reality". It seems a bit too Mary Poppinsish. If you're looking for "real life", I suggest you go elsewhere.

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Summary: Inspiring, funny, and the truth of what it is like to teach
Review: This book is so funny and well written anyone would enjoy it. The positive features of this book don't stop there. The author is able to do something that so many other educators/writers fail to do. She is able to show what it is really like to be a teacher. She does this by hiding nothing. She lets out all of her successes, mistakes, frustrations, and joys. She is also honest about her colleagues and administrators. Most of all her excellence in the classroom will teach any educator good things to add to their classroom.