Rafe Esquith
Rafe has two books. There Are No Shortcuts and Teach Like Your Hair’s On Fire. In his books he writes about several things that have made his students successful. I have to admit that when I first started to read these books, I was put off by the idea that if you don’t devote every waking minute, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to your students, then you are not doing everything you can. But as I read further, I found a few things that were worth reflecting on.
- Most classrooms are managed by fear. The teacher is afraid of looking bad, not being liked, not being listened to, not having their students achieve the way they should, or of losing control.
- The students are even more afraid of being scolded, humiliated, getting bad grades, or facing their parents.
- Teachers should replace fear with trust. Create an environment where the students can trust the teacher and visa versa.
- Be dependable. If you say you are going to do a project you must follow through. If you are not you lose the trust the students have in you.
- Practice logical discipline. The punishment should fit the crime. If a student is not following directions they should not be able to continue with the project.
- Be a role model. Your students are watching you all the time. Make sure what you are modeling sends the message that you wish to send. Some of our actions send the message that our students or our lessons are not the priority. If they are not our priority why should they be our students’?
- If you become angry over the little things, the bigger issues are never addressed. Be careful what you choose to discipline. Make sure what you say and do is getting your message across.
- The teacher may lead the class, but the students determine if a class is outstanding or mediocre.
I’d like to hear what you have to say about some of these ideas. Is there a time when you felt that you accomplished one of these ideas? Or, maybe one of these practices is something you would like to try more of. Let me know what you think.
May 14th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
I thought the point you shared about managing a classroom out of fear was right on. Human nature is such that we don’t want to look bad in front of anyone. Trust is so important. I wonder if there are teachers who trust their students to help them look good. If that trust or expectation were established, then discipline issues would probably go down.
May 22nd, 2009 at 8:24 am
Carmon you are awesome! I really want to learn how to do this. I would like to have a blog to keep parents informed about what their kids are doing in math class. Would this be a good way to do it?
May 22nd, 2009 at 8:25 am
Great
May 22nd, 2009 at 8:25 am
I like the point of being a role model, even when we think the kids are not watching, listening, or paying attention, they really are.
May 22nd, 2009 at 8:25 am
Awesome work Carm!
May 22nd, 2009 at 8:26 am
I really liked the point you made that said, “The teacher may lead the class, but the students determine if a class is outstanding or mediocre.” This is very true.
May 22nd, 2009 at 8:26 am
I love the idea/concept that you must model the behaviors that you want the kids to emulate. Without a positive role model, the kids will not know what it is that you expect.
Additionally, if the kids do make a poor choice in their behavior, they should be disciplined based on that action but that punishment should be a fair and consistent application for each student, regardless of any past experiences.
May 22nd, 2009 at 8:26 am
Blogerific!!
May 22nd, 2009 at 8:31 am
a little fear is good for the soul!
May 22nd, 2009 at 8:32 am
This is cool! I really think I want to do this for the summer reading thing – AND maybe….. next year my classes as well. You are going to be so sick of me!!!!!
Thanks so much for all you do! I am so glad you’re here at WMS with me and hope you get to be here at least the same amount next year if not MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think we’ve just hit the tip of the iceburg this year.
May 22nd, 2009 at 8:33 am
I meant to say BLOGGING is cool! The books is aw’right… hahaha!
May 22nd, 2009 at 10:03 am
I like the sound of this book. However, I don’t agree with the statment that youshould be commited to your teaching 356 days a year. You can get your lessons across and still have some time to breath. I also think that you will be more busy during the school year than during the summer. rh
May 22nd, 2009 at 12:10 pm
I read the book “Teach Like Your Hair is On Fire.” I agree that you should work on getting them to trust you and being honest with them helps. I also think you should give it your all-and then the students will give it their all also.
May 22nd, 2009 at 12:12 pm
I’ve read “… Hair on Fire”. I also don’t agree with everything he says. I firmly believe that the teacher is the one who sets the tone for the class. Their choice of activities and presentation methods determines the levels of student involvement.
May 22nd, 2009 at 12:12 pm
All of the points noted in you review make sence to me.
May 22nd, 2009 at 12:13 pm
I do not agree with the 5th bullet.
May 22nd, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Consistancy with procedures and discipline gives students their limits and expectations. A few initial reeinforcements means less trouble for the rest of the year.
May 22nd, 2009 at 12:14 pm
This idea is interesting.
May 22nd, 2009 at 12:14 pm
I agree that we need to be models for our students. When my students do sustained silent reading, I read as well. I feel that the students need to see me read and then they see I mean what I saw; independent silent reading is important. If I am trying to wrap up something (attendance, etc.), some students may hesitate to begin reading until I do. Students look to teachers for models whether we realize it or not.
May 22nd, 2009 at 12:15 pm
my thought on the following information i read is..
as a teacher should be yourself.. dont try to act or be somebody else.. kids can an will see through you if your not yourself..
May 22nd, 2009 at 12:16 pm
I went through the “not being liked” stage when I first started teaching. It’s hard to teach kids that don’t like you, so you try to be as likeable as you can be. But it always backfires, because then the kids take advantage of you. Instead of having a classroom full of kids who think you’re the greatest, you get a classroom full of kids with behavior problems. It ends up being more stressful on you as a teacher because the kids are misbehaving.
Now, at the beginning of each year, I wait at least a month before I smile or joke around with the kids, so that they know that I am their teacher and that they must respect me. Then my rules are set and they know I mean business, and after that is when I start letting up and being myself. Works like a charm
May 22nd, 2009 at 12:17 pm
I think we need to encourage the students to find the “good” or positive points in everything, like you did with the book.
May 22nd, 2009 at 1:39 pm
I agree with the point you shared about trust being an important aspect in the classroom. For many of these students, teachers may be the only people in their lives who they can actually trust. It is very important to establish a classroom environment where the students can trust the teacher.
May 22nd, 2009 at 1:40 pm
I agree about the fear factor. We have to scare away the fear and build the trust.
May 22nd, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Having read Teach like your Hair’s on Fire, I agreed with many of Rafe’s comments. He clearly teaches in a very different environment than ours in terms of what he is able and/or allowed to do with his students, but many of his basic ideas are very accurate. The idea of making consequences fit the transgresson is an excellent approach to discipline.
May 22nd, 2009 at 1:46 pm
The foundation to a successful and safe learning environment is a mixture of a solid foundational management framework combined with actively engaging instructional practices – this exert on building trust between the teacher and his or her students is a key component in this process.