Teach like your hair’s on fire: The methods and madness inside Room 56
Teach like your hair’s on fire: The methods and madness inside Room 56 is a book by one of America’s celebrated educators known as Rafe Esquith. He tells the story of his teaching career in an exceptional classroom known as Room 56, which is located in a Los Angeles neighborhood, one plagued with guns, gangs, and drugs. He narrates how his students are first-generation immigrants who not only live in poverty but also English is a second language to them. However, despite the challenges, they perform exemplary and go on to attend Ivy League universities. This was no mean fete, which, Esquith attributes to the two mottoes he introduced to the students which are; ‘Be Nice, Work Hard’ and ‘There are No Shortcuts’. This paper will critically evaluate the purpose of this book and whether it has achieved it and whether the book relates to my personal experience upon reading its contents.
Rafe Esquith wrote the book, with a purpose of creating a teaching guide for other instructors, and instilling in them the idea that being an exceptional teacher, can be achieved with the realization that nothing else but the students’ matter. Being one of the celebrated teachers in America, he was encouraged to leave the classroom in a bid to help other instructors; however, he had no interest in abandoning his kids. Consequently, he wrote the book Teach like your hair’s on fire: The methods and madness inside Room 56, which he notes that it applies to both parents and teachers. In the book, Esquith says, “And yet we have created a different world in Room 56. It is a world where character matters, hard work is respected, humility is valued, and support for one another is unconditional.” There are several ideas from the book that many educators are adopting across the globe, a clear indication that the book’s purpose is being achieved.
Esquith is a great teacher and his kids have gained a lot from him. Notably, of interest to me is his methods of disciplining the children. He employs Kohlberg’s six stages of moral development, a discipline style that I agree with befits children and one that works. I admire his dedication to his students, encouraging them to not only learn the basics but also drama, music, sports coupled with yearly trips to places such as Disneyland and Shakespearean Festival. However, the whole idea that a teacher’s life begins and ends in a classroom is not convincing to me. In the book, he says, “I have spent the majority of my time in a tiny, leaky classroom in central Los Angeles” and “… good friends of mine have not been so gentle, going as far as to label me quixotic at best and certifiable at worst,” which clearly shows that his life revolved around the classroom. I believe there should be some moderation, and teachers can be equally devoted to their students and still manage to have a personal life without having to feel guilty about it.
Esquith is a great teacher who worked hard to ensure students from one of the toughest neighbourhood in Los Angeles went on to become the best version of themselves. This, however, does not relate with my personal experience whereby, albeit I had good teachers the dedication could not equate to that of Esquith. Nevertheless, I was encouraged to do my best, and the trips to various cities were of great importance as they exposed to the many possibilities the world has to offer and encouraged me to dream big.