24. Dear Friends in Thailand
I might be the world’s luckiest teacher. The President of the United
States, Queen Elizabeth II, the Dalai Lama, and celebrities all over the world
have honored me. My three books have been studied by over a million readers.
However, I am most proud of still being an actual classroom
teacher. I am about to begin my 29th year at Hobart Elementary School in
Los Angeles, and have no plans to go anywhere else.
As a United States citizen living near Hollywood, it is impossible
not to notice the many movies made about teachers. These films are rarely
accurate, relating stories of amazing people who save every child.
Someone has to tell the truth. Teaching is a very difficult job. Real
teachers fall flat on their faces all the time despite their best efforts. I fail
more often than succeed. But I never surrender. We must be the people
we want the children to be. If we give up, we do not have the right to
tell a child to keep trying. I continue to teach every day, and try to set an
example for my students.
I am currently sitting in Room 352 in a small hotel where my
students and I are on the road visiting a Shakespeare Festival. The children
spent the morning reading, and now are spending the afternoon playing
baseball, swimming, and relaxing. Tonight we will sit under the stars to watch
a performance of Julius Caesar at a place called the Oregon Shakespeare
Festival.
At Hobart Elementary School in Los Angeles very few of the kids
find success. Only 30% of the students even finish high school, and almost
none of them complete college. Poverty, racism, and an apathetic society
often defeat them before they ever have a chance to get started. My students,
however, attend the finest universities in the world and finish what they start.
In this book I have tried to share some of the things I have
found successful in working with these wonderful young people. However,
every teacher is different. Our situations are not the same, and we all have
different philosophies.
But I know this much is true. We want the kids to commit to
education. Then we as teachers have to commit to educating. I am never
25. leaving the classroom, and the kids know it. Perhaps you will find some
ideas in this book that you can use.
We teachers cannot make children smarter or better. But we can
open doors to create opportunities for students. We can show them ways to
improve their lives, and give them the tools to get to places they choose to go.
When you have bad days, and we all have them, I hope some of
the ideas here help you remember that this is a very long journey. If we
can present a consistent message of joy, hard work, and kindness, our kids
can reach heights that were once considered unattainable.
We must remember that in our test-obsessed world, the real
measure of our work is not some exam we give at the end of the year, but
to see where our kids are ten years after they have left our classrooms. We
need to teach skills that the kids will not simply use in our schools but for
the rest of their lives.
This preface must be kept short. The sun is going down. In a few
minutes, the children will gather to watch a play. They will learn about language.
They will also learn how to conduct themselves in a theater, because they
are considerate of other people. The students will plan their meals carefully
in order to feel healthy as they watch the show. These kids will go to sleep
right after the play in order to prepare for tomorrow’s activities. Some kids
will do better than others. But all will get an opportunity to learn tonight.
When they don’t, I will be there for them tomorrow to help them to learn
from their mistakes.
We can always improve. We are never done. It is exciting to know
that my next twenty-eight years in the classroom will be even better than
my first twenty-eight.
Let us all try to grow and be even more effective teachers. The
children are watching us. They will follow our lead.
Your students are lucky to have you. Let us all continue to be
the best leaders we can be.
Rafe Esquith
July 2011