Educating Esme by Esme Raji Codell

My sister bought me this book on our last trip to Powell's before I came to Okinawa. It took me a while to get around to, but once I started, it was quickly devoured. =) It was a fun and thought-provoking book for me.

Here are some of my favorite quotes:

"So much of teaching is sharing.... You can't test what sort of teacher someone will be, because testing what someone knows isn't the same as what someone is able to share."

On the efforts of a curriculum expert from the board of education: "Only, I wonder if he can see that the efforts to try to regulate teaching could limit learning as much as ensure it."

"Children rise to meet our expectations, good or bad."

"I look around and see that even grown-ups are really children, making mistakes and needing love."

To a misbehaving student: "You think you're not telling me about your problems, but you're showing me, everyday, and in every way. The problems aren't going to leave until you start talking about them."

"But certain people just think it's their job to freak out. As long as they're freaking out, they feel busy, like they must be doing work. Getting upset is force, but no motion. Unless we are moving the children forward, we aren't doing work."

She is a bold, vivacious teacher and it was fun to read her own story.