[.ca] Educating Esmé: Diary of a Teacher's First Year (ISBN 1565122798)

From Amazon.com:
Esmé Raji Codell has written a funny, hip diary filled with one-liners and unadorned thoughts that speak volumes about the raw, emotional life of a first-year teacher. Like Ally McBeal in the classroom, the miniskirted and idealistic Codell sometimes fantasizes her career is a musical. Her inner-city Chicago elementary school fades to black as the lunch lady strikes an arabesque or a struggling student performs the dance of the dying swan, all set to her interior soundtrack. (Tina Turner's "Funkier Than a Mosquita's Tweeter" echoes whenever her idea-stealing, dimwitted principal harangues her.) She's a rash, petite, white lady who roller-skates through the halls and insists that her fifth-graders call her "Madame Esmé." But it's not all fun and games: she introduces us to children who fling their desks and apologize in tears, and at one point, after reporting a disruptive student to her mother, who subsequently thrashes the young girl, she dry heaves into her classroom's trash can. Codell's 24-year-old voice is loud and clear ("Serious gross out," she writes after the scorned principal hugs her), though, on the principle that kids say the darnedest things, she often simply repeats their comments for comic effect. She's got sass, maybe too much self-confidence at times, and though there's no deep introspection in Educating Esmé, you'll be convinced her 10-year-old charges emerge the better for knowing her. --Jodi Mailander Farrell

Witty, lacking substance:
Why should you read this book? It is a funny, quick read, about the ups and downs of being a first year teacher. Madame Esme has some great ideas for making her 5th grade classroom an exciting place to be a student. For those of us thinking of entering the teaching profession, she is inspiring: it is possible to be a witty, bright teacher set on doing what you feel is best for the students. We would all like to be a bit more like her, would we not? She has great ideas which she is capable of seeing through, even though she lacks support. Why should you approach this book with concern? Madame Esme, as she presents herself in her diary, shares more in common with college students than any of the professional teachers I have met. I hope she goes back into teaching and writes another book on the same subject after more becoming more mature. Afterall, what is she telling us? What are the real issues? I wish she had worried less about her name - who cares? - and more about the really important thing: teaching students in a system where all the odds are against the children within that system. While I realize that this is by no means a how-to book, I would prefer to spend my time reading from the diary of a witty professional who stayed in the system and learned from her first year.

Good, but not GREAT!:
Educating Esmé by Esmé Raji Codell is a diary of the author's trials and tribulations during her first year teaching. She learns that sometimes everyone doesn't like "her" way of doing things in this inner city Chicago school. She never gives up though, due to her extraordinary will to succeed. Madame Esmé, as she likes to be called, talks as though she is the only teacher in the school. She writes about being the only one in her school that really cares about the students, and she is the lone one who tries to connect with them. This book was good, but not great. I wouldn't read it again, and I would only recommend it to someone going into teaching. I believe that I wasn't too interested in it merely because I'm not into teaching. This book is full of details, but none seem to go anywhere. Nothing eventful happens in this book that makes readers want to keep going to find out what happens next; every event is predictable. Overall, I enjoyed the reading experience, but would not read this book again.

Educating Esme:
I read this book by the recommendation of my boyfriend and then it was used in two college courses for elementary education. It is fantastic!! I want to teach on the south side of Chicago and this book was an amazing insight into what one may or may not expect during their first year. Esme is amazing and talented and I already know that I will walk into my first classroom with a great deal of knowledge and a massive amount of ideas just from reading this book. I highly recommend this book to anyone heading into the teaching field or anyone how wants to read something enjoyable!

Educating Esme: Educating Me:
Educating Esme: Diary of a Teacher's First Year, by Esme Codell, is a book fulfilling its title. It provides a thoughtful witness to the experiences of a first year teacher thus providing a valuable reference for those ready to enter the field of education, or those contemplating a career in education. As a result, Educating Esme creates an atmosphere in which many of us can relate. Codell's reactions, both positive and negative, prove how a job can become a lifestyle-a specific way of thinking. Written in a journal format, Codell is able to convincingly write about her successes in her classroom and her disappointment as a teacher. She validates some of her successes when she acknowledges the achievements of her students after state testing. Time after time, Codell is concerned with her students. She brings them into her home, supplements classroom items wither her own money, and puts many hours into the events and activities in which her students benefit. I am discouraged that administration can stand in the way of such a creative spirit and can dampen such an outlook to the point of leaving the teaching field. I believe that many will benefit from her literature; however I feel saddened that countless students will not benefit from such a caring teacher. Despite the dismal outlook Codell expresses at times, her overall cheerful manner makes her private story an enjoyable read!

Educating Esme is perfect:
Educating Esme: Diary of a Teacher's First Year is one of the best books I have ever read. When I came to the end, I cried because it was over. Esme Codell is a defiant, tell-it-like-it-is, awe-inspiring, creative and brilliant first year teacher in an inner-city classroom of Chicago and gives her first-hand account of the ups and downs of her fifth grade class. The book is heartwarming and heartbreaking, laugh out loud funny and bring tears to your eyes sad, and above all else - inspiring. From someone who is currently applying for her first teaching position, I loved every word Esme put into her diary. I highly recommend this book to anyone!