Educator Shares Teaching Secrets at Burton and Inglis Lecture

Rafe Esquith may be an ordinary guy, but he is no ordinary teacher.

For over 20 years, Esquith has taught fifth grade at the Hobart Boulevard Elementary School in Los Angeles, where many students begin school unable to speak English, all students receive free lunch, and 92 percent live below the national poverty level. But, Esquith's students also attend school six days a week, score in the top five to ten percent nationally in standardized tests, and go on to some of the best universities in the country.

On Tuesday, April 4, Esquith shared his secrets of success to a packed audience of educators at this year's Burton and Inglis Lecture,"Inspiring Our Students for Success: There Are No Shortcuts." But Esquith's secrets aren't really secrets at all. He'll tell you firsthand that tests aren't everything, homework isn't so important either, and that children don't work well in a classroom based on humility and fear.

"Kids in school are great," Esquith said. "We just have to get to them."

Esquith has received many tremendous honors including the 1992 National Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award, Disney's and Parents Magazine's top national teaching honors, Oprah Winfrey's Use Your Life Award, the 2003 National Medal of Arts, and recognition as an honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) from Queen Elizabeth.

However, all of these accolades mean very little, if nothing, to Esquith. "I'm proud that after 25 years I'm still a classroom teacher," he said, noting that his story proves that ordinary people can make a difference. However, Esquith insisted that teachers need to think big, break a few rules, and stick to their guns to make a difference in their careers.

One of Esquith's key rules is to never ask for permission. When he first decided to teach Shakespeare to children after school, it angered parents and many administrators-one who urged him to teach students something academic instead. So, he obliged and produced Thornton Wilder's Our Town. After the performance, a school district supervisor complimented him on the show and commented that it was the best she'd ever seen Shakespeare done. From that point on, he learned that it's much better to take the risk and ask for forgiveness later.

 I'm proud that after 25 years I'm still a classroom teacher.

So, he started teaching Shakespeare. As a result of going against the grain, he established the Hobart Shakepeareans, a group of his students who perform Shakespeare's work through performance, song, and discussion around the world.

Esquith didn't stop there, he raised the bar even more. He started dedicating his recess hour to teaching students classical guitar; he started taking students on trips to places like Washington D.C. and New York City with money out of his own pocket; and he began teaching his students algebra.

"If you set a big table, there's a better chance a kid's going to find something he wants to eat. Don't let the school system limit you," he said. "Quietly rebel."

For anyone who questions Esquith's teaching methods or doesn't believe it works, he brought seven of his own students to demonstrate their abilities at HGSE. The students bravely played Vivaldi on classical guitar having only learned it hours before. The students didn't think twice about performing and dissecting Shakespeare's work in front of the group of Harvard faculty members and students-many who nodded their heads with approval.

Afterward Esquith pointed out that although the students made mistakes, everyone recognized that they also kept going. Just like Esquith, who said he fails every day as a teacher, but he always keeps going and trying harder.

So Esquith's real secret is he believes in children. And they clearly believe in him.