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Educating Esmé: Diary of a Teacher's First Year
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
Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 1999
About the author
Esmé Raji Codell
23 books149 followersEsme Raji Codell is the recipient of a prestigious James Patterson Pageturner Award for spreading the excitement of books in an effective and original way. She has been a keynote speaker for the International Reading Association and the American Library Association, a “virtual” keynote for the National Education Association’s “Stay Afloat!” online conference for first-year teachers, and a featured speaker at the National Museum for Women in the Arts. She has appeared on CBS’s The Early Show, CNN, C-SPAN, and NPR, among other media outlets across the country. The author of How to Get Your Child to Love Reading, as well as five award-winning books for children, Esmé runs the popular children’s literature website and the unique literary salon, PlanetEsme.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 735 reviews
August 2, 2009
This book really annoyed me.
It is, as it says, the "Diary of a Teacher's First Year", and it sounds like in her first year, Madame Esme (as she insists on being called, a source of endless and essentially pointless conflict with her principal), is a really fabulous teacher. She dreams up and flawlessly executes all kinds of spectacularly innovative and effective lessons. Her students love and respect her. She gets grants. She wins awards. She improves test scores.
And that's where this book just loses me.
Where does this 24 year old with no experience get the self-confidence to stand up to her administrators so cockily day after day, and each time with zingers worthy of a sitcom writer? Why does she seem to need no help or advice, but instead to be so creative and resourceful that she can do the instructional equivalent of leaping tall buildings in a single bound every day? Why do her students exist solely as funny or touching anecdotes that generally serve to show how totally awesome she is? And how does she find the time for all of those bulletin boards? I just don't believe that Madame Esme could possibly be as great as she clearly believes she is.
My experience of being a first year teacher, and those of my many friends with whom I endlessly discuss classroom highs and lows-- even though some of us have been out of the classroom for several years-- was one of a bottomless pit of insecurity, a never-ending fear that your inexperience and idealistic zeal were shortcomings that were hurting the children you came more and more to love every day. I felt like these inner-city children were entrusted to me to be my guinea pigs-- their educations handed over to my care so I could experiment with them and maybe come up with a successful teaching method here and there along the way. Countless lessons that I thought out carefully and put hours of loving creative energy into were total flops and left me with a classroom full of fidgety bodies and blank or confused eyes.
Yes, some of the lessons clicked-- I will always remember the thrill of realizing that I had finally actually eliminated run-on sentences from my children's writing or the way that all of the children started calling the bathroom "the loo" because they were tickled by our read-aloud book ( Roald Dahl's Boy)-- but for each success I am haunted by endless failures-- sweet, little Randy who stared at me with dark serious eyes, ringed by the longest lashes, reminded me, his husky little voice, dripping with concern as he urged me not to strain my voice by yelling during the week I came in with laryngitis, the way he read so fluently and beautifully, with inflection and emotion, but failed every single spelling test and writing assignment that I gave because he wrote by grouping letters together in completely random strings that meant absolutely nothing, I never got anywhere with addressing what was clearly a serious learning disability of some sort. And I worry about him and feel guilty about letting him slip through even now, 8 years later. There were so many kids and so many problems and I had so little support.
And this is where my problems with Educating Esme lie. Esme identifies tons of very real problems that are detrimental to our children's educations-- the poverty, violence, and fear that mar their unstable home lives day after day, the gangs that provide them with a sense of belonging and importance and rob them of their true potential and opportunity, educators who lack vision and creativity-- but she makes it sound like with a little hard work and some chutzpah she managed to turn it all around. She never points the finger at herself or identifies any shortfalls in her own classroom. I think this creates a myth that does a disservice to all of the hard-working teachers out there who do so much with so little and don't see any progress.
Yes, having smart innovative people working in our classrooms is important and they can do incredible things, but they cannot single-handedly overcome an education system that is broken. The problems in our classrooms are just too big for one twenty-something with an over-developed sense of her own importance to tackle. And in the end Esme's ego gets in her way. And in the end she lasts through just one year before she takes a cushy suburban job where she still feels under-appreciated. This book seemed like Esme patting herself on the back for managing to survive one year of the substandard system that rules the entire lives of too many American children. And possibly conveniently forgetting any rookie mistakes she might have made. She minimizes the difficulties that our teachers face and maximizes her own brilliance. But it is entertaining reading.
It is, as it says, the "Diary of a Teacher's First Year", and it sounds like in her first year, Madame Esme (as she insists on being called, a source of endless and essentially pointless conflict with her principal), is a really fabulous teacher. She dreams up and flawlessly executes all kinds of spectacularly innovative and effective lessons. Her students love and respect her. She gets grants. She wins awards. She improves test scores.
And that's where this book just loses me.
Where does this 24 year old with no experience get the self-confidence to stand up to her administrators so cockily day after day, and each time with zingers worthy of a sitcom writer? Why does she seem to need no help or advice, but instead to be so creative and resourceful that she can do the instructional equivalent of leaping tall buildings in a single bound every day? Why do her students exist solely as funny or touching anecdotes that generally serve to show how totally awesome she is? And how does she find the time for all of those bulletin boards? I just don't believe that Madame Esme could possibly be as great as she clearly believes she is.
My experience of being a first year teacher, and those of my many friends with whom I endlessly discuss classroom highs and lows-- even though some of us have been out of the classroom for several years-- was one of a bottomless pit of insecurity, a never-ending fear that your inexperience and idealistic zeal were shortcomings that were hurting the children you came more and more to love every day. I felt like these inner-city children were entrusted to me to be my guinea pigs-- their educations handed over to my care so I could experiment with them and maybe come up with a successful teaching method here and there along the way. Countless lessons that I thought out carefully and put hours of loving creative energy into were total flops and left me with a classroom full of fidgety bodies and blank or confused eyes.
Yes, some of the lessons clicked-- I will always remember the thrill of realizing that I had finally actually eliminated run-on sentences from my children's writing or the way that all of the children started calling the bathroom "the loo" because they were tickled by our read-aloud book ( Roald Dahl's Boy)-- but for each success I am haunted by endless failures-- sweet, little Randy who stared at me with dark serious eyes, ringed by the longest lashes, reminded me, his husky little voice, dripping with concern as he urged me not to strain my voice by yelling during the week I came in with laryngitis, the way he read so fluently and beautifully, with inflection and emotion, but failed every single spelling test and writing assignment that I gave because he wrote by grouping letters together in completely random strings that meant absolutely nothing, I never got anywhere with addressing what was clearly a serious learning disability of some sort. And I worry about him and feel guilty about letting him slip through even now, 8 years later. There were so many kids and so many problems and I had so little support.
And this is where my problems with Educating Esme lie. Esme identifies tons of very real problems that are detrimental to our children's educations-- the poverty, violence, and fear that mar their unstable home lives day after day, the gangs that provide them with a sense of belonging and importance and rob them of their true potential and opportunity, educators who lack vision and creativity-- but she makes it sound like with a little hard work and some chutzpah she managed to turn it all around. She never points the finger at herself or identifies any shortfalls in her own classroom. I think this creates a myth that does a disservice to all of the hard-working teachers out there who do so much with so little and don't see any progress.
Yes, having smart innovative people working in our classrooms is important and they can do incredible things, but they cannot single-handedly overcome an education system that is broken. The problems in our classrooms are just too big for one twenty-something with an over-developed sense of her own importance to tackle. And in the end Esme's ego gets in her way. And in the end she lasts through just one year before she takes a cushy suburban job where she still feels under-appreciated. This book seemed like Esme patting herself on the back for managing to survive one year of the substandard system that rules the entire lives of too many American children. And possibly conveniently forgetting any rookie mistakes she might have made. She minimizes the difficulties that our teachers face and maximizes her own brilliance. But it is entertaining reading.
June 7, 2011
The author gets my respect for working in a tough situation. My parents were teachers for many years in inner-city Miami and, having grown up with their stories, I know just how difficult the job can be.
However, this book was aggravating on a number of levels:
1. "I'm a fantastic teacher and I work so hard!" Ad nauseum.
2. "I'm so terribly underappreciated!" Whiny.
3. "My bosses and co-workers are all lazy and stupid and just don't get it!" Mean-spirited.
4. Unrealistic situations: Esme seems to live in a dream world, where she can single-handedly defeat a variety of social ills and can scream at and insult her boss and face no direct repercussions. Her students may be behind, academically, but are all relatively charming, are generally interested in learning, and their parents are on the teacher's side.
She sounds like she had some great ideas, and she was obviously willing to put in a lot of hard work. But it was all presented so unrealistically--pompously--smugly--that I couldn't really appreciate any of it. None of the ideas she puts out ever fail; they're all spectacular successes, and she doesn't get thanked for any of them. But this makes more sense when, later in the book, she states that her raison d'etre is her resume, not her students' success.
Her students STAB a substitute teacher in the back with a pencil, and she seems marginally OK with it. She even had to "[mash] down the smile that I felt humming behind my lips." Ummm. Whaaaa?
If I was planning on a teaching career, I may possibly have been able to glean some ideas from this book. As I was reading purely out of interest, I found it self-aggrandizing and marginally delusional.
However, this book was aggravating on a number of levels:
1. "I'm a fantastic teacher and I work so hard!" Ad nauseum.
2. "I'm so terribly underappreciated!" Whiny.
3. "My bosses and co-workers are all lazy and stupid and just don't get it!" Mean-spirited.
4. Unrealistic situations: Esme seems to live in a dream world, where she can single-handedly defeat a variety of social ills and can scream at and insult her boss and face no direct repercussions. Her students may be behind, academically, but are all relatively charming, are generally interested in learning, and their parents are on the teacher's side.
She sounds like she had some great ideas, and she was obviously willing to put in a lot of hard work. But it was all presented so unrealistically--pompously--smugly--that I couldn't really appreciate any of it. None of the ideas she puts out ever fail; they're all spectacular successes, and she doesn't get thanked for any of them. But this makes more sense when, later in the book, she states that her raison d'etre is her resume, not her students' success.
Her students STAB a substitute teacher in the back with a pencil, and she seems marginally OK with it. She even had to "[mash] down the smile that I felt humming behind my lips." Ummm. Whaaaa?
If I was planning on a teaching career, I may possibly have been able to glean some ideas from this book. As I was reading purely out of interest, I found it self-aggrandizing and marginally delusional.
January 5, 2010
I currently work as a substitute teacher so I'm always looking for books that might inspire me should I ever want to become a teacher. Unfortunately, this book didn't do that for me. The author did nothing but brag about what a great teacher she is and then proceeded to put down other staff members. I found her work ethic to be unprofessional.
One of the methods she uses to promote language arts is to have her students give her a word before they enter the classroom and then she takes that word and writes it on a tagboard. I have a word for her: h-u-m-b-l-e.
One of the methods she uses to promote language arts is to have her students give her a word before they enter the classroom and then she takes that word and writes it on a tagboard. I have a word for her: h-u-m-b-l-e.
November 8, 2012
I find this diary of a first year 24 year old teacher a bit irritating.Not only is Ms. Esme ( there I called you Ms.!!!)unlikable and unrelatable , her diary actually is quit a boring read and it shouldn't be considering the backdrop. Esme teaches 31 inner city 5th graders in Chicago who are improverished and have many social, emotional pyschological and learning issues and disabilities, ranging from homelessness to abuse to neglect and lets not forget Esme IS a first year teacher. Considering what i knew I thought this would be an enjoyable read but Esme or Madame Esme as she insists on being called, ( and is endlessly discussed and argued about with her principal, or bitched about to fellow teachers whom she clearly looks down on )IS JUST perfect!!These children are all facing HUGE issues and she has 31 students!!! Esme handles each issue effortlessly and occasionaly cusses afterwards. After a student steals a book from the library she worked so hard on and funded herself , she bans everyone in class from using the library. when a mother complains"my daughter don't steal,what don't you trust her" ( keep in mind NO one is as aeticulate as Esme )Esme matter of factly responds " no i don't trust them they are 10 and 11 year old children learning about accountabiliy" ectr ectr blah , blah BORNG!!!!! She wins awards, comes up with the "best" bullentin boards puts on "amazing events and plays" "i know the older teachers are going to say my room is over-stimulating but my room is the best " "i would want my kid to be in this classroom" .My room is AWESOME!!I"m AWESOME blah ,blah, blah! Ive made all these inner city chldren awesome with all of my , wait NO EXPERIENCE , in less than a year! her students whom didn't even know the alhpabet in the begining of the year at best and couldn't speak or read english at the worst , somehow manage to score the highest in the entire school on the Iowa standarized test! Guess how? ALL ESME!!!She regards other teachers as "weak", "babies" or just know "her kids will eat her alive she is too sweet and cries alot" but they don't pull that shit with Madame Esme, because she has become the worlds most creative, empatheic, inspiring, talented, hardworking,and perfected the tough love approach with discipline all in less than a few months?!? Seriously?? oh and dont forget how "AWESOME" she is!!!Her children beg her to continue "Reading Aloud Time' , yet are homeless, gang members, drug dealers, neglected, abused and bring guns to school, but when Esme has them gather round to read to them they just cannot get enough . She seems way too overly confident to be believable and while I understand the book is a "diary" the writing is so elementary , i would put it at a 4th grade reading level! It took me one small sitting to read, and while a few good ideas and lessons may be found only if you can tolerate this annoying woman and childlike read! I would have put the book down after the first chapter had it not been so short and for the lack of other reading materials on my lanai at the time!
March 14, 2008
This is a MUST read for teachers or anyone interested in the field of education! I loved reading this book because the author was SO honest about her feelings and her experiences. I kept thinking "WOW! Someone feels the same way I do and they are not afraid to express it."
I loved her idea on page 30 about a "trouble box." Where students can leave notes about things that are bothering them. And her titles for roles in literature groups on page 118. Discussion director makes up questions. Literary Luminary reads aloud good parts from the book. Language lover defines what they believe is the hardest word in the reading. Practical Predictor predicts what will happen next. Process checker sums up the reading.
SUPER BOOK!!!
I loved her idea on page 30 about a "trouble box." Where students can leave notes about things that are bothering them. And her titles for roles in literature groups on page 118. Discussion director makes up questions. Literary Luminary reads aloud good parts from the book. Language lover defines what they believe is the hardest word in the reading. Practical Predictor predicts what will happen next. Process checker sums up the reading.
SUPER BOOK!!!
May 19, 2017
This was a quick read, and I enjoyed it for the most part. I did get a few chuckles, and I appreciated her non-traditional teaching style, but the book borders on a 200-page humble-brag. The author is constantly putting down her principal, though some of those times are warranted, but she also refers to her colleagues as crybabies and gossips. Her students stabbed a substitute teacher...and she was almost proud.
I was hoping this would be more of a memoir, but it literally reads like a diary. other reviewers have mentioned that the author sounds whiny or downright rude, but I was waiting for the author to connect her experiences to larger issues, and that never happened. that was a little disappointing.
I was hoping this would be more of a memoir, but it literally reads like a diary. other reviewers have mentioned that the author sounds whiny or downright rude, but I was waiting for the author to connect her experiences to larger issues, and that never happened. that was a little disappointing.
May 14, 2018
UPDATE: The first time I read this, I was still in school. I hadn't taught in a classroom yet and I basically just believed that I wanted to be a teacher one day.
Now, I am finishing my first full year of teaching 2nd grade in an inner city school. It has been equally brutal and rewarding... but more brutal. I related to this book a lot more than I thought I would because Esme is white and teaching black children and I am a black woman teaching black children... and the disrespect is the same. The students curse, write and say vulgar things, they don't focus, they don't try, etc.
I've been able to fight and maintain a certain level of success in my classroom but my 2nd graders are now at a 2nd grade level... and it's time for then to go to 3rd grade. They came to me at a Kindergarten level and it's been blood and tears to get then to grow.
No help from the parents. No help from admin. It's a lonely road. This book made me laugh and cry... she really was honest in the way that I needed to hear it. And I will forever appreciate that.
2011: A MUST READ for any future teacher. Seriously, I am so glad I read this. I just related to her smart mouth, her sassy attitude, and her teaching style. Her dedication to her students and her lack of fear amazed me, but this is no fairy tale. It's real life and it's an amazing book that is written like a blog.
Now, I am finishing my first full year of teaching 2nd grade in an inner city school. It has been equally brutal and rewarding... but more brutal. I related to this book a lot more than I thought I would because Esme is white and teaching black children and I am a black woman teaching black children... and the disrespect is the same. The students curse, write and say vulgar things, they don't focus, they don't try, etc.
I've been able to fight and maintain a certain level of success in my classroom but my 2nd graders are now at a 2nd grade level... and it's time for then to go to 3rd grade. They came to me at a Kindergarten level and it's been blood and tears to get then to grow.
No help from the parents. No help from admin. It's a lonely road. This book made me laugh and cry... she really was honest in the way that I needed to hear it. And I will forever appreciate that.
2011: A MUST READ for any future teacher. Seriously, I am so glad I read this. I just related to her smart mouth, her sassy attitude, and her teaching style. Her dedication to her students and her lack of fear amazed me, but this is no fairy tale. It's real life and it's an amazing book that is written like a blog.
July 20, 2017
April, 2012
This novel was a required reading for my Intro. to Teaching course last semester and critiquing it against what we were learning and seeing in classrooms made me realize how difficult Esme made her life and career. I understand being out of the box and having to face challenges with students in tough districts, but Esme sought out fights. She always had to be right. She had issues with authority. And even though a lot of her ideas were indeed creative, at what cost did those around her have to pay to receive her "genius"? The worst part for me was that the focus should be on the students, and all her shenanigans detracted from that singular goal. I have since given away my copy. One reading was enough.
November 14, 2008
Wow!
I read this book in one evening. It's a quick and moving read.
I've been running into this book for a while, seeing it listed on people's GoodReads shelves and getting requests for it from other libraries through interlibrary loan. Yesterday while I was pulling books, I saw a copy just sitting on the shelf, and I decided to take it home.
The author of this book is very slick. She starts the book in such a way that it seems like it's just going to be a "can you believe these kids and the school's nutball principal?" kind of tale. Then, halfway into it she starts telling sad, crazy stories about the rough family lives these fifth graders have. One girl is half an hour late for school four days in a row because her family is living in a shelter, and she's got to get her little sister to school before she herself can take the train to school. Another kid is angry and acting out because his dad is in a wheelchair due to gun violence. On and on and on until I was crying over what little kids go through every day.
It may be a cliche to say that I laughed and I cried, but I did, that's the truth
I read this book in one evening. It's a quick and moving read.
I've been running into this book for a while, seeing it listed on people's GoodReads shelves and getting requests for it from other libraries through interlibrary loan. Yesterday while I was pulling books, I saw a copy just sitting on the shelf, and I decided to take it home.
The author of this book is very slick. She starts the book in such a way that it seems like it's just going to be a "can you believe these kids and the school's nutball principal?" kind of tale. Then, halfway into it she starts telling sad, crazy stories about the rough family lives these fifth graders have. One girl is half an hour late for school four days in a row because her family is living in a shelter, and she's got to get her little sister to school before she herself can take the train to school. Another kid is angry and acting out because his dad is in a wheelchair due to gun violence. On and on and on until I was crying over what little kids go through every day.
It may be a cliche to say that I laughed and I cried, but I did, that's the truth
Read
July 18, 2022Educating Esmé follows Esmé, a first-year teacher in a fifth-grade Chicago class. Through her diary, she details accounts of the struggles she faced teaching in an inner-city school, both with the administration and with children and their families. Though Esmé often had unconventional methods that were discouraged by administration and even other teachers, these methods proved successful and reflected well in her students’ character development and test scores.
I had to read this for a class I’m taking, otherwise I honestly wouldn’t have picked this up, but I’m glad I did because it gave me more insight into a teacher’s life and what they face in and out of the classroom. Esmé was very honest, even with her bad moments.
I recommend this to anyone considering going into teaching, especially in an inner-city school, as this shows all the good and bad sides of it. Educating Esmé shows both the good and bad parts of teaching, holding nothing back. Although it wasn't written with the intention of being a self-help book, I do believe that this book can be beneficial to those wanting to become teachers and those who already are teachers.
I had to read this for a class I’m taking, otherwise I honestly wouldn’t have picked this up, but I’m glad I did because it gave me more insight into a teacher’s life and what they face in and out of the classroom. Esmé was very honest, even with her bad moments.
I recommend this to anyone considering going into teaching, especially in an inner-city school, as this shows all the good and bad sides of it. Educating Esmé shows both the good and bad parts of teaching, holding nothing back. Although it wasn't written with the intention of being a self-help book, I do believe that this book can be beneficial to those wanting to become teachers and those who already are teachers.
January 4, 2014
She's refreshing honest and likeable; even the title of her book lets you know she knows what teaching is all about—learning. It was what I always told people who used to ask me about homeschooling. I'd turn around and ask them, "How much do you like to learn?" As a teacher, as much as a parent, we have to be prepared to be constantly learning, constantly failing, constantly correcting (ourselves) and being willing to learn from our students/children.
The book is a diary and reads as such; the daily entry format works for this book although her writing reads rather crude and rough in parts. She was young and taught in a Chicago public school where she had to be tough to survive. Nevertheless, she was a teacher who could teach. She cared deeply about children and knew how to motivate them, get them to work and care about learning, because she cared. She was the kind of teacher every parent would hope their child would have every year in school.
Esmé Raji Codell inspired me when I was teaching my children. Would that she would inspire many others. I read this book in one day.
The book is a diary and reads as such; the daily entry format works for this book although her writing reads rather crude and rough in parts. She was young and taught in a Chicago public school where she had to be tough to survive. Nevertheless, she was a teacher who could teach. She cared deeply about children and knew how to motivate them, get them to work and care about learning, because she cared. She was the kind of teacher every parent would hope their child would have every year in school.
Esmé Raji Codell inspired me when I was teaching my children. Would that she would inspire many others. I read this book in one day.
February 20, 2017
As a first-year teacher, I was floored by the ideas Esme was able to bring to life in her classroom. It was motivating but also defeating at the same time--I can barely remember to take roll each day, let alone create a fairy tale festival. She was doing PBL before PBL was a thing. However, what I didn't appreciate or understand was the end of the book. She moved from her inner-city, minority-prevalent school to an upper-middle class half-teacher, half-librarian sort of thing and it seemed like all her passion was gone. She got an excellent review at her new school without "all of the things she had done at her last school" and was happy about it? I understand the need to scale down so she doesn't burn out, but she said she traded her abusive job for one without passion. What am I supposed to learn from that? Why is that the major takeaway? It bothered me and I felt like my time reading the book was wasted with her last few paragraphs.
December 27, 2008
Esme pours all her energy and all of herself and much of her own money into her first year of teaching in an inner city Chicago school. She is bright and creative and made a huge impact on the students in her classroom. She's fairly self-congratulatory throughout the book, though, and what the book doesn't tell you is that this was not just her first year teaching, it was also her last.
In our current educational system, teaching is for the young & energetic, the naively optimistic. We can either continue to alienate our best teachers and send them packing for other careers, or we can change the system.
In our current educational system, teaching is for the young & energetic, the naively optimistic. We can either continue to alienate our best teachers and send them packing for other careers, or we can change the system.
December 3, 2009
She certainly has some creative and interesting lesson plan ideas, but really, that's all that is good about this book. Esme is smug and condescending -- her memoir is a laundry list of why she's so fantastic and why everyone else who works at her school is completely inept (and/or stupid/weak). If you're looking for some new classroom projects, the book may be worth checking out; otherwise, I'd recommend memoirs with a little more substance (Gregory Michie, Frank McCourt).
December 31, 2010
Esmé Codell’s first teaching job was as a 5th grade teacher in one of Chicago’s poorest schools. Her students were bright and sassy and full of spunk, and she alternatively loved them and hated them. More so, however, she struggled with the administration’s lack of imagination and the many obstacles they threw up in her way (she and the principal just couldn’t see eye to eye most of the time, and were constantly engaged in a power struggle over things as ridiculous as ‘Madame’ Esmé’s title of address in her classroom). Still, she gives an inspiring account of her devotion to her kids and their classroom – the extra time she spent with the kids, the extra money she spent out of her own pocket to purchase them a classroom library, and the things she taught them. Since this is, essentially, her journal, it details Esme’s trials as well as her triumphs. Great (and fast!) read!
I can’t decide if, as a student (I was pretty quiet and shy), I would have loved or hated having Madame Esmé as a teacher. She sounds awesome as a person, but I think she would have scared the living daylights out of me if I were a kid. She’s like her kids – smart, nervy, and doesn’t take any crap from anyone. I’d like to know her, but not in the classroom!
Excerpt:
“Well, they stabbed the substitute today. In the back, with a pencil. The paramedics said it was only a flesh wound. She didn’t press any charges, she just went home.
‘Who did it!’ Mr. Turner howled at them. They were silent. Who in their right mind would say anything? He stomped out.
I sat behind my desk and looked at them. They were sitting very nicely. The mood in the room was somewhat pleasant. I had been gone only twenty minutes. Mr. Turner had called me out to troubleshoot some computer problem and had called in a substitute who was on break from filling in for another teacher. When I came back, this woman was gone. In twenty minutes, had they really managed to stab someone?
‘Would anyone tell me…why?’ I asked, genuinely curious.” (p. 100)
I can’t decide if, as a student (I was pretty quiet and shy), I would have loved or hated having Madame Esmé as a teacher. She sounds awesome as a person, but I think she would have scared the living daylights out of me if I were a kid. She’s like her kids – smart, nervy, and doesn’t take any crap from anyone. I’d like to know her, but not in the classroom!
Excerpt:
“Well, they stabbed the substitute today. In the back, with a pencil. The paramedics said it was only a flesh wound. She didn’t press any charges, she just went home.
‘Who did it!’ Mr. Turner howled at them. They were silent. Who in their right mind would say anything? He stomped out.
I sat behind my desk and looked at them. They were sitting very nicely. The mood in the room was somewhat pleasant. I had been gone only twenty minutes. Mr. Turner had called me out to troubleshoot some computer problem and had called in a substitute who was on break from filling in for another teacher. When I came back, this woman was gone. In twenty minutes, had they really managed to stab someone?
‘Would anyone tell me…why?’ I asked, genuinely curious.” (p. 100)
October 16, 2024
had to read this for a class. ended up enjoying it a good bit. reminded me of freedom writers diary which i absolutely loved
June 20, 2018
How do you rate someone's diary? I liked this book a lot, because I enjoyed living through the dreaded first year teaching with someone else. I was relieved to see how much she struggled, and also how much she accomplished in spite of the struggles. It made me feel better, because I know I'm going to mess up a lot too. I also liked how she was honest with her emotions, even the ugly ones. She wrote about being angry at her students and furious at the administration. She even wrote about being proud of herself! (I feel so guilty when I toot my own horn, but sometimes, we just need it.)
I did not like Codell as a person. If I had known her in real life, then I think I would have found her irritating, abrasive, and arrogant. However, I fully acknowledge that that is my own personal attitude and have no bearing on who she actually is. I just happen to not like people who get angry, which may say more about me than her. As it were, I was thankful for her honesty and her experiences.
I did not like Codell as a person. If I had known her in real life, then I think I would have found her irritating, abrasive, and arrogant. However, I fully acknowledge that that is my own personal attitude and have no bearing on who she actually is. I just happen to not like people who get angry, which may say more about me than her. As it were, I was thankful for her honesty and her experiences.
March 23, 2018
As a fairly new teacher, I appreciated much of what Esme had to say. Her struggles are real, similar to ones I also deal with on a regular basis.
Her teaching methods are in excellent, creative, and engaging. I will take many of them to incorporate into my own teaching. However, her attitudes and behaviour towards other teachers, and admin are, while deserving to how she was being treated, are not ones that should be repeated.
Her thoughts and feelings mirror my own, and her gumption is to be admired. I highly recommend this book to any new teachers.
Her teaching methods are in excellent, creative, and engaging. I will take many of them to incorporate into my own teaching. However, her attitudes and behaviour towards other teachers, and admin are, while deserving to how she was being treated, are not ones that should be repeated.
Her thoughts and feelings mirror my own, and her gumption is to be admired. I highly recommend this book to any new teachers.
November 29, 2007
This is a true day-by-day account of a teacher’s first year at school. Codell is an extremely creative and caring teacher. In one chapter, she had a student that was behaving badly and she put him in charge of the classroom and she took his place as the misbehaving student. She builds a time machine using a refrigerator box and a shelf of old books. Recommended for teens thinking of going into teaching as a career.
January 20, 2023
Book: Educating Esme: Diary of a Teacher’s First Year
Author: Esme Raji Codell
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars
This is one of the best education books that I have read in a long time. It’s honest and real. I know that a lot of people have complained about the way Esme is and how she does things, but she doesn’t sugarcoat anything. I couldn’t ever think about talking to my principal the way that she does, but she does what she has to in order to better both herself and her students.
One thing that I liked was how she was willing to go out of the book and do what was best for her students. I have had to do this to better my own students. For example, in history, our books don’t match the standards the best and they are very difficult for students to understand. I have changed the material and presented it in a way that best fits my students’ needs. You do what you need do in order to better your students and see them be successful.
She also talks about how much she has to reach into her own pocket and buy supplies for her own classroom with her own money. Noneducators may not be aware of just how much teachers spend of their own money on supplies for their rooms. Parents a lot of times are not even aware of this. I have heard my parents complain about having to provide school supplies. They are not aware that if their students do not bring their own supplies, then we, the teachers, have to pay for it out of our own pocket Esme also makes a big deal about students stealing from the classroom library. Again, this may not seem like a big deal, but whenever you pay for things out of your own pocket, it is. Plus, by not letting the students use her supplies until the book is returned, it teaches them responsibility and respect for others and their belongings.
One thing that did bother me about Esme was her all-knowing attitude. She is a first-year teacher, yet she thinks she knows everything. She views others as being less than her and does not want advice from veteran teachers. This attitude does get her into trouble. I know that we are only seeing Esme’s point of view. In her mind, she is doing best. However, we all know that there may be other ways to do things and that veteran teachers do offer valuable insight on certain things. The idea that everyone but you is doing it wrong is not okay. You have to be willing to listen to other points of view and have an open mind. This is very much a profession that you have to work with others for the benefit the students. By not be willing to do so, you are harming not only your students but the other students around you. I know that teachers do balance ideas off each other. If Esme is this all knowing and her way is best, then in her first year, she should have been willing to be a little bit more open.
I liked getting to see her highs and lows. I do feel that many times she downplayed the lows though. Many times, we see that teachers try to make it seem like teaching is all smiles and giggles. Many days, this is not the case. There are a lot of tough days. In this job, you are always being put down. The media and government are not kind to teachers who dare to stand up and show them both the good and the bad. However, seeing her react to the good days reminds you that it is all worth it. It also gives reminds you that you are not alone in your feelings.
Overall, I did enjoy this book. It does show you what teaches really do have to go through on a day to day basis.
Author: Esme Raji Codell
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars
This is one of the best education books that I have read in a long time. It’s honest and real. I know that a lot of people have complained about the way Esme is and how she does things, but she doesn’t sugarcoat anything. I couldn’t ever think about talking to my principal the way that she does, but she does what she has to in order to better both herself and her students.
One thing that I liked was how she was willing to go out of the book and do what was best for her students. I have had to do this to better my own students. For example, in history, our books don’t match the standards the best and they are very difficult for students to understand. I have changed the material and presented it in a way that best fits my students’ needs. You do what you need do in order to better your students and see them be successful.
She also talks about how much she has to reach into her own pocket and buy supplies for her own classroom with her own money. Noneducators may not be aware of just how much teachers spend of their own money on supplies for their rooms. Parents a lot of times are not even aware of this. I have heard my parents complain about having to provide school supplies. They are not aware that if their students do not bring their own supplies, then we, the teachers, have to pay for it out of our own pocket Esme also makes a big deal about students stealing from the classroom library. Again, this may not seem like a big deal, but whenever you pay for things out of your own pocket, it is. Plus, by not letting the students use her supplies until the book is returned, it teaches them responsibility and respect for others and their belongings.
One thing that did bother me about Esme was her all-knowing attitude. She is a first-year teacher, yet she thinks she knows everything. She views others as being less than her and does not want advice from veteran teachers. This attitude does get her into trouble. I know that we are only seeing Esme’s point of view. In her mind, she is doing best. However, we all know that there may be other ways to do things and that veteran teachers do offer valuable insight on certain things. The idea that everyone but you is doing it wrong is not okay. You have to be willing to listen to other points of view and have an open mind. This is very much a profession that you have to work with others for the benefit the students. By not be willing to do so, you are harming not only your students but the other students around you. I know that teachers do balance ideas off each other. If Esme is this all knowing and her way is best, then in her first year, she should have been willing to be a little bit more open.
I liked getting to see her highs and lows. I do feel that many times she downplayed the lows though. Many times, we see that teachers try to make it seem like teaching is all smiles and giggles. Many days, this is not the case. There are a lot of tough days. In this job, you are always being put down. The media and government are not kind to teachers who dare to stand up and show them both the good and the bad. However, seeing her react to the good days reminds you that it is all worth it. It also gives reminds you that you are not alone in your feelings.
Overall, I did enjoy this book. It does show you what teaches really do have to go through on a day to day basis.
October 31, 2019
I had to read this for my Intro to Education class this year. I was really happy to finally have a class book that wasn't a textbook, and I honestly think that more high school and college classes could benefit from assigning material like this instead of just forcing kids to read and take notes on incredibly boring format.
I really enjoyed this book and Esmé Raji Codell's writing. Many of the instances and events she planned remind me of my own time in elementary school, and especially of some of the things we did in my second and fourth grade classrooms. I think, in this day and age, that it is even more important to make learning hands-on, visual, and very literature based. If students were given more immersive materials at a younger age, I think we could help students retain interests in many subjects. For instance, instead of only focusing on social studies textbooks from a very young age, we could fill classrooms with books about people, places, and history that actually read like stories.
Being from the Chicago area, I've always known what the city public schools are like, or at least what their reputation is. My dad does educational research and works with one of the high schools. But I'd never really stopped to consider what inner-city elementary schools are like. I hope that I can get some experience with this type of school, because these are the kids who need the most help and support, and I eventually hope to be able to help kids who really need it. I had a good, solid experience in the K-12 system, and Educating Esmé: Diary of a Teacher's First Year was really eye-opening as to just how much we are facing in this world.
While I went to a much better elementary school, where similar projects were often grade- or school-wide, I am aware that there are many places where I would have to work harder to help children succeed. I want to be able to implement projects similar to Esme's to help students truly learn for a better future.
I really enjoyed this book and Esmé Raji Codell's writing. Many of the instances and events she planned remind me of my own time in elementary school, and especially of some of the things we did in my second and fourth grade classrooms. I think, in this day and age, that it is even more important to make learning hands-on, visual, and very literature based. If students were given more immersive materials at a younger age, I think we could help students retain interests in many subjects. For instance, instead of only focusing on social studies textbooks from a very young age, we could fill classrooms with books about people, places, and history that actually read like stories.
Being from the Chicago area, I've always known what the city public schools are like, or at least what their reputation is. My dad does educational research and works with one of the high schools. But I'd never really stopped to consider what inner-city elementary schools are like. I hope that I can get some experience with this type of school, because these are the kids who need the most help and support, and I eventually hope to be able to help kids who really need it. I had a good, solid experience in the K-12 system, and Educating Esmé: Diary of a Teacher's First Year was really eye-opening as to just how much we are facing in this world.
While I went to a much better elementary school, where similar projects were often grade- or school-wide, I am aware that there are many places where I would have to work harder to help children succeed. I want to be able to implement projects similar to Esme's to help students truly learn for a better future.
June 13, 2010
An unflinching peek into an inner-city teacher's first year in teaching, Madame Esme' spares nothing in showing the reader her inner sanctum. By turns creative, silly, tough and loving towards her 31 fifth grade students, Esme's year-long journal was both gutwrenching and inspiring. Confronting physical and emotional abuse, she manages to also babysit (for the day) a 2 year old sibling, move furniture for her nosy assistant principal, and endure years of micromanagement and belittling comments from her bumbling principal. Outspoken in her views and not afraid to work hard for the benefit of her students, her colleagues are not sure how to take her. Slowly, she begins to feel isolated. Two years was the length of her stint at her first school. Leaving the position for a librarian's role in a more affluent area, she comes back to see only half of her charges graduate eighth grade. A twinge of regret about leaving her trying first teaching gig end the book. "Is it the students, clean and coddled, polite excuse-makers? Is it the mothers with their lemonade smiles, employed husbands, and tantrums when their children get C's? I've heard that a posse of them rail on me weekely at the local manicurist...Why am I not happpy? I left an abusive job for a dispassionate one." (p. 193)
Her advice for aspiring new teachers at the conclusion of the book is honest and helpful.
Never pious, Esme's book spoke to the heart of what it is to teach the inner-city child, and then leave for supposed greener pastures. Having experience in both teaching positions myself, I found Educating Esme to be the absolute gospel truth, and hope all teachers, not only new to the field but established ones as well, read her thoughts. Truthful and right on the mark, this one will remain with me.
Favorite passages:
"This is my destiny, to have this group of children before me. As they were growing, aging to be fifth graders, I was training, and now we meet, in this unique place and time. The moment felt holy." (p. 26)
"In the recessional, as I watch them, MINE, the ones I loved, I overflow with the joyous greed of a rich man counting coins. Wrongly I have thought teaching has lessened me at times, but now I experience a teacher's great euphoria, the knowledge like a drug that will keep me: Thirty-one children. Thirty-one chances. Thirty-one futures, our futures. It's an almost psychotic feeling, believing that part of their lives belongs to me. Everything they become, I also become. And everything about me, they helped to create." (p. 194)
Her advice for aspiring new teachers at the conclusion of the book is honest and helpful.
Never pious, Esme's book spoke to the heart of what it is to teach the inner-city child, and then leave for supposed greener pastures. Having experience in both teaching positions myself, I found Educating Esme to be the absolute gospel truth, and hope all teachers, not only new to the field but established ones as well, read her thoughts. Truthful and right on the mark, this one will remain with me.
Favorite passages:
"This is my destiny, to have this group of children before me. As they were growing, aging to be fifth graders, I was training, and now we meet, in this unique place and time. The moment felt holy." (p. 26)
"In the recessional, as I watch them, MINE, the ones I loved, I overflow with the joyous greed of a rich man counting coins. Wrongly I have thought teaching has lessened me at times, but now I experience a teacher's great euphoria, the knowledge like a drug that will keep me: Thirty-one children. Thirty-one chances. Thirty-one futures, our futures. It's an almost psychotic feeling, believing that part of their lives belongs to me. Everything they become, I also become. And everything about me, they helped to create." (p. 194)
May 25, 2013
My initial thought after reading this book was 'if there were more teachers out there like Madame Esme, our education system wouldn't be in such dire straits'. Thinking further, I realized that there likely are many, many Esmes teaching today, but they are so stifled by 'teaching to the test' that any creativity and wild ideas they might have never get the chance to be tried out. Esme details these struggles, from working with a principal intent on stifling here, to students who steal from her without thought to the consequences, to situational issues stemming from teaching 5th grade in an inner city school where the students are almost all intellectually behind their suburban peers. She strikes me as a very stubborn woman though, not taking the BS the principal dishes out; making her classroom so fun that when the theft shuts down the fun, the student returns the item quietly a few days later; and doing all she can to make the students feel confident in their abilities while also sneaking in some early education lessons.
At the same time, I began to think she was awfully full of herself by the end of the book. Perhaps it was burnout or perhaps she felt she deserved to take her skills to a wider populations, but Esme's first year of teaching 5th grade was her only one doing so, becoming a school librarian at one of those suburban schools the next year. She does attend the 'graduation' ceremony for her students 3 years later as they finish 8th grade, only half of whom cross that stage, and many of those not expected to be at a 12th grade graduation 4 years ahead. So I agree, it was probably a tough year and those big accomplishments she noted at the time ended up being just minor blips in most of the students' lives, but it just seems unfortunate that she chose not to give future students at that Chicago school or others similar the same sort of experience. Even if it didn't seem to her that her hard work paid off in the end just looking at graduation, the progress she notes in certain children over the course of the year indicates it did matter and at least opened the eyes of those children to what is possible in the world, a world that had to that point remained closed off and far outside the narrow scope of possibility as seen through the eyes of a child in inner-city poverty.
At the same time, I began to think she was awfully full of herself by the end of the book. Perhaps it was burnout or perhaps she felt she deserved to take her skills to a wider populations, but Esme's first year of teaching 5th grade was her only one doing so, becoming a school librarian at one of those suburban schools the next year. She does attend the 'graduation' ceremony for her students 3 years later as they finish 8th grade, only half of whom cross that stage, and many of those not expected to be at a 12th grade graduation 4 years ahead. So I agree, it was probably a tough year and those big accomplishments she noted at the time ended up being just minor blips in most of the students' lives, but it just seems unfortunate that she chose not to give future students at that Chicago school or others similar the same sort of experience. Even if it didn't seem to her that her hard work paid off in the end just looking at graduation, the progress she notes in certain children over the course of the year indicates it did matter and at least opened the eyes of those children to what is possible in the world, a world that had to that point remained closed off and far outside the narrow scope of possibility as seen through the eyes of a child in inner-city poverty.
July 12, 2016
For the first half of this book, it was not clear to me that Esme was teaching in a high needs public school. She initially describes such planning perfection, such creativity, such receptiveness from the students that I was caught off guard when she started delving into the realities of working in an under-resourced urban public school.
After pushing forward, I started to see more nuance, and I appreciated her insights about the impotence of the system, the limitations of what she could do for her students, the cultural disconnects between her and the parents, etc.
Many reviews describe Esme as smug and self-important, degrading the intelligence of her co-workers and school leaders. That's in this diary, but so, too, are her honest reflections on how much she needs her colleagues and her admiration for many of them as good teachers. Her back-and-forth seems to me brutally honest. Esme's inner thoughts remind us that currently, teachers are a group under attack within their own schools, by their own administrations, by the press. It's no wonder she's twitchy.
Esme's work also highlights starkly the confidence that teacher candidates enter the field with and shows how quickly they are worn down. She wrote this in hear early 20's, when we all think we're invincible; her hubris is undeniable, but not unforgivable.
I also can't help but wonder how many of these negative reviewers still support Teach for America, which is flooding our neediest classrooms with teachers with less pedagogical skills and training and even more ego than Esme. This boggles my mind. While I'm not an apologist for Esme, I think her book is a helpful text for teacher candidates to think with.
After pushing forward, I started to see more nuance, and I appreciated her insights about the impotence of the system, the limitations of what she could do for her students, the cultural disconnects between her and the parents, etc.
Many reviews describe Esme as smug and self-important, degrading the intelligence of her co-workers and school leaders. That's in this diary, but so, too, are her honest reflections on how much she needs her colleagues and her admiration for many of them as good teachers. Her back-and-forth seems to me brutally honest. Esme's inner thoughts remind us that currently, teachers are a group under attack within their own schools, by their own administrations, by the press. It's no wonder she's twitchy.
Esme's work also highlights starkly the confidence that teacher candidates enter the field with and shows how quickly they are worn down. She wrote this in hear early 20's, when we all think we're invincible; her hubris is undeniable, but not unforgivable.
I also can't help but wonder how many of these negative reviewers still support Teach for America, which is flooding our neediest classrooms with teachers with less pedagogical skills and training and even more ego than Esme. This boggles my mind. While I'm not an apologist for Esme, I think her book is a helpful text for teacher candidates to think with.
April 15, 2008
Madame Esme's first year teaching diary was an interesting read. I found myself relating to Esme on many levels, remembering experiences that I have had in the classroom. I like the brutal honesty that Esme used to describe the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of teaching fifth grade in an inner-city Chicago school. Esme had such confidence (bordering on being cocky or pompous although rightfully so in the instances she describes), than I remember having that first year - but she met every challenge head on, and she taught her students so many valuable lessons - from being the parent that those students needed to the exciting teacher that encouraged her students to learn and grow- the evidence is shown as her students had the best scores in the school at the end of the year. Esme shares several teaching ideas that one could put into practice tomorrow in the classroom - practical for teachers today. I also thought it was interesting to note that Esme became a school librarian after a few years of classroom teaching, and she continues to write today - two of her books that I am interested in reading are Sahara Special and How to Get Your Child to Love Reading. Her web site is http://www.planetesme.com/
November 9, 2010
Hmm... Well, I will start by saying that I have had this book recommended to me countless times by teachers, magazines, etc. My professor finally lent it to me and I was excited to see what all the fuss was about. This was probably the reason why I didn't like it. I think that Codell is a great writer. I think she makes a great teacher and she is very creative and seems to be a great fit for CPS. Yet the way she spoke to her principal? I understand that he was an ass. I just could never bring myself to do that, not in this day in age when no one can find a steady teaching job and just looking at your principal wrong can get your ass fired. I will also say that I have read more inspiring books written by teachers such as Phillip Done. Yes I know Esme teaches in an inner city school so her circumstances were different and she was trying to bring that to light, but still, she has guts that I will never ever have, even after working for 10 or 20 years as a teacher.
Congrats Esme for sticking to your guns and giving your all to your kids. I wish teachers today could stick up for what we believe in like you did, but I don't forsee that happening for quite some time.
Congrats Esme for sticking to your guns and giving your all to your kids. I wish teachers today could stick up for what we believe in like you did, but I don't forsee that happening for quite some time.
January 7, 2010
After reading this book I discovered two things. One my first year of teaching will be fine and the kids probably won't stab me in the back with a pencil, and the second is I have got to become way more assertive! Madame Esme is a very strong woman who stood up for what she knew was right even if it meant standing up to administration. Could I do that? I'm not sure. A wonderful little book with a lot of punch. Here were some of my favorite moments.
... I just put the kids in their lines and gave warnings in a low, psychotic, burning-fuse tone that I am perfecting. Additionally, I squinted my eyes with one of them kind of twitching. It's quite intimidating, I'm proud to say. The girl started giving me an attitude, but I crazy-squinted her into submission like a real Svengali.
'This is my destiny, to have this group of children before me. As they were growing, aging to be fifth graders, I was training, and now we meet, in this unique place and time.' The moment felt holy.
... I just put the kids in their lines and gave warnings in a low, psychotic, burning-fuse tone that I am perfecting. Additionally, I squinted my eyes with one of them kind of twitching. It's quite intimidating, I'm proud to say. The girl started giving me an attitude, but I crazy-squinted her into submission like a real Svengali.
'This is my destiny, to have this group of children before me. As they were growing, aging to be fifth graders, I was training, and now we meet, in this unique place and time.' The moment felt holy.
June 18, 2013
This book was exactly what I needed to read at this point in my career. Madame Esme is brillent in so many ways. She can engage students and she made the classroom environment comforting and enjoyable. Her students had horrific home lives and she made sure they were safe and loved at school. She teaches for the children and never loses sight of that. Even when her bosses put her down, she bounced right back. She is such an inspiration and I really enjoyed a look into her first year as a teacher. I was suppose to have read this book back in college, about 4 or so years ago and I didn't even attempt to pick it up. However, something kept telling me I needed to pick this book up again and I'm so glad I did because it was perfect for now and it helped me look at my position at work a little differently!! If you teach, this is a wonderfully, real, no sugarcoating, look at the classroom life of a first year fifth grade teacher in the city!!! Loved it!!! <3
August 9, 2008
I did like this book- there are some good ideas to improve literacy with elementary students, but I guess I have a bias around people who teach for only two years or so and then leave the classroom to write about what awesome teachers they are. I always want to know if they could keep up their amazing energy and creativity for the long run- it is easy to be full of new ideas when you only teach for a short time- but most of us are in this for the long haul, and how do we keep it fresh and exciting?
May 30, 2018
I loved this honest and (sometimes) irreverent diary of first year fifth grade teacher, Esme Raji Codell. It's poignant, sad, inspiring, maddening, and hopeful all at once, as Codell navigates the difficulties of working in a Chicago public school under an unhelpful supervisor and with all the challenges that accompany poverty. Reminded me (again) how important good teachers are and made me want to strive to bring passion and compassion to each day in the classroom.
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