The Teacher 50: Critical Questions for Inspiring Classroom Excellence

by Baruti K. Kafele

In this thoughtful guide for novice and veteran educators alike, Baruti K. Kafele takes readers on a reflective journey designed to reignite their passion for teaching. Kafele's 50 questions and penetrating insights reveal how you can


Inspire students of all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds to strive for academic excellence;
Develop strong relationships with students, their parents, and the greater community;
Address the challenges and promises presented by millennial learners; and
Boost your motivation and excitement about teaching despite entrenched obstacles and daily frustrations.
Replete with ideas for strengthening your practice and investing in student success, this book is an indispensable companion for teachers who want to give their absolute best in the classroom at all times and under all circumstances.

Baruti K. Kafele is a highly regarded teacher, administrator, and speaker and is the author of several books, including The Principal 50: Critical Leadership Questions for Inspiring Schoolwide Excellence.

Genres: Education

105 pages, Paperback

Published August 25, 2016

About the author

A highly-regarded urban educator in New Jersey for over twenty years, Principal Baruti Kafele distinguished himself as a master teacher and a transformational school leader. As an elementary school teacher in East Orange, NJ, he was selected as the East Orange School District and Essex County Public Schools Teacher of the Year, he was a New Jersey State Teacher of the Year finalist, and a recipient of the New Jersey Education Association Award of Excellence.

As a middle and high school principal, Principal Kafele led the turnaround of four different New Jersey urban schools, including "The Mighty" Newark Tech, which went from a low-performing school in need of improvement to national recognition, which included U.S. News and World Report Magazine recognizing it three times as one of America's best high schools.

One of the most sought-after school leadership experts and education speakers in America, Principal Kafele is impacting America’s schools! He has delivered over two thousand conference and program keynotes, professional development workshops, parenting seminars and student assemblies over his 34 years of public speaking. An expert in the area of “attitude transformation,” Principal Kafele is the leading authority for providing effective classroom and school leadership strategies toward closing what he coined, the "Attitude Gap.”

A prolific writer, Principal Kafele has written extensively on professional development strategies for creating a positive school climate and culture, transforming the attitudes of at-risk students, motivating Black males to excel in the classroom, and school leadership practices for inspiring schoolwide excellence. In addition to writing several professional articles for popular education journals, he has authored 10 books, including his six ASCD best sellers - The ASPIRING Principal 50, Is My School a Better School BECAUSE I Lead It?, The Principal 50, The Teacher 50, Closing the Attitude Gap, and Motivating Black Males to Achieve in School & in Life. His next book – The ASSISTANT Principal 50 will be released in Summer, 2020.

Principal Kafele is married to his wife Kimberley, and is the father of their three children, Baruti, Jabari and Kibriya. He earned his B.S. degree in Management Science/Marketing from Kean University and his M.A. degree in Educational Administration from New Jersey City University. He is the recipient of over 150 educational, professional and community awards which include the prestigious Milken National Educator Award, the National Alliance of Black School Educators Hall of Fame Award, induction into the East Orange, New Jersey Hall of Fame, and the City of Dickinson, Texas proclaiming February 8, 1998 as Baruti Kafele Day.

Reviews

[Katie McNelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woohoo! I've read 2 books in 2 days thanks to state testing. Review forthcoming!

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I LOVED the first two chapters because they reminded me why and how I love teaching!

I think these questions are helpful for examining one’s craft, even if it’s because you realize where you disagree.

The tone was a little prescriptive in some parts in that the author has strong opinions about what “good” teachers do, and despite trying to soften the blow often comes off as judgmental of other educators who don’t follow these practices. In other parts, I was frustrated by the lack of specifics to illustrate some principles.

Let me be frank in saying I disagree with the teacher martyrdom philosophy of sacrificing personal boundaries to make yourself more accessible to students. I think teaching requires trial by fire to define those boundaries, but it is absolutely necessary for teachers to care for themselves and their families in order to not burn out.

The answer to teachers telling you there’s not enough hours in a day is not to tell them to better account for their time and sacrifice duty-free lunches.

I appreciated the author’s true passion and personal dedication, but I would challenge readers to consider that, just like students, there are many ways to be an authentic and inspirational teacher.

[Ihsan Ibadurrahman · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a short but truly must read book for teachers who wish to stay inspired and motivated throughout their career.

[Wendie Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really inspirational and it really made me think about my teaching and my co-workers and my students. I really appreciated the questions that Kafele asked and I was able to look at my own lesson planning and classroom as well as my relationships with my students. My take-aways were many and varied. But mainly it helped me to look at my teacher attitude and accountability, student motivation, my relationships with students and parents, as well as my lesson planning and instruction.

I think the biggest impact for me would be the chapters on teacher attitude and classroom climate and culture. As someone who taught high school for most of her career, and now to teach middle school-- my attitude and classroom climate is very different from what I have been used to for most of my years of teaching. I like that I have more direction and organization in my classroom. I have the schedule posted everyday, students have a calendar they can refer to which keeps them on track in class each day, and there is little question on to when something is due or where it should be turned in or how it is to be done because it is all posted to my website and google classroom.

Yet, while I am organized-- students are often confused on how things work in my classroom, but that could be because of my attitude and expectations of them. So the book really got me to question how I am dealing with my students-- the ones right in front of me. I know my students are 8th graders-- but I can also see what kind of high school student or what kind of adult they will be. I want them to learn how to do things with me-- make mistakes, do things incorrectly now-- so that when they get to high school and face life-- they know what to do, how to be, how to learn and tackle things with confidence and intellect. That was inspiring to me that the book helped to confirm this vision for my kids.

Many of the questions I could answer positively, and yet I still could find ways to tweak my practice, where I could make it better or stronger. I feel like my professional development has come to a sort of plateau-- as my experience in the classroom sometimes overrides the level of professional development that I attend or am exposed to. Yet what I do get from professional development is always both encouragement and reminders to do better in my teaching, lesson planning, and classroom management.

The book was really inspiring and helpful for me as I continue to teach. It is the kind of book that I would probably read every year just to remind myself what my mission is-- my students, that they all can learn, that they all can succeed. I really took the question about accepting responsibility for my student's successes and failures to heart. It's one of the things I work hard on in my classroom. If something is not working in my classroom or with my students I change my lessons, I step back and give them some room to work or do better on the assignment. It's hard to do, but it does help my students-- as well as myself-- improve lessons and how to work with my student learners.

The impact of the book on my instruction and professional practice is strong and positive. It was a good read for spring break, as it gave me quite a bit to think about for my future lesson planning and unit work.

[Shauna Hormiere · Rating 2 out of 5]

While some of this book was relevant, most of it was frustrating for me to read. Filled with contradictions (teachers should socialize and learn from each other, but consider not entering the teachers lounge due to its toxicity) led to more questions instead of answers. The book asks plenty of questions but fails to address many of the solutions. In the author’s point of view, the more you work and spend every single minute of your day working, you will be successful. On the contrary, this is why educators feel burnt out and become less enthusiastic about the education system. They are more likely to feel resentment about their jobs if they work themselves to the bone and ignore crucial self-care. I think the author asks insightful questions but fails to answer them, leaving readers feeling unfulfilled.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would recommend this book for teachers who tend to not be naturally self-reflective or to teachers who *are* self-reflective but would like to organize/direct their reflection around specific issues or areas of concern.

Most truly self-reflective teachers ask themselves these questions on the regular, without needing such a book to guide them, and I wouldn't recommend imposing this book on teachers who are currently pretty good at self-reflection and do it regularly on their own.

[Randall Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

We had to read it as part of a book study, but I wasn't really sure what I was studying. I read a lot of questions, but not a lot of answers. There's some great questions to ponder, but many of them aren't shown how to implement or how to answer it completely. I felt kind of scammed a bit by reading it, because the ideas are kind of self-explanatory and not very profound, and this book seems well received or respected.

[Beth Withers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was required reading for my job. It's a quick read, set up in a question/answer format. Since I've been in education for 20 years, I can honestly say I've heard all of this before, but for a new teacher, it is definitely food for thought. I only beg to differ on the idea of visiting families. For a middle or high school teacher who has 100+ students, it isn't practical. Also, many parents would be intimidated and uncomfortable with having a teacher visit. I think it's overstepping the bounds a bit, in many districts.

[Jennifer Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the book is a great PLC /book study for teachers for discussion prompts. The questions and answers are meaningful to get us thinking about our own practice as educators. As a solo read it can be used to guide reflection and also give inspirational ideas.

[Chris Loeffler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read and useful for teachers to reflect on these questions. It could be especially valuable to younger teachers, and I could see it used as a conversation starter for small groups of faculty as well.

[Meghan Markwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for new and veteran teachers to read

[Yoselis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of these questions are valid but I really wish there was research behind a lot of his statements.

[Coralie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great reflective questions for teachers.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for new teachers and veterans alike. A great place to go and reflect on your teaching practices something we should all be doing often.

[Ana Stanciu-Dumitrache · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ce meserie grea, frumoasa si copleșitoare uneori. ☺️