I Choose To Stay: A Black Teacher Refuses to Desert the Inner City

by Salome Thomas-El, Cecil Murphey, Arnold Schwarzenegger (Foreword)

The challenges of working in an urban school are not for every teacher. Some get burnt out fast. Some lose sight of why they started teaching in the first place. Some find their calling in other neighborhoods...with other kids. But not Salome Thomas-El. A Teacher at Roberts Vaux Middle School in Philadelphia's inner city, he chose to stay. Gripping, poignant, and homest, this is his blistering real-life tale of mentoring and making a difference—and how the reformation of America's educational system can start with just one school.

Praise for I Choose To Stay

"An intensely moving story of loyalty and courage and a deeply pewrsonal tribute to the great potential of our inner-city kids, so frequently dismissed and denigrated by American society. The redemptive power of a teacher's love shines through these pages with prophetic grace. I am grateful to the author for the lesson of essential decency he teaches us" --Jonathan Kozol

"This book is about courage. It is a story about determination, about compassion, love and the ultimate fight. This is the fight against the odds, against the 'system' and years of cultural, social and economic factors that would have allowed this group of inner-city kids to become nothing more than a set of statistics. But Salome Thomas-El would not let that happen. He would not give up. He saw the potential in them and he fought for them. he used a board game as a weapon in this figth." --From the forward by Arnold Schwarzenegger

"A powerful story about what an inspirational teacher can do to open new horizons for economically disadvantaged young people" --William H. Gray, III, President, United Negro College Fund

"This book shows how one dedicated educator who believes in th potential of all our kids can make a huge difference and how, under teh proper circumstances, urban education can work." --Edward G. Rendell, former mayor of Philadelphia, Chairman of the Democratic National Convention

"An eloquent example of how commitment and innovation can better the lives of inner-city children." -- Kirkus Reviews

Genres: Education, Biography, Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2003

Reviews

[Drick · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had such promise, and I came away sorely disappointed. Salome Thomas-El tells his story as a teacher and then a principal in two schools in the troubled Philadelphia school system. From the story he tells and the testimonials he is given in the penultimate chapter, there is no question that Dr. Thomas-El was both a gifted teacher and inspirational leader. However, he does not use that position to offer a critique of the root causes behind the great disparities between urban public school systems and suburban and private schools. He was certainly aware of it, as he often had to call upon outside supporters such as corporations, sports teams, newspaper reporters and interested politicians to get the funds needed to do the basic things that all schools should so such as have healthy extra-curricular activities, sufficient books and resources, qualified and caring teachers, and a system that supports all of these activities and more. None of that comes thru in this book. Instead the message is that you must be a superhero or heroine to teach and be successful in an urban school, whereas you can just be mediocre and have success in a non-urban school. Dr. Thomas-El never raises the questions about this disparity, and as such fails to use his position to make a statement about the inequities in public education in American cities.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A child of the inner city, Salome Thomas-EL managed to survive growing up in the projects in
Philadelphia and ultimately became a principal at an elementary school there. Along the way, he
started a middle school chess team that won a national championship and countless other titles. This is a very engaging, motivational, and highly inspirational book.

[Joyqd · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far so good. The reason I'm reading it is that I'm considering a move into teaching. I wanted to know what struggles he faced and how he was able to reach the kids. I respect the author for his own tenacity in pursuing educational success, and perhaps, that is where I really needed to be inspired.

[Virginia Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspirational book showing what can be accomplished with dedication and imagination.

[HannaH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ugh, this dude is the hardest working guy in Philly. The book is ridonkulously inspirational and makes me wanna raise $10,000 for my school's chess team...or something like that.

[RYCJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The young Mr. EL was fortunate to have teachers take an early interest in him to further his education; and beyond blessed to have a mother with the perspicacity to support him in ways not taken for granted. Irrespective of family dynamics, not all parents have the grit to see children who they love, work through the kinds of harassment Mr. EL experienced early on in college. More to the point, adversity creates the drive to perform at the highest levels, what many miss as a critical element of various successes; what appears in this memoir and what I cherished most about reading ‘I Chose to Stay.’

I don’t cry easily, or often, but I cried plenty, in particular following self-fulfilling prophecies working to the advantage of these young people. A mind indeed is a terrible thing to waste. Children really do FEEL when we really do CARE. Teachers looking for ways to reach children they teach will find tremendous value in reading why, and how Mr. EL chose to stay. Absolutely, highly recommended.

[Emily Rickert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved learning the about the background and work of my principal whom I work with!

[Darren Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stuff. Educators will likely appreciate it more than other subgroups, but that is sort of the point. As good as his writing is, his speeches and presentations are even better.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good memoir. Would have been 5 if he had been just a little less arrogant about his accomplishments, which were many. An African-American man raised in poverty who not only went to college but on to advanced degrees. Determined to make life better for those children in the inner city, he returned to work there as teacher and then principal. I was particularly fascinated by the work of his chess club, having just read about similar results in the Paul Tough book How do children succeed. Worthy read.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book shows how much impact strong, positive teachers can have on the lives of our country's youth. It made me remember my favorite teachers throughout my school years that influenced me to reach higher, see beyond my tiny world, and be a better person.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thomas-El is an inspiring individual, with an interesting story. He's a much more engaging speaker than his book is, but it was good to get more details. I particularly appreciated his work engaging young people with chess - lots to celebrate there!

[Janet Jonas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read for educators. Lots of good student-focused thinking. Mr. EL is a great model of and inspiration for overcoming adversity. The writing was a bit simplistic and sometimes repetitive, but the book was engaging and very interesting.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a great insight into the motivation of a minority teacher to help improve urban education.