Book Review: "Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire" by Rafe Esquith

Rafe Esquith is an inspiration. In his classroom, he is able to teach his fifth- and sixth-grade students (most of whom speak English as a second language) to play classical and rock guitar, perform Shakespeare, and score baseball games. He also teaches them how to problem solve, introduces them to classic movies, and teaches them the basics of managing finances. And, by the way, his students have better than average test scores and go onto colleges all over the country.

How does he do this? Rafe gives 110% of himself, every day. His problem-solving lessons begin every day an hour before normal school hours. The guitar sessions are during recess and lunch. Rehearsal for the Shakespearean plays happens for several hours after school each day. He hosts an evening get-together to watch the World Series every year, has a Thanksgiving dinner the Wednesday before the holiday, and organizes a show and meal for homeless people on December 23rd.

In this book, "Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire," Rafe does a great job of detailing how he runs his classroom. Unlike most books in the education genre, Rafe is very specific. That was probably the most refreshing aspect of the book--it was not just philosophic waxing, but rather highly usable ideas.

Of course, if any teacher set out to perfectly mimic Rafe Esquith's style of teaching, they would fail miserably. Yet, a teacher could follow some of the ideas, and use others as springboards to bring one's own passions into the classroom. In this way, the book serves as an excellent template. If I were king of the education world, I would make this book mandatory for all elementary teachers, but also I feel that middle that it's a must-read for middle and high school teachers.

5 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership" by John C. Maxwell

In this book, Maxwell lays out twenty-one "laws" of leadership, which serve to summarize the qualities good leaders possess and the situations in which they excel. Maxwell does an excellent job of pulling in examples from history and sports, as well as including anecdotes about contemporary political, religious, and business figures. The narrative in the book flows nicely, and it is an incredibly easy read.

"The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership" relies on these snippets of true leadership. Whether it's the story of how Ray Kroc transformed McDonald's, or a quick synopsis of the life of Harriet Tubman, Maxwell's examples are relevant, inspiring, and fun to read. He also offers brief descriptions of his struggles to lead as a young pastor, explaining his mistakes and relating what he did to be successful.

The most significant problem with this book is that, while it outlines what makes leaders successful, it does a poor job of explaining exactly how one can improve themselves. For example, the first law, "The Law of the Lid," explains that a leader's effectiveness is determined by his or her ability to lead. OK... now what? Or, later, in the "The Law of Intuition," Maxwell describes how leaders see everything from a leadership bias, but it is unclear how an aspiring leader can hone his or her intuition.

However, this book is overall worth a read. Because of it's ease to comprehend and telling examples, students of leadership will benefit from adding it to their collection.

3 out of 5 stars.