Winner: Rafe Esquith
Rafe Esquith is one of those teacher you read about. Literally. He's been profiled in newspapers like the NY Times and
Washington Post, magazines such as TIME and on radio and TV. And for good reason. The elementary school teacher's passion for teaching has resulted in extraordinary academic success for his students, 92% of whom come from low-income households in L.A.'s inner city.
As a fifth grade teacher at Hobart Boulevard Elementary School, the second-largest elementary school in the U.S., Esquith has rewritten the book on teaching, also literally, with There Are No Shortcuts and Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire. His teaching honors include the 1992 Disney National Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award, a Sigma Beta Delta Fellowship from Johns Hopkins University, Oprah Winfrey’s $100,000 Use Your Life Award, Parents Magazine’s As You Grow Award, National Medal of Arts, and Esquith was made an honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth.
Thanks to his motivational techniques, Esquith's students consistently score in the top 5% to 10% of the country in standardized tests. Many of them voluntarily come to class as early as 6:30am, more than two hours before the official start of the school day. Most of his students come from immigrant Central American and Korean families and are learning English as a second language. They volunteer to come early, work through recess and stay as late as 5:30 pm, also coming to class during vacations and holidays.
We congratulate Rafe Esquith on his excellence. So many teachers, when faced with extraordinary challenges, throw up their hands and continue forging ahead under less than ideal circumstances, hoping for the best. Rafe has decided to forge ahead as well, but while accepting nothing less than the best from his students, and getting it.
You can support teachers like Rafe by letting them and their immediate supervisors and district administrators know that you appreciate their work. A letter or, better yet, an in-person message to your child's favorite teachers and those to whom they are accountable can support their efforts by way of raises and/or commendations – the kinds of things that will encourage teachers like Rafe Esquith to continue inspiring our children to be their best.
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