Educating Esmé (26 page)

All of the names of students, teachers, and administrators herein have been changed.

Published by
ALGONQUIN BOOKS OF CHAPEL HILL
Post Office Box 2225
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27515-2225

a division of
Workman Publishing
225 Varick Street
New York, New York 10014

© 1999, 2009 by Esmé Raji Codell. Foreword © 2009 by Katherine Paterson. Afterword © 1999 by Jim Trelease. All rights reserved.

Portions of this diary were originally aired on WBEZ, Chicago, as “Call Me Madame” in the radio 
Life Stories
series, produced by Jay Allison.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in Publication Data is available.

E-book ISBN 978-1-56512-971-9

The Children in Room E4: American Education on Trial
,
by Susan Eaton

“
The Children in Room E4
is a wonderful, complex, subtle, and intelligent work that digs deep into the crisis facing urban education. The long legal battles that surround the notorious racial segregation of one city are set against an intimate narrative of life within one classroom and the struggles and achievements of one teacher and her students. The narrative itself is utterly compelling, but it is the political context of this story that lends it national significance. A very important book. It ought to be read widely.”—Jonathan Kozol, author of
The Shame of the Nation

“A damning book that shines light on a particularly American dilemma.”—
Entertainment Weekly

EDUCATION/SOCIAL SCIENCE
•
ISBN
-13 978-1-56512-617-6

Work Hard. Be Nice: How Two Inspired Teachers Created the Most Promising Schools in America
, 
by Jay Mathews

“Two stories are masterfully woven together here. One is of two young men—think Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn—setting out on an adventure to teach children how to read, write, and behave in some of our toughest urban classrooms. The other story is of the children themselves, mostly poor and minority, soaring to life in their new environment . . . Jay Mathews deserves great credit for telling the tale so well—and for making a compelling case that, yes, we can change public education.”—David Gergen, professor of public service and director, Center for Public Leadership, Harvard Kennedy School

EDUCATION
•
ISBN
-13 978-1-56512-516-2

In Code: A Young Woman's Mathematical Journey
,
by Sarah Flannery with David Flannery

“What every aspiring young scientist and mathematician needs: love, humor, inspiration and . . . a copy of this book.”—Richard Mankiewicz, author of
The Story of Mathematics

“A marvelous book . . . I recommend the book to anyone who is interested in mathematics and especially youngsters—males as well as females . . . A most remarkable book.”—
Mathematics Teacher
magazine

EDUCATION/MATHEMATICS
•
ISBN
-13 978-1-56512-377-9

“The imagination and irreverent wit [Codell] brought to education make this bristling journal well worth reading.”

—
Entertainment Weekly
, A-

“Remarkably unsentimental . . . The charm of this memoir is that Esmé isn't all that different from the kids . . . While you could read it as a primer on tough love,
Educating Esmé
is really a story about an unlikely bunch of kids discovering the transports of reading . . . No matter how often Hollywood gets it wrong, that's one story we never tire of.”

—
Elle

“Hilarious . . .
Educating Esmé
has won praise for its forthright depiction of an inner-city school, turning [Esmé] into one of the nation's most sought-after voices for empowering teachers—and against government-dictated curricula and testing.”

—
People

“At turns entertaining, damning, and heartbreaking, the diary is a testament to the very best and worst of teaching—to the small miracles that occur in the classroom every day, as well as the deadening bureaucracies.”

—
NEA Today

“Sassy, irrepressible and happily eccentric, Codell is the type of person who gears up for a trying day by listening to Tina Turner's ‘Funkier than a Mosquita's Tweeter.'”

—
The Washington Post Book World

“
Educating Esmé
. . . is full of surprising tales of administrative corruption, personal insights into her students and hilarious tales of fifth-grade exploration . . . Codell's rare candor and fireball integrity shine through this very funny and honest document of hard-won educational experience.”

—Salon.com

“Esmé Raji Codell is the kind of elementary school teacher children never forget . . . She's creative and caring, yet tough and tenacious . . . [Her] book is a reality check on the state of public education and an important read for all teachers, young and old, and anyone thinking about joining the profession.”

—
The Grand Rapids Press

“Must reading for every teacher,
Educating Esmé
is not just for educators. This is a story about frustrations in any workplace, about refusing to conform, about taking a stand against mediocrity. By the sheer force of her personality, Esmé gives us an exhilarating field trip through a Chicago public school.”

—Wholeliving.com

“Wonderful ideas seem to flow from Esmé Raji Codell endlessly . . . Articulate, brave, creative, and determined, she fought against every obstacle put in her way by the entrenched public school system.”

—
The New Orleans Times-Picayune

“
Educating Esmé
has become a pop culture phenomenon.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“This honest and spirited account of a young teacher's experiences in a Chicago public school will warm your heart and sometimes break it.”

—
Chicago Tribune

“Esmé's diary of her first year and its pitfalls is funny, poignant and even sad. She gets what she wants, no matter the obstacles. Her determination to succeed, no matter the odds, is inspiring . . . An entertaining book, well worth reading.”

—
The Phoenix Arizona Republic

“
Educating Esmé
is a book every first-year teacher should be required to read, every in-service symposium should focus on for discussion and conflict resolution, every parent should share, and every principal should put on his or her must-read list.”

—
The Norfolk Virginian-Pilot

“Although it easily can be read in a single afternoon, its contents will linger in the memory long afterward. It should be read by anyone who's interested in the future of public education.”

—
The Boston Phoenix

“[Codell] is flighty, self-centered and appallingly self-righteous. But she is also passionate about teaching children, and you won't have to like the author to enjoy
Educating Esmé.
”

—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“What delights in this modern, true-life version of
Up the Down Staircase
is Esmé's energy . . . Her fierce enthusiasm overflows the page . . . This revealing, screamingly funny memoir offers hope and fear in equal measure to those who would teach and those who want to know about teaching.”

—
Booklist

“A spirited account . . .
Educating Esmé
is that exceptional education book about an even more exceptional teacher. It deserves to be read by anyone who cares about children.”

—
Kirkus Reviews