The Essential 55: An Award-Winning Educator's Rules For Discovering the Successful Student in...

The Essential 55: An Award-Winning Educator's Rules For Discovering the Successful Student in Every Child | Ron Clark | Every parent and teacher should read this!

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The Essential 55: ...

	The Essential 55: An Award-Winning Educator's Rules For Discovering the Successful Student in Every Child Ron Clark Hyperion, 2004 - 224 pages average customer review:based on 144 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A Must Buy for all Teachers

This is better than Wong's First Day of School! It is written for elementary school, but is easily applicable to secondary school as well. It holds many wonderful ideas that are necessary to make a strong academic environment while not losing the humanity of the social aspect of school.

Some of the rules may seem a bit rudimentary, but, as a high school teacher, I see too many students that lack social graces and display anti-social behavior on a daily basis. That being said, I have incorporated many of the rules this year and can testify that they do work. Something as simple as a student saying "Yes, sir/ma'am" goes a long way. I work primarily with upper classmen and I have seen a real change since the beginning of the semester in January (review written in March). I have also encouraged many of my fellow teachers to use this in their classrooms of Freshmen and they have told me that the rules also work in their classrooms.

I would highly recommend this book for any teacher just starting out or a 20+ year veteran. This book reminds us of why we became teachers. It is written in such a way that is not condescending. It is very well organized and has a smooth delivery that draws the reader in.

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Every parent and teacher should read this!

I am only halfway through this book but already I can see the usefullness it can have in everyday life. It reminds you about the little things we take for granted about using manners and gives many examples on how doing these things can pay off in the long run. Ron Clark has really shown that by setting the example and following through with these rules can make a big difference in the lives of the teachers, children, and parents. I think if we (parents and teachers)all followed his book rule by rule and enforced them in our own lives as well as the lives of our children, we would be able to gain back the respect for ourselves and others that has been lost.

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For New & Experienced Teachers Alike

This book is incredible. I bought it because I wanted to tweak my discipline system in my classroom. I am an experienced teacher with 22 years under my belt and I needed the refreshing ideas and guidelines that Ron Clark shared from his classes. He is very realistic and shares with humor and expertise. Our kids need manners and lessons on how to get along in society. This book is very poignant for today's generation. "The Essential 55" is a grand tool for any classroom teacher.

Reminders

Ron C reminds us of things we take for granted. Great for youth groups.

Looking for Ways to Improve Your Classroom? Check Out These Essentials

Ron Clark is a man who obviously knows a thing or two about educating and disciplining youngsters. He has been the recipient of many different awards; has been invited to the White House to meet with Bill and Hillary Clinton; and has spoken to school boards and concerned parents around the country about the hot topic of education and how to change it for the better. There is consistent disagreement on what works and what doesn't when it comes to education but Clark is convinced that his methods, while not perfect, are at the very least a step in the right direction and will likely result in improvements to some degree.

Clark spends the bulk of this book highlighting his "Essential 55". One by one, he lists each of his rules followed by an explanation of what the rule means, how to implement it, and what he has learned from it. Often, Clark gets a little sidetracked in this book and tells a story relating to a specific rule. He likes sharing his personal stories and he uses them as a means to illustrate how a specific rule has been proven successful and/or how the rule has evolved based on his personal experience. Most of his stories deal with actual events that have taken place either in the classroom, with a parent, or at an official school function. These stories, while sometimes a little silly, are Clark's way of showing that his rules have merit and many educators who read them will be able to relate.

The main theme of this book is the importance of etiquette and discipline in shaping the youth of America. This fact surprised me as I read. When I first heard about this book I assumed that, based on its title, it was a book about ways to succeed at teaching. But I quickly discovered that what Clark talks about in this book is actually more geared toward discipline than anything. Only a small fraction of the rules deal directly with academics and actual teaching methods. The rest of the rules deal with developing good manners, keeping one's self neat and organized, showing respect to others, etc.

The fact that Clark spends so much time covering discipline and etiquette is a curve ball I didn't see coming. I can agree that proper etiquette and self- discipline are important and are good ideas to instill in young people. But I don't know if this is necessarily the best way to deal with the subject of education which, I thought, was going to be the basis of this book. I know that many will defend Clark's methods; arguing that good discipline and manners will ultimately lead to strong classroom performance. This could be true, but I have not seen enough research to convince me that, for example, referring to older people as "Sir" or "M'aam" (Rule #1) is necessarily going to lead to better classroom performance and higher test scores. And Clark doesn't offer any hard evidence that his methods work. He relies instead on his own experience as his guiding force. He is convinced that what works for him will work for most any teacher. It may not work as well as it does for him, but Clark is convinced that any educator who follows his rules will see at least some improvement in the classroom.

Looking at the Essential 55, some of the rules seem a little silly. I think everyone will agree with some of them, like "Be as Organized as Possible (Rule #18)", "Always Say Thank You When Given Something (Rule# 9)", and others. These rules are obvious and they can benefit anyone at any age. But other rules are a little too confining like "When Homework is Assigned, do not Moan or Complain (Rule# 19), or "If you are Asked a Question in Conversation, Ask a Question in Return (Rule# 6)". These aren't necessarily bad pieces of advice, but they are a little too specific and don't seem worthy of inclusion in a list like this one. Homework isn't always fun, and its common for kids to moan or sigh when an assignment is made. Clark believes in handing out punishments when this rule (and others) is broken even though it is often an honest response. And remembering to ask a question in return when someone else asks a question isn't always as easy as it sounds- especially for young children.

One other thing that deserves mentioning is that the writing in this book isn't at the "A" level one would expect from an award winning educator. The choice of words and the grammar are sometimes a little off the mark and if I had to give the book a grade for it writing expertise, my grade would be C+. The writing is very average and even though I was able to understand what the book was trying to communicate, I can think of many paragraphs that would be more effective if they were rewritten.

Overall, "The Essential 55" is a good book with some common sense advice on making young children into better people. It emphasizes discipline a little more than I would prefer and it gets sidetracked more often than it should. I was hoping to read more advice on ways to improve the actual academic experience and performance of young people. I didn't get what I wanted, but The Essential 55 is still a book worth reading, particularly for those who teach in elementary schools. It offers some good advice on how to get kids to behave themselves and show respect; hopefully leading to improved academic performance and a better life in the future.

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