There Are No Shortcuts is a window into the urban public school system as experienced by accomplished teacher Rafe Esquith. This semiautobiographical work uses short vignettes, words of wisdom, and inspirational tales to paint a picture of the barriers and triumphs experienced by Mr. Esquith and the students in his classroom. Throughout the work Mr. Esquith shares some of the strategies and techniques he has employed in persuading his students of the importance of achieving excellence. He details his failures and his successes. The book is not a guide for teachers, or a master plan for fixing the problems facing public education. Beyond filling the profession with people as devoted as Mr. Esquith, no workable macro level solutions are offered. What is offered is the telling of one mans almost religious devotion to providing a quality educational experience for his students. His often humorous tales provide a rough outline detailing his teaching philosophy and how he has implemented it in his classroom throughout his years as a teacher. Written in no nonsense and simple style, the book is easy to read and does contain some value for educators, students, and parents; yet it is also useful for the aggrandizement and ego stroking of the author.
The Rafe Esquith we are introduced to in the opening chapters is an idealistic man who lives by his principles. He has an almost spiritual devotion to being a good teacher. In a world where mediocrity is not only acceptable, but encouraged, he demands excellence from not only his students but from himself. He is not a man to back down and comply in order to get along, but he is smart enough to recognize when he is defeated and accept a loss in order to fight another day. Early on we learn that taking the path less traveled will come with a price, and Mr. Esquith is more than ready to pay. In fact Mr. Esquith’s teaching career was almost ended before it had even begun; his first experience with adversity comes while he was still in graduate school, when his moral ability to teach is questioned. Details aren’t important; it’s just one of many examples sketching the character and determination of Mr. Esquith in a positive light.
Starting his teaching career in a comfortable upper-middle school system he quickly becomes disenchanted with his setting. He is bothered that these fortunate children don’t need him. His social-conscious is conflicted by his situation and he makes the choice to move to an intercity school populated by a much more diverse student body. The overall impression the author gives of himself approaches sainthood, yet the portrait presented during his first few years of teaching is filled with naivety and unfocused determination. He knows what he wants to be, a first class educator providing opportunity to disadvantaged children, but he first must learn how to survive
After we have been properly assured of the moral intentions and fortitude of the author, we are given his views on the importance of reading. An entire chapter is devoted to the obstacles barring successful reading programs and how he surmounted those obstacles. He outlines macro level barriers such as compulsory reading programs from the district, and teachers who don’t enjoy reading themselves. He details his micro level problems, like where to obtain enough books to use for his own reading program. While he offers his responses to the micro level problems he encounters, he fails to provide any real macro level solutions other than to let educators choose what they teach with and for them to be better educators. While it might be nice if the determination and enthusiasm characterizing Mr. Esquith was the standard in the teaching profession, sadly this is not the case. Providing a model that will never be actualized by the vast majority in the field is of little value except for stroking the ego of the author.
Numbers are also given special attention in the book. Beyond the obligatory slamming of coworkers and the bureaucracy, Mr. Esquith provides an interesting approach to teaching math and economics. What he describes is not a traditional math program, but instead an applied exercise in math and economics. It is an engrossing multifaceted experience that not only allows pupils to develop math skills, but also is enlightening on certain aspects of the real world not often seen in fifth grade classrooms.
Every student has a job, is paid a wage, and has the opportunity to squander or save their money. They can rent their desks, month to month, or they can save their money and purchase their seat for the entire year. There are opportunities to earn bonus money, and fines for disobeying the rules. The pay structure is set so that success only comes with effort beyond mediocrity. A comfortable existence in Mr. Esquith’s classroom, much like in real life, only comes with hard work. The jobs that the students fill teach them responsibility as well as freeing up time for Mr. Esquith. The entire system is set up to teach the children the value of owning property, saving money, and some of the keys to realizing success in our society. Slipping past with minimal effort doesn’t actualize success in our society, especially when the starting point is disadvantaged. Mr. Esquith has realized this and has developed this ingenious program to try and instill this lesson in his students.
Beyond his discourse on reading and math, we are given principles that outline Mr. Esquith’s teaching philosophy along side tales reinforcing his image as a superior teacher and human being. He won’t back down, although he will and often does compromise. Compromise is a necessary evil if he wishes to continue toward his ultimate goal. He certainly isn’t foolish enough to pursue one battle to the point conceding the war. Mr. Esquith sets high standards, and when they are achieved he sets them even higher. Slight improvements and mediocrity aren’t good enough for Mr. Esquith. He sees the big picture facing these kids, a world where opportunities are not equal and the only way to overcome the seemingly endless cycles of poverty and destitution is through education and hard work. Good enough isn’t what leads to a comfortable life, and he works hard to make sure that his students understand this. He stresses the importance of learning English in his classroom, while trying to recognize the value in knowing ones traditional roots. Religion is something that he keeps out of his classroom, as he has realized how easy it can be to alienate students with differing beliefs. He recognizes the political agendas pushed by the system, but operates by his own political agenda. He doesn’t allow external political pressure to obfuscate what is important to him, the quality of education he offers his students. Time is to be used, not wasted. He dodges what he views as bureaucratic wastes of time at every opportunity, even at financial cost to himself. He would rather spend time in class with students than in training seminars required by the district. He believes in travel with students who have demonstrated they know how to behave in public settings and he takes many trips with his students. These are just some of the principles that make up the teaching philosophy outlined by the author.
