Lighting Fires With Rafe Esquith

Rafe Esquith is one of the country’s most renowned urban educators, having received numerous prestigious awards for his work in “Room 56” of Hobart Elementary School in Los Angeles. Known for his fiery and unconventional teaching style, Esquith has consistently turned his mostly low-income, minority students into top academic performers.

Esquith’s 2007 book, Teach Like Your Hair’s On Fire , introduced readers to his classroom and no-holds-barred teaching philosophy, and became a New York Times bestseller. This fall, he is publishing a new book, Lighting Their Fires: Raising Extraordinary Children in a Mixed-Up, Muddled-Up, Shook-Up World .

Teacher talked with Esquith about the book, his thoughts on helping students thrive, and his advice for teachers.