num_pages: 204
description: Esmeacute Raji Codell, who is so full of a lust for teaching and a love of children that no crumbling public school system or stagnant bureaucracy can get in her way. Her inner-city Chicago students face intimidating odds -- poverty, violence, gangs, miseducation, and a long line of adults who don't believe "these children" can ever amount to anything. Madame Esmeacute however, is undaunted. She is a woman with boundless zeal determined to be herself and to educate her children with every last drop of energy in her body.While one may not agree with her every teaching decision, it's impossible not to get a kick out of her verve and sassy attitude in the face of trouble. Teaching is hard work. In the public school system, teachers are cruelly overburdened. Dedication is overlooked. Innovation is scorned. Teachers like Esmeacute; who take on the job with enthusiasm and love are precious to our society and our children. They deserve to be celebrated. In telling her own story, Esmeacute; is honoring all teachers like her.
language: English
title: Educating Esmé: Diary of a Teacher's First Year
titlecomplete: Educating Esmé: Diary of a Teacher's First Year
genres: Teaching, Biography, Autobiography, Education, Teachers, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, Adult, Memoir, School
ratings_count: 6366
awards: awardedAt: 946713600000
name: ALA Alex Award
publisher: Algonquin Books