30 Quotes by Rafe Esquith

To quote the exceptional teacher Marva Collins, "I will is more important than IQ." It is wonderful to have a terrific mind, but it's been my experience that having outstanding intelligence is a very small part of the total package that leads to success and happiness. Discipline, hard work, perserverance, and generosity of spirit are, in the final analysis, far more important.

Most children, even very bright ones, need constant review and practice to truly own a concept in grammar, math or science. In schools today, on paper it may appear that kids are learning skills, but in reality they are only renting them, soon to forget what they've learned over the weekend or summer vacation.

There are so many charlatans in the world of education. They teach for a couple of years, come up with a few clever slogans, build their websites, and hit the lecture circuit. In this fast-food-society, simple solutions to complex problems are embraced far too often. We can do better. I hope that people who read this book realize that true excellence takes sacrifice, mistakes, and enormous amounts of effort. After all, there are no shortcuts.

It often seems that we live in a bottom line society, where the final score or final grade is all that matters. Exceptional children grow to understand that the journey is everything.

In schools today, on paper it may appear that kids are learning skills but in reality they are only renting them, soon to forget what they've learned over the weekend or summer vacation.

Children are born with varying levels of talent and intelligence, but possessing natural smarts and skills is no guarantee of success. It takes more than that: it takes work on the part of parents and teachers to cultivate these qualities, to instill in children the drive and character necessary to translate their natural gifts into extraordinary results.

Would you rather have your child in a room with the best equipment in the world with an average teacher or an empty room with Socrates?

If I push a few of your buttons I'm probably doing my job as a teacher!

Socrates was the best teacher and they killed him!