The Essential 55 by Ron Clark

I just finished reading The Essential 55. It's an annotated set of fifty-five rules, which is no surprise. The notations give the rationale and stories connected to each rule. It's uber upbeat, annoyingly so, but, an engaging, enjoyable read nonetheless. A little sarcasm would have been much appreciated by this reader.

The things I took away:

It's sometimes hard to follow through with consequences but essential. The lesson of responsibility, unselfishness, etc. is more important than the lost rice krispy treat. Teaching is about the big picture, which requires the details to support the big picture. There's a necessary integrity between the big picture and the classroom procedures. Procedures aren't auxilliary but foundational. They teach responsibility and create routine and safety. Students appreciate boundaries and thrive under them.

Carpe Diem. I need to model the joie de vivre and savoir faire I desire my students to have. Life full of zest and pluck is far more enjoyable because it's life as it should be.


Flexibility and problem-solving. A teacher needs to avert disaster when possible, otherwise, hit it head on.

Acknowledge mistakes and learn from them.

Have high expectations and communicate them. Be very concrete in communicating expectations. I need to teach, model and then role play my expectations. I need to be as good as my word.

Love your kids in an effective and efficacious manner. Believe in them. Give them every opportunity to grow and learn. Hold them to high standards.

Empower your students. Teach them how to interact well with each other. Clark talks about a class functioning as a school family. I like that analogy. The students should encourage and celebrate each other's successes. The classroom should be a happy, safe place where learning is the cool thing to do.

Manners are important because people are important. Manners are necessary in every aspect of my and my student's life. Teaching them to respect and honor others is to help them become successful in life.