Journal 9: Hans

After watching The Hobart Shakespearians, I had many different emotions. In this documentary you see Rafe Esquith, fifth grade teacher at Hobart Elementary in Los Angeles, California, pedagogy. Mr. Esquith takes his 5th grade class through, in my opinion, the best teaching experience of their lifetime. The teacher does this by giving his students many opportunities to experience the different and key aspects of life, in and out of the classroom. He teaches core subjects like math, science, etc. to playing instruments, sports, etc. Rafe Esquith also takes the students to field trips around the U.S.A. so that the kids may also experience the real world. The way he treated his class made me feel very sentimental because it shows his compassion and love for every kid that he meets. The students say that being there "feels like home." It made me think about how great the impact of that class can have on the students who have the opportunity to be part of it. What made the story all the more interesting was the environment in which Hobart is located in one is very unsafe and had the kids not had Mr. Esquith they would have been part of the streets. I wish there was a teacher like this in every classroom. My elementary experience was not good, I went to elementary school in L.A. post-katrina and most of my teachers did not care about their teaching. I had one teacher that I remember was good his name was Mr. Nawash, he was my social studies teacher. I feel if there were teachers like Rafe in every classroom then it would increase the graduation rate. He made all the kids feel so special and gave every kid an equal opportunity to shine. Rafe taught me how important it is to set goals in life. My goal for next year is to get a small internship and work on my Dive Master.