angelofvic THE HOBART SHAKESPEAREANS is a riveting, life-changing documentary on Rafe Esquith, 1992 American Teacher of the Year and also National Medal of Arts recipient (plus many other teaching awards, including Oprah's Use Your Life Award), who teaches fifth-grade in a dangerous, poor, drug-infested 100% Latino/Asian neighborhood in L.A. to kids whose parents do not speak English.He even has them performing an entire Shakespeare play to live audiences every year. The film had me in tears several times, and the kids themselves were in tears several times -- when Rafe is reading and describing Huck Finn's difficult choice about turning Jim in; and when the school year ends and the fun and learning is over for the students.Rafe does even much more than this with these students, and he makes sure they are well-loved, well-traveled, and well-equipped not only to continue their academic trajectories, but also to live wisely and richly. His limitless enthusiasm and passion for teaching and for mentoring and for the life of the mind and soul is contagious. Rafe is also the author of several well-known books describing his teaching philosophy, insights, and methodology.The film is a grand inspiration and absolutely full of ideas and hope and sensible advice!

Lawson Lawson Yes, I too laughed and I too cried at this wonderful experience of how it could be for our children. This is the counter to Richard Mitchells "Graves of Acadame" where he says:It is possible, of course, to keep educated people unfree in a state of civilization, but it's much easier to keep ignorant people unfree in a state of civilization. And it is easiest of all if you can convince the ignorant that they are educated, for you can thus make them collaborators in your disposition of their liberty and property. That is the institutionally assigned task, for all that it may be invisible to those who perform it, of American public education.Yet Esquith is scorned for his vigor, like a bunch of day laborers ganging up on an over achiever in ditch digging. Every child has the potential to be the next dozen or so Einsteins we need to understand the universe. They may not be college material but they all can be 5th graders. Esquithian ethos is a gem at Hobart, thank you for raising the bar Mel and Rafe.This great film, don't miss the directors commentary, inspired Rafe's book Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire, where we learn that he is the FIRST teacher to get the Medal of Science for his pedagogy. Here in Texas our principal has bought a copy for every teacher in our school (my biggest coup). A stranger (me) highly recommends this film to all parents with a giant two thumbs up and MUST SEE rating ***** if you want to get out of Mitchell's hell.

stevedesantis Wow! I was assigned to view this documentary as part of a class in my teacher certification course of studies. This teacher has his 5th grade students reading books that I didn't get to until I was one to five years older. By the way, these students are the children of immigrants, for whom English is their SECOND language.Oh and he has them studying AND performing Shakespeare! These students stay after school and study Shakespeare - and as Sir Ian McKellen said -- the children understand what every word means, this is something that you can't say about adult actors working with the same material.Inspirational!I hope I can accomplish even one tenth of what Rafe has done, once I get into the classroom.

moonspinner55 Theatrically-released documentaries today seek to inform and (most importantly) entertain and amuse us, and for the most part they do a very good job. But how about a documentary experience which is something so personal, so special, it has the viewer reexamining his formative years? This PBS valentine to education is quite like that: moving, emotionally and intellectually provocative, tender. There's not a grandstanding or shallow moment in the hour as Los Angeles teacher Rafe Esquith (his students address him simply and naturally as "Rafe") goes through his own personal rigors to teach a class of inner-city immigrant 5th graders all the standard elementary school topics as well as Shakespeare, and at the end of the year they perform "Hamlet" for their amazed families. I was amazed, too at how Mr. Esquith, a handsome, gentle, friendly man, manages to turn a classroom into a forum for ideas, truth, honesty and intellect. One ends up reconsidering his own years in grade school, and I know I was one of those kids who dreaded the thought of going to class in the morning. Esquith has his bad days (and amusingly admits there are times when he feels like packing it in), but he also knows that he'd be cheating many, many children by giving up, and cheating himself as well, and I don't believe he ever will. Ironically, a teacher like this, who is so effective at reaching his students, is actually resented by OTHER teachers at the same school (it's like a high school-pecking order mentality but amongst adults). And yet, Esquith proves to be heroic. This simply-shot, simply-produced hour (with wonderful appearances by Ian McKellen and Michael York) shows that lives ARE being changed, year in and year out, by one person who gives a damn. When the kids are gathered for one last goodbye backstage, it is a graduation of honors--they have been honored and they feel honor--and the tears are of hope, joy, pride, and maybe nervousness, for they have each grown to see their future become an open book in front of them with pages they soon will fill. It sounds corny to say "I laughed, I cried", but this recorded document of learning (and the love of learning) should touch a lot of people--I did laugh, and I did cry.