A Review of Ron Clark's The Excellent 11

The Award Winning Educator's Book on Tips for Teachers and Parents

Jul 6, 2009 Jason O'Hare

The Excellent 11, written by Disney Teacher of the Year Ron Clark, highlights qualities teachers can use to help kids reach their potential in and out of the classroom.

Ron Clark began his teaching career in rural North Carolina, but it was when he started teaching in New York City's Public Schools that he received national attention. In 2001, he received Disney's Teacher of the Year award for the work he did in his Spanish Harlem school; then Clark went on to publish his first book The Essential 55 [Hyperion, 2003]. Now with The Excellent 11 [Hyperion, 2004] Ron Clark puts the focus on how teachers should conduct themselves in the classroom.

Anecdotes Showcase Good Educational Practices

Even though it's over 250 pages long, The Excellent 11 is a quick, easy read. It is divided into eleven chapters, each highlighting one of the eleven qualities. Within each chapter is a short exposition about why the quality is important, followed by a series of anecdotes showing how teachers can use the quality to change the lives of kids.

Ron Clark's funky and energetic approach to teaching is evident in the anecdotes. Readers will find how he used a water balloon fight and rap music to bring adventure and enthusiasm to the classroom. Clark also shows how a scavenger hunt can inject creativity into the day and that simple homemade pictures can bring a sense of humor to even the most challenging homework assignment. The book is full of lessons such as these that teach practical strategies for raising student achievement.

But the other side of Ron Clark's success is that he mixes fun with an expectation that all students be respectful and work to their full potential. Along these lines, he shows how his unconventional rules can teach compassion and lists some commonsense ways to to help keep kids organized. Educators will benefit from these and other examples on how to encourage respect and hard work in classrooms.

The Excellent 11 Qualities

Clark pulled from a wide range of experiences to create his list of eleven qualities. He writes about teaching in rural North Carolina and inner city New York, but also reflects on his own days as a student.

However, the book really took shape when he embarked on a cross-country trek after publishing his first book, The Essential 55. For an entire year, Clark traveled to 49 states visiting schools and talking with educators. He gained insights from not only teachers but administrators, school board officials, kids, and parents. He used his reflections as well as the knowledge he gained to create his list of eleven qualities.

The qualities are:

• Enthusiasm
• Adventure
• Creativity
• Reflection
• Balance
• Compassion
• Confidence
• Humor
• Common Sense
• Appreciation
• Resilience

Lessons for Educators

Over the past decade Ron Clark has shown that his unconventional teaching methods lead to success in the form of higher test scores and happier kids. With The Excellent 11 he uses anecdotes to show teachers how to bring about the same kind of success in their own classrooms.

This book is not only useful but, in the tradition of Ron Clark, combines a fun and energetic experience with a set of high expectations to which teachers can hold themselves. Clark's passion for education is apparent throughout, making The Excellent 11 an excellent book for any educator interested in learning how to be a better teacher.

The copyright of the article A Review of Ron Clark's The Excellent 11 in Teacher Tips/Training is owned by Jason O'Hare. Permission to republish A Review of Ron Clark's The Excellent 11 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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