Teacher Changes Lives One Shakespeare Play At A Time
Posted on September 06, 2005
Have you seen Homecoming? This short speaks about the crucial role the school environment and teachers play in the personal growth of teens.
A new documentary titled The Hobart Shakespeareans profiles Rafe Esquith, a fifth-grade teacher in inner-city Los Angeles who works with his class to perform a full-text Hamlet by the end of their school year.
Rafe Esquith grew up in Los Angeles and attended the city's public schools. He is an uncompromising teacher of English, mathematics, geography and literature and his classroom mottos are "Be nice. Work hard," and "There are no shortcuts." Every student is part of the full-length Shakespeare play each year. He has been teaching at Hobart Boulevard Elementary for over 20 years and believes that "If a 10-year-old, who doesn't speak English at home, can step in front of you and do a scene from Shakespeare, then there is nothing that he cannot accomplish."
Esquith was recently interviewed by Terrance McNally for an article on Alternet titled, "The Atticus Finch of Hobart Elementary".
Read the entire interview.
Watch the Hobart Shakespeareans tonight on PBS! Check your local listings for broadcast times.
Related Films: Homecoming
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