"There are no shortcuts" by Rafe Esquith Pantheon Books, 2003
Learning isn’t easy, and it shouldn’t be. This view, unpopular among students accustomed to today’s instant everything, is espoused by Esquith, who requires his students to work hard. In this account, he documents the evolution of his philosophy and the success of his strategies for motivating students at Hobart Elementary School to perform in the top 10 percent on standardized tests and go on to top colleges. Related with wit, good humor, and a measure of self-criticism, and liberally sprinkled with anecdotes about administrators and students, it’s easy to see how the advice given by a concert cellist to one of his students became their mantra for success: “There are no shortcuts.”