My library has very few books for teachers. I had heard good things about Ron Clark, so I decided to give this one a shot. Overall, I was not impressed. Most of his "essential 55" rules deal with manners, and some are just goofy. I understand that many students may not be exposed to these basic social rules at home, but I think students can pick them up at school through appropriate modeling and class discussions related to recurring issues. Making dozens of classroom rules on manners seems a little over the top. Maybe it works for fifth grade, but as a future high school teacher I think I would take a far different approach.