Fires in the Middle School Bathroom: Advice for Teachers from Middle Schoolers [Hardcover]

Kathleen Cushman (Author), Laura Rogers (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1595581111 | ISBN-13: 978-1595581112 | Publication Date: April 1, 2008

The highly anticipated sequel to the bestselling Fires in the Bathroom—filled with practical, honest advice from middle school students to their teachers.

Following on the heels of the bestselling Fires in the Bathroom, which brought the insights of high school students to teachers and parents, Kathleen Cushman now turns her attention to the crucial and challenging middle grades, joining forces with adolescent psychologist Laura Rogers.

As teachers, counselors, and parents cope with the roller coaster of early adolescence, too few stop to ask students what they think about these critical years. Here, middle school students in grades 5 through 8 across the country and from diverse ethnic backgrounds offer insights on what it takes to make classrooms more effective and how to forge stronger relationships between young adolescents and adults. Students tackle such critical topics as social, emotional, and academic pressures; classroom behavior; organization; and preparing for high school. Cushman and Rogers help readers hear and understand the vital messages about adolescent learning that come through in what these students say.

This invaluable resource provides a unique window into how middle school students think, feel, and learn, bringing their needs to the forefront of the conversation about education.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cushman, whose well-received Fires in the Bathroom covered high school students, teamed up with psychologist and Tufts professor Rogers to explore how to teach middle school students more effectively. What's a teacher to do when she's trying to be so nice and they're setting fires in the bathroom, a high school student had asked in the first volume. Much of the material that Cushman gathered (from 40 students in five cities) is about basic classroom skills. Teachers should listen carefully to what's on their students' minds and put the currents in your classroom to good use, rather than work against them, the authors advise. Be strict and be nice, they say, which is hard, but walking that line is one way you show that you are on your students' side when it comes to helping them learn. Cushman and Rogers quote frequently from their student panel, helping readers grow accustomed to their ways of expressing themselves, and include several self-evaluation worksheets for teachers. While there's little new, for teachers fresh out of college and headed for inner-city classrooms, this book may be a useful resource. (May)
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About the Author

Kathleen Cushman is the author of Fires in the Bathroom (The New Press). She lives in New York City. Laura Rogers, EdD, has a doctorate from Harvard University and twelve years of experience as a school psychologist working with adolescents. She teaches at Tufts University and lives in Harvard, Massachusetts.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: New Press (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595581111
• ISBN-13: 978-1595581112
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #409,224 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kathleen Cushman: Writer and speaker, raising youth voices

As a journalist and documentarian, I collaborate with diverse youth around the U.S. and abroad, bringing their voices directly to bear on the complex challenges that affect their lives and learning. As a speaker and presenter, I work with educational institutions to connect the direct input of youth with promising practices in secondary schools and colleges.

I bring forty years of experience and new learning to this work. Most of my work since 2001 is for What Kids Can Do (WKCD.org), the nonprofit I co-founded with Barbara Cervone, but I also regularly speak, consult, and write for organizations around the country.

Starting as a printer's devil in my high school years, over four decades I've worn every hat in publishing: writer, editor, and publisher for newspapers, magazines, and books in many fields. Reporting on national high school change from 1988 to 2001 gave me a solid grasp of educational issues and an active network of people in the forefront of that field. Teaching first-year writing at Harvard trained me to coach young people to think deeply and to free up and discipline their voices. Helping to start a progressive public secondary school in Massachusetts in 1995 gave me hands-on experience in setting the bar high for all students.

In the past decade, for WKCD, I have traveled the U.S. and abroad collecting the voices of youth, then bringing their words into print and mixed-media forms. Grounded in the rough and subtle realities of adolescence, these voices cut close to the bone -- illuminating "best practices" in education, and revealing the fault lines that divide students along lines of class, color, and money. I aim to bring young people's vivid experiences and insights to an even wider audience, by speaking, writing, and collaborating with you who share a commitment to equity, opportunity, and powerful learning for all.

I live and work in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars First Year Middle school teacher, April 15, 2009

By 

Terri M. Faus "picky reader" (gilroy, ca United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fires in the Middle School Bathroom: Advice for Teachers from Middle Schoolers (Hardcover)

As a first year Middle School teacher, I needed some insight into the unpredictable behavior of an adolescent. I appreciated this book for that. I was looking for some tips about how to respond to their behavior, and this book really didn't offer much in that regard. Still, understanding their perspective gives me food for thought.

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't ignore the kids, September 4, 2011

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Curtis F. Lawrence Jr. "King Tut" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fires in the Middle School Bathroom: Advice for Teachers from Middle Schoolers (Paperback)

Great book of words of wisdom from middle schoolers. Often adults make decisions without considering the thoughts, trials, and tribulations they have opted to serve

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy Read, March 24, 2010

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C. Burkey (Akron, Oh) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fires in the Middle School Bathroom: Advice for Teachers from Middle Schoolers (Hardcover)

I had to buy this book for a class, and I thought it was an easy read. It was also a wonderful look into the minds of early adolescent students. I'm glad I had to read this book, and at the end of the semester I kept the book to reference when I get into the work force.