Fires in the Middle School Bathroom: Advice for Teachers from Middle Schoolers
Summaries from chapter 1-6 in "Fires in the Middle School Bathroom: Advice for Teachers from Middle Schoolers" by Kathleen Cushman and Laura Rogers
Everything is Off Balance
1. We're wondering what to expect from you - so ask us what our questions are.
2. We build our sense of self by watching you and each other.
3. We need room to try on different images of ourselves.
4. We might try on different friends, too, as we try to fit into middle school.
5. we want you to show a real interest in who we are and what we care about.
A Teacher on Our Side
1. Show us that you like us and find out interesting.
2. Listen to our opinions and ideas.
3. Hold us to the rules, but do it nicely.
4. Consider our individual situations and treat us fairly, case by case.
5. We want to trust you, but that's not always easy.
Social Forces in the Classroom
1. Help us find common ground with each other.
2. Teach us hw to work together in safe, collaborative groups.
3. Let us practice working out issues that affect the class.
4. Treat us all with the same respect.
5. Understand that our ideas about what's fair will change as we tackle new problems.
6. Watch closely what's really going on with us, inside and outside the classroom.
Helping Us Grow Into Confident Learners
1. Realize that what you say to us helps us decide whether we believe we are smart or not.
2. Listen to our opinions about how you teach us.
3. Give us friendly and honest feedback on what we do right and what we need to do better,
4. Communicate your confidence in us as you help us overcome our struggles in school.
5. Understand that the grades you give us may mean different things to you, to us, and to our parents.
6. Help us learn how to manage our homework.
Using Our Energy to Help Us Learn
1. Don't ask us to sit still and listen for too long.
2. Help us learn what to do when we have too much energy, or too little.
3. Vary what we do in class, and we will stay more interested.
4. Give us breaks when we are having trouble paying attention.
5. Get us thinking, talking, and moving so we will learn better.
6. Let us eat more often in school - we're growing! We can learn to clean up after ourselves.
Make Way for Parents
1. We want our parents' help and support, but we want it in new ways.
2. We don't want to share everything about school with our parents.
3. We want our parents to see and take pride in our accomplishments.
4. We need out parents to help when we have a problem in school.
5. We want you to balance our need to feel more grown up with your responsibility to keep our parents informed.
6. We need you to get to know our parents and what matters to them.
Our Transition to High School
1. Provide time for us to ask lots of questions about how things are going to change in high school.
2. Arrange for us to hear from high school students before we get there.
3. Let us visit our new school to experience a typical day there.
4. Give us practice in the skills we will need in high school.
5. Provide "bridge" experiences in the summer after eighth grade.
6. Tell our ninth-grade teachers what helps us do well in school.
7. Connect us up with mentors or buddies in the high school.
8. As you send us off to high school, let us know you believe we are ready.
Everything is Off Balance
1. We're wondering what to expect from you - so ask us what our questions are.
2. We build our sense of self by watching you and each other.
3. We need room to try on different images of ourselves.
4. We might try on different friends, too, as we try to fit into middle school.
5. we want you to show a real interest in who we are and what we care about.
A Teacher on Our Side
1. Show us that you like us and find out interesting.
2. Listen to our opinions and ideas.
3. Hold us to the rules, but do it nicely.
4. Consider our individual situations and treat us fairly, case by case.
5. We want to trust you, but that's not always easy.
Social Forces in the Classroom
1. Help us find common ground with each other.
2. Teach us hw to work together in safe, collaborative groups.
3. Let us practice working out issues that affect the class.
4. Treat us all with the same respect.
5. Understand that our ideas about what's fair will change as we tackle new problems.
6. Watch closely what's really going on with us, inside and outside the classroom.
Helping Us Grow Into Confident Learners
1. Realize that what you say to us helps us decide whether we believe we are smart or not.
2. Listen to our opinions about how you teach us.
3. Give us friendly and honest feedback on what we do right and what we need to do better,
4. Communicate your confidence in us as you help us overcome our struggles in school.
5. Understand that the grades you give us may mean different things to you, to us, and to our parents.
6. Help us learn how to manage our homework.
Using Our Energy to Help Us Learn
1. Don't ask us to sit still and listen for too long.
2. Help us learn what to do when we have too much energy, or too little.
3. Vary what we do in class, and we will stay more interested.
4. Give us breaks when we are having trouble paying attention.
5. Get us thinking, talking, and moving so we will learn better.
6. Let us eat more often in school - we're growing! We can learn to clean up after ourselves.
Make Way for Parents
1. We want our parents' help and support, but we want it in new ways.
2. We don't want to share everything about school with our parents.
3. We want our parents to see and take pride in our accomplishments.
4. We need out parents to help when we have a problem in school.
5. We want you to balance our need to feel more grown up with your responsibility to keep our parents informed.
6. We need you to get to know our parents and what matters to them.
Our Transition to High School
1. Provide time for us to ask lots of questions about how things are going to change in high school.
2. Arrange for us to hear from high school students before we get there.
3. Let us visit our new school to experience a typical day there.
4. Give us practice in the skills we will need in high school.
5. Provide "bridge" experiences in the summer after eighth grade.
6. Tell our ninth-grade teachers what helps us do well in school.
7. Connect us up with mentors or buddies in the high school.
8. As you send us off to high school, let us know you believe we are ready.
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1:29 PM
