Fires in the Bathroom

"It's a safe bet that in random high schools all over the United States, some kid has just set the bathroom wastebasket on fire. And deep down, all of us know why."

It is the "why" that prompted the non-profit organization, What Kids Can Do, Inc., to seek writer and researcher (author) Kathleen Cushman to gather teenagers' advice for an audience of teachers and adults who make decisions regarding education. Collectively, they were looking for a way to help relieve the "anonymity and captivity" that even the best high schools can convey.

Has anyone ever asked you questions like this before?
was the question posed by researcher Kathleen Cushman as she concluded her work with the forty youth from New York, Providence, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Sadly, all twenty shook their heads "no." To me, that is too appalling for words. For the prime responsiblity of all teachers should be first and foremost to care for their students - to forge a kind of bond that inspires learning.

Fires in the Bathroom is the best - and most promising - book I have purchased in a while for professional development. As research shows, sixty percent of teachers leave the profession in the first three to five years never to return. However, with adequate support, safety, and the ability to build community, teachers can thrive. Fires is just the book to illustrate the need to turn the tables upside down in the modern classroom. The advice in the book aims to enhance a teacher's ability to pay close attention to what students say, "whether they speak through words or actions."

If you are a teacher, or a parent, this book is a must-read. And, now that I think about it... church youth leaders across the nation must read it too.