Fires in the Bathroom

by Kathleen Cushman

How does the text "speak" to you? Does what the author says "ring true for you?
What do you notice about the authors style of writing? What do think about it?
Where in the text does the author make you feel strongly? What did the author say (or how did he say
it) to make this happen?
What did you notice about how you read the text? Was it a slow starter?
What it an easy read? Did you find your mind wandering?
What part of the text will you "take with you"? What will linger in your heart or mind?
Are there any other parts of the book that you want to bring to the table for discussion?

Reading Response Log

9.29.14
Pages: 1-35; intro - chapter 2; Knowing Students Well & Respect, Liking, Trust, and Fairness
Quotes:
socially, kids hate you if you succeed too much
a good teacher wont let you give up
getting to know students, pg 4 - ..
Questions:
when do we ask students extracurricular schedule?
how do we treat everyone the same when they dont treat you the same?
Points of Interest:
self-Respect
Student questionnaire
knowing students schedules
access to internet resources
building relationship
respect vs. likeability
students care more about relationships than they do academics; relationships lead to more success;
building credibility as a teacher
mutual student/teacher expectations
show up on time
dont insult others intelligence
10.13.14
Pages: 36-84; chapters 3 - 4
Chapter 3: Classroom Behavior
(pg. 36-61)
treat students with respect; as individuals
tell students your agenda
consider school expectations
give feedback consistently
listen to students
students need to talk
Quotes

If a teacher shows that theyre scared of the students, the students are going to try to take control.
VERONICA (p. 36)
Students dont want only the principals and teachers to be in control, they want the students to more
involved. ANDRES (p. 39)
...treat questioning as a legitimate form of respectful speech, not a classroom misdemeanor. (p. 40)
...away from thinking of [students] as problems to be controlled, and toward thinking of them as
partners in achieving some common goals. (p. 44)
Sometimes its good to work with friends, especially with work outside of school...Youre not gonna do
that if you dont know the person. PORSHE (p. 55)
...the payoff for high engagement always includes a positive classroom culture. (p. 61)
if a teacher shows that theyre scared of the students, the students are going to try to take control. this
stands out to me as it concerns the teachers confidence in the classroom.
Questions
The students page 42 mention twice to use material that interests us and is meaningful, but what do we
do if the student doesnt care to know about the science?
How do we administer the questionnaire on page 46 and 47?
What is the right consequence for inappropriate behavior?
Points of Interest
Have a plan
Discuss and follow up promptly and consistently with your student expectations
Dont make assumptions when punishing. Become a detective in the matter.
The questionnaire on page 46 and 47 is amazing. This is a great tool to use to help find out what is
going on with a disruptive, misbehaving student.
Dont overuse please, the students will think it is an option.
Use calling parents as a last resort and a necessary one. It is crossing the boundary of teacher-student
relationship and introducing family life. This could lead to making things worse for the student at home.
treat students with respect
students expect just as much from their teachers as teachers expect of their students. if a teacher sets
high expectations, the teacher should be held to the same expectations
therefore, teachers need to model their expectations; they are the model of what they expect.
My IMT does this often in the beginning of the year, often reciting the phrase I did my job, now
you do yours.
Chapter 4: Creating a Culture of Success

(pg. 62-84)

Quotes:
...those expectations apply to both teacher and student. (p. 62)
...if a teacher doesnt care enough to stick with it (a students success), why should we? (p. 67)
When students reflect on their work process after finishing a paper or project, they also get in the habit
of believing in their own ability to succeed. (p.68)
...it matters a lot to them that their grades are fair, whether they turn out high or low. (p. 78)
Questions:
How long do we stick with helping a student if they continue to not care and show no effort?
Points of Interest
Be the BEST teacher. Believe, Encourage, Support, Take risks with students.
Give students helpful feedback and privately when necessary.
Students have many more pressures in their life besides school.
Make sure the kids know how to succeed.
Dont favor or compare students.

give students clear criteria

model for students
set high expectations and expect students to follow through

11/24/14
Pages: 75-183 Chapters 5-10
Chapter 5: Teaching to the Individual, Working with the Group

(pg. 85-99)

Quotes
The teacher should look for progress, not necessarily uniformity of product. (Location 1652). I take issue with
this. My view on a high school diploma is that it is a certification that says this person knows the things they
are supposed to know after 13 years of schooling. It is not a certificate of participation that says this person
attained as much education as they were willing and able to.
Questions
Points of Interest
Identifying Individual Roles for Small Group Work. I think this 5-step method is a good way to create a rubric
for the participation portion of any group project. After a few iterations, Im sure that the rubrics will all look the
same as previous years. Im not completely sure how to implement this, but Im sure that it would be useful
when the details are worked out.
Rubrics and opportunities to revise are seen as valuable.
analyze students motives for participating
recognize students diversity and differences
group assignments: assign clear roles and allow students to pick groups

Chapter 6: Motivation and Boredom

(pg. 100-122)

Quotes
Show me how knowing pi is worth something. Show me how learning to appreciate music or art is worth
something. For some reason, when it comes to math, children seem to want it to apply to a job, but other
topics are only required to be interesting. Seeing the beauty in math or just being intrigued by facts, patterns,
or anomalies is fine for electives, but not math.
The teacher never checks the homework anyway. Reason given for not doing homework. My IMT rarely
grades homework, and completion rates reflect that.
Questions
What do you do about kids that think school is just a way to control people? How do you make them see that
for most people schooling is the key that opens doors that dont say McDonalds?
This is the chapter with the discussions about when students think things should and should not be done (side
note: every day and every time of day is a bad time to give a big test or assign a big homework assignment).
Am I alone in thinking, Too bad, Tuffy. You gotta deal with it?
Points of Interest
I like the idea of planning a lesson around a question that had to be deferred to another time (location 1817).
I do not yet know the feasibility of this, but I would like to check with other teachers (at least of core subjects) to
find out when their assignments are due.
teachers must have a good attitude and be passionate about what theyre doing
make content meaningful
be genuinely interested; care about students individual improvement

students need help staying on track

provide role models to inspire students

Chapter 7: Teaching Difficult Academic Material

(pg. 123-144)

Quotes
We were learning about the Holocaust and some people made funny side comments about it. The teacher
asked, What gives you the right to say that? Then people started thinking about it, and apologizing. (location
2184) Every day is an opportunity to learn about respect (like that ridiculous twenty-one vine that angers me
so).
Questions
Points of Interest
Use students as interpreters of other students problems. I like this idea a lot. I have some students who have
difficulty expressing what theyre confused about. Sometimes it helps to ask for someone else to rephrase the
question (and be clear that youre not looking for an answer).
The students discussed the teacher providing continuity and tying the lesson together. This makes me realize
that the lesson closure is even more important when the lesson included a lot of group discussion.