QR for 'Fires in the Bathroom' - Chapter 1

The first chapter of 'Fires in the Bathroom' was quite a surprise to me, not only because of the formatting of the book, but the overwhelming need for a precise balance in teacher-student interaction.

'We want a balance. Every student wants to feel special and smart and talented, but at
the same time we want to blend in.' -Vance (Cushman, Kathleen. 'Fires in the Bathroom.' New York: The New Press, 2003. Page 1)

I thought it was interesting, because even though in this instance it refers to teacher-student interaction and praise, it also applies to everything a teacher does or shares with the students; that is, even though you want to get to know the student, they want to know about you in return.

This concept of balance is important, I think, especially when meeting a class for the first time, because it seems like there's an unspoken understanding that just the right amount of information should be mutually shared in order to keep functioning at the ideal level. If someone shares too much, then they're vulnerable to being singled out, and that is the singlemost important thing to avoid in a classroom setting, especially for a student. I personally was a staunch supporter of this theory in school, especially elementary school- for a teacher to know more about you was to invite conversations revolving around the subject, one that you didn't necessarily want the entire world to know about.