QR for 'Fires in the Bathroom' -Chapter 10

Chapter ten, the final chapter, talks about learning experiences within the community and beyond your classroom. After the year they spend with you, students will move on to the next thing, and what they want more than anything is a little nudge in the right directions. This chapter mentioned using classroom activities to place the students in the 'real world;' the writers described a mock trial at city council, cleaning up the neighbourhood, and internships.

I think it's important to incorporate these experiences into a student's life during the class, because I know my plans for the next year changed constantly, and my future would have gone in a completely different direction if I hadn't had someone looking out for me; I was asked by one of my favourite teachers, point-blank, if I had ever considered teaching. Allowing students the opportunity during class to explore possibilities for the future is always a good idea.

QR for 'Fires in the Bathroom' -Chapter 9

Chapter nine reflected on some of the most important themes of the entire book; fear, humanity, and attitude of the teacher towards the students. All of these are pretty thoroughly summed up in this chapter, and for good reason; these are ever-evolving issues within a teachers' life. I find it interesting that these are all together; it seems as though they would all affect each other.

'We're just gunna crush your hope and pride. Teachers need to get a harder shell. After that, students won't see that you're scared.' -Mika (Cushman, Kathleen. 'Fires in the Bathroom.' New York: The New Press, 2003. Page 168).

Mika's statement sums up the entire chapter quite nicely. Obviously, showing fear is a weakness for new teachers especially, and that kind of attitude, that the students will be ready and more than willing to call you out on your fear, should be motivating factors for new teachers to want to do well. Something I think would be a natural reaction to exactly this happening would be to admit that you're scared, and you're new, so the students see with their own eyes that you're trying. I could be wrong, but that's what I'm getting from the chapter, that students want you down on their level and off the pedestal.

QR for 'Fires in the Bathroom' -Chapter 8

Chapter eight centred around the trials and tribulations of the English-as-second-language learners, and how to differentiate classroom activities so these students aren't completely lost or bored. I think ESL students are often forgotten or overlooked, much as the students describe in this section of the book. However, because they themselves have either seen this happen or have had it happen to them, I think their suggestions should be valued more.

I could especially relate to the suggestion of having an English-speaking buddy paired with an ESL student to increase student-to-student interaction and acclimate to the school and population, because one of my closest friends from senior year of high school was an exchange student from German-speaking Switzerland. She was in one of my classes and on the tennis team with me, and we wound up being doubles partners. It was an excellent way to introduce her to how the school was, and it was really cool to learn about her school and friends and how they were different from American experiences. I think this would help other students, because at one point or another, everyone is the 'new kid', and they sympathize with that.

QR for 'Fires in the Bathroom' -Chapter 7

Chapter seven discusses the importance of allowing constant revisions, feedback, and using different ways to approach the subject you wish to convey to the students. One of the sections I really kind had to jump back at was when the student writers suggested that the teacher tell the students that they are learning alongside the students, and they have some areas they don't know as well as others. Any other time in the past I would have automatically assumed that that would be like committing professional suicide, because if the students were to get wind that you really didn't know the area as well as you could, they would jump on that and use that as a crutch. I found it interesting that it would be more likely that the students would feel more comfortable with a teacher who learns with their students, because then it's like they aren't pressured to know everything right away because the teacher doesn't.

QR for 'Fires in the Bathroom' -Chapter 6

Chapter six of 'Fires in the Bathroom' encompasses three central ideas; passion for teaching and the subject on the part of the teacher, making learning conducive to students' interests, and allowing them the freedoms to make the subject their own. Something I really liked, and may even eventually use in a classroom of my own, is giving choices about what to read and write. (Cushman, Kathleen. 'Fires in the Bathroom.' New York: The New Press, 2003. Page 116.) The actual entry describes how an assignment from a program outside of school asked the students to make a movie poster about a book they picked. I think this idea can be applied to all subjects, not just English; for Social Studies, if students could do a project on anything they wanted to learn about, I think the motivation would definitely increase and grab their attention. It's almost like they would be able to see the same kind of passion that the teacher would (hopefully) feel for their overall subject.

QR for 'Fires in the Bathroom' -Chapter 5

Chapter five discussed the importance of individual roles within the group as a whole. It stresses the idea of smaller group activities and assigning roles that each individual student can thrive in. One of the things I noticed, and can really relate to, was the section on the elements of the smaller groups.

I was the student in school that usually wound up being the recorder because of my shy and quiet demeanor. Sure, my organizational skills were okay, but I was good at articulating what I wanted to say most of the time. If it hadn't been for my shyness, I could have been the member of the group that reported out. Because the roles of the groups weren't ever mixed up and we weren't encouraged to try something new and a little uncomfortable to us, certain skills were left undeveloped. I think this idea, even though it technically isn't touched upon in this section, is still important, especially if the students get 'locked into' roles within their groups.

QR for 'Fires in the Bathroom' -Chapter 4

Chapter four in 'Fires in the Bathroom' was more about the overall 'feel' of the classroom, and how to create a comfortable, fun learning environment for all students, and not just the A-level students. I found it incredibly interesting that a couple of the underlying themes, namely recognition, expectations, and praise, sometimes contradict each other without necessarily meaning to.

The area regarding recognition discussed the pros and cons, given by the students, of recognizing and calling on students. In some cases, it is helpful because all students at some point or another would like or would benefit from being called on, but in other cases, it dissuades them from taking an initiative in their education if they have the wrong answer or get it right too many times. The section praise had pretty much the same criteria; it's not 'cool' if a student receives a lot of praise for their studies, but on the other hand some students would benefit from positive feedback. I personally think that positive feedback, as long as it is personal and not in front of an audience if it is in regards to a specific person, is crucial for encouragement. The same goes for praise for the class as a whole.

QR for 'Fires in the Bathroom' -Chapter 3

The third chapter in 'Fires in the Bathroom' discussed the importance of classroom management as a whole, and things to remember to incorporate as well as things to avoid. One of the sections that jumped out at me in particular was the section on common mistakes that new teachers make.

'Remember to give students physical breaks from sitting and working.' (Cushman, Kathleen. 'Fires in the Bathroom.' New York: The New Press, 2003. Page 55.)

This particular tip was interesting to me because the students that commented on it had opposing views. I think all of these suggestions need to be taken into consideration when managing a classroom, but also need to be formatted so they are unique to each class. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that separate rules are made for each set of students, because that is one of the other suggestions, treating students equally, consistently, with taking their individuality into consideration when appropriate. (Cushman, Kathleen. 'Fires in the Bathroom.' New York: The New Press, 2003. Page 61.)