Fires in Our Lives: Advice for Teachers from Today's High School Students by Kathleen Cushman

Fires in Our Lives: Advice for Teachers from Today's High School Students Reviews

• 
  Cliff

  lots of thoughts with this...
  
  this def focuses on a contingent of children who are... idk... very online and very active in sj spaces which is not a horrible thing right? but they take up more air than the vast majority who don't give a fuck about anything... the online but mainlining IG and tiktok sludge... how do i reach them? they're blind to the fires in their lives they're the wee dog in that meme if were being honest... the same way your avg citizen doesn't care about the climate beyond their EV tax rebate or poverty beyond the guy with the cardboard on the side of the road I'll give him my lunch and then order chik-fil-a or maybe honeygrow? that'll be my good deed for the year god i hope he doesn't talk to me though
  
  at the core of the book it feels like its saying that we need a new model of education that prioritizes... community, care, curiosity, diversity, grit, passion, and exploration... but idk Education has been The Meatgrinder for so long, this makes me want to reach back to Friere... this is like a centrist's pedagogy of the oppressed... "all the kids, red and blue, aren't getting what they need from education! whether they want to save the climate or they want to become little fascists!"... interested in changing a system within a larger fucked up system... education has become a degree shittier during the past 3 yrs and the kids got fucked over in the US specifically by screwy public health response but were talking about gradations of the same issues of Integrated Education in Liberal Capitalist America that have been present for decades, not new issues imo
  
  i enjoyed the book tho i love to hear kids in their own voices say things, they are the sun we are the moon! i liked the middle school one better innit
  
• 
  Jane Owen

  From the first 6 Chapters of ‘The Fires In Our Lives’ the Author interviews High School Students from different States about their education and encourages them to express to us why school matters more than ever today. We learn how ALL our lives have changed especially our youth’s whom are now forced into doing virtual school online because of a Pandemic. Most of our Youth feel the World has become more dangerous so they want to learn how to navigate skills on the Cultural clashes of today as well as adopting new skills to put the fires out (so to speak). The Youth go on to express how an Adult and a Teachers support is relevant to them more than ever. They are given the opportunity to express their frustrations of an ever changing Society and how they are affected by this
  
  This is an Informative Self help book from the Teachers High School Students. It’s important that the Youth of today are heard and they want their ideas to matter. Teachers & Our Youth need our support.
  
  I recommend this book to anybody whom is in Education, is a parent or High Schooler and is imperative we take our Youth seriously. I won a print copy of ‘The Fires In Our Lives’ from a Goodreads giveaway and even though I’m under no obligation to leave a review I feel an honest opinion can only help our authors and readers of today.
  
  So much useful information and a definite 5 star recommend.
• 
  Kelsey Grissom

  This book features first-person testimony from students about what their experiences are like at school and what they would like to be different, as well as case studies and sample projects from teachers about how to incorporate liberal social topics into the school day. Even taking a generous perspective, it is a *very* socially liberal book and obviously could only be incorporated in areas of the country that are more open-minded. It is also difficult to imagine that teachers have time to incorporate all of these ideas and still meet content standards. It was interesting to think about and consider though, and I enjoyed the sections about English Language Learners.
• 
  James (JD) Dittes

  Back in 2003, Kathleen Cushman published the book, Fires in the Bathroom, which was based on a radical premise: what if an education book drew on the insights of a different kind of educational expert? In this case, she interviewed the kids who were literally lighting fires in the bathrooms and using other creative means to escape education. The book offered insights that teachers like me needed to read, and it moved students to the center of education.
  
  It is interesting to look back on 2003 today: schools were still in a state of shock following the massacre at Columbine High School, but students had not yet turned to activism. Students had cell phones and MP3 players but no iPhones or social media.
  
  I write this to point out that it is time for another Cushman book--a time to listen to students again.
  
  In Fires in Our Lives Cushman fills the first half of the book with interviews from a diverse array of student voices: rural Ohio, Indiana, and Idaho are represented as well as student voices from suburban Virginia and inner-city schools. Students have found their voices in the years since the shootings at Marjory Stoneman-Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, first on gun violence and now--since the summer of 2020, a time with Cushman was completing the writing of this book--on racial and gender justice. The chapters are organized loosely on topics of individual and group identity, hopes for the future, and current challenges. Complimenting the interviews are hands-on discussion ideas that teachers can take into the classroom.
  
  The second part, "What Youth Can Do" goes into depth about how kids can enhance activism on issues like climate change, community violence, and gender identity, among others. These chapters include both case-studies which feature successful student activists, ideas for incorporating themes into lessons.
  
  Fires in Our Lives isn't merely a collection of student voices. It contains valuable resources that both teachers and students can use to amplify their voices and maximize their impact in their schools and commnities.
  
  Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in return for an honest review.