Teaching Teens and Reaping Results in a Wi-Fi, Hip-Hop,Where-Has-All-the-Sanity-Gone World: Stories, Strategies, Tools, and Tips from a Three-Time Teacher of the Year Award Winner

by Alan Sitomer

How do you prepare teens for the world filled with jobs, technologies, and challenges that don't even yet exist? Take a pull-no-punches, inspirational trip inside the classroom of Three-Time Teacher of the Year award winner and celebrated young adult novelist Alan Lawrence Sitomer. Hear stories, discover teaching tools, and gain insights straight from the private file cabinet of his high school classroom. Yes, there are educators breaking through to today's teens in remarkable, innovative, reproducible ways. Meet one and learn his best strategies. For use with Grades 6Ð12.

Genres: Education, Teaching

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Alan Lawrence Sitomer is a California Teacher of the Year award winner and the founder of The Writer’s Success Academy. In addition to having been an inner-city high school English teacher and former professor in the Graduate School Of Education at Loyola Marymount University, Mr. Sitomer is a nationally renowned keynote speaker who specializes in engaging underperforming students. To date, Mr. Sitomer has authored 16 books with works ranging from hard-hitting YA novels like CAGED WARRIOR, HOMEBOYZ, THE HOOPSTER and HIP-HOP HIGH SCHOOL to humorous and warm children’s picture books such as DADDIES DO IT DIFFERENT and DADDY’S ZIGZAGGING BEDTIME STORY. Alan lives in Los Angeles where he just finished writing the movie script adaptation for his novel CAGED WARRIOR.

Reviews

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this professional book. Mr. Sitomer offers many ideas that anyone could use in their classroom: 8 life lessons we should teach all teens. His book is centered on creating classroom communities that value all voices and give kids the skills they need to get what they want out of life. Geared towards an audience of high school teachers, I still found it a very thought provoking book and applicable to middle school practice.

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sitomer has tried to make a very practical and motivational book. There are some interesting ideas and some very useful suggestions. Overall it's a very enjoyable read and could even be career changing for someone. It's well worth reading! On the negative hand it's hard to take his ideas into your own classroom.

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertainingly-written tale of Teacher of the Year sort at an inner-city school. A few teaching ideas, but mostly his personal philosophy on how to reach kids in a world far removed from the one you grew up in.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a good professional development book to read, this is it. It was great to get another insight to teaching in the Inner City. Alan Sitomer doesn't give a pony show and really connects to his students. I would highly recommend this book to others.

[Nathalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm about to begin my third year of teaching. This book is, perhaps, one of the most practical and inspiring "teacher" books I've read to date. I love Alan's realistic, no-frills approach with his students. I cannot wait to use some of his suggestions in my own classroom this year!!

[Sarah Orvek · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very engaging and empowering book. Alan Sitomer shares real situations that are accurate descriptions of today's high schoolers and strategies for how to empower them along the way.

[Rachel Vote · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a pretty good read. Chapters 4 and 5 had the most application to my classroom and students. I will be trying a few of the ideas in this book this school year.