We Cuss a Little: The Life and Times of a School Psychologist

by Kevin Creager

When Kevin Creager started his career as a school psychologist in Ohio, little did he know the way parents answered the questions on the developmental history forms could tell him more about his students than the actual answers to the questions themselves.

For instance, when asked "What language is spoken in the home?" one family answered, "We cuss a little." Creager realized answers such as this held the key to understanding his students' home lives-so he spent the next thirty years recognizing and collecting these gems.

In We Cuss a Little, Creager compiles over thirty years' worth of stories, anecdotes, and observations gathered while working as school psychologist. Far from a philosophical treatise on education or a dry rendering of the subject, Creager's stories share the struggles and triumphs of real school employees and the children and families with which they work.

Creager believes that, more than test scores, report card grades, or special education labels, these parents' answers, and the stories behind them, can give educators a much better understanding of what really goes on in the lives of the children they serve.

Genres: Education

250 pages, Paperback

Published November 17, 2015

Reviews

[Svetlana Petrova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a school psychologist, this book resonated with me. I do not agree with some other reviewers who suggested arrogance towards the students and their families. In my opinion, this book was written by a very professional and caring school psychologist who loved his job and consistently tried his best to advocate for and help students and families he worked with. The book is very accurate in describing the specifics of a school psychologist's work and some of the challenges schools are dealing with. Some reviewers were offended by his collection of parent answers; however, I personally look at it as a funny collection of amusing responses. I am sure that English teachers have something similar (student responses).
Overall, I enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it, especially to school psychology interns, practicum students and anyone who would like to learn more about school psychology.

[Viki Hyslop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

Good read. His parents and students remind me of many of my own kids.He also dealt with the high stakes testing that has set the tone of today's education departments. It's always refreshing to find someone else actually cared about the kids. If you pay attention ,you can grasp that college is not the answer for everyone

[Diane Farnsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an entertaining, quick read. As a retired school psych I identified with many of the scenarios described in this memoir. The parent comments to written questions were often funny. One can tell that the author was a thoughtful practitioner who likely was very good at his job.

[Krystal Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure I really got a lot out of this. It was entertaining... the author is funny (if you get his psych jokes). But I often felt confused as some stories did not have conclusions or finality to them.

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book - reminded me of Up the Down Staircase, but for school psychologists.

[Carl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are you or have you been in education? Then you should read this little memoir "We Cuss a Little" by Kevin Creager, a retired school psychologist. I am a retired teacher of over 40 years, and I learned a bit of "the system" from the school psych's point of view. I also recognized many situations and problems which existed before and certainly following the high stakes testing that is in the school systems today. Here, Creager shares over 37 years of experiences with his students, as well as parents of students. Central to this memoir is what the parents wrote in response to questions posed on various child developmental history (background) questions regarding the child and the family. The parent's answers to these questions according to Creager are often a real key to unlocking a child's problem. For example - Question: "What language is spoken most often in the home?" Answer: "We cuss a Little." Thus, the title of the book.

Creager's style in "We Cuss a Little" is very casual and informal but still well organized. His diction allows him to speak to the reader in a lay back manner which allows the reader to follow the particular child's situation and understand what is happening. More importantly, since he writes without using "buzz" words or technical language, we are able to relate to what is occurring without feeling left out or uninformed. It is an easy, heartwarming read; I enjoyed just reading a chapter or two a day until I was done. While reading, I laughed often. At times, I sadly shook my head as I read the book, and yes, I think I may have "cussed a little" too. If you are an educator - past or present - or simply want to explore a little of the world of education, then I recommend "We Cuss a Little" to you.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazon sent me an email offering me a $10 credit if I clicked over to their site and bought a memoir. I didn't have a memoir on my wish list so looked for one that wasn't very expensive. We Cuss a Little was only 99 cents and sounded like it could be interesting. There was no over arching theme, but a series of vignettes about families Creager had worked with and interactions with co-workers, some of whom were a real pain. One "hook" was the answers parents gave to questions about their children. Some were funny misunderstandings of a question but others seemed to make fun of nearly illiterate parents. Once you figured out what someone who could not spell was trying to say, some answers were very sad.

I used my credit to buy The Life Project: The Extraordinary Story of 70,000 Ordinary Lives for $9.99 which was not ten times better than We Cuss a Little.