By the time Bernie Schein’s students arrive in his middle school classroom, they are little more than a gaggle of psychological defense mechanisms. For over thirty years, Schein has worked with students in middle-class Atlanta, helping them rediscover who they really are.
With humanity, humor, and compassion, Schein gets his students to reveal the secrets of their lives, helping them through this joyous and difficult endeavor. Through stories from his classroom, he describes how true emotion, rather than pure reason, is the key to discovering real relationships and personal truth. His account is psychologically sensitive, socially accurate, and will be a real eye-opener for parents.
Schein received his Master’s Degree in Education from Harvard, and has been a principal, a director of teacher training, and a teacher of creative writing and literature at the middle school and high school levels.
What others have said about If Holden Caulfield Were in My Classroom:
Impressive…He listens.
—Newsweek
This is the creative process, the stuff of art…Has exuberantly blazed new trails in education.
—Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bernie Schein is a genius—the best teacher I have ever seen.
—Pat Conroy,
bestselling author of The Water Is Wide
Bernie Schein delivers a powerful message of hope for the youth and families of America.
—Mark Rosenberg,
former U.S. Assistant Surgeon General
This book is compelling, not just because Bernie knows these kids so well, but because he is so good at putting into words what they think and feel and say.
—Frank Pittman,
author of Grow Up!
Bernie Schein is a fire-carrier and a bliss-follower. He has altered almost every life he has touched with his light.
—Anne Rivers Siddon,
author of Off Season
Bernie Schein has spent days, months, and school years of his life among American middle schoolers in a major Southern city. A little-understood and vaguely feared tribe, these hip, smart, middle-class suburban children have allowed their English teacher access to the secrets of their lives. He, in turn, has accepted their confidences with humanity, with humor, and with compassion. He now shares his glimpse into this remarkable world with a uniquely compelling book: a handy guide for interested on-lookers, an eye-opener for parents. Plus it’s a terrific read.
—Melissa Fay Greene,
author of There Is No Me Without You
