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Make Cool Choices...
Did you know that there are kids out there who don't even want to get out of bed in the morning because they know what going to school means for them?
- Being teased and taunted ...
- Being excluded and rejected ...
- Being afraid that you're going to be assaulted and possibly hurt...
- Sometimes it can even mean that you just can t hang in there any longer, so you give up and take your own life.
If you are one of the cool kids at school, this book is for you.
But if you re not one of the cool kids, this book is especially for you.
Emerson Elementary isn't a real school, but it could be your elementary school. And the students at Emerson aren't real kids, but the problems they face are real, and so are the choices they make.
The Golden Rule is an old rule, but it's still a good rule to live by, and after reading this book, you may just possibly become a kinder, more compassionate human being, someone who treats others the way you want them to treat you.
So come along and join the students at Emerson Elementary and help them make some cool choices!"
What People Are Saying...
"Bullying, social aggression, and harassment are more pervasive in schools than at any other time in our education history. It's time we train our kids how to respond to various bullying situations before they occur. Sandra Humphrey does exactly that in her new book Hot Issues, Cool Choices!."
Gene Bedley
PTA National Educator of the Year
and Author of Bullying and Social Aggression
"Bullying has become an increasing problem in our schools. For children who fall victim to such abuse, school can become a place of perpetual agony and a time of cruel ridicule. In her new book Hot Issues, Cool Choices! Sandra Humphrey skillfully highlights the continuing need for teaching ethics and good decision-making skills. She provides numerous realistic and dramatic scenarios that will help students, parents, teachers, and counselors build greater awareness and sensitivity concerning this issue while helping children develop positive self-esteem. It is a book that no school or community can afford to be without."
Philip Bigler
Director of the Madison Center, James Madison University,
and 1998 National Teacher of the Year
"Every counselor and teacher should have a copy of Hot Issues, Cool Choices!. The well-written stories are filled with character-building issues that are perfect for moral-stretching class discussions and role-playing. At a time when we're seeing a rise in peer cruelty and bullying, Sandra Humphrey offers a treasure trove to help cultivate our students' empathy and give them a new perspective. I highly recommend this volume!"
Michele Borba, Ed.D
Character Development and Bullying Prevention Expert
and Author of Building Moral Intelligence, Don't Give Me That Attitude!, and Nobody Likes Me, Everybody Hates Me
"A powerful set of case studies so interesting that they're bound to get kids thinking and talking about the problem of bullying. A superb tool for opening kids' eyes to their options!"
Charles Boyle
Author and Former Manager of Earth Sciences Education Programs
for NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
"Ms. Humphrey's new book Hot Issues, Cool Choices! is a book of brief stories focusing on topics relating to school bullying. The topics include exclusion, name-calling, bystander dilemmas, the inner world of bullies, and cyber-bullying. These stories are written in authentic youth voices and the dilemmas are real ones. And as in all good fiction, young people get a chance to get to know the characters before the message enters the scene, so they care about the stories. The thought questions following each story will help young people explore the dilemmas presented. This book fills a very important need in the bullying prevention field and I recommend it highly."
Stan Davis
Bullying Prevention Consultant and Author of
Schools Where Everyone Belongs: Practical Strategies for Reducing Bullying
http://www.stopbullyingnow.com
"Sandra McLeod Humphrey has done it again. Her latest book Hot Issues, Cool Choices! gives parents, teachers, and children insight into the neighborhood elementary school where every day children are bullied, ridiculed, harassed, excluded, and pressured. It then provides a wonderful resource for developing empathic critical thinking skills that will fortify a new youth culture of kindness and compassion.
Theresa Foy DiGeronimo
William Paterson University of New Jersey
Author of numerous parenting books including
How to Talk to Your Kids About Really Important Things
"Like a prism revealing colors of light, Sandra Humphrey opens the world of elementary student relationships in short story format. Each vignette uses the student's own thoughts, words, and perspective. Each story displays--brilliantly and realistically--the harmful, painful, debilitating dilemmas faced by boys and girls who are challenged by life circumstances such as peer pressure, exploitation, harassment, bullying, name calling, labels, exclusion, and suicidal thoughts. Most helpfully for individual counseling or group therapy, each story concludes with the question, "What do you think I should do?" and five additional questions that stimulate discussion and alternative scenarios. Once again this gifted writer reveals her trademark of excellent research, deep insight, and unique ability to open windows of understanding about youth. Better yet, she provides a valuable tool for adults who care about youth and wish to help them improve their interpersonal relationships and build a positive self-image."
Dr. Donald Draayer
K-12 Educator, National Superintendent of the Year
"Hot Issues, Cool Choices! is a powerful and poignant collection of real life social issues facing our kids today. It provides a wonderful opportunity for generating ethical and moral discussions with tweens and teens who are faced with the negative influences of peer pressure, bullying, and harassment. I highly recommend it!"
Trudy Ludwig
Author of My Secret Bully, Just Kidding, and Sorry!
"Ms. Humphrey has captured the essence of bullied children through their animated voices and her book is a reading must for both children and their families. With great pride and pleasure, Lullalee Productions & Services endorses Hot Issues, Cool Choices!."
Lee Ann Butler-Owens, Founder and Chairman
Lullalee Productions & Services
"This is an engaging book of stories that will empower parents and teachers to help kids deal with challenges like peer pressure and bullying."
Rep. Jim Ramstad
United States Congress
"Youth are immersed in lots of hot issues--Who am I? How do I treat others? How do I behave? What should I do when friends are pulling me in two different directions? Here is a wonderful resource to help kids make ethical and thoughtful choices consistent with their own values, undergirded by an empathic understanding of how others are feeling. In a world riddled with toxic cultural norms and peer pressure, here is an opportunity to think, feel, reflect, and decide about issues that will, at some time, confront every young person. What an invaluable resource for all adults--parents, teachers, and mentors--who care about the development of kids."
Marilyn Sharpe
Director of Christian Parenting and Intergenerational Ministry, The Youth & Family Institute
"Sandra McLeod Humphrey knows kids and what they have to deal with. This collection of stories has the ring of truth and the sound of reality. Whether you're a school-age student, a parent, or one who works with young people, you need to read this book."
Michael L. Sherer, Editor
Metro Lutheran Newspaper, Minneapolis, Minnesota |
