Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Introduction
Part I. Seeing the Whole Teen
Chapter 1. The Whole Teen Comes Into the School
Chapter 2. The Whole Teen Comes Into a Dominant Culture
Part II. Everyday Practices
Chapter 3. Connecting to Adults and Peers, Not Just to
Academics
Chapter 4. Creating a Culture of Shared Responsibility, Not Just
Obeying
Chapter 5. Learning Collaboratively, Not Just Nearby
Chapter 6. Communicating Effectively, Not Just Mumbling, Exploding,
Avoiding, or Texting
Chapter 7. Managing Work and Developing a Work Ethic, Not Just
Passing or Cramming
Chapter 8. Developing Emotional Skillfulness Proactively, Not Just
Reactively
Chapter 9. Becoming More Independent, Not Just Alone
Chapter 10. Connecting Lessons to Life, Not Just to Tests
Part III. The Whole School Surrounds the Whole Teen
Chapter 11. Leaders Set the Tone for Themselves and Others
Chapter 12. Schoolwide Structures, Practices, and Policies That
Support the Whole Teen
Chapter 13. Faculty Culture That Supports the Whole Teen
Chapter 14. The Novice Teacher Comes Into the School
Appendix: Formats and Facilitation Tools
References
Index
Rachel Poliner is an educational consultant specializing in whole student approaches and change management. Her work has focused on school climate, instructional, and structural reforms: K-12 social and emotional learning, middle and high school advisory programs, high school redesign, and improving faculty climate. Her in-depth approach spans classroom and school-wide structures, practices and programs, curriculum, staff development, district policies and systems, and coaching administrators, teams and teacher leaders. She is an author of The Advisory Guide: Designing and Implementing Effective Advisory Programs in Secondary Schools, and curricula, chapters, and articles on personalization, social-emotional learning, resiliency, dialogue, and conflict resolution. Poliner has consulted with public and independent schools in New England and across the U.S.; has been a teacher, educational organization director, and a faculty member for master's degree candidates in conflict resolution education and peaceable schools. Rachel Poliner can be contacted at RachelPoliner@LeadersAndLearners.org Jeffrey Benson has worked in almost every school context in over forty years of experience in the field of education: as a teacher in elementary, middle, and high schools; as an instructor in undergraduate and graduate programs; as an administrator in day and residential schools. He has studied and worked side by side with national leaders in the fields of special education, learning theory, trauma and addiction, school reform, adult development, and conflict resolution. He has been a consultant to public and independent schools, mentored teachers and principals in varied school settings, and has written on many school-based issues. He is the author of Hanging In: Strategies for Teaching the Students Who Challenge Us Most, and 10 Steps to Managing Change in Schools. The core of Jeffrey Benson's work is in understanding how people learn, the starting point for everything that schools should do. Jeffrey Benson can be contacted at JeffreyBenson@LeadersAndLearners.org
"Teaching the Whole Teen is an insightful, hopeful, and very
practical resource for teachers, parents and schools. The book
stays rooted in the day-to-day practice of teaching the whole teen,
and it articulates in very doable ways suggestions for how to
better support teenagers in their development. It’s accessible,
inspiring, and a valuable read for all educators."
*Jennifer Abrams, Educational Consultant*
"This rich treasure-trove of inventive, concrete and well-grounded
ideas offers a gift to our profession and to all who would
strengthen the quality of life and learning for young people and
adults under the roof of the schoolhouse."
*Roland S. Barth, Educator*
"An important contribution to the field of SEL with a much-needed
focus on teens in middle and high schools - this book highlights
the importance of relationships to cognitive and social growth,
explicitly teaching SEL skills, and the role of adults as models.
Combining research and best practices from multiple disciplines,
Poliner and Benson deliver accessible, hands-on tips and tools for
educators and educational leaders. Through discussion of theory and
helpful anecdotes from a wide range of school settings, this book
provides an SEL guide that is culturally relevant for all teen and
adult populations. Students and educators will benefit from the
holistic approach and practical guidance presented in this
book."
*Nova Biro, Co-Director*
"As a former elementary school principal first in a K-5 setting and
then K-8, this book would have been an excellent and valuable
resource for understanding teenagers and middle school students. I
found so many practical strategies that I could have used with the
students in the K-8 setting and shared with staff that had taught
in a K-5 setting and also had to transition."
*Gustava Cooper-Baker, Principal*
"I sincerely feel that new and veteran teachers will benefit from
reading and discussing this book. Readers are guaranteed to reflect
upon current practice and be introduced to countless teaching
strategies that will improve the educational experience of their
students."
*David G. Daniels, High School Principal*
"Hallelujah! Benson and Poliner have written a book that many
educators have been searching for - one that illuminates a
pathway to develop important social and emotional skills that all
adolescents need to master. There is much available in this domain
that focuses on the needs of young children but fewer substantive
resources for secondary educators (and parents!) interested in
balancing academic accountability with vital skill development in
self-efficacy, civic responsibility, and resiliency. These authors
demonstrate a deep understanding of adolescent development and use
that knowledge to illuminate pathways to strengthen important youth
competencies. The authors frame their insights and practical
strategies through a lens that is cognizant of the needs of the
wide range of diverse learners that populate our modern-day middle
and high schools. The book is also filled with thoughtfully crafted
teaching lessons that can help educators infuse youth development
into classroom work without compromising academic rigor.
Additionally, there are pragmatic supports for principals who want
to facilitate faculty discussions and parents who want to bring
these lessons home. This book is rich with both insights and
practical guidance for how we can help teens to become sharp
thinkers and caring and contributing citizens."
*John D′Auria, President*
"Poliner and Benson empower our school communities to lay the
foundations, practices, spaces, and rituals to educate the ′whole
child.′ They walk us through the various lenses students bring with
them each day to school--the social, emotional, physical,
cognitive, etc.--and how those lenses interact with the cultures
and practices in our communities. They provide us ways to foster
the positive relationships that lead to students who are resilient
and self-aware and ultimately better prepared to navigate the
complexities before them. Understanding schools and their leaders,
the authors offer practical and accessible tools that can really
make a difference. This useful resource will quickly become a go-to
guide for planning conversations, faculty meetings, parent
education, and self-examining and rethinking our schools."
*Roberto D′erizans, Middle School Principal*
"Teaching the Whole Teen is a gem of a book, one that sparkles with
brilliant insights, guidance and invaluable practical resources to
support "everyday practices that promote success and resilience in
school and life." Poliner and Benson tap into evidence-based
research within the fields of education, psychology (adolescent
development), and social neuroscience to compellingly present why
and how caring "whole school" environments, anchored by relational
trust, can most optimally cultivate adolescents’ positive learning
and development in secondary schools. In paying attention to the
vital importance of systematically supporting novice teachers’
development of social-emotional skills and stress resilience, the
authors attend to practice that is too often de-prioritized in
schools. As they rightly assert, "how we support [novice teachers]
to persevere and thrive will mirror our success, or failure, to do
the same for whole teens." This book should be required reading for
all involved in educator preparation and induction programs,
including middle and high school leaders!"
*Deborah Donahue-Keegan, Ed.D., Lecturer at Tufts University
Department of Education*
"It is an honor to learn from the wonderful and important beliefs
and strategies presented in this book. I will be incorporating many
of the ideas in my teaching."
*Lyman Goding, Retired Principal*
"At last we have a courageously written book that focuses on the
needs of teens, versus the needs of the school systems. While this
concept appears like revolutionary thinking, it is not. This is
simply common sense whose time has come. The ideas and concepts
advanced in this book promise to engage and motivate all students
by strengthening their LOCUS of control, and quality of life."
*Jim Grant, Author, Consultant, Founder*
"Teaching the Whole Teen provides educators and
administrators a comprehensive resource for teaching our diverse
student population. The authors cohesively weave together the
various principles of working with a myriad of diverse student
populations including those that are often overlooked by other
authors and educational researchers. Educators who are interested
in elevating their practice and increasing authentic student
engagement from theory into action should read this book."
*Lisa Graham, MA, NBCT - Director, Special Education*
"If you think Teaching the Whole Teen is just another book about
how to communicate with teenagers, then think again. Poliner and
Benson have written a manual for how to provide social-emotional
support in culturally responsive ways. It explicitly addresses the
unique needs of students of color, students from poverty, and
immigrant students in ways that other books don′t. It is full of
practice tools and clear guidance. This book should be read by
every middle and high school educator."
*Zaretta Hammond, Educational Consultant*
"Finally, we have a book that applies the ′whole child′ concept to
the turbulent teenage years. In Teaching the Whole Teen,
Rachel Poliner and Jeffrey Benson provide high school principals
and teachers with a hands-on guide that applies the lessons of
neuroscience and social-emotional learning to support healthy
adolescent development and maximize learning."
*James Harvey, Executive Director*
"Teaching and raising teens can be both fun and fiery! Poliner and
Benson use the latest research to inform educators and parents
about how to teach the teen, basing their work on the "whole
person," and teens do change and become interesting people! This is
the book to turn to when you are working with students during the
teen years, when you desperately need help now, and when you are
seeking solace."
*John Hattie, Professor of Education & Director of the Melbourne
Education Research Institute*
"What a treat to read! Poliner and Benson have created a
treasure-trove of insights and strategies to improve teaching and
leading. Their work is pragmatic and based on an appreciation and
understanding of how teenagers learn and schools function. I was
particularly struck by the specific strategies for principals. They
are designed to facilitate both student and teacher growth. This
book is interesting, informative, and insightful.
The authors recognize that successful change doesn’t come from
mandates. Rather, meaningful change is an organic process that is
only effective when we approach problems through collaboration and
with respect. Every principal, regardless of the kind of school
that she leads or his years of experience, will benefit from
reading it."
*Thomas R. Hoerr, PhD, Emeritus Head*
In Teaching the Whole Teen, Rachel Poliner and Jeffrey Benson lay
out a treasure trove of insights and reminders about what makes
adolescents tick, and what that means for those who work with them
each day. As our schools regain a sense of the primacy of
social-emotional development, educators at any level will
appreciate these tools, tips and helpful prompts to bring out the
best in relationships for learning for all students. There’s plenty
here as well for parents, counselors and district leaders from two
people with a deep sense of schools and the inextricable bond
between growing and learning.
*Larry Myatt, President of Education Resources Consortium &
Founding Principal*
"In their book Teaching the Whole Teen, Poliner and Benson provide
the reader with practical applications that support student success
in and outside the classroom. Grounded in solid research and
contemporary thinking, their book reminds us that we are not only
responsible for educating the minds of students, but we also have
the opportunity to establish the conditions necessary for them to
reach their fullest social and personal potential. Let there be no
doubt, we have the ability to make a real difference in the lives
of young people and this book provides a solid framework to lead
the way."
*Russell J. Quaglia, President & Founder*
"Implementing SEL skills into the secondary grades can feel
contrived and artificial, and many secondary teachers don’t feel
adequately trained or equipped to teach these skills. Finally the
mountains of brain research that all teachers need to know and use
have been put into a very useful and easy-to-read guide. Teaching
the Whole Teen creates authentic ways to teach SEL skills that
secondary curriculum almost always lacks. Rachel Poliner and
Jeffery Benson have put together the perfect guide to teach
secondary students the skills they need for life!"
*Andrea Ramirez, School Improvement Facilitator*
"Those of us striving to help educators re-envision family
engagement as a partnership between home and school have been given
a powerful gift in Teaching the Whole Teen. The authors’
suggestions of complementary strategies for school and home speak
to the importance of adults working together to support youth, and
provide tools for how to get there.
As both a parent of a teen and a school-family engagement
professional, I was thrilled to find Teaching the Whole Teen. The
roles that educators and families play in supporting the
development of young people in every aspect of their lives can be
either integrated and supportive or in conflict and disruptive.
This book provides educators with strategies to ensure that
students are encouraged to bring their cultures and communities
into the classroom in order to be truly known and supported in
school and to make the most of their educational experiences.
By providing strategies for all of the adults in a young person’s
life, both at home and at school, Teaching the Whole Teen makes it
clear that we all have a role to play in supporting students’
personal and academic growth. The examples and strategies in this
book will transform classrooms and welcome families into schools to
build cohesive communities with the shared goal of helping youth
become their best selves – for life."
*Ann M. Walsh, Chief of Family Engagement*
"Teaching the Whole Teen is a wonderfully practical guide for
educators who aspire to promote the social, emotional, and academic
competence of middle- and high-school students. It offers
compelling strategies for engaging, motivating, and inspiring young
people (the "what" and "how") and rationales for applying them (the
"why"). This important book should be used in pre-service and
in-service professional learning for teachers, administrators, and
counselors. It will help them in their quest to educate
knowledgeable, responsible, caring, and contributing young
people."
*Roger P. Weissberg, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Psychology
and Education*
"‘Cogent writing, smart content, practical insights, and not a word
wasted: Reading Poliner and Benson’s Teaching the Whole Teen is an
unusually good use of an educator’s time. Thankfully devoid of
simplistic platitudes, the authors reflect real students and
teachers and the challenges each group faces in their collective
enterprise. Finally, we have a clear-minded, research-based
education book written by veteran educators that annihilates the
notion of "teen intellect" as oxymoronic, and fully respects the
complex realities of modern adolescent lives and brain power.
Poliner and Benson get it, and we are better for it: Here, they’ve
captured middle and high school students’ quest to mature and
connect with both people and content beautifully, and they provide
powerful tools to help students and the adults in their lives carve
the path forward. The authors prove middle and high school
students’ innate resolve to become independent, resilient
individuals, even as they stumble in the effort, and the authors
demonstrate how mentors can help students accept their current
selves while aspiring to be something more.
Teaching the Whole Teen manifests the best thinking in modern
education, including actionable steps on developing students’
self-agency and self-regulation, and how to develop communication
and executive function skills so vital to school and life success.
Their candid approach doesn’t pull any punches: They speak honestly
of the bigger issues at play in adolescents’ education: developing
a sense of purpose, autonomy, the influences of dominant cultures,
dealing with academic and personal setbacks, restorative justice,
and developing a healthy work ethic. Thankfully, too, they provide
specific responses to the needs of English Language Learners,
students in rural communities, students and families in LGBTQ
communities, and communities struggling with racial conflicts.
Teaching the Whole Teen is the course all of us wanted to take as
undergraduates in our schools of teacher education but was never
offered. It answers the burning issues of student motivation,
maturation, and how we can facilitate students’ growth in school
and at home. And hey, building leaders and novice teachers: There’s
specific material here for you!
From now on, when a middle or high school teacher asks me during an
effective grading practices workshop how we can build
responsibility, meaningful connection, personal fortitude, and
healthy independence in today’s students if we are no longer
allowed to use grades to bribe them into compliance, I’m going to
direct them to read Teaching the Whole Teen, then sit back and
watch their faces light up in dawning realizations and teacher
epiphanies. They’ll finish the book, look up with conviction, and
declare, "We can do this!""
*Rick Wormeli, Teacher, Writer, Education Consultant*
"The authors have painstakingly tackled a very pertinent issue for
middle and high school personnel. They not only thoroughly examine
the entire child but they also do so by leaving no stone unturned.
The child is addressed, the culture is addressed, and the people
who work with the children are addressed. This is a great resource
for anyone working with adolescents."
*Janice Wyatt-Ross, Associate Principal*
"It is deeply refreshing and reinvigorating to read Rachel Poliner
and Jeffrey Benson′s book, Teaching the Whole Teen. These are two
experienced and skilled educators, but it is not in these
characteristics, valuable as they are, that their greatest power
lies. Poliner and Benson never, ever lose sight of the reasons for
which those of us who became educators did so. They carry with
great strength and constant clarity the focus on students, their
needs, and their best interests. They remind us in every chapter,
every concept, every focus and suggestion, that before standards,
before testing, before government accountability, before politics,
before all of the things that distract and pressure us every day,
come the young people whose future we are shaping. Just as vital,
they carry with deep assurance the reminder of the great joy and
sense of fulfillment that spring inevitably, for both teacher and
students, when this priority is maintained.
It is far too easy in the hectic day to day of unfunded mandates,
changing curriculum, and increasing days spent on testing, to see
the system and its needs instead of the students who are served by
it. It is important to attend to and nurture the institution. If a
school or district does not do well in the accountability system,
they find themselves unable to deliver those elements of education
they know are so very important. Knowing as they do that the
pressures of modern education will not go away, Rachel and Jeffrey
only present techniques and scenarios that are entirely practical
in that context. It is the gift of this book that they do so
without compromising any elements of a complete education that we
all strive to deliver.
Teaching the Whole Teen is full of the message we must never
forget. Our students are precious individual people whose future
has been entrusted to us. We must equip them with what they need to
thrive in the world. These things include not only academic
knowledge, and that is constantly changing, but an entire palate of
skills, knowledge, and abilities. The authors know, with tremendous
empathy, what the life of the typical teacher and administrator is
like. It is because of this that they are able to craft suggestions
and strategies that are sophisticated enough to be entirely
workable in the real world.
This book is particularly timely because the discussion in
educational circles has recently started to focus on aspects of
teaching the whole child, and social-emotional factors as they
impact a student′s ability to learn. While this conversation might
make it appear that these issues have just been discovered, some
educators, Poliner and Benson among the foremost, have always
carried the importance of seeing the whole teen to all of their
work. For those who are now looking for resources to enhance their
knowledge and expertise in this area, this book will provide a
wealth of highly usable information that they can implement
immediately.
It is precisely because of the infinite number of interacting
characteristics in and among human beings that education is so
difficult to truly master and measure. Some disciplines, like
mathematics and music, function within closed systems, where a
complete understanding of the elements leads to success. Poliner
and Benson have such an elegant way of holding and speaking about
this complex dance that is teaching and learning. Without
distilling it into one or two dimensions, which would misrepresent
its essence, they work with specifics that school staff on all
levels can instantly embrace and carry into their day. Each section
of the book is grounded in research which is clearly referenced and
synopsized. More important for the working educator in the field,
there follows a series of suggestions and examples with specific
emphasis on students of different backgrounds and needs. Included
in these are sections with ideas on how to engage parents in the
work with secondary children, an area where many educators are
hungry for ideas."
*Marguerite C. Rizzi Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools*
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