Challenging, Exciting, Rewarding, Sadness, a journey that comes with a struggle. This book of fiction is an unforgettable story about the struggles and challenges of working in an urban middle school environment. On any given day at Snyder Middle School, the business of educating adolescent students was a challenge. You are awarded the opportunity to take a tour of the main office to view some of the disruptions that occur, visit with parents that may lead to turmoil and disappointment and the positive impact that parental participation can affect a school. Visit the classroom; meet some of the teachers as well as the administration. Discover how some of the stake holders in education can move student achievement and how some take for granted how viable their jobs are in educating students. This journey behind closed doors will provide you with the drama of laughter and sometimes tears especially when one of the students, Nicky, becomes extremely ill. Nicky has the ambition to become a writer until a tragedy comes into her life.

As I drive along the streets of residential neighborhoods, looking at the dim lights from windows and seeping under the doors of homes, thoughts go through my mind regarding the type of things that occur behind closed doors. I think to myself, love, warmth, and family are what happen behind closed doors. I can picture a child sitting on her father's knee after he has worked all day or maybe a single mom going over homework with her child, a young married couple sitting together after supper watching a movie or maybe a grandparent and their dog on the couch snuggled together for companionship. In my imagination, love is what goes on behind closed doors. But on the contrary, serious issues such as child abuse, incest, murder, and extramarital affairs happen behind closed doors. Grief, pain, sorrow, and heartaches cross all cultural barriers. Crisis happens!

Josie has a secret: her mother is a hoarder. Tasha has a secret, too: her mother’s new boyfriend keeps trying to sneak into her room and seduce her. The two 16-year-olds don’t get along at school, but one night Tasha bolts from her dangerous home and finds herself at Josie’s door. Josie’s mother is in jail for debt, and the girls are alone in the cramped, crowded, bursting home. Slowly, they begin to talk about the challenges they face, a process of sharing that lessens their shame, guilt and fear. With each other’s support, they may even find a way to save themselves from their parents’ demons. Behind Closed Doors is an unflinching examination of the stigmas surrounding mental illness, abuse and poverty, and an affirming portrayal of the power of female friendships and the power of honesty to heal.

Recognizing microaggression as an often unseen, yet pervasive issue in schools globally, this book offers critical examination of instances of aggression, hostility, and incivility in school contexts around the world. Drawing on authors’ experiences and empirical analyses, the volume puts forward practical recommendations to remedy such violence and tackle its root causes. Global Perspectives on Microaggressions in Schools brings together contributions from South Africa, Australia, Canada, and the US to explore the various forms that microaggression can take. Authors implement qualitative methodologies, personal reflection, and empirical literature to document microaggressions perpetrated by, and directed against all members of the school community, including students, teachers, school leaders, and administrators. In doing so, they highlight ongoing issues including xenophobia, sexual violence, and prejudice against gifted students, LGBTQ, refugee, and indigenous communities. Looking forward, the volume proposes practical ways to undermine such prejudices and prevent the occurrence of microaggressions through effective training, policy, leadership, and student agency. Given its rigorous approach and attention to widespread issues of school violence, this book will be a timely resource for scholars, researchers, and academics with an interest in the sociology of education, educational leadership, school culture, student well-being, and inclusive education. In addition, school leaders, administrators, and pre- and in-service educators may find benefit from reading this volume.

"First published in Great Britain by MIRA/Harlequin, HarperCollins UK"--Title page verso.

All three of Jenny Tomlin's bestselling memoirs in one eBook collection: her number one bestselling childhood memoir of abuse, BEHIND CLOSED DOORS; the sequel to her bestselling memoir, written with her sister, SILENT SISTERS; and NEVER ALONE telling her own - and other - stories of those surviving abuse.