Tell Me a Story about This Crazy World Called High School
A Survival Guide for Adolescence
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Junior girl…shares her deepest thoughts This beautiful and intelligent seventeen year old is fighting a battle…one day at a time. Hope in the Depths of My Heart I am here and I am well and I am grateful. I laugh and I cannot help but think of a time when laughter and any sort of enjoyment seemed so distant…when I seemed so distant. I am a young woman of seventeen. I am a five year sufferer and survivor of anorexia nervosa. I’ve spent much of the past few years in and out of treatment. Death has tapped upon my door and though it has been rough, I believe this has only made me stronger. It has shaped much of who I am and what I hold dear. At first being hospitalized seems like a death sentence. You are angry and disoriented until you come out. You will not be cured. You will never be cured. But you will become stronger…your thoughts…more clear. You then begin to realize that anything short of this intense treatment would have been your death sentence. I realized that the people I have met I will carry with me. We may not all necessarily stay in touch but they will always remain in my heart. I shared with these strangers what could not be revealed to those most close. At the group meals we cried in frustration but we cried together. Group after group we sat…listening intently. We found comfort in each other. We were all struggling. Conscious or unconscious, we all made the decision that we were not dying. I know…every day…I carry their strength with me.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
When Mrs. D. went from being an elementary school teacher to a high school counselor, she found herself in a whole new world. The teenagers she dealt with often felt alone, misunderstood, and shunned. Some were suicidal. She wrote this book to show adolescents going through tough times that they are not alone—and to also help parents, guardians, and teachers understand what high school students confront on a daily basis. Part one features the stories of sixty students that explore a variety of topics. Some of the stories were written during peaceful times; asterisks denote that a story was written during a time of crisis. After each story, readers get the chance to draw what they’re feeling and are invited to write journal entries to delve even deeper into what they’re thinking. Part two encourages readers to engage in further self-reflection with additional writing exercises, and part three contains poetry and prose that encourages students, parents/guardians, and educators to do the best they can during difficult times. Whether you’re a parent/adult, educator or teenager, you’ll have a much easier time making sense of high school with this candid and inspiring collection of reflections.
About the Author
Mrs. D. is a counselor who lives in New Jersey with her husband, children, and grandchildren. The transition from elementary teacher to high school counselor sparked the makings of Tell Me a Story about This Crazy World Called High School. As a counselor, she quickly discovered that the written word is an extremely powerful tool for healing the soul. Mrs. D. previously published a journal titled Afterthoughts: Words Written from the Heart for Adolescents and Parents/Guardians.