This anthology has helped identify each student’s talents, strengths, character attributes and passions with activities such as “The Peer Identification Questionnaire,” “My Hero Checklist,” “Talents/Skills Survey,” “Hobbies/Interests Survey, “What’s Bugging You?” and “Questions to Think About.” In the process, students have developed increased self esteem, self respect and respect for each others’ diversities.
Ms. Vera Hirschhorn’s experience as educator, editor and author of Teens Are Heroes, Too! validates sociologist Robert Faris’ discovery that ‘behavior is contagious’; Mr. Faris has acknowledged that, ‘…positive behaviors can spread through social networks and that kids may be more likely to intervene in bullying situations if they see their friends stepping in to stop things or if they see their friends discouraging that kind of behavior.’ Examples of such ‘heroic’ behavior abound in this award winning book and teachers have confirmed the positive influence the stories and activities have had in their classroom: “I learned some useful solutions that I will utilize in my own counseling of children and adolescents,” and “it moves the emphasis away from the selfish to others who have inspired.”
Dr. Art Johnson, Superintendent, Palm Beach County School District, says, “Teens Are Heroes Too! gives us an opportunity to showcase the triumphs of our youth and a roadmap to help our youth become better people and productive citizens. I am delighted to give my endorsement. Teens Are Heroes, Too! is a real winner!”