Book Description
"In her book, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures, Anne Fadiman writes, "I have always felt that the action most worth watching is not at the center of things but where edges meet. I like shorelines, weather fronts, international borders. There are interesting frictions and incongruities in these places, and often, if you stand at the point of tangency, you can see both sides better than if you were in the middle of either one" (p. viii). As practitioners in schools, we are often standing on the shorelines and weather fronts where we witness the frictions and connections between and among students, caregivers, educators, administrators, and community members. Our roles are often to stand in the middle so we can see both sides in order to support students' learning and mental health. This ability to see both sides can sometimes elicit feelings of discomfort and distress, particularly when it can disrupt relationships. Yet, this ability to navigate the shorelines is what brings strength to our roles-as school counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, and other professionals"--
