Maslow Before Bloom: Basic Human Needs Before Academics

by Bryan Pearlman

MASLOW BEFORE BLOOM simply means that basic human needs need to be addressed before learning can occur. If a student is hungry, tired, or scared—give them food, a nap, or a hug. This does not require board approval or a bond issue. It seems so simple. It is simple. It is also very effective. MASLOW BEFORE BLOOM provides real life stories, current research, hands-on strategies, and a new problem solving approach that is easy to implement, effective, and can be completed in ten minutes.Together, we can change a student's life trajectory and maybe even save a life!

Genres: Education, Professional Development, Nonfiction

142 pages, Paperback

Published May 2, 2020

Reviews

[Mjjohnson1216 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would imagine that you are somewhat like me in that you have seen the hashtag #MaslowBeforeBloom used quite frequently during Twitter chats? I was motivated to jump into the book Maslow Before Bloom by Dr. Bryan Pearlman so I could dive deeper into what he, an experienced educator and mental health therapist, could share about this topic. I bring with me when reading the book, twenty-six years of being a principal, and forty total years in education. As I began reading each of the case studies my mind flickered back to similar situations I had encountered. I recently learned this is called neural coupling – a story activates parts in the brain that allows the listener/reader to turn the story into their own ideas and practices. I am certain your mind will also experience this and gain even more from reading the book than you expected. I was motivated to read case study after case study, as all shared the underlying concept of Maslow before Bloom. Dr. Pearlman weaves marvelous memories of challenging situations he has encountered in each chapter’s case study. This increased the release of dopamine in my brain as some experiences were from similar emotionally charged events I had previously encountered. I wonder if you will experience the same effect. This release made it easier for me to remember the prior circumstances and with greater accuracy causing me to be able to relate even more. Within the book, you will also find helpful resources to use in the future. I highly recommend this book to administrators and teachers as you move from using the catchy phrase “Maslow Before Bloom” toward applications with students that will be life-changing for them.

[Aaron Dettmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book that every educator should read! You "cant' get to the Bloom if we don't have a solid Maslow." Has 15 case studies, exploring different child behavior situations, and how they were address through empathy, and Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

Some quotes / thoughts as I was reading the book:

p.4: The effects of trauma, poverty, stress, mental health challenges, etc. cause students to also struggle with academics and behaviors.

p.4: "Since each child is unique, the plan for each child may need to be unique to their strengths, opportunities, hopes, and dreams.

p.6: "Maslow's belief was that through life we move up a pyramid in order to reach our highest potential. Basic Needs, Psychological Needs, and Self-Fulfillment Needs."

p. 7: "If a student is hungry, exhausted, scared, traumatized, disconnected, lonely, or feeling like a failure, it will be very difficult for them to achieve to their highest capability."

p.8: "If a student is hungry, tired, or scared - give them food, a nap, or a hug."

p.9: "If the human side of things are addressed, true learning can occur at a high level."

p. 13: "Chuck (the student) took a deep breath and said, "What the F--- are you looking at?" Before I could respond, he continued, "You're fat, bald, and stupid." I thought for a second and responded with, "You seem to be upset. What do you need? How can I help? Chuck moved a step closer to me and said, "Are you deaf, too? I just said you're fat, bald, and stupid. Didn't you hear me?" My response was automatic this time, "I heard you just fine. Now I really can tell that you are upset. What do you need? How can I help you?"

p. 17: "It is so important to understand the emotion that is driving the behavior. We also have to use methods that have been proven effective and that are most likely to produce a positive outcome."

p.24: (You mean when you mentioned it 10 pages earlier, in case we forgot?) - "I had become a black belt in devouring a meal in world record speed (as I discussed earlier in this book).

p.25: "For some reason, water has a natural effect of helping to calm people down.

p. 28: (Wow, I'm impress a 5th grade student knows what the word pro-active means!) - "Jimmy said that he was following one of the school's positive traits by being "pro-active" and helping when help was needed and making good choices."

p. 32: lol - "What a way to start the school year, I already had an office referral and school was still thirty minutes away from officially starting."

p. 34: There really is something magical about food, and breakfast, in particular. It seems as though it is easier to get someone to speak when you break bread with them.

p.34/35: lol, wow - "My supervisor let me know that he would make this easy for me. He had already decided how he would like this handled. He said, "Let the parent know that Sam has lost his bus riding privileges for a week and that if anything similar happens again he will be off the bus for a month. You can let her know that this is a gift wince we could suspend him from school, too. She is welcome to bring him to school if she would like." Wow, this was a first for me, too. I have never had a supervisor dictate a discipline situation for me."

p.36: Wow, that's dedication! Not quite sure the supervisor intended this to be the result of his consequence... - "Sam let me know that he had already been on a train, two buses, and then walked three miles to get to school."

p.62: Typo! "She is looking for Mr. Righ.t"

p.62: "Children prefer positive attention; however, any attention is better than no attention.

p.73: (Good job when dealing with profanity/angry parents to de-escalate the situation, and move behavior away from kids.)

p.75: (Another educator using the buddy room strategy, just like proposed in love and logic. It often helps when you see students in a different setting. I experience this a lot as a librarian - I have a good relationship with many students that have behavior issues in classrooms)

p.80: It's good to have a grade level discussion to build empathy and compassion, but you don't need to wait for a new district policy or consequences to initiate that.

p.82: Hmm, I actually think Dr. Pearlman could have done a lot of things better in this scenario. Did he ever talk to Drake about why what he did was wrong? Did he ever talk to the dad about his 'softies who couldn't take a joke comment?

p.94: This scenario reminds me of the saying, "You give people an inch, and they'll take a mile." It's ok to be empathetic and understanding, but you're the one in charge. How do you balance the two? (Private conversations with student, not in front of whole class).

p.97: Heh, right after the story of the kid with the world's best grandpa but no dad, we have the kid with the grandma who takes her everywhere because mom is too busy for the kid.

p.98: Kids are looking for a connection, familiarity, someone who genuinely cares.

p.98: What if Dr. Pearlman didn't have a wife that spoke Russian, what would he have done then?

p. 101: Lol, nice reason for a selfie (being retired, and getting a request to come into a job interview from a friend, and sending them a selfie of being dressed in sweats).

[Mamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quoting the phrase "Maslow Before Bloom" would be an easy way to see if any educators are in the room because it refers to how children's basic survival needs must be fulfilled before any learning can occur, and every educator would immediately snap to attention upon its utterance. The author has tons of experience working with students, families and staff and puts together paradigms of student behavior to showcase challenging moments that may have nothing to do with the classroom dynamics and everything to do with previous experiences and labels. I was a little frustrated for the first half of the book because it felt like the helpful strategies came awfully fast and in my experience it usually takes a long time to choreograph responses that will reach kids in crisis. But in the second half, there were two examples that I will take with me into this new school year. The first was a description of a student's Grandpa who not only cherished his grandson but was kind to the entire school, and the author referred to him as a "critical friend" who made an enormous difference in the lives of many in the school community. This reminded me of the study which showed that just one consistent supporter could make an astronomical difference in the life of a child. The second was a chapter entitled "Why Can't We Knit?" in which Dr. Pearlman asked kids who misbehaved at lunch to come up with their own consequence. They were no longer allowed to be in the lunchroom so they had to design what they were going to do. One child had a family member in the infant NICU and remembered that the babies need hats to keep their tiny heads warm. He asked if he and his peers could knit for the NICU on their lunch breaks! Dr Pearlman found them a volunteer who taught them and the rest of the chapter is a glorious hymn to student-adult-community teamwork. I am going to put a photo of a knit hat on my bulletin board this year to remind myself to always ask my students how to make things better, and believe that they can.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maslow before bloom by Dr. Bryan Pearlman is a great read. This book really dives into what it means to educate the whole child, not just academically. Dr. Pearlman connects ideas from Maslow, Bloom, Gardner, Jung and Goleman, in a way that actually makes sense and feels relevant to what’s happening in schools today. Dr. Pearlman is one of my professors and he genuinely is a great teacher and is so knowledgeable. Through his work, you can tell he truly cares about his students and about helping educators see kids as humans first. Great read and I would highly recommend fellow education students to read his work or take his class

[Madeline Hicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for anyone who is *actually* passionate about mentorship and education.

I have recently experienced and seen education delivery that is not sustainable. Much can be attributed to the direct dismantling of the Maslow hierarchy by the institution and program itself. It was interesting to read along while observing and hearing accounts of current/previous students' experiences.

There is inherent value in treating students with dignity and ensuring they are supported/not directly thwarted. A book that medical education particularly could benefit from.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend *Maslow Before Bloom* to any educator looking to better understand their students. This book helped me rethink classroom behavior as a form of communication and reinforced how critical it is to meet students’ emotional needs first. It combines powerful research with real, actionable steps to create more compassionate, emotionally safe learning environments. A great blend of theory and practice—with a strong message: kids don’t need more control, they need more care.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave this book two stars instead of three because the case studies were pretty basic. They're good discussion starters for people not experienced with Maslow and/or trauma. My favorite part was the end, outlining ways to care for ourselves as educators as well as characteristics of staff members who focus on Maslow before Bloom.

[Garret Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read on how I can do better in regards to caring for students. I appreciated that Pearlman shared some of his defeats along with his victories. It gave a clearer picture about how difficult being an administrator and educator can be.

[Joseph Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love everything about this book. I share this with all of the new teachers in our building. Empathy, compassion, and love can really help all children to succeed. I hope to see Bryan in public in the future.

[Holly Falconer-Leeds · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet annecdotes / case studies for those that work with young people particularly in education sector. Useful tools towards end. Thought it was more focused on strategy and development but a nice read all the same.

[Kristin Larsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up. Stories are basic and solutions really too easy and simple. At the same time, they give a lot to think about and it's nice to know that problems and solutions occur in every school. The ideas and thoughts on self care at the end will be helpful.

[Kim Erwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. Case studies that would be good to discuss in a book study, I guess. The worrying was petty basic and some editing errors annoyed me. Not what I was hoping for, exactly.

[Felicity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple to read. Provided good fodder for discussion with colleagues about how to handle unique student situations. Sadly, several typos throughout which threw me off as an English teacher.

[John Basque · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book of brief case studies, lends itself to a discussion among EBD or special Ed PLCs, but not a book to sit and enjoy reading. Very little on substance.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every educator should read this!! The case studies were extremely helpful. I love that this author is local, too.

[Jamie Wyatt Glover · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely support the idea of Maslow before Bloom and Pearlman does a good job of explaining why that ideology is important and how it has impacted students he has worked directly with.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an administrator this book brought up some relevant points to expand my practice.

[Deb Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maslow Before Bloom is a must read for any educator. It focuses on the why behind the behaviors that we see every day in our schools. I love how every chapter describes a different child. As I read each chapter/case study, I was able to relate it to a student I knew or had known in the past. Seeing what worked or did not work with each student described in the chapters gives much food for thought in what we need to do to support our own students. I love how each chapter ends with questions that make you reflect on what you would have done in this case as well as reflect on how to help students in your own building. As educators, we must meet the needs of our students before learning can take place.