Kiersten Hellier
ENG 4320
Dr. Burmester
27 October 2014
Not Much Just Chillin’: The Hidden Lives of Middle Schoolers by Linda Perlstein
Not Much Just Chillin’: The Hidden Lives of Middle Schoolers is an ethnography written
in narrative form that follows five middle schoolers through the course of a school year at Wilde
Lake Middle School. Linda Perlstein, the author, was a copy editor, graphics editor and staff
writer for the Washington Post for ten years, during which, she wrote and published Not Much
Just Chillin’. After her time at the Post, she worked as the first public editor for the Education
Writers Association. In addition to writing pieces for many other papers, she currently has clients
such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Harvard Education Letter and Center on
Reinventing Public Education (“Linda Perlstein”). Not Much Just Chillin’ was published in 2003
by Farrar, Straus and Giroux Publishing. Since then, it has become a New York Times Best
Seller and has been printed eight times.
Not Much Just Chillin’ acts as a medium between middle school students and adults
everywhere, and could be read by anyone considering a career in teaching middle school or
looking to relive the awkward times of their middle school age. Perlstein gives an inside look
into the minds of her middle school cohorts and provides insights on parenting and teaching. I
chose to read this book because I would like to teach middle school, but have no idea where to
start. In this paper, I will discuss the contents of the book, style of Perlstien’s writing, my
evaluation of it and what I learned.
In Not Much Just Chillin’, Linda Perlstein follows five students through the course of a
school year, each with their own personal and academic struggles and experiences. Middle
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schoolers Jackie Taylor, Eric Ellis, Elizabeth Ginsburg, Jimmy Schissel and Lily Mason are
Perlstien’s experimental subjects as she explores the ins and outs of a middle schooler’s
psychology and academic life. She tells her story through the words and occurrences of these
students, pulling quotes from their parents, teachers and staff. Through description of events such
as 9-11, school functions, birthday parties and home lives of the students, she attempts to get
inside the minds of these students, and furthermore, evaluates the effectiveness of the school
system as we know it.
Perlstien writes in a particular style that I found crucial to the effectiveness of this book.
To give readers a connection with the students, she writes through words of the students, but also
as if she was a middle schooler herself. For example, while writing about the stylish trends at
Wilde Lake, she explains, “Mia’s got on a camouflage tank top, khaki shorts, two old string
anklets, and white, silver-striped Adidas with the laces tied under the tongue. (White Adidas are
the best shoes you can wear…If your Adidas are colored because your mom says white gets
ruined too soon, you may as well be wearing Stride Rites)” (Perlstein 28). While there are times
where she writes with language appropriate for adults, like in a chapter where she discusses
academic practices and philosophies, the majority of the book is written with this type of
language. She also overwhelms her readers with plenty of descriptive language, which gives the
audience a clear idea of what she’s talking about, who she’s describing and how we should be
understanding all of the content. Perlstein’s style of writing in this book was compelling and
effective, and was one of the things I enjoyed most about this book.
Another thing I loved about this book was the way that Perlstein let the audience get into
the minds of her students, whether they were consumed with video games, kissing or crushes
(mostly crushes). She writes through the words of the individuals, letting them lead the narrative,
while also providing additional information if we needed it. For example, she explains Eric’s
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thoughts of his new classes like this: “By the second week at Wilde Lake…he has made some
assessments: Science, she’s no Mr. Schifflett. Too many worksheets, not enough labs. Band
should be good. The new teacher was visibly impressed when Eric, the best sax player in the
school, said he had taught himself to play in only two years. Sometimes he gets bored with
band…” (Perlstein 56). Perlstein moves the narrative along through the words of the students,
which puts a new (or familiar) perspective on the happenings she’s discussing. This kind of story
telling let me relive my middle school era, although I never thought I’d want to (most of what
happened during middle school was so disturbingly awkward that I’ve chosen to bury it). For
instance, she painted a picture of the entire school and student’s reaction to 9-11 when it
happened. This description was one I could particularly relate to because I was in elementary
school during that time, and the way the Wilde Lake students reacted brought back a lot of
memories of my experience of the event. Another thing I liked about this book was the
information she included about middle school academics, parenting and preteen psychology.
Although I loved most aspects of the book, there was one thing I wish was different. I
enjoyed the narrative form of this book, and thought it was effective for her audience. However,
though Perlstein did include a chapter about middle school system academic philosophies and
practices, as well as quotes from parents throughout the book, I wish that she would have
included a little more practical information for potential middle school teachers. However, I
realize that while I am looking to this book for research, most readers may just be looking to it
for entertainment.
I learned many things in reading Not Much Just Chillin’. The chapter titled “But What
Does this Actually have to do with Real Life?” discusses academic philosophies and includes
information on the psychology of middle school aged students backed up by research. For
example, “What a child learns and does at this point is crucial- sports, languages, typing,
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whatever- because those connections can last forever. And preteens are finally able to get
themselves around the abstract as well as the concrete” (Perlstein 318). This provides me with
some insight on how to approach what I will be teaching in middle school. Another helpful
resource that this book gave me was an inside look into the mind of a preteen that I had lost. One
of my uncertainties about teaching middle school was that I didn’t know quite how to relate to
students of that age. Like I said, my middle school years have been shoved deep into my memory
and I did not intend to dig them up, however Perlstein’s writing made me remember what it felt
like to be that age. Hopefully, this insight will give me the first bit of foundation that I need to
start my journey as a middle school teacher.
Overall, this book was effective for many reasons, from the style of Perlstein’s writing to
the valuable information it contained. I would recommend reading this book to anyone interested
in the mind of the middle school aged or teaching middle school. While Perlstein didn’t provide
a “How To Teach Middle School” step-by-step formula, she let readers relive their middle
school anxieties and struggles, while guiding them along the way with useful information and
advice. And after all, for potential teachers, she did include a study that said that “most middleschool teachers learn what their students need only on the job, if at all” (Perlstein 326) which to
me, was a call to action to get started on my teaching experience with an open mind and a lot of
room to learn and grow.
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Works Cited
"Linda Perlstein." Linda Perlstein. N.p., 2011. Web. 24 Oct. 2014. <http://lindaperlstein.com/>.
Perlstein, Linda. Not Much Just Chillin': The Hidden Lives of Middle Schoolers. New York:
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003. June 2011. eBook.