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From Classroom to Bestseller
Arlene Freeman has led a diverse and accomplished career, combining a passion for teaching, community service, and entrepreneurship. She began her professional journey as a third-grade teacher in the Passaic School System, where her dedication to children extended beyond the classroom. During this time, she developed programs to help children feel comfortable in hospital settings and created educational initiatives such as Careers in Caring, which introduced teenagers to a variety of healthcare professions. Her work in hospitals also included presentations on alleviating children's fears, showcased at the National Association of Hospital Auxiliaries and in local schools.
Following her teaching career, Arlene transitioned into real estate. She co-founded Prime Realty, successfully running the company for 35 years before selling it to Coldwell Banker. Throughout her professional life, she has combined strategic thinking with her passion for helping others, earning respect in both the education and real estate communities.
Beyond her career achievements, Arlene Freeman is deeply committed to her family and community. She enjoys playing piano, storytelling, singing, dancing, and sharing valuable life lessons with her grandchildren. Arlene lives in Woodland Park, New Jersey, with her two sons, Dr. Ted Freeman of Long Branch and Dr. Eric Freeman of Westfield, and her three grandchildren: Michael, Max, and Quinn.
Cool Kids marks Arlene Freeman’s first published book, reflecting her lifelong commitment to guiding children and teaching important life lessons through storytelling. Her engaging and insightful approach ensures that children not only enjoy the story but also learn meaningful lessons about friendship, self-respect, and the consequences of their actions.
Lessons on Kindness and Bullying
The one thing I realized in life was that we are all about feelings. It is important to be aware of people’s feelings as well as your own. This permeated much of my life. When I was a third grade school teacher, I tried an experiment with a new entering class. I announced to my students on day one that everyone’s grade was an A. I also promised that with their help. I would try to get them to maintain that grade. That idea generated such enthusiasm, positive feelings and excitement that I continued this practice for several years.
Later in life, when I became president of the Beth Israel Hospital Auxiliary, I knew it was absolutely important to show appreciation for those who donated time and money for this worthy cause. I always recognized and thanked people for a job well done and respected them for their efforts. Recognizing them in such a positive way, made them feel good. We not only raised money, but also did outreach programs for teenagers and young children. One program was about all the hospital careers that were part of a hospital community. Another was alleviating fears of children entering a hospital setting. It was our intention to make children feel comfortable and informative about a hospital. In general, making people feel good was so important and my years as a volunteer made me feel great.
In today’s society, another topic dealing with feelings became important, Bullying. School systems developed programs about this. Why do children become bullies and does this in any way have something to do with feelings? Studies have shown that they do. Many books have been written about this and I decided that one more wouldn’t hurt and so I wrote Cool kids. I hope I sent a message that a bully is never a cool kid.
About the Book: Cool Kids
Michael Goodly is both excited and nervous because he's about to start fourth grade at a new school. He wants to fit in and play football, but it looks like being mean and hurting people may be the only way to be accepted by some of the other players. Is acting tough and hateful the only way Michael will be allowed to play football with these guys?
Acceptance and fitting in are very important to young people, and bullying is an issue that many of them face today. Arlene Freeman assures children that they don't have to act tough or mean to be considered cool. In fact, Michael learns that being nice and helping others is the perfect way to gain friends and become one of the 'cool kids'!
Cool Kids is filled with bright, colorful pictures that immediately capture a child's attention. While the length may make it more suitable for elementary school children, it is a valuable resource for both home and school.