Dale Baumwoll says that people who have nothing to do with middle school kids always ask her, "Why on earth do you do it?”

These are the years, she agrees, when kids can be at their wildest, with their values and identity in flux and hormonal changes wreaking havoc on their emotions. "But those of us who teach with them love it,” she said.

That affection for the preteen set is firmly based in success. Baumwoll, who lives and teaches sixth grade in Randolph, earlier this year was named 2007 U.S. History Teacher of the Year for New Jersey by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History's Preserve America Program.

She is also author of an acclaimed and widely distributed novel for preteens and teens, There's No Room for You, Maddie Morrison, the first in a planned series. She and her husband Bobby, who used to run a summer camp in Florida, have a grown daughter and son who, their mother said, taught her a lot.

Hearing her enthusiasm, those with kids might wish they could install Baumwoll as a permanent house guest. But next best, they can come hear her talk about "Safely Navigating the Middle School Years” at Congregation Beth Israel in Scotch Plains at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 13. She said children are welcome, too. The event is the final program in this year's Family Workshop Series run by the Jewish Community Center of Central NJ; Beth Israel is cosponsor.

What Baumwoll strives for as an educator of parents is empathy and an awareness of how important they are to their children as they approach their teens. "They're still listening to their parents in fourth or fifth grade, but by sixth grade they are starting to break away, to rely more on their peers. But they still need their parents for comfort and support and help in dealing with their conflicts and frustrations.”

The crux lies in remembering: "Kids will get over the traumas of adolescence but they don't know that,” she said. "Their parents do. They can remember what it was like. We've all gone through it.”

In her novel, she uses time travel to get across to her young readers the idea that in the past, their parents were young and going through the same anxieties about appearance and social acceptance. She makes a point of showing that their best friendships will be with people they share interests with, not necessarily with those in the "in” crowd.

What was cute or forgivable when kids were little might not be acceptable anymore, and those changes can be baffling. Baumwoll talks about having a sense of humor but not hurting others with sarcasm, exercising leadership not through bossing but by sharing and inviting ideas, and showing confidence without being cocky. She discusses too that kids who bully often think that they are being bullied and are acting out of a lack of self-esteem.

Writing the book was easy, she said. "I had something to say and it just came.” She has already finished her second "Maddie Morrison” book, this time with more emphasis on boys and tackling the challenge of keeping grades up while dealing with friendships.

Baumwoll shares her delight in children with her family. Her father, Jay Brenner, is a teacher, too, and sometimes teaches classes with her. What has pleased her just as much is that her son Gary, 27, taught before going on to earn a law degree, and her daughter, Erica, 23, has just started teaching in Newark. "It says a lot when your children choose to work in your profession,” she said.

Her talk is open to the community. Admission is $12 per family, $10 per family for members of the JCC and CBI.

For more information, contact Michele Dreiblatt or 908-889-8800 ext. 205.