I feel a little guilty because it has been a couple of weeks since I have blogged with my kids. This is why blogging never has worked for me in the past, I always seem to put other things first. That is why I hope having my kids do it every Friday, as a routine, helps them get in the habit and maybe they will continue after this year
One of the topics they could write about today was 10 myths about teenagers. I thought it could be interesting to do that from a teacher's perspective. Now, I'm not claiming to be any expert on teenagers, but being around them all day everyday has given me at least a little bit of perspective. So these are things I have heard from friends, or other people, who find out I teach high school.
MYTH: All teenagers care about is drama
This one gets me every time. It seems like it just assumed that teenagers crave drama, and they start little petty fights, or they all talk about each other, or go behind each other's backs, or you never know who is friends, etc. Okay yes I see this happen all the time, BUT NOT JUST IN HIGH SCHOOL! I see just as much drama in my adult life, at work, with my friends, on Facebook, etc, that I see in my classroom. There are students who don't feed into the drama, and there are students who do maybe feed into it a little more. But I can name just as many adults that do the same. That's what I try to teach the kids, I think by telling them girls won't be mean after high school, or drama stops after high school is just giving them a false impression. I instead want them to realize this will follow them around forever, and they instead need to learn the skills of avoiding it, and how to surround yourself with people who don't feed into it
MYTH: They don't want to be at school/Don't care about school, wouldn't you rather teach elementary students who want to be at school?
Okay again, yes, I doubt hardly any of my students jump out of bed in the morning so excited to be here, but they care. Even the ones who complain, or say they don't want to do things, I see those same kids before and after school in my classroom making sure they are understanding and getting their work done. I have students constantly checking their grades and asking how they can get better. I just had a student email me last night (at like ten!), apologizing for doing the assignment wrong, and asking if he could do it again for a better grade. They care. Sometimes they might pretend they don't, or have their lazy days, but I love teaching teenagers.
MYTH: Teenagers are disrespectful
My students are some of the most respectful people I've EVER been around, adults included.
MYTH: Teenagers aren't easy to talk to
Some of the best conversations, both school and not school related, have been with teenagers. All you have to do is actually care about what they are saying and they are capable of holding some great conversations. I've seen seniors sit and have socratic conversations about pieces of literature without any guidance from me, I've lost track of time having conversations about civil rights, current events, politics, and deep questions (like the other day, who was the first person who drank milk from a cow? We talked about that ALL HOUR!). Teenagers are smart, and if you get them talking about things they care about they can be so fun to talk to
MYTH: Teenagers aren't funny/are only in bad moods, etc
Teenagers make me laugh everyday. Okay they may say some pretty stupid stuff sometimes, but oh my gosh can they be funny
I could probably go on and on, but basically, teenagers rock. If they didn't, I wouldn't want to spend all day everyday with them.
Peace, Love
Ms. A :)
