Headlines. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Let’s start out with the bad & the ugly….
Teens: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
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Transcript of Teens: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
TEENS THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE
UGLY
Suzanne WalkerIndiana State
LibraryProfessional Development
Office
Introductions
Who am I? (The Jean Valjean
moment)
Who are you?
ACTIVITY
Just for fun, let’s go around and share…you can either share a service that your library provides for teens or…
You can share an issue your library has with teens
Today we are…. Learning why teens are the way they are Learning about challenges that teens
today are facing Learning ways to more positively interact
with them in our library settings
Adolescents are:
Age: 10-19 42.7 million
You think YOU have it bad?
Three Challenges for Adolescents
You think YOU have it bad?
• Biological Development
• Cognitive Development
• Social/Emotional Development
Challenge #1
7Early maturation
12-1410-12Growth spurt
11-1310-12Onset of puberty
Biological Development
Eating Disorders:Anorexia - 13.2% of Indiana Teens are self
described AnorexicsBulimia – 5.4% of Indiana Teens are self described
as BulimicNutrition:
15.1% of Indiana Teens do not eat fruit in a typical week
45.8% of Indiana Teens do not eat salad in a typical week
17.9% of Indiana Teens do not eat any vegetables in a typical week
Ecercise:40.5% of Indiana Teens do not exercise for weight
management65.2% of Indiana Teens do not attend a PE class in
a typical week43.6% of Indiana Teens did not play on a sports
team in 2010
Biological Development
Challenge #2
to argue for the sake of arguing to be self- centered to constantly find fault in adult’s
position to be overly dramatic
Normal adolescent behavior?
YES!
Cognitive Development – Big One for US!
Cognitive Development
•ability to think abstractly•ability to analyze situations
logically•ability to think realistically
about the future, goal setting•moral reasoning •Entertain hypothetical
situations, use of metaphors Need guidance for rational
decision making
10 years
19 years
Brain Research FindingsThe brain continues to develop during adolescence. Areas under construction:
• Prefrontal cortex – responsible for organizing, setting priorities, strategizing, controlling impulses
• Brain functions that help plan and adapt to the social environment
• Brain functions that help put situations into context; retrieve memories to connect with gut reactions
Challenge #3
Who am I? Where do I belong?
- Identity development (gender, sexual, ethnic)
- Self-esteem
- Role of peer group
Social Emotional Development
How do I relate to others?
- Social Skills
- Emotional Intelligence
Experimenting with Intimacy
• 13% of teens have had sex by age 15
• 70% of teens have had sex by age 19
• 7% of young women aged 18-24 who had sex before they were 20 report that their first sexual experience was
nonvoluntary.
• 10% of all US births are to girls ages 19 or younger
Environmental Settings
YOUTH
Pee
rs
Community
(This is us!)
School(This is us too!)
Family
Neighborhood
(This can also
be us!)
Media/Internet
Social Toxicity
Social factors that poison youth’ well being and healthy development
Main Sources:
National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy 2005. Freeze Frame: A Snapshot of America’s Teens www.teenpregnancy.org
2012 United States Census Guttmacher.org – In Brief: Fact Sheet copyright
2012 Indiana Youth Institute Issue Brief October 2011 American Psychological Association 2002.
Developing Adolescents.
www.apa.org/pi/pii/develop.pdf
So What Does This Mean For Us?
Let’s Look at our own Library Behavior Policy
1. Assess each situation.
IS IT A NUSIANCE, OR A HAZARD?
Teens Pushing Each Other
Teens Talking Loudly
Wondering around in large groups…
Blocking the front door of the library…
Hugging each other for long periods of time or laying on each other…
Leaving bags around the library…
Of course…
It is all according to your library’s policies, but…
Take Immediate Action
Nuisance - we can ALL handle nuisances. Speak to them in a calm nonjudgmental manner Don’t be overly loud Make Eye Contact Give them CONCRETE DIRECTIONS
You are being too loud for the library. You need to quiet down or you will be asked to leave.
You all need to find something to do and have a seat.
Please, no running in the library. If you have to speak to them more than once or
twice, ask them to leave. They can try to behave better tomorrow.
Take Immediate Action
Follow the Library Behavior Policy
Take Immediate Action
Hazard – get help Use Teamwork Call Police Give them CONCRETE DIRECTIONS
Pushing and fighting is not allowed in the library. You need to leave for today.
Safe Child Policy…do you have one? Mooresville Public Library’s Policy
If you are ages 0-8 you must have an adult (ages 16 and up) WITH YOU.
If you are ages 9-12 you must have an adult (ages 16 and up) IN THE BUILDING.
If you are ages 13 and up, you may use the library by yourself.
Don’t Take It Personally
What do you do when they… Talk back? Call you names? Yell at you?
Well, if they follow your directions… Watch their ACTIONS…they will speak
louder than their WORDS. You asked them to leave. They may call
you a name as they are leaving the building…but they ARE leaving the building.
You told them to be quieter. They questioned your authority…but now they are quieter
Bottom Line:
They are still developing They will make poor decisions (because
they are still developing) They may have needs we don’t know
about (but we might be the safest place they are all day)
They are still our future patron base.
So, when you have a problem:
Is it a nuisance or a hazard? Take action / get help. Follow the Library Behavior Policy. Don’t take it personally. Notice the patterns of behavior…we
have changes that follow the school year.
And…
Be glad you aren’t a teenager anymore!
Our GREAT Teen Patrons
Who knows some great teens?
Our GREAT Teen Patrons
Teen Council Volunteers Tutors Staff
The End!
Suzanne WalkerIndiana State Library
Children’s Services ConsultantProfessional Development Office
[email protected] Line: (317) 234-5649