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

suwalker@library.in.usDirect Line: (317) 234-5649