Teens on the Edge Learning in the Edge
Teens on the EDGE
Teenagers live on the edge. Whether they like it there or not, they are relegated to the fringe. Adults and children enjoy being the center of modern culture. Adults have rights and privileges reserved just for them. They can drink alcohol. They can buy cigarettes. They can vote, drive, marry, enter clubs, gamble, rent cars, or attend a movie of any rating. These privileges are for them alone. Children and teens are not welcome or even allowed.
On the other end of the spectrum are the children. Children necessarily garner a lot of attention and special considerations. They cry when things do not go their way. They make messes when eating. They don’t seem to care when they have crusty buggers or dirt all over their faces. They get a free pass on many behaviors we would consider inappropriate or even reprehensible in the adult population. They need and get special attention and consideration because they are children.
Stuck between these two worlds, are the teenagers. They are not allowed to act like children, nor are they allowed to participate fully in the world of adults. They are on the edge. Expected to act like adults but not treated or given the rights of adults, teens get mixed messages. In one breath they are asked to behave like an adult, and in the next told they cannot do something because they are not an adult. Is it any wonder they do not want to conform to an adult world that rejects them? They distinguish themselves from the adult world and the world of children by choosing, often shocking but always different, styles of music, dress, language, and behavior. They live on the edge.
High school halls are filled with teenagers living on the edge. Teenagers trying to figure out who they are, how they fit into the world, and what they are like. They experiment with their identities, different activities, relationships, interests, values, and ethics. They consider passionately different ideologies and social dilemmas. Some are full of angst, angry at a world that does not seem to understand or value them. Others are depressed or disillusioned at a hypocritical world that claims to value justice, yet allows injustice to thrive and prosper. They are becoming. They are in process. They are on the edge of becoming adults. The question of “What they are like?” hangs in the balance and can swing in a variety of directions.
Teenagers live on the edge.
Learning on the EDGE
High schools are designed to take these teens on the edge and teach them the content and skills they will need to be successful when they enter the adult world. During school hours, teens take compulsory subjects like History, Science, Math, English, and Social Studies. After school they can choose to participate in an array of activities which, like them, exist on the edge. The academic subjects are at the center of a school. This is right where they should be. The learning outcomes in academic subjects are well articulated, defined, and assessed on both internal and standardized tests.
Swirling around the academic center of a school are athletics, arts, and activities. We believe it is good for students to participate in a school play, join a club, play in the marching band, run for student government, go out for the soccer team, etc. because it “builds character” in other words it helps shape “What they are like”. We probably agree that there is some valuable learning inherent in these activities but it is not well defined, articulated, or assessed on standardized tests. The learning that takes place here is on the edge.
Consider this. Teenagers are living on the edge trying to figure out what they are like and how they fit into the world. Performing and visual arts, athletics, and activities exist on the edges of academics. Teenagers get a chance to self select which, if any, of these edge activities they would like to participate in. When they do participate, they practice, develop, foster, and learn positive attributes like accountability, perseverance, adaptability, commitment, discipline, integrity, person-ability, and drive.
Imagine if schools met these teens on the edge.
Imagine if schools, valued, defined, and articulated the learning that takes place within their already existing infrastructure of arts, athletics, and activities.
Imagine if schools found a way to allow students to explore the very questions fueling their teenage confusions.
Imagine if students were able to discuss, reflect, and define who they are, how they fit into the world, and what they are like with a coherent and common vocabulary.
Imagine if adults and Teens found a way to meet each other on the edge in complimentary rather than adversarial roles.
Teenagers on the edge, learning around the edges of the academic core of a school, is the definition of Edge-Ucation.
That’s enough theorizing to make you go bonkers! Teenagers on the edge? Aren’t we all on the edge!
Children, teenagers, adults, irrespective of age, we are all confined within boundaries guided by rules that have been set by man to control man. Is there anything wrong with control? Not if you are aiming for the greater good… but it can be a pain in the butt because we are all HUMANS at the end of the day.
A teenager needs to know there are rules that are set to guide their actions, be it laid down by the family or at school. The same applies for children AND adults. Whenever there is a rule that has been broken, there MUST be a corrective action… the degree or intensity or mode of the corrective action depends on the society in which the teenager lives.. end of story! We should stop victimizing the teenagers and think that they are soooo delicate and sooo on the edge… come on! The ‘hyprocrysy’ of the adult world is what motivates the teens to grow up and be an adult. Same goes for the ‘hypocrysy’ of the teenage world coz that’s what motivates the child to grow and go to college and find a girlfriend! If we remove this difference and adults start to act like a teen, then we are saying that the teenage world should rule the adult world!!! Can you imagine the CHAOS out of this??? A frigging 40 yr old acting like a 15 yr old and finding interest in techno punk rock just to bond with the 15 yr old??? I say let all 3 worlds rule in their domains, there’s an age for everything! When I was a teen, I did not respect my folks because they tried to understand me by being in the same world as I was, I respected them and bonded with them because although we shared different values, I KNEW they would always be there for me and that’s it! Edge-ucation is for everybody, not only the TEENS! And the best Edge-ucator for a teen is not an adult, but another teen (or should I say, a friend of the same age).
Thanks for your comments Shuunsui. I love your passions and ideas and welcome people to disagree with our philosophies! I do not believe we are all on the edge. Not in the same way. Yes, children, teens, and adults all have their own worlds but the teenage world has only existed for about 60 years. The word “teenager” first appeared in print in a Readers Digest article in 1943. The whole concept of adolescence is relatively new and far less studied and understood than childhood. This makes their edge different, and the one Todd and I focus on. I do not believe teens are “delicate” or “victims” as you point out. They are simply at a different and unique stage in development. The better we understand where they are (We all this the edge) the better we will be able to educate them in a way that will best prepare them to be successful adults. All good teachers meet their students where they are and take an active interest in what they are interested in. An elementary teacher asks and is interested in the imaginary friend or new game made by his/her students. That does not mean that teacher will start acting like a little kid. When we recommend high school teachers get interested in teens (in your example punk rock music) we are not advocating that they start acting like a teen. Showing interest in their interests is not the same as conforming to their norms. In our experience with teens (over 30 years combined) we find that when we relate to teens, meet them on the edge (in other words in the areas they are authentically interested in such as arts, athletics, activities, and in the classrooms) then the “corrective action” that you advocate is rarely necessary. Yes there are rules but when teachers and teens are working together as allies rather than adversaries, those rules are broken far less often.
I hope this helps clarify a few things from our philosophy for you. I welcome more of your comments, questions, and discussion!
Hi Tim, appreciate your clarification and we agree to disagree on some aspects. Showing interest and participating is the same thing, as the ultimate result is to relate to the interest of the teen and you cannot do so unless you show sincere interest… else you will appear as a fraud, in which case I do not see how you relate to them. My point is it is pointless to ‘relate’ to a teen or to a child for that matter, when you are an adult. We should acknowledge that difference and make the teens and children realise that difference as well. For their benefit, the focus should be on providing the necessary support (material first and then a shoulder on which they can rely on when they are in need) and let them discover and appreciate their own worlds without too many interference. Nevertheless, the boundaries should be made very clear and we should not stoop to their level and try to understand why they crossed the boundaries (when they do it). Instead, we should be true to our values and communicate this to our children; where sanctions are needed, these should be enforced without the blink of an eye. Only then will they ascertain and respect that difference (and acknowledge who is the Leader) and only then shall we be able to maintain order in all 3 worlds (adult, teen and child). This inequality is the basis of our society as we know it today; look around you and you will see that is the thread holding it all together, allowing people to dream, giving them hope of a better tomorrow and giving them the ambition to work hard to be on an equal footing to their role models.
As to your mention of ‘good teachers’, it is quite alarming to see teachers fearful of raising their voice (or giving a slap on the wrist) nowadays and prefer to immerse themselves into the world of those they have been tasked to educate in order to try to control their behaviour; they may well have an 80% chance of succeeding but there will always be that 20% who will look upon them as adulescents and hence a bunch of practical jokers. I am not a partisan of excessive punishment or corporal abuse, but I do advocate the efficacy of a slap or a solid oral reprimand whenever necessary; although the chance of success might still be 80% (or perhaps less than that) but at least the rest knows that the teachers mean serious business. At the end, they may not love the adults, they may even hate them sometimes, but there will be respect and winning that battle is a grand step in winning the war, which is to make them responsible adults; with all the ‘understanding’ or ‘psychological’ approaches that we have nowadays, look at how the children are today. Forget about the parties, the pot, the girls, the playboy mag hidden under the mattress (that’s always been there and should be there!), I am talking about the fundamental respect that the teens have for their parents and teachers: They don’t have any!!! When you see a 15 yr old telling his mum to f… off because he’s been told to tidy his room and the mum is trying to understand WHY his son or daughter is acting like this, it’s quite laughable.
By the way, I am a 20 yr old dude who just came out of adoslescence a few years back (or maybe still in there, huh?).
Regarding your combined experience with teens, I am sure that you and Todd have more than 30 years… coz you have been teenagers as well, right?
To end, I absolutely love the subject of adoslescence coz I’m writing a study on the matter and your insights are exactly what I need to initiate a debate when I present it to my peers.;-)
God bless!
Shuunsui – Thanks for keeping the conversation alive! Opposing viewpoints are extremely valuable for critical thinking both for us and for future readers. I will respond to a few of your points.
1. You claim that showing interest and participating are the same thing and if you want to relate to a teen it must be sincere or you will be a fraud. I agree that the interest should be sincere but I do not agree that show interest in a thing and participating are the same thing. Here is an example from my experience as a high school teacher: A student is listening to music in his headphones. I ask the kid what he is listening to, hear a band name I have ever heard before, and take a quick 20 second listen. I can then be honest with the kid whether I like it or not. I often don’t like it, but I have shown interest and the teen is now engaged in a real conversation with me. Even if I don’t like the music, the teen has been heard. The power of a simple exchange like this can be transforming in a classroom.
2. You say “it is pointless to ‘relate’ to a teen or to a child for that matter, when you are an adult. We should acknowledge that difference and make the teens and children realise that difference as well” Then much later in your response you talk about a “15 yr old telling his mum to f… off because he’s been told to tidy his room and the mum is trying to understand WHY his son or daughter is acting like this”, and earlier you made this statement, “it is quite alarming to see teachers fearful of raising their voice (or giving a slap on the wrist) nowadays and prefer to immerse themselves into the world of those they have been tasked to educate in order to try to control their behaviour” These three comments illustrate exactly my point. It is not “pointless” to relate to a child or teen because when we do, the other two problems diminish greatly. The mom who takes to time to relate and understand her 15 year old will have a more positive relationship with him or her. This does not mean they always agree or that the mom is “stooping” to a lower level. It means there can be open and honest dialogue and the likelihood if the teen being that belligerent decreases greatly. Likewise the teacher can focus on educating and student learning rather than trying to “control” behavior. Students who share mutual respect with their teachers do not behave because they fear punishment or a “slap on the wrist” They behave because they want to preform for a teacher then respect as a person not just an authority figure.
3. The last point of yours that I have time for this morning is your reference to boundaries between the worlds of children, teens, and adults and the fact we should enforce these boundaries. The differences between teens and an adults are purely societal. Teens are physically adults. Teens are intellectually (according to the research of Jean Piaget, Kholberg, and many others) adults. They might not have the amount of experience or depth of knowledge, but they are capable of reasoning and thinking just like adults. So these boundaries are artificially created by society and it does out society no good to divide itself up between “us” versus “them.” Schools are micro societies. I have seen schools which operate as you suggest where it is adults against kids and I have seen schools where adults and kids work together. The later is a much better experience for both the teens and their teachers and much more authentic learning can take place.
Last thought: Besides an age difference fueling our different views on this subject, there may also be a cultural one. I am assuming you are British or at least British educated (based on the spelling of several words in your comments) American schools and British schools do have fundamental differences in the way they allow and encourage teachers and students to interact. This does not mean that one system is better than the other, just that there may be a cultural paradigm difference between your experience and mine. This might be a topic for a different day.
Thanks again for the comments. I don’t have time to respond to everything you said, but I enjoyed the read.
Hi Tim, I believe that you are spot on: our cultural difference is the reason of our disagreement. And yes, you are quite perceptive in guessing my education background
Sayonara!
Shuunsui