Teaching Thought #15
Why do adults struggle so much
with effectively leading young people?
This
article offers an interesting perspective on the topic.
Here is the fourth way to start leading teens well:
Play the veteran card.
Once in a while, they need
you to not only be a “friend” but a “bad cop.” It’s not fun, but boundaries
actually foster security in kids. They need someone to lead them and enforce
principles that will guide them through life. Even more, they need to hear from
your experience—the wisdom and life lessons you’ve picked up over time.
In a focus group a few
years back, a female student said to me, “I guess the reason I don’t want to
grow up is that I’ve not seen any adults who’ve done it well. Most of them are
trying to be like us, kids.”
It’s time to give students
what they need, not necessarily what they want.
I always tell my students how much I love being a grown
up. I wouldn’t go back for a
nano-second. As teachers, we need to
broadcast to them how great it is to have work that matters, to be life-long
learners, and to have amazing families.
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