The Lovely Teen

Pat Feehan came to do a program for our Staff Education Day on Services to Teens. Love Pat! She alluded to a book by Margaret E. Edwards, The Fair Garden and the Swarm of Beasts. Teens are terrible, aren't they? Actually, I don't see enough of them in my dept. to say so. Having taught teenagers, though, I know they can be stroppy, but I understand that they are just trying to develop their own personalities separate from their parents. They want instant gratification, they make terrible judgment calls (that part of their brain won't be fully developed until after their early 20s), they react immediately and irrationally to an external stimulus ... but who doesn't?

More from Pat channeling Margaret E. Edwards:
Teens by age groups:
Ages 11-13, the "me bubble"
These teens are increasingly concerned about their appearance. Anyone remember those Villager clothes from the 60s? Bass Weejuns? (Note: Met Catherine Bass back when she retired to Hilton Head - nice lady.) They seek independence from the family, but they're too young to drive a car. Will need parking places for bikes, scooters, and skateboards ... plus signage forbidding use of same in the parking lot. They display rebellious or defiant behavior - which they're just trying on for size. In 25 years they'll be doing the exact same thing as their parents. The importance of friends increases, the use of same as a support system and for literature recommendations. So don't think they'll take the word of a 50+er on what makes a good book. Their ego dominates their view of all issues (like, whose doesn't?).
We need to exercise our empathy - remembering ourselves as teens. ... AGGGHHH!

Ages 14 - 16, Middle-Aged Teens
By this time they start to become slightly less self-absorbed. They'll have a driver's license and maybe even a job. They'll want to make decisions on their own (but, again, they don't have that crucial part of the brain fully developed so they'll think joining the armed forces or having a dozen children would be a good idea). They experiment with their self-image. Time for safety-pins poked through every part of the body and lots and lots of black so they'll look "different" from everyone else. They will take risks and see out "adventure." In the old days, they probably were just becoming sexually aware, but this seems to happen earlier and earlier these days (unlike the pre-industrial era - ha!). They are developing their sense of values/morality and are at their most malleable. Mwah-ha-haaaaaa! I remember the lovely manipulating job I did on my students at that age. If nothing else, they left my class with an ability to place "Set" (reg. tm.) and a suspicion that there is a conspiracy against the theory that there was one original language. Gawd, I love kids!

Ages 17 - 18
These kids allegedly view the world idealistically and become involved in the world outside of school or home. Time to make those picket signs and join the college students at the sit-in! Can't be left out! Their relationships stabilize. They see adults as equals (HA!). They seek to firmly establish their independence.

So, now we have to keep up with pop culture (just when I'd hoped I put that behind me) so we'll know what they'll be interested in. And the books they are interested in are the ones most likely to be challenged: violence, sex, drugs. Wow! All the stuff I generally try to avoid in my reading.
But they like boundaries. Otherwise there's nothing to push against. You can't rebel if there is nothing to rebel against.

Ideas for a Teen Area:
First of all, call it Teen because they hate Young Adult.
What does your area look like when you walk in? Is there a display of topical teen subjects (sex, drugs, STDs) so they don't have to embarrass themselves asking about it. "I'm, uhhh, doing a paper, yeah- that's it- on ... Gonorrhea ... and I need a book on the symptoms."
Programs: Ask them what they want. Set up a Teen Advisory Board (we used to have one, but I think the members grew out of it). Are you interested in [insert topic here]? Let's develop a program on it! (To help narrow it down.)
Have a game/internet treasure hunt with prizes.
Teen pick books for reading clubs and pick the films for movie nights.
Bring in speakers on colleges/careers/internships ... but let the teens decide, yadda-yaddah.

Pat teases us with PIE: Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation
Planning takes a long time. How does it fit in with your mission statement? What are your goals and objectives?
Implementation: don't just talk about it! Get off your butt! Start with manageable pieces.
Evaluation: It may take two years to get people in. Lots of times you won't make your goals. Don't give up. What's working? What isn't? Are you really doing what kids want? Keep slogging away. And remember that your community changes over time. What worked the past three years probably won't work the fourth.

The Golden Age of Teen Literature
There's a lot of cross-over from adult to teen and back. I know a lot of adults reading teen fiction because they love it. I love Terry Pratchett's Tiffany books. They don't seem much different from his adult Discworld stories, except they operate from a young girl's point of view. His series for boys, though ... phew! A bit basic! Or maybe they're aimed at even younger kids. Dunno. Anyway ... these books are frequently challenged because they contain truths teens can relate to. But adults find them too depressing or feel that the adults in these stories don't have enough authority. The identification of the reader with the protagonist is key.
Keep lists of teen series at the desk (like the Gregor the Overlander stories). Check good authors' websites for more goodies.
Tips on Booktalking:
Read everything about the author in reviews and the blurbs. Find a plot point or a unifying theme (what Pat calls a Hot Wire) to link with other books.

I've already started with my reading, some of which is reviewed in previous blogs.

All of this will become more important in the new library where there will finally be room for separate teen activities and materials. Right now they are crammed into the adult reading area, jerrymandering around Genealogy.