Last week was the Snow Daze celebration. At the middle school, it is an opportunity to have some fun, show off school spirit, and break up the weekly routines, culminating in a Pep Fest. While this celebration is certainly a way we build community, it also poses some challenges as any time the routines are altered, potential conflict arises. There is a cost to having some fun.
Teenagers process and perceive differently than adults. As educators, while we understand this, when routines are paused, conflict because of misunderstanding is bound to happen with the number of daily/weekly challenges increasing.
Dr. Cameron Caswell works with parents and caregivers to empower them to connect better with their teens. Knowing her 12 Key Differences between a teen and adult can help decrease the misunderstanding:
- Impulsivity: Teens are driven by intense impulses, making it tough to delay gratification and resist seeking rewards, especially in the heat of the moment.
- Empathy: With a less developed sense of remorse and difficulty sensing when someone is upset, teens may not always realize when they're being hurtful.
- Judgment: Emotions often cloud their judgment, making it hard for teens to distinguish between good and bad choices, adding to their impulsive tendencies.
- Embarrassment: With heightened self-awareness and the feeling that everyone is watching and judging them, teens can be easily embarrassed.
- Emotionality: Their ability to regulate emotions isn't fully developed yet, which is why they can switch from happiness to despair in an instant.
- Rebelliousness: Teens are naturally inclined to seek independence and establish their own identity, which can lead them to pursue actions that shock or upset us.
- Risk-taking: Driven by a hyperactive reward system and a strong craving for stimulation, teens often overlook risks and struggle to predict the consequences of their actions.
- Stress: Teens experience an exaggerated stress response, making them more sensitive to stress than adults. What may seem like disrespect or laziness is often a sign of stress.
- Learning: The teen brain is in a major growth spurt, creating a prime opportunity to develop new skills, knowledge, and habits.
- Memory: Short-term memory improves by about 30%, but slower neural connections make multitasking challenging. If you need your teen to do something, ask them one thing at a time.
- Sleep: Teen circadian rhythms are set later than adults’, making early mornings tough and late nights appealing. They also need about 2 more hours of sleep than adults.
- Information Processing: Since brain connections are still developing, it takes teens longer to process information. A blank stare may just mean their brain is buffering—be patient and give them more time to think.
It is important to note that in a week like Snow Daze, almost all of these are heightened, and your teen may have been a little “off.” Your teen may have been challenged by all, some, or possibly only a few of these differences. However many it was, the fewer the amount that you noticed, the more likely this indicates that your teen has developed these skills. I can tell you we have noticed it!
As we have just passed into the second half of the year, we have data to show that our students are growing and improving in these differences; this year at an even greater rate than in the past few years. Our conduct referrals, the detentions, and number of suspensions are down with our positive classroom engagement and self-advocacy up. So a shout-out to the SMS staff and, as always, to you. Just as we know about these differences in child development, we know the value that comes when our families collaborate with us. These differences will persist beyond Snow Daze, but that is all right because we also know that as the months pass, these differences lessen in their intensity, leaving a strong adult, ready to make an impact on the future.
Weeks at a Glance
- Tuesday, February 4 - Information & Tour Night
- Wednesday, February 5 - Student-Athlete Winter Eligibility Check-in
- Wednesday, February 12 - 7th Grade Field Trip: Baker Park