Its summer and it seems that there is a certain levity in the air and an acceptance towards a slower pace. Teens that I have spoken to during the school year compared to now are smiling, a bit more energetic and happier. True many have embraced the slightly more relaxed schedule of summer but others are as busy as they are during the school year just with different activities.
The few teens I have talked with via video or in person are a bit more chatty and alive. They are doing different activities including attending camps, travel with a purpose, or some are in a different type of schooling that they (their families) determine when to break from. The camps have particular themes such as roller skating/bouncy houses, fashion week, surfing/bodyboarding, … The travel with a purpose includes touring universities or hiking trails and tracking nature finds. The different type of schooling is a program that runs year round and students go through the curriculum self-paced with an end of program exam to mark completion. There is really no beginning or end to this type of academic program and one module folds in to the next creating a more relaxed or self-controlled approach to learning. Some students accelerate their learning and others may have breaks between that take them on different experiences or travels.
Ultimately the energy of the teen feels more positive and happy. This observation is making me wonder how can we harness this feeling during the school year so that learners are happy, in control and engaged in learning?
In a recent article by Marie Holmes about ‘behaviors that harm kids happiness’ she cites horrific statistics about the state of kids’ mental health.
“In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Data Summary & Trends Report, summarizing a decade’s worth of data. It found that the number of high schoolers reporting “such persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in the past year that they couldn’t participate in their regular activities” rose 40% between 2009 and 2019, and the number who had considered suicide rose 36%. In addition she cites that more than 1/5 teens reported to have contemplated suicide which means the situation is more dire.
Digging into some of the reasons why our society is in such a state includes issues around social media as this is the generation that was born with it. Also there is constant push in society to climb the ladder of ‘success’ and giving children all the resource to make this happen. Packing in their schedules with extra tutoring, enrichment classes, and more experiences to ‘help them’ acquire more skills and competency for their university applications. Missing from these best of intentions as parents and educators is considering the present and opportunity to take it in and engage.
FOMO- Fear of Missing Out was our plague before the pandemic. During the pandemic many of us shifted priorities and focused on the present, nurturing our families and loved ones and connecting with nature and our pets. Now that we are beyond the challenges of the pandemic there is a FOMO sentiment pulling many with the privilege of choice and opportunity to wanting to do it all. Travel for example is up to levels higher than pre-pandemic times. People taking holiday and time off has also increased. Wanting to do and see everything happening in a particular place draws us because for two years we were cooped up. Meanwhile we continue to push our teens to having all the resource and opportunity without taking stock of what really ignites them. Ms. Holmes’ article resonated with me and helped me realize the importance of what we do both in my family and for CTL Academy Global.
The focus on having real conversations with our children and asking them for their thoughts and contributions towards solving difficult problems is important. The power of self worth and finding fulfillment in projects that work (or fail) can not be replaced with a bunch of complements or cheers.
Also appreciate the mention of practicing gratitude. This is something we built in to the time table at CTL Academy and will continue in CTL Academy Global. The power of appreciation and thank yous is immense- demonstrating that you have observed someone else’s actions or contributions makes for a more positive community. We have noticed that when we focus on appreciation there is less attention towards deficits or mistakes. Of course we learn from mistakes and failure but it is easier to do it in a climate of gratitude.
Lastly her points around how we measure success are key- many of us were raised with the inherent notion of climbing the career ladder- always pursuing the next promotion and we got there through our education and network. Things are different now in the workplace and it is changing so rapidly. We have to recognize that our own experiences are different from what our children will go through and what was important is no longer as critical. In the article she provides some questions to ask and check to see if our actions match our messages. These questions are:
How do you spend your money as it relates to your kids?
What does your child’s calendar look like?
What do you ask your children about?
What do you argue with your children about?
As both a parent and educator I encourage you to have read and then consider what might you need to change to support your child. We will incorporate this article as part of our summer professional development with CTL Academy and CTL Academy Global. Feel free to reach out if you are interested in being apart.
Here is the link to the full article. Happy reading and reflecting.
CTL Academy Global 