We’ve been talking about stereotypes in English A with grade 11 recently. After covering the typical ones – gender, race, nationality – we started talking about stereotypes very near and dear to our 11s’ hearts: those concerning teenagers.
While complaints were made (“Adults totally forget what it’s like to be young! They think our problems aren’t that serious or important!”) and slights enumerated (“Parents just don’t understand!” <insert eye roll here>) and grievances aired (“I mean, we get it that things were different when you adults were kids!”), we did finally get around to talking about the struggles of living with such stereotypes being placed on their shoulders. I’ll tell ya, teens today have got it rough.
The conversations we had certainly made me take a step back and look at my interactions with my students, for, although I tell them it’s only been a few years since I was last a teen, the reality is that I’ve forgotten many of the things that made those teenage years so difficult. I may have gained perspective which allows me to see through the trauma of those years, but I’ve also lost touch with how it feels to be a teen in a world designed for adults.
So today I offer you a video I happened across – I’m 17 by Kate Simonds – to share a bit of the other side’s story. I watched it expecting loads of eye rolls, but instead I came away with a renewed insight into what it means to be a teen in today’s world. Take the 20 minutes to watch this video. Your teens will thank you for it (I promise!).
In case the link above doesn’t work, here it is again: https://youtu.be/0OkOQhXhsIE