Personal reflection about adolescence

In this reflection I will be answering some broad questions on general adolescence, as well as my own experiences in school during my adolescence and how I see myself as a teacher.

The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called 'truth'. ~ Dan Rather

Do you think grades encourage adolescents to compete with each other? To what extent does it make them more vulnerable? What other ways can be used by teachers to give feedback and check student progress?

In my own high school experience, I have seen quite some times that grades cause for students to compare their results with those of their peers. It is not necessarily something I cheer on, but I also think that grades have the possibility to promote active learning behaviour in students, especially with the right guidance from their teachers. Left alone with a low grade and without positive and constructive feedback, a student might think that they are not good enough for that class and get discouraged. While grading students, teachers can easily add a remark about (small) things that went well or note some aspects where the student can change parts to get a better grade next time. If the result is then also discussed with the student one-on-one, both the teacher and students will know what next grade the student is aiming for. This will encourage the student to work harder and achieve the agreed-upon grade, while leaving the discomfort and embarrassment (that unfortunately often come with scoring a low grade) at a minimum.

How can schools and teachers support adolescents in that phase of their lives?

Since a lot of emotional and physical changes occur during adolescence, I think it is vital for teachers to at least acknowledge this and keep it in mind while struggling with the behaviour of some students. Besides all these changes, an adolescent needs a certain steady foundation in live in which they can return to in peace whenever the world around them seems to be too difficult to handle. I also believe that adolescents need to have the freedom to express their inner feelings and thoughts, so they don’t drown in their them while keeping it all inside. This could be writing or talking about things, or even producing some sort of creative product as an outlet. Schools have the opportunity to create such a nice environment for students where they feel they can also unwind from all the “seriousness” of slowly growing up. Implementing more ‘creative hours’ in the timetables where students can pick what type of creativity they would like to work with is an example of how this can be done.

What kind of teacher would you like to be? What needs and strengths of teenagers would you like to take into account and how?

As I like to approach every person I come across in my life, I want to treat adolescents as fully acknowledged and let them feel supported. I want to be the teacher that really listens to them and is there for her students. I want to be the teacher that sees opportunity in downfalls and praises every slight accomplishment. I want to be a role model besides a teacher, showing my students how life can be beautiful if we focus on the good things there are. I understand that adolescence is a hard time and that there is no simple answer to it, but to go through those changes. I believe that being compassionate towards ad supportive of the students in this stage will help them a lot by making school feel like a safe space. I am looking forward to all the nice moments that I will share with my future students and I hope I can give them a brief class on how to focus on the bright side of life.

Thank you for reading. Stay beautiful.