Risk Taking: It's Expected!
1/25/2020
When I read about the Middle School experience online, I wonder why I can’t really identify with many of the issues being reported. Sure, I recognize the emotional and self conscience adolescent struggling through a stage of self discovery, but I don’t see the standard issues of exclusion, mockery, defiance, and apathy described in these articles. In thinking deeply about this, I realize that it’s PNA, and how we respect and “grow” our students by honoring their individual insecurities and encouraging them to take risks. Why are teens self conscious and emotional? According to Dr. Frances E. Jensen (Neuroscientist, professor, and author of The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Survival Guide to Raising Adolescents and Young Adults), teenagers have emotional highs and lows because the emotional centers of the brain are connected before the frontal lobes. The frontal lobe is what controls executive function, judgment, insight, empathy, and impulse control. As a result, teenagers make a lot of mistakes because they are doing many things for the very first time. The brain actually turns down the critical thinking and impulse control so that tweens and teens may take more risks. This also means that teenagers are very impressionable, both by good and by bad things. In general, influences have a much more penetrating and permanent effect on them during this period. Middle school is the right time to take risks. PNA’s Middle School is a safe place to take these risks. While ultimately, middle schoolers worry deeply about disappointing their parents, they are also doing everything they can to self identify away from their parents. To do so takes tremendous courage. At PNA trying something new, hanging out with someone different, trying new foods, picking up a musical instrument, etc, are celebrated and encouraged. When notes are missed, or social miscues happen, or other teenage "fails" occur, it is all treated as part of the program - the Middle School Program of finding out our emerging identities. The encouragement and acceptance within the community of students, parents and teachers ensures that the PNA grad, while possibly not completely unscathed, heads to high school with a sound grounding of self, starting a leg up from other incoming freshmen. I know this to be true because I have had high school teachers explain to me that they can tell if a student went to PNA. They say that a PNA student will come prepared to class, is confident, is not swayed by peer pressure, and often goes above and beyond. PNA graduates have already taken their risks and landed on their feet - stronger and taller each time. This week’s MLK assembly and guest speaker event, brown bag, and lock-in provided the strong evidence of courageous students, trying new things in front of many. Even in failure, students at PNA brush it off - some even laugh about it! This is not the Middle School experience I read about online or hear about from friends whose kids go to other schools. Instead, I feel proud to know that I am a part of a program that truly builds self confident and resilient students ready for high school. Comments are closed.
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Sarah Mariner
Ms. Mariner earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Science from Colorado State University, and was awarded a teaching certificate through the University of Alaska, Southeast. Her varied background includes being an environmental education field instructor in Massachusetts, Colorado, and Baja, Mexico. She also served two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic. Archives
April 2021
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