Young and impressionable, adolescents are at a stage in life
where outside factors such as social maladjustment, discipline, and the use of
drugs and alcohol can affect their development.
Adolescents are defined as the age period between 12 and 18; having
reached puberty they are searching for an identity separate from their
parents. Some children in this age group
are defined as being at risk developmentally.
Text states that millions of youth in America’s schools have had
life experiences and situations that raise the flag and should be considered at
risk.( Webb, Dean L. et al, 2010)
Not all is
lost however, there are tools to help these children adjust and become
well-adjusted students. The website search-institute.org provides teachers and
educational professionals with some tools to help at risk children
develop. These tools are broken down
into internal and external assets such as support, empowerment, positive
values, and social competencies. Each
asset I then further broken down with examples of how to lessen the negative
impact of the particular risk factor.
With dedication and patients, teachers and educators can reduce the
influence of these risk factors and increase the at risk students chances of
succeeding.
Developmental
assets are extremely useful to teachers as they can help chart a course to
success. By utilizing the “building
blocks” form the Search Institute teachers can provide a healthier learning
environment for their students. While
many of the developmental assets are for the home, others such as developing a
caring school environment and school boundaries can be done by the teacher.
As I said
in my introduction adolescents face many challenges. Social maladjustment is a
major player in a child’s life development.
Problems in this area can lead to the increase of other risk factors
such as discipline issues and the abuse of drugs and alcohol. So what can be done to help a child who is
struggling with social development? Much
like a teacher performing a diagnostic assessment, it is important to try and
get to the root of the problem.
Understanding the root cause can help understand the situation.
Bullying,
an example of maladjustment, is all too common amongst at risk children. Both the giver and receiver of the act of
bullying are to be considered at risk; this behavior is a sign of insecurity
and often originates with problems at home.
According to the website www.bullyingstatistics.org
about one in every seven children has been either the bully or the victim of
bullying. Revenge for bullying is the leading cause of school yard
violence. ("2010 Bullying Statistics,”)
Providing
support to these children can go a long way to eliminate the act of
bullying. Establishing a caring school
environment can help. Establishing trust
between student and teacher is key to establishing this positive
environment. If a student feels they can
trust their teacher and confide in them acts of bullying can often be
eliminated before they escalate into larger problems. Additionally part of establishing a caring
school climate means teachers, counselors, and principles alike; top to bottom
an effort must be made to be vigilant.
Noting problems on the playground or in the lunch room can often help to
curb bullying. Establishing a zero
tolerance policy for bullying will discourage bullies.
This
developmental asset also ties into establishing boundaries and
expectations. If a child understands
school boundaries as well as the consequences for going outside those
boundaries they are less likely to be at risk.
Of course one of the best ways to curb bullying is by providing positive
peer influence. Dr. Sandra Graham states
“whether or not they have friends, whether they are accepted or rejected by
their peers, whether they are victims or perpetrators of aggression and their
academic lives go hand in hand” (Graham, 2011).
Finding a positive peer group that is supportive can help with
bullying.
Social
maladjustment, if not corrected can lead to discipline issues. A child at risk
often acts out to gain attention, fighting in school, misbehaving in class, and
bullying are often cries for attention.
A child that lacks discipline in the class often lacks discipline at
home. Again as with addressing social
maladjustment, conducting a pre-assessment can help understand a child’s
behavior.
A developmental
asset that can address discipline issues is providing a positive role
model. Some children with behavior and
discipline issues do not have positive adult role models. Taking the time to listen, to understand, and
to teach acceptable behavior can go a long way in helping at risk children.
Respect is
often lacking in children with discipline problems. At risk children often do not respect their
peers or their school. As such they
vandalize or abuse these things. To
address the issue of respect a developmental tool to use is establishing a bond
to the school. Getting the child active
in school activities such as sports and clubs will increase the feeling of
pride and respect the child has for the school.
When a child respects the school they are less likely to misbehave.
While some
aspects of poor discipline can be addressed with establishing respect, other
areas are rooted in a much deeper form.
The use and abuse of drugs and alcohol is a major risk factor amongst
out adolescents. According to the Family
Education website lack of self-discipline is a leading reason children turn to
drugs; “children who lack self-discipline often show a lack of internal control
and responsibility” ("Drug and alcohol," 2010).
While
schools may feel powerless to eliminate the issue of drugs and alcohol, some of
the developmental tools presented by the Search Institute may help. At the very least providing education on
planning and decision making can plant the seeds for making positive choices. When children are first faced with the
decision to try drugs, peer pressure is the overwhelming influence. However, if provided with some positive
decision making skills, the child can steer themselves away and make a positive
choice.
Building a
child’s self-esteem and giving them a sense of purpose can also provide a
positive external influence. Working
with a child that is struggling in school, having them improve, giving them
something to be proud of can raise a child’s self-esteem and give them a sense
of purpose. Self-worth helps to
eliminate risk factors and can help keep a child away from the negative
environment drugs and alcohol present.
As a
prospective teacher these developmental tools are a great way to give my
progressive teaching philosophy a path to guide me when dealing with at risk
students. As a progressivist I believe
in developing the whole child. I believe
that students should be left to experiment with their own idea while working
toward an educational goal. My
responsibility as a progressive style of teacher is to provide guidance and
direction and to keep the child focused on their goals.
This
philosophy can be tied into the developmental tools because this philosophy
promotes confidence in the students, and allows them to have input that affects
their own output. Allowing the student
to take an active role in their educational path can help build their
self-esteem and give them the sense of purpose they seek. A progressive teacher can adapt their
curriculum and take the whole student into consideration.
There is no
perfect answer to dealing with at risk children, if there was the risk would be
eliminated. At risk behaviors more than
likely originate at home and control of these behaviors starts at home. However our school systems can provide
guidance and assistance to help reduce these factors. By using the
developmental assets as tools to guide us we can affect a positive outcome on a
child and at least give them a fighting chance.
References
2010 Bullying Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-statistics-2010.html
40 developmental assets for
adolescents.
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.search-institute.org/content/40-developmental-assets-adolescents-ages-12-18
Drug and alcohol abuse among
adolescents.
(2010). Retrieved from http://life.familyeducation.com/teen/drugs-and-alcohol/39361.html
Graham,
S. (2011). Bullying: a module for
teachers. American Psychological Association, Retrieved from
http://www.apa.org/education/k12/bullying.aspx
Webb,
Dean L. et al, 2010, Foundations of
American Education, 6th Edition, Pearson publishing, Upper Saddle River New Jersey
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