Blog Post 2: Steroeotypes of youth/children/adolescents
Stereotypes are common in our society today, as they were common many years ago. People stereotype everything from sorority girls are dumb, jocks are strong & tough, and children don't know until they have been taught. In reality, sorority girls need a 3.0 or higher to even get into a sorority, that "tough" jock could love theatre or have an emotional side, and children at any age, have their own voices.
The first stereotype I thought was interesting was adults know youth. Adults know youth because they once were young. They feel as though they experienced everything we have experienced. What happens with this statement, is adults know best, and the youth is bound to follow. Every human in this world is their own individual. We might have similar experiences, or similar events with other people, but no two people have the exact same feeling in that moment. For me, my parents are always telling me what I need to be doing. What is best for me. They know because they once were my age. I feel like I am responsible enough to have a voice and act out on things I like to do. Things that make me happy. Things that I have knowledge about. At any age, children have knowledge. One of my third graders could tell me the name of every animal, where they lived, and what they ate. The youth have voices too that need to be heard. They can educate the world too.
The next stereotype was adults don't like teenagers. In Lesley's article she talks about how adults think they know everything about teens but in this next article, adults don't like teens. The mother calling claimed "students shouldn't be making the decisions", but why not? "Kids are bad, kids are sneaky, kids are not capable of making good decisions" (Steinberg). This mentality is why we have youth workers. Young people should feel safe, they should feel heard, and they should be able to contribute to decision making. "Youth are to be feared, controlled, tamed and kept in" (Steinberg). I think that is so powerful. Schools are always telling their students what not to do. Teaching them lessons they have to teach, but nobody ever hands the mic over. From working in an elementary school, I see first hand how the teachers are the leaders. Not all teachers, but most. They make the rules of the classrooms, rules of recess, rules in the lunch room. The children are just suppose to obey. Growing up, this is what I learned until Youth Development. Now I cringe every time I hear them say "no running at recess". I feel like it makes the youth not respect adults. Or think of adults as the rulers. Or they may even think adults don't like them. We are never taught that we have a voice, and we can speak up.
Lastly, youth are the problem. "We need to stop seeing youth as mini us, we need to redefine youth as how they view themselves" (Steinberg).Instead of talking to youth about their cultures, societies talk about them with such disinterest. "Rarely young women and men are given credit for their decisions" (Steinberg). I love that quote because I feel like adults never take the time to truly get to know or understand the youth. Ask them questions about why they made a certain decision and just to be active in their lives. Youth are the "problem" because we didn't create a space for them to be themselves, a space for them to have a voice and to advocate for what they believe.
The first stereotype I thought was interesting was adults know youth. Adults know youth because they once were young. They feel as though they experienced everything we have experienced. What happens with this statement, is adults know best, and the youth is bound to follow. Every human in this world is their own individual. We might have similar experiences, or similar events with other people, but no two people have the exact same feeling in that moment. For me, my parents are always telling me what I need to be doing. What is best for me. They know because they once were my age. I feel like I am responsible enough to have a voice and act out on things I like to do. Things that make me happy. Things that I have knowledge about. At any age, children have knowledge. One of my third graders could tell me the name of every animal, where they lived, and what they ate. The youth have voices too that need to be heard. They can educate the world too.
The next stereotype was adults don't like teenagers. In Lesley's article she talks about how adults think they know everything about teens but in this next article, adults don't like teens. The mother calling claimed "students shouldn't be making the decisions", but why not? "Kids are bad, kids are sneaky, kids are not capable of making good decisions" (Steinberg). This mentality is why we have youth workers. Young people should feel safe, they should feel heard, and they should be able to contribute to decision making. "Youth are to be feared, controlled, tamed and kept in" (Steinberg). I think that is so powerful. Schools are always telling their students what not to do. Teaching them lessons they have to teach, but nobody ever hands the mic over. From working in an elementary school, I see first hand how the teachers are the leaders. Not all teachers, but most. They make the rules of the classrooms, rules of recess, rules in the lunch room. The children are just suppose to obey. Growing up, this is what I learned until Youth Development. Now I cringe every time I hear them say "no running at recess". I feel like it makes the youth not respect adults. Or think of adults as the rulers. Or they may even think adults don't like them. We are never taught that we have a voice, and we can speak up.
Lastly, youth are the problem. "We need to stop seeing youth as mini us, we need to redefine youth as how they view themselves" (Steinberg).Instead of talking to youth about their cultures, societies talk about them with such disinterest. "Rarely young women and men are given credit for their decisions" (Steinberg). I love that quote because I feel like adults never take the time to truly get to know or understand the youth. Ask them questions about why they made a certain decision and just to be active in their lives. Youth are the "problem" because we didn't create a space for them to be themselves, a space for them to have a voice and to advocate for what they believe.
Gianna!!
ReplyDeleteWow I LOVED your post! The way you broke down every stereotype in an articulated way was brilliant. Your use of quotations blended with your personal narratives helped me understand the three main points. Also, I agree with your sentence of " advocating for what you belive in is crucial- if yuo don't ask for it, people assume you don't need it".... AMENNNNN