Pain in the Brain: Teen (Lib) Behavior 101

http://informationgoddess.info/UnderstandingTheBrain.pdf



Do you think that you know what makes teens tick? Do you look at them and imagine their brains to look pretty much like the picture to the left? Well, Beth Gallway (pictured above to right), an experienced Teen Librarian who has done her homework, revealed the truth in her workshop, Pain in the Brain: Teen (Library) Behavior 101. Click on the link above to see more about the real workings of a teen brain! Here are some reasons why teens act the way they do:

• Physiology
• Hormones
• Personal Problems
• Society

Teens need 9.25 hours of sleep. Brain development is happening while they sleep. Unfortunately, teens tend to stay up late. Back in the hunter gatherer days, teens would keep watch at night while everyone else slept. Nowadays, they have to get up super early for school while they are biologically programmed to stay up late. This means that they are often sleep deprived. Also, they can have lunch as early as 10:30 in some schools. By the time they get to the library, they may be starving. This can make them very cranky.

Teens have dopamine spikes that make them excitable. This creates some of the excess energy that we witness here at the library. Think of how tolerant we are of toddlers (they look adorable when they run around), older adults (the poor things, they are old). There are biological reasons for teen behavior, too. We may not realize this and be as forgiving. Next time you see a teen, think of this: 'myelin sheath'. The myelin sheath growth in a teen jumps 100 percent.

Myelin sheath in the brain has to do with: emotional growth, long term memory, developing social skills, organizational skills, attention span, and impulse control. Also, consider that the increasing hormone levels can lead to moodiness and agression. Changing dopamine levels can lead to volume control issues. We want to try to keep these things in mind when teens come into the library. They may be sleep deprived, hormonally challenged, starving all at one time.

The question becomes this: how can we be most effective when dealing with teens? First of all, keep your sense of humor. Be forgiving of fluctuating noise levels (within reason, of course). Reinforce good behavior when you see it. When speaking with the teen, watch out for the word you. Rather than saying, 'You're too loud' try 'We need it quiet' or 'I feel frustrated when there is noise'. You sounds very accusatory.

Here are three keys for Dealing With Problem Behavior: ---Get their attention
---address the behavior
---present choices in terms of consequences of actions
Beth says don't keep a 'stamp collection'. This means, each day, we start fresh. If something is concerning us, rather than saying,"You can't do that here!" try,"Hey guys, what's going on?"
Beth told a great story of a librarian who sat down at a table with some teens. with They looked very uncomfortable. She said,"am I annoying you?" They all agreed that, yes, she was annoying them. She said,"Well, you were annoying me."

Try to get to know your teens by name. If they are people who tend to request things, let them know that you can help them to get what they need in a more timely manner. For example, if someone comes to you and their report is due in ten minutes, let them know that next time, you can help them to get their report done in a timely and high quality manner. "I can help you next time. Even if you give me a couple of hours notice. I'm here to help you."

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has published a brochure called: "Toward a Blueprint for Youth: Making Positive Youth Development a National Priority". They point out that: "Positive youth development helps young people become independent and engaged citizens" link here

"Research is showing that the brain undergoes change during adolescence and may be affected, both positively and negatively, by experiences."
"Positive youth development helps young people resist negative influences" We librarians can "Encourage and assist all children and youth to focus on educational and developmental opportunities leading to lifelong learning"
read this!

We want to be adult role models for the teens. We want to model positive, responsible behavior. Who knows? We could have such a good influence on them, that it could positively affect their whole life. "The librarian really showed me that I can choose to act in positive ways and still get my needs met." OR "Now that I'm a famous RAP star with my own record label, I want to donate 5,000,000 dollars to the Waltham Public Library for their new wing.

posted for your reading pleasure by Louise 11-19-2008