Full Description
This book is a must read for anyone in close proximity to middle schoolers. Using actual events from the lives of real teenagers, the authors (a middle school principal and a child neuropsychologist) combine perspectives to provide an engaging, light-hearted journey into the adventures and misadventures of newly-minted teens. First, the authors put to rest some long-standing misconceptions about teenage behavior. However bizarre they appear to adults, teenagers' emotional reactions and their behaviors can no longer be explained solely by raging hormones. Using the stories as a backdrop, the authors provide emerging findings from developmental psychology and the neurosciences to explain why young teens do the things they do. The developing brain of a young teenager produces thoughts and feelings that are vastly different from an adult. Knowing this helps us to appreciate and accept the unique challenges they face.
Contents
Acknowledgments vi
Foreword vii
Chapter 1 - Middle School for Middler Schoolers 1
Chapter 2 - Middle Schoolers - Ages 12 - 14 5
Chapter 3 - Adolescent Brains 16
Chapter 4 - Identity Formation 25
Chapter 5 - Unusual Choices They Make 38
Chapter 6 - Predicaments They Get Themselves Into 47
Chapter 7 - As a Group They Want to be Heard 56
Chapter 8 - Relating to Peers and Others 66
Chapter 9 - The Gifted Teen's Adventurous Nature 82
Chapter 10 - Academic Challenges 89
Chapter 11 - Socially They Struggle at Times 98
Chapter 12 - Emotional Episodes and Psychological Concerns 109
Chapter 13 - Powerful Points from Middle Schoolers 122
Chapter 14 - Reflections 142
Appendix 152
Reference List 157
About the Authors
