Adolescence is defined as the transitional period from
childhood to adulthood. The major concern of adolescents during this
period is to find a sense of self-identity. They wonder who they are
and who they will be. It is a time of awakening of feelings and
emotions, a time of fearing, doubting, wondering, and questioning.
It is the most difficult time in life for adolescents, and for their
parents as well. Adolescents have problems communicating with adults
“since the major developmental task of adolescents is to become an
adult apart from parents.”1 Adolescents are jealous of
their privacy; keeping secrets is very important to them. It is a
time when peers and friends are very important, too.2 I
think that this poem, taken from the introduction to About Me describes
nicely this time in their lives:
A sense of wonder - Boys and girls everywhere wonder about
the things they see around them. And they wonder about themselves,
too.
- They wonder how their bodies work.
- They wonder about their secret selves their thoughts and
wishes and the way they feel about things.
- They wonder if they are like everyone else.
- They wonder how they are different.
- They look for answers. And sometimes they find answers in
books like this one.
And so, this book was made for me because I am someone special,
and because I wonder about things.3 The problem that I
ask myself as a teacher is: How do I provide substance for
adolescents, wonders? How do I provide all of the information they
are looking for?
I agree with Gwendolyn Richardson, a Fellow from the Yale-New
Haven Teachers Institute. She states in her unit, “In Search of
Self,” “Literature is an excellent source to help students in
this stage of development. It offers innumerable opportunities for
the student. To meet himself, encounter situations similar to his
own experience and discover his own emotions.” She continues, “By
reading, the adolescent can find solace in the fact that he is not
alone in his thoughts and feelings and that someone understands his
problems.”4
