Reading Reflection: Social Development

Social development in adolescence involves new relationships between the adolescent and their family, peers, work, school, and community.  As teenagers enter adolescence the importance of spending time with peers takes precedence over spending time with family.  This is a major shift from childhood.  Adolescents with healthy friendships tend to have better self-image and perform better in school.  It is important for teens to develop a peer group in order to establish a sense of belonging and increased independence from parents.  Notice I did not say complete independence from parents.  In the reading from Developing Adolescents an important point is made in regards to the impact parents have on teenagers.  While parents may think they no longer have a major role in their adolescent's life family closeness is the most important factor associated with less alcohol and drug use and not smoking.  These findings can be an encouraging reminder to parents that although they may have less interaction with their teenager their role is not less important.  As educators it is important to remember that families can take many different forms such as single-parent, blended, foster, shared custody, dual parent, and more.  Family structure can play a large role in academic performance especially if a child's parents are going through a divorce.  Divorce is one of the hot topics we have mentioned in class.  It is a hot topic because not only does it happen to about half of the families in our country, it greatly affects adolescents emotionally, socially, and even academically.  In order to help a child cope with divorce it is important for parents, if possible, to parent harmoniously after the divorce.  Keeping economic effects of divorce at a minimum such as moving can also help a child when coping with divorce.  As always it is important for adolescents to know that they can express their emotions to a trusted adult figure.  If needed, counseling might be a helpful option that does not need to place a sense of shame on the individual.  It is important to encourage teens to find ways to express emotion and counseling might be a positive option.  There were many other important issues addressed in Developing Adolescents but these were the main issues I wanted to discuss.  As adolescents enter new social domain remember that some will flourish and others may take more time to branch out and engage in new social opportunities.  As parents, educators, and mentors I hope that we can allow for individual differences in social development while encouraging positive relationships to build healthy self-esteem.

The other readings for this section were all related to gangs within our schools and cities.  I will be the first to tell you that I have a lot to learn about gangs.  One of my biggest fears in entering the classroom is being naive about gang culture and its effects on students.  I want to be someone my students trust while also maintaining a level of authority.  The reading material Gangs: A Growing Problem in Schools provided a few descriptions of gangs.  A gang, according to the reading, includes a group having identifiable leaders, a group having a name or identifying symbol, or an organization whose members individually or collectively currently engage in or have engaged in violent or other criminal activity.  Generally there are more gangs within public rather than private schools.  While some may think gangs exist only in large cities recent findings suggest that gangs are moving into suburban and rural areas.  Another new finding cited in Gangs: A Growing Problem in Schools claimed that female involvement in gangs has increased.  Female gangs do commit crimes and may even carry guns.  The other readings provided valuable information about gang emergence and growth in the different regions of our country.  While I did learn many important things, for the purpose of this blog I will highlight important warning signs that may suggest gang involvement.  Some of these signs may include a sudden drop in grades, new group of friends, and being secretive or defensive.  Outward appearance may also show signs of gang involvement.  New clothes, jewelry, or tattoos are all important indicators.  It is important to note that some of these signs may indicate other social adjustment issues.  As someone who is learning about issues related to gangs within schools and society as a whole, I do not want to jump to conclusions and accuse students wrongly.  One thing I want to guard against is my own personal bias in regards to gangs and typical gang members.  I acknowledge that I have a lot to learn and I do not want to stereotype.  Gangs are not something to take lightly and I think it is important to educate ourselves on this growing issue.