Teenage years are one of the most critical times in a person’s life. At this age, one is entering adulthood and encountering physical or hormonal changes and societal expectations. This is why the involvement of adults in close supervision and understanding is important.
Parents and teachers play a more critical role in providing guidance. They understand their growth and give guidance as they live more closely with the teenagers. They are also more trustworthy to be around the teens than random strangers. The teachers need to have a productive relationship with the parents so they can see how both the home life and school life affect each other.
Teaching teens is such a rewarding job. You get a chance to mold young minds and prepare them for future success. For teachers looking to expand their horizons, applying for international teaching jobs with visa sponsorships can offer a chance to work abroad. Teachers getting better opportunities in their careers also teaches teens to pursue their own goals and ambitions.
Reasons Parents and Teachers Should Pay Close Attention to Teenagers
In this adolescence phase, the teenagers are becoming more independent and more aware of their bodies. This phase requires patience and support to manage. That is why it’s important to understand what is going on in them. Here are some standout reasons for parents and teachers to take extra care with their teens:
1. Hormonal and Bodily Changes
Teenagers are stereotypically said to be moody and difficult to deal with. However, if only the guardians of such teens can understand the scientific changes going on in them, it will reduce the misunderstandings.
This is an in-between phase for them, and their body is preparing them to be adults. Puberty is taking place, and they are worried about self-image and so much more. The adults in their life who have gone through these processes can guide the young ones on what is happening in their bodies and why it’s nothing to be worried about.
2. Identity Formation
Aside from the physical changes, their brains are also developing, and they’re forming their sense of identity. Teens start to understand who they are, what they value and believe, and where they fit in.
Here, rather than pressurizing them to do things that fit into the adults’ dreams, the parents and teachers can point them in the right direction in achieving success.
Amidst finding themselves, this is also the age they find their place among peers. Teens start building their social identity; they see how to fit in and also understand their uniqueness.
3. Figuring Out Their Roles
Teenagers are introduced to responsibility in social circles as opposed to when they are younger. They experiment with being leaders in school, exploring a hobby and extracurricular activities, and developing personal goals.
The parents and teachers play a part by allowing them to take on these roles while supporting them and showing them how it’s done. Parents and teachers can use their own careers as an example of goal-setting. Teachers who are interested in pursuing international careers can especially use themselves as an example to their teenage students.
Building Strong Communication with Parents
Some lapses in communication between the primary guardians and educators of teenagers can lead to misunderstandings. These misunderstandings ultimately affect the performance of the student. When teachers give regular updates on the performance of the wards and point out the teens’ growth areas and the areas they can work on, they give the parents better focus at home.
Likewise, based on the situation at home and the parents’ observations on their children’s attitude to study, they can give feedback to their teachers. Moreso, taking action to enforce what the teachers suggest goes a long way in the teen’s development
Parents and teachers can work hand in hand to ensure excellence in the teen. To establish this relationship, they must have effective communication. A parent that is invested in how their child performs in school will reach out to the teacher to ask questions, attend Parent-Teacher Association meetings, and increase the efficiency that both of them can have.
Preparing Teens for Global Careers
As the world continues to become a global village because of the internet and digitalization, teenagers are at the perfect age to maximize this. Rather than getting lost in distractions and side attractions that the internet offers, they can get a head start on global opportunities.
How teachers and parents can play a role in this is by exposing them first to proper technology usage. They can learn how to apply technology to solve practical problems rather than being consumers alone. Learning web skills gives them an advantage in this tech age.
As much as they have a collective role, parents and teachers have specific individual roles to play to train resourceful teens. Here are a few roles of parents and teachers specifically:
- Parental Role in Teenage Global Awareness
Parents can foster global awareness at home by having discussions, buying books, or documentaries about other cultures and international issues. They can also enroll them in language classes to give them an advantage. Most importantly, the parents have to see the importance of these things so that the teen can emulate their passion.
- Teachers’ Role in Teenage
The teaching role has more chances to inculcate these values in the teenagers. You can teach international history, literature, and economics to broaden their view.
Teachers are also at the forefront of career choices, so when you spot teenagers who have a flare for teaching, you can share opportunities like teaching jobs with visa sponsorship to inspire them to think globally about their career paths. This can be a way to gain work experience abroad and contribute to global education.
Conclusion
Parents and teachers play essential roles in guiding teenagers from that age of self-discovery to being confident adults.
By exploring options like teaching jobs with visa sponsorship, teachers can enrich their careers and use their experiences to inspire students with a global outlook. By working together, the adults can prepare teens for a future full of possibilities.
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Image source: Pexels, Max Fischer