The Disengaged Teen Book Club

Thanks again for joining the Disengaged Teen Book Club. We've been working on getting books sent out to everyone. If yours hasn't arrived yet, click on the "media" link here for articles, podcasts, and videos by the authors.

And wow - what a fabulous group of Alaskans! I'm in awe of the decades (perhaps centuries!) of teaching and parenting expertise in this group... and yet we're all hungry to learn more and figure out how we can do it better.

We also hope you've been able to access AASB Connect, our discussion board for this book club. If you're struggling to navigate the platform, please let me know (eferry@aasb.org, 907 723-6599, cell). We're all figuring this out together.

To that end, we're trying out the Q&A thread option. We'll post a prompt each week. You *should* be able to reply to this prompt with your insights and questions.

A core idea of the book is that we exhibit different behaviors as our sense of engagement and agency changes.

What mode were you in as a teen? What mode describes where the teens in your life are at?

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Emily Ferry
Association of Alaska School Boards
Juneau AK
907-463-1671
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Good afternoon!

As far as which mode I was at as a teen, i could see myself in all the modes at different points in my life.  I think the majority of my teens (high school) were spent as a Passenger and Achiever.  I say Passenger because school felt easy and i kind of just coasted along, but the competitor in me wanted good grades so maybe a part time Achiever.  In college, I became a bit of a Resister.  Why was i being asked to take classes that weren't a part of my major?  They had nothing to do with what I planned to do with my life and were boring or hard.  I think when i turned 19 I actually became more of an Explorer as a mentor helped me find an area of study that interested me, that pertained to my job (at the time), which felt like would be useful for me in the long run.  I became much more successful in my high education when I reached this mode.  

As for my teen in my life right now, i think they're oscillate between Passenger and Resister.  They're having a hard time identifying how school as it is now will contribute to their life as a whole.  I do find identify some Explorer in them when they are given the freedom to choose a topic of their interest and fixate on learning everything about it.  Anyone want to know about greek gods, I know someone who can tell you all about them!

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Tiffany Jackson
Association of Alaska School Boards
Juneau AK
907-463-1666
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As a teen, I think I was an Achiever.  I was motivated to do well in school by completing my work, making good grades, and meeting my teacher's expectations.  I also valued following the rules and staying out of trouble.  

The teens that I am in contact with daily at school seem to be in Passenger mode academically.  They come to school but don't see a meaningful reason to achieve academic success.  On the other hand, they are capable of high levels of engagement in activities they value, such as physical education, basketball, and gaming in the evenings.  

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Angie Schraven
Teacher/School Staff
Northwest Arctic Borough School District
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I was an achiever in high school. I work at a charter school and most of my students are achievers as the families that choose to send their students to the charter have high expectations for their students. I do have a small handful of resistors; some are probably that way due to lack of motivation (need to see the value of what they are doing), but I see some are resistors due to neurodivergence. Several of my students show signs of genuine ADHD (some are professionally diagnosed and treated, others are not) and I see lots of signs of students spaced on the autism spectrum (from very strong signs to more subtle, quiet signs). I am here to learn how to inspire all of my students and learn how to teach in a way that activates explorer mode. 

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Emily Annas
Nome Public Schools
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I was definitely  a passenger. I was making it through school, and doing what needed to be done to get by. Also what was expected of me bare minimal. I did enjoy learning information that was of interested to me in the moment. The teen in my life I would say is a resister. He has moments of wanting to learn what brings interest to him. If the learning is difficult he often shuts down or if he doesn't no where to begin. This child does have adhd, and is going to be tested for autism taking that into consideration.

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Juleesa Caldwell
Parent/Caregiver
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