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how far too far--Empowering Children and YA's?
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From: J. Matzner <matzner>
Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2005 10:21:40 -0500
I believe many people have brought up some important points, including Emma, about what children actually experience in their lives.
This issue of "how far it too far" extends to all aspects of children's lives and it is an issue for all professionals who work with children, not just librarians and teachers.
As a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I recently took a class with a Dance Movement Therapist that included a unit on Violence Prevention. Our teacher showed us a video from one of her therapy sessions with some grade school children (I believe they were ages 6-9) who wanted to "act out" individual situations that they were experiencing at home on a regular basis. The therapist allowed them this opportunity and it broke into chaos, ending with the children being very upset.
At first the therapist thought she had made a mistake. But after she calmed the children down, they discussed what was happening, and then they discussed options for when these events came up in their lives. Each child was living with unacceptable conditions that really was out of their control. For example, a six year old girl was often sexually abused by her mother's boyfriends, etc. The therapist then brainstormed with the children about what they could do when these events happened.
So then, they "acted out" their scenario again. This time one of the children taught another how to dial 911, one ran from the house to tell a neighbor what was going on and to get help, etc. Each child learned something that would empower them in some way so that they could take action and protect themselves in a way they felt comfortable. The second time they "acted out" the scenario, there was no chaos at the end, and nobody was upset. Each child felt good about how they could respond in the future.
Not all troubled young adults have the opportunity to attend therapy as the above youngsters did. However, I believe that books can be tools to learn new skills.
How far is to far? People have brought up many excellent issues already like age appropriateness, etc. Whether parents approve of a book, or not, it is always my hope that young adults (and younger children) can find books that resonate with their situation. I hope they can find a book that will enable them to see something positive that will empower them, give them the courage to try something new so they can eventually move out of a desperate cycle or negative situation.
Regards, Jo Matzner
Received on Thu 23 Jun 2005 10:21:40 AM CDT
Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2005 10:21:40 -0500
I believe many people have brought up some important points, including Emma, about what children actually experience in their lives.
This issue of "how far it too far" extends to all aspects of children's lives and it is an issue for all professionals who work with children, not just librarians and teachers.
As a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I recently took a class with a Dance Movement Therapist that included a unit on Violence Prevention. Our teacher showed us a video from one of her therapy sessions with some grade school children (I believe they were ages 6-9) who wanted to "act out" individual situations that they were experiencing at home on a regular basis. The therapist allowed them this opportunity and it broke into chaos, ending with the children being very upset.
At first the therapist thought she had made a mistake. But after she calmed the children down, they discussed what was happening, and then they discussed options for when these events came up in their lives. Each child was living with unacceptable conditions that really was out of their control. For example, a six year old girl was often sexually abused by her mother's boyfriends, etc. The therapist then brainstormed with the children about what they could do when these events happened.
So then, they "acted out" their scenario again. This time one of the children taught another how to dial 911, one ran from the house to tell a neighbor what was going on and to get help, etc. Each child learned something that would empower them in some way so that they could take action and protect themselves in a way they felt comfortable. The second time they "acted out" the scenario, there was no chaos at the end, and nobody was upset. Each child felt good about how they could respond in the future.
Not all troubled young adults have the opportunity to attend therapy as the above youngsters did. However, I believe that books can be tools to learn new skills.
How far is to far? People have brought up many excellent issues already like age appropriateness, etc. Whether parents approve of a book, or not, it is always my hope that young adults (and younger children) can find books that resonate with their situation. I hope they can find a book that will enable them to see something positive that will empower them, give them the courage to try something new so they can eventually move out of a desperate cycle or negative situation.
Regards, Jo Matzner
Received on Thu 23 Jun 2005 10:21:40 AM CDT
