What does it mean to be an adolescent? It seems like a simple question on the surface that renders an equally simple response. However, here lies the problem. Like the question itself, the definition of adolescence is complex and, in many ways, subjective. Most would agree that adolescence is a “life stage” that is an essential component in the Westernized concept of “coming-of-age.” But our opinions on the topic doesn’t end there. We have serious connotations when it comes to generalizing young people, connotations that are a product of our social, political, cultural, ideological, and economical experiences. Consequently, this forms the foundation and ideas behind our pedagogy and curriculum in the education system. It makes sense: we will treat and educate our students based on how we view them, and we typically view them at best as “hormonally imbalanced,” “misunderstood,” and “awkward,” and at worst, “rebellious,” “lost,” and “incapable.” This, in turn, then works to define what “good” teaching is, and unfortunately, the art of teaching, at times, has become synonymous with the art of “managing” and “reining in” these lost young adults.
When thinking of how our culture views adolescents, I thought of Gwendolyn Brook’s poem, “We Real Cool.” In it, the poet describes in quite negative imagery what she believes are the thoughts and feelings of a group of seven young men who were playing pool during the middle of the school day. In an interview, Gwendolyn Brooks candidly responds to questions regarding the collective, “adolescent” voice of her poem “We Real Cool”:
They have no pretensions to any glamor. They are supposedly dropouts, or at least they're in the poolroom when they should possibly be in school, since they're probably young enough, or at least those I saw were when I looked in a poolroom. They're a little uncertain of the strength of their identity.
Mrs. Brooks, in her observation, makes several assumptions of her subjects. They must be skipping school, and thus they must be in all sorts of trouble (“sing sin,” “thin gin”). I happen to love this poem, but thinking of how we define adolescents made me see it in a new way. Essentially, the poem gives a voice to the adolescents—a voice that is pretty rebellious, complacent, and quite honestly, depressing.
What is the voice that we are giving our adolescent students by what we teach them and how we teach it? Are they speaking themselves or are we (parents, teachers, administrators, authors, etc) speaking for them?
“We Real Cool”
Gwendolyn Brooks
THE
SEVEN AT THE
We real cool. We
Skip school. We
Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We
Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We
Die soon.
wow!! :))
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