Rites of Passage: Helping Teens Grow Up in a Digital Age
For thousands of years, rites of passage were an indicator that a child was becoming an adult. Have we lost the rites of passage?
Today, many teens get a phone with no guide, no milestones, and no process of learning and earning more responsibility. Can rites of passage help parents and teachers help children grow up well in the digital age?
In today's show, Betty Ray, founder of Boss Battle Labs and former director of programming and innovation at Edutopia (the George Lucas Educational Foundation), shares her STARS model for designing a modern rite of passage. She also shares a "Signal Check" process that parents can use to set device boundaries in ways that kids understand.
This is an important Thought Leader Thursday for parents or anyone who works with helping kids draw boundaries for digital devices.
What you'll learn:
- What is a rite of passage, and how is it different from a ritual?
- What traditional rites of passage gave kids that school often doesn't
- Why handing a teen a phone is like handing over the car keys
- The five parts of the STARS model
- How a "yellow zone" turns device battles into skill building
- What happens when a kid slips back from green to yellow
If this episode helped you think about the teens in your life, please leave a review wherever you're listening. It helps other parents and teachers find the show.
Full show notes, transcript, and resources: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e1029
