1 of 2

Write now Article Tools

As a child, perhaps you remember hearing your parents say, "You are your own best advocate." If you value this principle as an adult and as a parent, then teaching your teen self-advocacy in school will be an essential part of raising your child to think and speak for himself in society. Teenagers who learn how to stand up for themselves develop a healthy sense of self-esteem. Adolescents, who learn to assert themselves appropriately in the school setting, develop the confidence to participate in activities that build character and qualities of leadership. They are often the students who are respected and admired by their peers.

An advocate is someone who supports and encourages. When he believes strongly in something, he isn't afraid to express his views or positively promote his agenda. A teen that learns to advocate for himself, believes in and stands up for himself, even in the face of criticism and strong opposition. In the school setting, teens that have learned the skill of self-advocacy are able to assert themselves in healthy ways with peers and teachers. These are the students who demonstrate self-motivation and self-discipline.

Teaching a teenager to become his own advocate is an important part of helping him to learn capability. Young children need parents to stand up for them and protect them in the school setting. They have not yet developed the communication skills and self-esteem needed to speak on their own behalf. But as childhood gives way to adolescence, parents must begin to step back and allow teens the opportunity to "tough through" difficult conversations with teachers. Teens must learn how to explain late homework assignments, and defend themselves in the face of unclear situations or false accusations. When parents continue to fight these battles, a teenager does not find his own voice or acquire the skill of self-advocacy. When a high school student graduates without this skill, he enters adulthood without the ability to assert himself or to stand up for his rights as a human being.

A teen that never learns to advocate for himself has difficulty expressing his feelings and, over time, develops inappropriate anger responses. In the school setting, he frequently has few friends. He is either unseen and unheard by his peers or obnoxious to the point of being ostracized. By the time he reaches adulthood, there is a great likelihood that he will display learned patterns of passive-aggression or overt aggression.

Teen advocates find their voices in response to numerous social issues that confront them both in the school setting and in everyday life. They speak up on subjects such as drug and alcohol use, sexual abstinence outside of marriage, and non-violent approaches to problem-solving. Today's youth defend freedom of speech; oppose loss of civilian life during wartime, and work to raise the public awareness of human slave trade. But in order to successfully address issues of global proportions, teens must first learn self-advocacy and be actively involved in expressing themselves at school.

Helping your child become a self-advocate begins by equipping him with the tools necessary to successfully promote both himself and his ideas in the school setting. As you teach your teen the importance of expressing his emotions, thoughts, and beliefs in appropriate ways, you are helping him to develop self-advocacy.

Learn more about this author, Dr. Deborah Bauers.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about How to help your teen learn self-advocacy in school?
We want to hear your view. Write now!