Kid say, do, eat, drink, and watch the wildest things. But why? What makes them tick? And more to the point, how as educators can we reach them? To truly answer that question, you have to dive into the inner machinations of the teenage brain. Yikes. Fortunately, author Dr. Frances Jensen has done just that in a new book aptly titled The Teenage Brain. The adolescent mind operates on a constantly changing frequency. It's obviously a time of great growth and energy for your TXGU kids, so it’s super important to show them how to harness this vitality and channel it into their work.

In this interview, the author discusses how teenagers' brains function and how educators can best connect with them. There just happen to be some fantastic tips, to boot. For example, learning a bit about the sleep cycle of your students may inform what kind of activities are best to do at a particular time of day. When it comes to stress and anxiety, Jensen offers examples of what may trigger these feelings in your kids—plus some strategies you can use to help them deal with these strong emotions. The path from childhood to adulthood is a unique roller-coaster ride for all of our TXGU students. Using advice like this as road maps can make the trip much, much smoother.