In the monolithic division in your high school that separates the populars from the losers, where do you stand? Some who belongs in the latter category may not admit that they are part of that crowd, some would probably be glad that they fall in that category while the others are simply “dying” to get out of it. No matter how you look at your spot in the scholastic social system a couple of things are sure: People from the other group are not necessarily better than you are. That you may be so much more than they are in many other things; that they are not necessarily happier than you are; that being lucky does not make you a better person and; that you are the own master of your destiny.

Sadly, not a lot of teens look at their situation this way. The monolithic division that I was talking about earlier becomes a big deal for a lot of them. This division is suddenly dictating to them what they are and what they are bound to be. It’s fortunate that there are many instances that it reaches a certain boundary where the teen can no longer manage it. Their self-esteem together with their pride is crashed to pieces thus, affecting their psychiatric state. This is when things become sensitive. Theres no saying as to how far a person’s imagination can go and, theres no saying as to how far they can believe that it is just imagination. Drugs, alcohol, school shootings, you name it they all happened and much that I don’t want to admit… they will continue happening if the general perception of diversity will not change.

A week ago I was able to grab a copy of Jody Picoult’s latest book “Nineteen Minutes.” Being a person who believes in the simple rule of “an eye for an eye,” I was quite astound to discover myself sympathizing with a teenager who killed 9 of his schoolmates and his Math teacher in his school in a small town in New Hampshire.

If you watch the video, you would know the entire plot and the conflict of the story. But what bothered me most is the lengths that a person can go through once he has had “enough.”

The most disturbing thing about it is that school shootings do happen in real life –several times for the past years and blood-curdling as it may seem, I won’t be surprised if another incident of shooting gets reported soon. Just like Peter from the story, most of these real life incidents were triggered by a constant bullying and discrimination coming from other students– something that most school administrations and parents never really take too seriously. People are very busy dissing and hating the shooter, they never realize that this kind of tragedy will never stop unless people will start paying attention and start becoming more humane to every person around them. So before picking on someone, be sure that that person doesn’t know anything about explosives or guns, you wouldn’t know what he can do if things get really really bad for him.

Lizard
by Dennis Covington

Have you ever felt like a freak?

Well, then you’ll relate to Lucius Sims. Because he resembles a reptile, people call him Lizard, and they treat him like an alien because he’s different. He’s even put into a school for retarded boys even though there is no proof that he has a learning problem.

Hang on tight, though, because Lizard is about to embark on a madcap adventure. On the road to freedom he might even find a way to accept himself! Covington won the Delacorte Prize for this sensitive novel about the oddball inside of us all.

To read more on what readers say about the novel, please click here.
For more information about the author, please click here.

As we all know, the school is the child’s second home. Being in the right school will provide the child with adequate knowledge and guidance while away from home for a couple of hours.

So how can parents choose the right school for their children? First, they need to get feedback from other parents regarding a particular school. Second, they must visit the school and check the ambience. Focusing inside the school alone is a big mistake. The establishments surrounding the school also play a major role in the development of a teen. If there are temptations around the school then it may be a bad idea in enrolling the kid in that school.

Basically, a parent has three basic things to look for and these are: education, feedback and ambience.

Teenage anger is a natural emotion or feeling felt by an adolescent when reacting to a situation, thing or person. It is usually triggered by external factors, which can manifest both verbally and physically. In most cases, teen kids become angry because they are hurt, confused and even frustrated.  Like everybody else, teenagers can be angry at some point or another. Anger can be experienced in different levels or degrees, which mostly vary on the extent of the experience that induced the emotion. Some teenager cannot really handle anger, that is why they have a certain outrage resulting to bad behavior. When this happens, parents should always step up and  guide or help their kids manage such a feeling that can be very destructive.

In overcoming teen anger, it is best that you can help your kids identify and become aware of their own feelings. When they are aware of their anger, they can distinguish people, situations and event that are common or recurring factors in causing such emotional episodes.

You and your kids can overcome anger by keeping a record of situations that often lead to anger, such as keeping a journal. Take note of the frequency and occasion of the episodes. You ought to know that not all anger are considered as unnecessary or useless anger. There are times that anger can be very useful or beneficial. For instance,  anger can stir confidence or motivation to overpower a wrong doing or prejudice. Try to teach your kids how to handle anger in a way that will not do damage to others or things. They should be able to understand if their anger is beyond discourse or not.

Teenagers are just like adults – they can be angry at situations, things and people. The demands of growing up are sometimes affecting their capacity to function without emotional outbursts and mood swings. Although anger is an natural emotion, the failure to process can lead to inappropriate and destructive behavior. When teenagers become angry, they don’t only damage the object of their anger but also their very own self. As parents, it is very crucial that you will be able to help your kids, particularly when the anger is still subtle or controllable.

You can deal with it without any help, or you can consult a therapist. Either way, it is important that you will completely understand the situation and what your kids are going through. Never take their anger against them, they might resort to more damaging actions than they are already into. Approach them in a manner in which they can successfully channel and express their anger without damaging others, properties or even themselves.

Depression starts when angry teen kids slowly become helpless. Not all kids are good at channeling their anger into obvious actions. Thus, depression related to teenage anger can be of several forms, yet it is defined by the intensity or how it affects the said teens. Typically, angry teenagers react in two ways. They either entertain their anger and become defiant or destructive, or they will just repress the anger and then eventually withdraw from the situation.

Here are some signs when your teenagers become angry and eventually depressed:

 * having an antisocial behavior
 * sarcasm
 * physically harming others
 * self-mutilation
 * destructive and disruptive
 * confusion
 * frustration
 * fear

When your teenagers are having these signs of anger for a longer period, seek professional help.

Having teenage kids is one of the most challenging tasks of being parents. You have to handle each situation with extreme measures, because you don’t want your kids to be further mad especially at you. Teens can be angry because of pressure from family, friends, school and several other things.

You can actually help your teen kids by talking to them at par and not being a mom or dad. Believe it or not, teenagers hate to be bossed for whatever reasons. Try to approach each situation with a good sense on their part. After which, you can disclose how you feel about the issue, and then ask your children how they also feel about it. Let them know that it is alright to be angry sometimes, and it is important that they know how to deal with it. Or, they can ask your help in resolving the matter.

One of the apparent features of the adolescent period is “emotional issues.” Teenage anger, in particular, has been a source of their confusion and frustration. In turn, teens as well as parents slowly develop reactive behaviors. The friction between the two parties often affects the parent-child relationship. So what really is teen anger? When teenagers become angry, there are usually a number of reasons. They often include:

 * Trauma. For instance, they have an accident in the sports they have always loved. They become mad because their recuperation takes longer than expected.
 * Grief. Deep sadness can be grounded in several things, such as death of a loved one.
 * Abuse. It can be physical, verbal or sexual kind of abuse.
 * Depression. Not performing well in school can be a reason.
 * Alcoholism. Teenagers usually get out of hand when they resort to alcohol abuse.
 * Substance Abuse, like drugs can lead to unpredictable irritability or anger.