Teenagers are growing too fast

The weekend had been very eventful for me. First, I had an epiphany of sorts. Or rather, God willed me into realising that I had been running away from multiple issues that had been haunting me since ages ago. They cannot be resolved unless I make the effort to confront these issues and think of solutions. And I better resolve them all before Practicum starts.

That is on a personal note.

Work-wise, I had a MSN conversation with my P6 going on to Sec 1 cousin on Saturday night. I am going to produce an excerpt of the conversation below.

Shir: I am reading fanfiction now.
YB: What fanfic are you reading?
Shir: Go to www.fanfiction.net lah. You will find out.
Shir: I am reading Scooby Doo now. Very fun.
YB: ok...

O_O Thinking to myself- What the .....???!!!! She's only 12 and she is reading fanfic already?

YB: What rating??
Shir: Don't tell you.
YB: .................

On hindsight, maybe I should not ask her about the rating. Then again, I should not doubt her intelligence over such things. Like many other youngsters, she can be so smart over things that do not relate to her studies and vice versa for school work.

In case you have been feeling quite lost, fanfiction "a fictional account written by a fan of a show, movie, book, or video game to explore themes and ideas that will not or cannot be explored via the originating medium" (Dictionary.com).

Fanfiction.Net is one of the many websites that have a wide collection of fanfiction.
Now, the liberal in me felt that it is alright for her to read Fanfiction. But the teacher in me started worrying if her values would be influenced in a skewed manner.

1) Fanfiction like movies and TV shows have ratings, ranging from K, T to M. I am using the ratings from FF.net. K stands for Kids, T for Teenagers and M for Mature. No prize for guessing the type of content in stories that are in the M category. One very mild example can be seen here. Even then, stories the T rating are not that innocent either. Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine would have felt ashamed should they read the stories that are posted online.

2) The language is atrocious in some of the stories. Grammar-wise, spelling (Go figure: lose as loose, you're as your among the many other killer mistakes). How is she going to improve her English? The problem lies in her reading only fanfiction online. Books do not interest her at all.

I suspect that she is just one of the many teenagers who read fanfiction. And if she can surf the Internet without any parental guidance, many of the teenagers could be in the same situation as her.

What will I do if my future students are like my cousin who may be more 'knowledgeable' than me in certain areas? Perhaps, I should accept that it is normal for students to explore and develop through such avenues? The present is unlike the past when most of us had not even owned a computer when we were 12.

Honestly speaking, if I am ever faced with such students like my cousin in the school environment, I would be quite clueless as to how to deal with them. This is a totally different ball game from the past. This means that we would have to find a comfortable zone where we can relate to our students, and at the same time, maintain our authority in front of them. Not an easy job, I must say. How will they feel if we admit to them that we read fanfiction too? Is this an appropriate way to 'influence' them?

There is a disjuncture between how society still views teachers as being straitlace and prescriptive and the reality that we have to get under our own skins to find a comfortable space to share our experiences with students. Especially on the issue of sex. And if we do, when is the appropriate time to do so?

It is unfortunate that teachers have to take on the responsibilities of 'moulding' the values of our student when it is obviously the parents' responsibilities. I do not have to look far and I already have an exampe right at my doorstep. How to guide my cousin along without falling into the trap of being too preachy? How to guide my cousin along without falling into the trap of exposing too much of myself to her? How to share my experiences without her retorting that I am being hypocritical?

If this is going to be so tough on a cousin to cousin basis (does not help when she keeps referring to me as a teacher *rolls eyes*), I cannot imagine how difficult it is in the school/classroom environment.