Monday, May 16, 2011

Arresting tweens for....being tweens?

Reflection
OMG. Seriously? This is one of those times where I want to scream, "grow some....". Look, I have worked in a public library for over 14 years, and I have had my share of unruly tweens and teens. When my Branch library moved into a high school and functioned as a dual facility, I wanted to scream and cry every time I helped out at their reference desk. I am 30 years old but look and have the voice of a 13 year old. I get it all the time.."Can I speak to someone older", "You're the supervisor?", and even, "Aren't you supposed to be in school". But the second a tween or teen threatened, got all "puffy" and too close for comfort, or even wouldn't listen to me and refused to leave when asked...I dealt with it. That is my job. If you show fear, you are dead in the water. This librarian summed up her problem when she admitted that, "I have a big squishy heart, so it's really hard for me to put my foot down," Donsky said. "That's why I'm asking for all this help [from police]". I'm sorry, but they are 12, and she is an adult. From the moment she started showing fear, she lost them. They knew that they could harass her and get away with it. 
Of course, if there is actual danger and a threat on her safety, by all means, call the police. But when, she calls 911 because the tweens are simply "loitering", she is mimicking the "boy who cried wolf" story. Tweens need to know their boundaries from day one. If we laugh or react passively to something that really bothers us, we are making it harder to show authority. Where was her so called "security" this whole time? Why can't they deal with  12 year olds? This librarian admits to being new and still working on her MLIS, so maybe lack of experience and training has something to do with this? Whatever the case may be, it is our duty to mentor these kids, not send them to juvy. 
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