The Age of Adolescence

Young teenagers are going through tremendous physical changes. Their emotions vary. They are harder to control.

The opinions of their peers are important to them. They will frequently follow what friends say over the opinions of parents and teachers. They like adults who listen to them without judging them.

They may not automatically respect adults. Generally, they are not as interested in formal religion as they used to be. Their attendance at Madressa may be patchy. They are less likely to participate in religious activity and dislike being preached at.

This briefly outlines the development of the mental processes and personalities as children grow. It is important for the Madressa teacher to be aware of these changes and modify their teaching style to be effective in accomplishing their role.

Teachers should be more a friend than a teacher at this stage. All the problems that occur at this stage should be discussed in the class in a more positive way rather than just making them unacceptable in the class. They should be given the Islamic point of view to reason and make a judgement for themselves.