Commments are on! Comment! Comment! I'm leaving a comment!

Yah, I'm like you. But at least those of us with lingering teen angst have lots of good writing material.

Hm...I noticed during research that the average on standardized test remains about the same since I took them over 20 years ago. Of course, I was never the shy, awkward type. I do remember thinking that a couple of my students were about to receive a rude awakening, however (when they either graduated or went back to public school). And I never hesitated to make my students do their work over again.

Wow. Interesting article. I'd never heard of this before. Three cheers for the parents/teachers out there who ARE doing a good job. My husband's employer (Intel) pays employees to go back to school and get a teaching degree because they want to improve the math/science standard of US schools. I think they're concerned about the next generation . . .

You know, I've been hearing so much about the differences between the Generation X crowd and the Millenials/Gen Y. I think that has something to do with it too. Gen Xers are generally labeled as aimless and unsure about their lives, while Millenials (~1980+) are goal-driven and know what they want out of life. (I straddle the two gens, so I am just...confused. heh.) The differences could stem from parental-style, but whatever it is, it's interesting.

ANYWAY, to tie this back to writing...um, I still believe that all of these over-confident kids must feel deeply insecure inside. How can you have all those raging hormones and be anything but?? They must express it differently. So, maybe your new MC will just have to be a thoroughly modern complex kid who goes to great lengths to look/feel confident while doubting themselves all the while. Hey, you're giving me ideas... ;)

In some ways there is more confidence, more drive, more ambition in teenagers today than there was, say, 20 years go... but Im a school counselor and Im in there every day. I find this article kinda funny. Adolescence is adolescence and there is so much upheaval and confusion and anxiety and self-consciousness... its still there. And added academic pressure often means HIGHER rates of depression and anxiety... keep writing those shy awkward girls! the readers are there, for sure, just quieter... the boys too.

One of my favorite blogs ever just posted this entry:

http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/2009/01/10/too-much-self-esteem/

It reminded me right away of your post and I thought you might enjoy it also! Let me know what you think...

Dang it. I always do that. It was me who wrote that last "anonymous" comment.