Throughout 2024, I had the privilege of teaching a group of teenage writers how to write nonfiction books, format, and then publish those books using Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing program. About 50% of the teens I taught were able to fully writer their own books and follow through the process to get their books for sale online.
It was important for me to teach this class for a few reasons. I wanted to empower teens to have skills to be self-employed. Whether they generate money from book sales or for helping other people publish books on Amazon as their clients, I’ve set them up for success.
But this post isn’t about what I taught them. I learned a lot from these teens. That’s what I wanted to share with you here today.
Teens are Incredibly Capable
Teenagers are incredibly capable. Arguably, today’s teens are more capable than we were in the 1980s and 1990s. They understand technology in a way we couldn’t have. It’s easy to overlook this and group them with younger kids, but they’re capable of doing much more than you think.
Teens Deal With More Today
Part of this is the fact that teens deal with much more stuff today. Cyberbullying, school shootings, and schools with limited resources. I remember being in school when the Columbine shooting happened and it seemed like a freak incident. Little did I know how regular school shootings would become.
Teens Aren’t Often Empowered to Follow Their Own Interests
Most teens are forced to learn about and complete projects they’re not interested in. They don’t get many opportunities to follow their own interests. This is a shame because it leaves them uninspired and they don’t get the chance to see their full potential. For example, a teen forced to read Shakespeare may decide that they hate reading when, in reality, they don’t like reading Shakespeare.
We Put Very High Expectations on Today’s Teens
Teens today have to do it all, especially if they want to go to college. They need to learn foreign languages, have after school jobs, participate in sports, and have lots of extracurricular activities to add to their resumes. While there was pressure before, it’s certainly intensified since then.
Teens Have Better Stuff Today
As much as I taught them, these teens taught me a lot of things. My biggest takeaway? They have better stuff. Better cameras. Better ways to listen to music. Better ways to solve acne. I went out and bought a little star acne sticker to deal with a blemish after I learned about them from a teen. They’re a long way from toothpaste and Noxema!
Nothing Makes You Feel Quite as Old as Learning About Current Teen Culture
Nothing will make you feel as old as learning about teen slang. Full disclosure: I’m still not 100% confident on what they said. Rizz? Slay? Sus? Bussin? Skibidi? Yeah, I don’t know.
