Carol Maskus asked Judy Blume:

When I was an adolescent, I feel like you spoke to who I was with truth. Now that I'm an adult teacher, I feel out of touch with kids, more than I'd like to admit. How can teachers better understand older kids and teenagers? What is it that you know that puts you so in touch with that age group?

Judy Blume That's a hard question. You're with the kids all day, right? Listen, observe, read what they're reading, watch what they're watching. Talk to other teachers. Talk with the kids-small groups or individually. Try to be non judgmental. What are their lives like out of school? It's hard to win their trust. My fav English teacher in high school liked us, enjoyed us, and we knew it. We worked hard because we wanted to please him. Not saying it's easy. There's a lot going on today. I doubt if I could do it. Find a mentor. Someone who has that rapport with the kids.

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