Susan Louise Peterson is a school psychologist and author who has long been interested in the education of preschool through high school age students. Her inspiration for The Yes Book for Teenagers came from seeing teenagers respond to a ‘yes’ response or answer with an overwhelming feeling that they could do anything and that there would be no obstacles or hurdles along the way. Even when parents give the teenager the ‘yes’ response they are still saying that there may be issues to consider and reflect on as he or she goes to an activity or makes a decision. The teenager often wants the ‘yes’ answer so he or she can be with friends or get out of the house. However, the parents or teachers are often helping the teen to explore a broader perspective. The teenager may be thinking that a ‘yes’ response is good, but only seeing small bits and pieces of a much larger issue. The parents and other adults are helping the teenager to see a bigger picture and explore that some activities, decisions and situations are more complex than the teenager imagined. My inspiration comes from the fact that teenagers are creative and imaginative, but sometimes fail to see that they are getting in to a complex situation that could cause harm or put them down the wrong path. The book is written with practical examples of words that parents, teachers and other adults use as they try and guide the teenagers that a ‘yes’ response is only part of a bigger picture in life.
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Susan Louise Peterson is an author and school psychologist living in Las Vegas, NV. She has taken a twenty year journey working in the tough inner city schools of Las Vegas, Nevada as a teacher and later a school psychologist. Susan has worked with students from pre-kindergarten to high school levels. Working in a large inner city high school she noticed that many teenagers were dealing with communication issues related to their parents, teachers and other adults. Students were given limited information from adults when they asked questions and usually did not understand the ‘yes’ and ‘no’ type of responses they received from adults. In response, Susan Louise Peterson wrote two companion books to help teenagers with this communication dilemma. She is the author of the newly released books entitled THE YES BOOK FOR TEENAGERS and THE NO BOOK FOR TEENAGERS.
Susan is an award winning educator and has won several national awards for improving educational practice. She was named to the Practitioners Hall of Fame for Improvement of Educational Practice from NOVA University.
In addition, Susan is the author of the recently published book IS MY CHILD AUTISTIC OR DELAYED? (Vilnius Press-2013), as well as eight other books in the areas of education, research and child behavior.
You can visit her website at www.susanlouisepeterson.com.
The Story Behind the Book 