Today’s teenagers have been stereotyped as adventurous and harebrained individuals.  They are generally fond of experimenting with things until they get in touch with drugs, sex, guns, alcohol among others. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figures, 16,000 young adults die each year from unintentional injuries and accidents.  The most common justification for teenagers’ care-free attitude is that their brains just aren’t developed enough to know better. However, recent research shows that in some cases the fact is just the opposite, the brain matures not too slowly but perhaps, too quickly.

According to a psychiatrist, an adolescent who engages in more dangerous activities have white-matter pathways that seem to be more mature than those of risk-averse youths.  White-matter is the brain’s wiring, the neutral pathways that connect the various gray-matter regions of the cerebrum that are independent of one another.  Having a mature white-matter is necessary because it allows faster brain processing speed.  Nerve impulses also travel faster in mature white-matter. Experiments also reveal that the more mature the look of the brain, the more adventurous the teenager tended to be.
Another possible explanation is that some teenagers whose brains develop more rapidly than others become uncomfortable and a little confused owing to the gap between their biological capabilities and the social norms they must follow as kids. Precocious development of these neural tracts may make some adolescents more susceptible to engage in behaviors that society considers too adult in nature for their chronological age. It is also a common notion that teens make dumb decisions because their brains are immature. In other words, having a more mature brain may actually motivate some teens to try out new and potentially harmful experiences.
For now, these theories are mere speculation, and the researchers concede that the interaction of white and gray matter is so complex that hard conclusions remain elusive. The results of the study are relatively bare and by no means conclusive. The human brain is so intricate in nature, and one has to consider the fact that there are other factors that come into play such as the environment and certain genetic predispositions that are equally complex to study.

If you are looking for a boarding school which will unite your family through education, growth and change, then Academy at Ivy Ridge will agree with you.

Ivy Ridge prides itself to be a boarding school for the future. They are progressive and at the same time, it connotes their commitment to give your children a better future by way of scholastic, social and moral teachings. Ivy Ridge wishes to challenge and motivate students by developing their leadership skills, necessary to become responsible and productive members of society.

Academy at Ivy Ridge sits on 237 acres of land overlooking the St. Lawrence River, the majority of which are heavily forested. The forested area provides plenty of outdoor recreational space and nature trail where occasionally we spot flocks of wild turkeys and herds of deer.

The facility has over 200,000 square feet of building space which houses classrooms, dorms, recreational areas, computer centers, science labs, food services, and offices. Recently, their campus now includes an additional gymnasium/locker room complex, additional classrooms and covered walkway to connect the main buildings.

Educating teens involves imparting of wisdom they might be using for the rest of their lives. By experiencing an individualized and self-paced educational program at Ivy Ridge, students will foster a self motivation quality that they will treasure for the rest of their adulthood.

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