Surprising, Truthful, and Reality. Hellen goes into her school and ask students on how they feel on being married at a young age. Some young males feel it is nothing to them. Teenagers who will become 18 will be able to marry on their own with who ever they want to marry. Young couples feel that if they love each other they should be married at the end of high school and when the turn 18. Most high school students feel that they should marry when they are at an older age like 23 to 28. This is not a case where I come from. Most teens where I?m from have kids, have the father pay child support and then the father runs off to another girl. Hopefully teens think on whom they want to marry after high school. And right after high school.
This piece reminds me of "That's 70s Show" when lovebirds Donna and Eric get engaged shortly after graduating from High School. It has also made me think about the topic of Teen Marriage at a different angle than I have before. Hellen does a good job showing both sides of the topic from a teens perspective. Excellent piece!!
Balanced. Refreshing. Wholesome. Well Done. I liked this piece a lot.
Numerous surveys based on success in marriage report the best age for commencing marriage to be around 23 or 24. Some in your report suggested waiting few years after the teens that would get a person near that age.
One young lady in your report spoke with considerable dedication and showed a determination to the maturity required in marriage to stick out the rought parts and times of marriage (that certainly come for all as just a part of life -- and not bad for us really if we persevere and handle those times right). The husband to be was not heard, but from hearing the young lady, I believe she probably picked a young man with similar character to hers and I would think her chances of doing well and the two of them sticking with it are probably very good.
The example of my own parents gives some support to the young lady's persuasion that she and her husband -to-be will do well. My dad was 20 and my mom 19 when they married in 1946. In Alabama, we had a funny law then. A man had to be 21 but a lady only 18 to marry without parental consent. My mom qualified but my dad did not. However, my dad had spent over two years overseas fighting as a paratrooper (one who returned alive) in WW2 and then lived through being sniped at during the post war as part of the military-police occupation forces in Germany. When the judge asked my dad's age and my dad explained his military service, the judge pretended to be distracted and never made my dad answer about his age. But, here's the point.
The marriage worked very well. My folk were married for 58 years before my mom died in September 2004. The day before she died, she said some words that amazed me and made me very happy to hear them. Not only was I happy to hear her say she had three wonderful children, but the most beautiful part was to hear the way she said, "I love Daddy [meaning my dad, her husband]." And then she died -- again, after 58 years of good times, hard times but ending with a feeling of contentment and happiness and joy for my mom.
The teens I heard on your report from Alaska, from the sound in their voices, seem to have the same grit that my mom and dad had. I wish these kids well and I wouldn't stop their determination. I would just say stay willing to work through the hard times as my folk did and as my mom said, it's worth it all.
Very excellent piece! Best wishes to those teens getting married!
WOW, what a great piece. In just a few seconds, "Teen Marriage" takes a young listeners from a familiar scenario (senior prom) to the very foreign situation of getting married right after high school. This is truly an eye-opening piece, and I was instantly drawn in to a facet of teen life I'd never before heard about.
But what really blew me out of the water was the story's structure. Far from the negative stereotypes the listener might have about teenaged wives, the young brides interviewed had the same goals and visions for the future as many (much older) couples I know, and they presented these views with maturity and poise. The other side of the argument was also well-represented: students who disapproved of teen marriage voiced their own views clearly and pragmatically.
The style of "Teen Marriage" was also great. The narration was kept to a perfect minimum, allowing the unorthodox subject matter to shine through without being overwhelmed. The two sides of the debate were given equal airtime, and no sound effects or music got in the way of the content. "Teen Marriage"'s professional tone would make it an ideal candidate for any news magazine-style show.
This is one of the best youth radio pieces I've heard. Ever.
Hellen Fleming’s piece on teen marriage was shocking to me. Even being in high school myself, I don’t know of anyone who is getting married, and she has four couples just within her own school. This piece offered me insight into an issue that I didn’t even know was an issue. Overall I thought that this piece was effective in getting the point across, it certainly flowed well, and was informal which let me know how the youth really felt as well as what they really sounded like, and I liked that you could hear the sounds of the school in the background. The piece did cover the issue from several different perspectives, but I would have liked to hear more from the engaged teens as well as maybe how their parents feel about the premature proposals. I feel that hearing from more of the engaged teens might have offered the answer I’m looking for the most, what’s the rush?
Hellen describes the absurdity of teen marriage when she mentions “students carry bridal magazines along with their school books.” She then does a great job of being objective and let’s the statistics and interviewees speak for themselves. The subject matter is interesting, and a little disturbing. The actualities are well chosen and reflect Hellen’s ability to conduct comfortable and relaxed interviews. The one small change that would make the piece great is a more natural narration. I look forward to hearing a follow up on Bonnie’s first anniversary.
Holy cow! Teenage marrige. Thats a terrible idea, it was an idea I had one time and is the reason I cry every evening when I get home from school. Oh, wait, I'm writing a review. That was an entirely different story. My bad.
I thought this piece had some really good interviews in it and had a great script, but Helens voice was kinda mono-toned at times. All in all, this is a good piece with part of the moral decay of americas youth at the center of it.
Comments for Teen Marriage
Produced by Alaska Teen Media Institute
Other pieces by Alaska Teen Media Institute
Rating Summary
7 comments
Felix Poleheptewa
Posted on February 15, 2007 at 10:09 AM | Permalink
Review of Teen Marriage
Surprising, Truthful, and Reality. Hellen goes into her school and ask students on how they feel on being married at a young age. Some young males feel it is nothing to them. Teenagers who will become 18 will be able to marry on their own with who ever they want to marry. Young couples feel that if they love each other they should be married at the end of high school and when the turn 18. Most high school students feel that they should marry when they are at an older age like 23 to 28. This is not a case where I come from. Most teens where I?m from have kids, have the father pay child support and then the father runs off to another girl. Hopefully teens think on whom they want to marry after high school. And right after high school.
Johanna Greenberg
Posted on March 12, 2006 at 08:32 AM | Permalink
Review of Teen Marriage
This piece reminds me of "That's 70s Show" when lovebirds Donna and Eric get engaged shortly after graduating from High School. It has also made me think about the topic of Teen Marriage at a different angle than I have before. Hellen does a good job showing both sides of the topic from a teens perspective. Excellent piece!!
Stephen L. Gilbreath
Posted on January 11, 2006 at 05:55 PM | Permalink
Review of Teen Marriage
Balanced. Refreshing. Wholesome. Well Done. I liked this piece a lot.
Numerous surveys based on success in marriage report the best age for commencing marriage to be around 23 or 24. Some in your report suggested waiting few years after the teens that would get a person near that age.
One young lady in your report spoke with considerable dedication and showed a determination to the maturity required in marriage to stick out the rought parts and times of marriage (that certainly come for all as just a part of life -- and not bad for us really if we persevere and handle those times right). The husband to be was not heard, but from hearing the young lady, I believe she probably picked a young man with similar character to hers and I would think her chances of doing well and the two of them sticking with it are probably very good.
The example of my own parents gives some support to the young lady's persuasion that she and her husband -to-be will do well. My dad was 20 and my mom 19 when they married in 1946. In Alabama, we had a funny law then. A man had to be 21 but a lady only 18 to marry without parental consent. My mom qualified but my dad did not. However, my dad had spent over two years overseas fighting as a paratrooper (one who returned alive) in WW2 and then lived through being sniped at during the post war as part of the military-police occupation forces in Germany. When the judge asked my dad's age and my dad explained his military service, the judge pretended to be distracted and never made my dad answer about his age. But, here's the point.
The marriage worked very well. My folk were married for 58 years before my mom died in September 2004. The day before she died, she said some words that amazed me and made me very happy to hear them. Not only was I happy to hear her say she had three wonderful children, but the most beautiful part was to hear the way she said, "I love Daddy [meaning my dad, her husband]." And then she died -- again, after 58 years of good times, hard times but ending with a feeling of contentment and happiness and joy for my mom.
The teens I heard on your report from Alaska, from the sound in their voices, seem to have the same grit that my mom and dad had. I wish these kids well and I wouldn't stop their determination. I would just say stay willing to work through the hard times as my folk did and as my mom said, it's worth it all.
Very excellent piece! Best wishes to those teens getting married!
Emily Raymond
Posted on January 10, 2006 at 02:51 PM | Permalink
Review of Teen Marriage
WOW, what a great piece. In just a few seconds, "Teen Marriage" takes a young listeners from a familiar scenario (senior prom) to the very foreign situation of getting married right after high school. This is truly an eye-opening piece, and I was instantly drawn in to a facet of teen life I'd never before heard about.
But what really blew me out of the water was the story's structure. Far from the negative stereotypes the listener might have about teenaged wives, the young brides interviewed had the same goals and visions for the future as many (much older) couples I know, and they presented these views with maturity and poise. The other side of the argument was also well-represented: students who disapproved of teen marriage voiced their own views clearly and pragmatically.
The style of "Teen Marriage" was also great. The narration was kept to a perfect minimum, allowing the unorthodox subject matter to shine through without being overwhelmed. The two sides of the debate were given equal airtime, and no sound effects or music got in the way of the content. "Teen Marriage"'s professional tone would make it an ideal candidate for any news magazine-style show.
This is one of the best youth radio pieces I've heard. Ever.
Selomé Samuel
Posted on May 31, 2005 at 01:54 PM | Permalink
Review of Teen Marriage
Hellen Fleming’s piece on teen marriage was shocking to me. Even being in high school myself, I don’t know of anyone who is getting married, and she has four couples just within her own school. This piece offered me insight into an issue that I didn’t even know was an issue. Overall I thought that this piece was effective in getting the point across, it certainly flowed well, and was informal which let me know how the youth really felt as well as what they really sounded like, and I liked that you could hear the sounds of the school in the background. The piece did cover the issue from several different perspectives, but I would have liked to hear more from the engaged teens as well as maybe how their parents feel about the premature proposals. I feel that hearing from more of the engaged teens might have offered the answer I’m looking for the most, what’s the rush?
Dulce Maria Mora
Posted on May 25, 2005 at 03:30 PM | Permalink
Review of Teen Marriage
Hellen describes the absurdity of teen marriage when she mentions “students carry bridal magazines along with their school books.” She then does a great job of being objective and let’s the statistics and interviewees speak for themselves. The subject matter is interesting, and a little disturbing. The actualities are well chosen and reflect Hellen’s ability to conduct comfortable and relaxed interviews. The one small change that would make the piece great is a more natural narration. I look forward to hearing a follow up on Bonnie’s first anniversary.
Russell Wright
Posted on May 23, 2005 at 06:23 PM | Permalink
Review of Teen Marriage
Holy cow! Teenage marrige. Thats a terrible idea, it was an idea I had one time and is the reason I cry every evening when I get home from school. Oh, wait, I'm writing a review. That was an entirely different story. My bad.
I thought this piece had some really good interviews in it and had a great script, but Helens voice was kinda mono-toned at times. All in all, this is a good piece with part of the moral decay of americas youth at the center of it.