Rockridge High School
Teacher: Barbara Downey
By Tamara Parchert
Grade 12
A shot rings out through the halls. Teachers race to lock their doors. A desperate cry for attention. A need to be loved. Does this sound familiar? A teenager is defined in the dictionary as "someone in their teens." This definition is unclear and confusing. That is what being a teenager is all about: lost and undefined. Today teens suffer from the trials of adolescence every waking moment. There is a definite need to find a way to help these teens become adults and face the real world.
Today, adults try to help teenagers fight the problems of the outside world. They provide teens with alternative opportunities to the risks of some peer pressures. One such example in our area is that of the After Prom. Students’ parents get together and prepare the party, which lasts all night long. This program is designed to keep teenagers in a nonalcoholic environment and supervised at all times. I think this is a great idea that gives teens a choice to stay alcohol free; however, from what I have seen at my school this does not prevent teens from drinking. The kids who attend events such as this one are those who would not drink anyway. After Prom has even made it easier in some ways for teens to drink. While the parents are busy supervising the After Prom, their children are out on the town having an all night drinking festival.
Another program activated by parents of the community is the After School Program, which is aimed at middle school children. The goal of this particular program is to maintain surveillance of younger children’s activities directly following school. The kids have an opportunity to associate with other children their age outside of school. For those parents who work, it is a great relief to know that other trustworthy adults are watching their children. The problem that arises is that this after school activity is only once a week. What about the other four days of the workweek? Just because adults can solve the problem for one night does not mean that the kids will stay out of trouble. Like the After Prom, this solution is a short-term investment. If adults really want to help their children, they need to enforce the rules all of the time and act as a prominent authority figure. Meanwhile, they need to keep an open relationship as a friend to their children by staying active in their lives and pushing the schools to update their education system in application to daily life.
Some adults feel that being lenient towards teens and younger children will earn them respect and trust. In fact, it has the exact opposite effect. When an adult allows a teen to stretch the rules, the teenager sees someone who is weak. Teens will take every opportunity they can to expose that weakness and try to take advantage of it. One such example takes place every day in my very own school. Each day I see a group of girls who thrive on testing the patience of one teacher. She began as a teacher who would entertain us with her lists of historical facts, but eventually it got way out of hand. The girls in this class yell rude comments at her each day and they have completely destroyed the learning atmosphere. They do not fear consequence because of the lack of authority. The actual number of people who are disrespectful is limited, but the power they hold over the class is overwhelming. Kids today need guidance, an essential element in order to survive.
Someone capable of providing that guidance can be anyone who will listen. A program called the Middle School Intergenerational Project in Hesston, Kansas, provides a companionship between middle school kids and the elderly. These middle school children form a lasting friendship with the elderly. This bond shared between the two generations builds trust and more importantly communication. The child is able to see an adult in a different light, as a friend. In the youngest years of a child, friendship can be the most important aspect of life. Children are very impressionable. When they are able to communicate with adults, it enables them to see that adults can be friends. Intergenerational programs are needed to close the generation gap. These programs will open the door to having better communication between generations.
This communication is needed not only between adult s and teens, but also through parents and their educational administration. One way to solve the problems of teenager’s hatred of school is to relate it to every day life. When a teacher stands in front of a classroom and drones on for hours, students tend to dread even the sight of the classroom. In order to give students a greater hunger for knowledge, they need hands-on learning that provides them with an opportunity to see and experience the world that looms before them.
It is up to the adults of our society to enrich the lives of their children and provide them with a future in this country. When every young child looks up at an adult as a companion, an instructor, and a person of integrity, only then can we proceed to live our lives with a clear conscience and see an improvement in our future.
Margaret Mead tells of "the future of young people who, in the United States were becoming less than they might be…" This goes along with the Army recruiting slogan which encourages young people to "Be all that you can be." Both are concerned with the youth of today not living their lives to the best of their potential. Each person can do great things in life if only they are willing to give it their all and do everything in their power to live life to its fullest.
Each of the issues given are all still important, but some to a lesser degree. The importance of language spoken in the home is what influences children’s everyday language. When they hear certain things at home, they tend to repeat them. Whether these are good or bad areas does not seem to matter. A child’s innocence will lead them to believe that whatever is said at home is considered all right to say anywhere. Familial pressures on children is another issue that seems to be apparent today also. As children grow up, their parents may not be aware of it, but they pressure their children. Each day children strive to reach perfection in their parent’s eyes. A major issue that presents itself today is that of the misconception of race and color. One example included in this packet is that of the "plight of the black teenager". This is a prime example of racism. If only everyone of all colors could walk into a store and not be judged or presumed a criminal. Some say that racism is not a problem anymore, but it is obvious that we still see in black and white. The least severe problem, in my opinion, is that of the effects of artificially separating children from a knowledge of birth, love, and death. This may produce a problem about five percent of the time, but if it protects the innocence of the children I do not think it is a problem.
I agree with Margaret Mead when she says that "culture is man-made and that man is free to design it closer to the desires of his own hear". I think that each man has the ability to change the course of history and the culture in which they live. Culture is defined as "the shared products of human groups." These products include both physical objects and the beliefs, values, and behaviors shared by the group. I feel that people change the culture almost every day. We have new inventions that help us to move forward with technology and these inventions also change the way we live and our culture. The same is true of the fashions that change from year to year.
I feel that Margaret Mead was advocating a greater knowledge and control over the civilizing process in her writings.
When Susan delivered her speech, she spoke the truth. Parents and teachers tend to overlook what they do not want to believe is true. It is a lot easier for them to deny that we need help until we are crying out in desperation. They need to step in earlier to prevent the pain that we go through.
I have seen many students who abuse alcohol even while at school. One specific event that I can recall is a school dance where two girls had been drinking and in this case they were caught and their parents were called. Another such experience is when three guys in my class came to a track meet with a bottle of "fruit punch" when in fact it was mostly vodka. The last happens almost every day that I attend school. Some teachers allow students to bring pop in the classroom as long as it is in a bottle. Students take advantage of this and use pop bottles to put their alcohol in.
We cannot change who we are or where we come from, and it is disturbing to know that when people walk into a public place they are automatically classified by color. My solution to this problem would simply be for everyone to see with their hearts and not through their eyes which blind them. This is not a likely solution, however, because no matter what there will still be those who see in black and white.
I would be quite relieved if I only had to "go to classes and learn". Each day I am plagued by one class where the teacher has absolutely no control. The students have taken over. Every day is chaos. The lack of respect that we show for our teachers is outrageous. Even if I were to go to an all girls school and they had the same personality as the girls in my class, I would struggle to learn. They would show the same lack of respect. These girls are selfish and would be rude no matter where they attended school. However, I might learn something if I were home schooled, but not enough. I personally need a school environment with people around me to get ideas from, but not to interfere with the learning process.
When Jonathan speaks of the environment, he learns in it is dull and monotonous. He can not reveal himself during school let alone try to experience something that would present itself in the real world. If you can not be comfortable in an environment with your peers, then success in the real world is almost hopeless.
Teens are people too. Adults need to realize that teenagers are interesting to talk to. We are not aliens that have come to inhabit the earth by chance. Each youth has a personality that could be similar to that of certain adults. As long as they can keep an open mind and listen to what we have to say, adults will understand the importance of what we have to say and maybe even make a friend along the way.