By the time the highly anticipated fall rolls around and you reach high school, you have journeyed through the US education system for quite a while. By age 14, you have survived preschool and kindergarten, risen through elementary school, and transitioned to junior high! Naturally, you might ask “How much different could high school be?” Well, the answer is simple, VERY! While it may only be the next grade up, the distance can seem much further.
What’s so different?
The shift to high school is disruptive. Social scientists frequently cite concerning trends that reference an increase in anxiety, dropout rates, peer pressure, and loss of sleep in this development period. Any one of these issues can send the most well-meaning parent into a tailspin. Fortunately, it doesn’t always have to, there is hope! As with any new journey, you need to be aware of what the road ahead has in store. The challenges, the pitfalls, and the unknown. Secondly, you have to know what to pack and who to bring along for the adventure. Maybe pick a travel companion or two to join you along the way. The list below was curated from simple conversations with some experts; former high school students and Young Life leaders.
EXACTLY THE SAME, JUST BIGGER!: It’s true, high school is different. It’s exciting and scary. The size and rigor of your school has increased. Your new school may be so big that you can get lost in the hallways. The “bubble” of junior high or middle school is gone. Despite a national graduation rate of 88% in the US, data suggests that 9th-grade students struggle most to pass classes. High school classes can sometimes be 4 times the size of their junior high counterparts, and teacher-to-student ratios reveal the shift (JH 15:1, HS 20:1). While the teaching style moves from "hands-on" to "herding", school administrators have responded by utilizing "buddy programs" and mentorship opportunities to ease the transition. As you begin, take the opportunity to meet teachers, visit the school beforehand, and set yourself up for success!
BACK TO SQUARE ONE: An 8th grader is the King/Queen of middle school. Their ascension to the throne has taken time and, unfortunately, the reign will be brief. High school social structure dictates that 9th graders are at the bottom of the heap again. This transition can be brutal and while statistics show that bullying behavior drops in high school, it still can be rough. Some key “pressure points” during this season include identity, friendships, and community, and as with any new beginning, this allows for conversations around those lifelong themes. What do I want to be? Who do I want to be with? Who are “my people?” Take the opportunity to slow down and seek deeper conversations while you make your way through the hallways.
YOUR PERMANENT RECORD: High school is harder and will stretch you in many ways. The temptation is to believe that everything counts because the course load is greater, and the workload is more. Study skills are a must, and the time management needed to balance your school, work, and social life takes skill as well. It's not fair, but the evaluation you start to feel from day one of 9th grade will remain until you hold your diploma in your hand at graduation. Where early education provides support and guidance, 9th grade provides the opportunity to grow and request help for what is perhaps the first time. It takes significant maturity to ask for help, but the benefits of developing this life skill can allow for others to come alongside you. It can change everything and ease the pressure of this daunting transition.
LIVING WITH UNICORNS: The high school years are incredibly unique! In life, there are no other “unicorn” moments like it. Adolescents are peaking in 4 key areas- spiritually, physically, emotionally and relationally. Sports, peers, academics, and even decisions about faith take on a much greater importance in high school. These new-found freedoms, accompanied by various influences, can lead you to be confused and exhausted, but it’s important to remember the community around you that can assist. Coaches, teachers, ministers, Young Life leaders, close friends, and parents are a great resource to help navigate these key decisions.
TOMORROW NEVER COMES: The #1 question that high school students have for God is “What is your plan for me?” With so much happening at this stage of life, that response makes sense. Most of our prayers focus on the future. 9th grade in many ways marks the beginning of “adulting.” the friendly confines of junior high disappear in high school. There are more teachers, more classes, and more options. The focus shifts from figuring out how to spend recess and pivots to how will spend the rest of your life and what will you do with it. Grades, varsity sports, extracurricular activities, and resume-building experiences tend to all compete for your attention and come to the surface. While these things and your plans demand attention, make sure you don’t miss the present. The moment is now, and if you practice presence at the moment, you will benefit from it for the rest of your life.
IT’S NOT WHAT YOU KNOW, BUT WHO YOU KNOW: In a culture of “influencers,” it shouldn’t be a surprise that your “tribe” determines much of your behavior. “What am I going to do?” “What am I going to believe?” Your values start to get defined and owned at this age. Peer pressure makes its way into decisions like drinking, smoking, choices about our sexual health and even what we wear. By choosing to affect others you change the rules, so surround yourself with people who pull you up and don’t pull you down. What about parents? They matter now more than ever. Their roles may look different from a year ago, but good parenting is an art form. The recommended solution is never to hover over your child, but being present and available is crucial for their confidence and success.
SO WHAT, NOW WHAT?
With an ever-growing list of the challenges of high school and all that encompasses freshman year, what can you do? That very question may have the answer; YOU don’t do anything alone! God has created us to be in community and to do life together. Within each challenge is an opportunity to reach out to a person(s) and to experience what it is like to be cared for, mentored, and guided. There are many people in high school, so choose YOUR people. With any new surroundings, you need someone who has been there before and can give you advice and show you the way. A mentor is by definition someone who has gone ahead of you. That can be any of the people referenced in this list. They are there, they care, and they can’t wait to help you find your way! The road in high school can be rocky and long, so bring a friend! (Or several!!)
-Ken B Tank, SVP, YL Community Networks.