HOME | POLITICS | SPORTS | LIFE | SCI/TECH | OPEDS | HELPFUL TIPS
|
 By Jack Lepiarz Dec. 29, 2005 High school is a funny time. Encompassing all ages, from 13 to 19 years old, the differences between freshmen and seniors can be startling, even frightening at times. Many of the younger students look like they ought to be in the middle school, while some of the seniors are often mistaken for parents or teachers. But yet they--excuse me--we all think that we're adults, and that we've got everything figured out, and that we know best. We all imagine ourselves as older, even though we aren't. That I think we can live with. What really frustrates my generation (and I assume many before mine) is that we always feel as though we're second-class adults. Let me explain. The worst feeling for a teenager (besides all the other lovely emotional ups and downs) is to be treated like a child. But not always. There are certainly times when I can imagine that teens wish that they could be a child again. I've had people tell me that they want to go back to being six years old again. What angers us the most, though, is when adults (by which I mean teachers) set adult expectations for us in school, but don't treat us like adults. They expect us to take responsibility, but will refuse to listen to logical arguments about something. The whole mantra of "I'm right and you're wrong because I have more power" is something that we despise. Which is why I don't believe in blindly following one's elders (and because I'm at that lovely, rebellious age). I believe that respect is a two-way street. I treat adults the same way that they treat me. If somebody calls me naive, or young (in a negative context), I am likely to respond by calling them senile. On the other hand, there is little to no material that suits older teens (16 and 17) particularly well. Literature, entertainment, even classes are all either far too censored and edited so as not to rob us of our innocence, or are littered with obscenity, incest (I am thinking of specific cases), and enough violence to make the parent-teacher association faint. While many of the books that we are fed in school have mind-numbingly depressing storylines (Ethan Frome, The Great Gatsby, The Jungle), we are not allowed to put anything that MIGHT cause parents to write letters to the school board. We're allowed to read about Holden Caulfield hiring a prostitute and hear him curse profusely, but we're not allowed to put up a production of "Cabaret" at our school. We are being told constantly that we have to "start acting like adults," and that we have to learn that "actions have consequences." In other words, stuff I've heard since I was ten years old. And I agree completely. Kids my age should be more self-sufficient and more responsible. It's just hard to feel like an adult when we have to ask to go to the bathroom from lunch. It's hard when adults are constantly patrolling all over the school and practically breathing down your neck. ------------ About the author: Jack Lepiarz is a senior at Madison High School. Born in Waco, Texas, he lived with the Big Apple Circus for much of his early childhood, eventually moving to Madison, New Jersey, where he now resides. Although he is often described as stubborn and egotistical, he tries to keep an open-mind towards new ideas and treat people the way he would like to be treated. Email: Jackwuzhere42@aol.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
