Teaching is probably one of the few professions where you are reminded almost daily how hard high school is. It's no secret. High School is hard. If it wasn't we would need any 'it gets better' campaigns or high school counselors or Teen Help Phone. If it were easy, we'd all just be able to hold hands and skip to school together and sing kumbya in all of our classes.
For most people they survive their four (sometimes more) years of high school and leave it behind for good. They go off and get jobs and do their own thing and even if they have children, they see high school through completely removed eyes. Teachers, on the other hand, essentially volunteer to go back into the war zone.
Teaching grade nine drama this year has shown me many instances on how hard it is to be a student. Looking back, I honestly never felt this pressure to conform or 'fit in', but then I'm not the type to do that even as an adult so I think I was spared a lot of the ridiculous peer pressuring that I see every day.
Every day I see kids having to make choices on their friends, their clothes, and even their reaction to other people.
You didn't get the latest iPhone? Loser.
You're friends with so-and-so? Loser.
You're a virgin? Loser.
Don't play a sport? Loser.
Like your parents? Loser.
It's frustrating as a teacher because sometimes it's so blatant you just want to take the student by the shoulders and shake them and tell them they're being ridiculous. No one is worth being embarrassed over. No one is worth endangering yourself for. And yet, these kids find themselves doing and saying things I can sometimes literally see the regret on their face.
What am I supposed to do?
Sometimes I talk with them about life choices, but how many of them listen and take what I say to heart is very slim. Sometimes a student will agree with me - "You're right, miss. When I'm around Student A, I make bad choices" - but you know what they do? They still hang out with Student A. Drives me nuts.
It breaks my heart when I have to reprimand a student for their behaviour because they were hanging around Student A again. It can get even more frustrating when you phone the parents to discuss their unhealthy relationship or choices and the parents think you're crazy and that they know what's going on with their kid, No, parents, you don't. Not entirely, anyways.
It's probably one of the hardest parts of my job is to watch kids struggle with figuring out life. Some of them are very good at it and others are barely treading water. I try to throw them life preservers, but....sometimes they're in the very deep end of the pool and I need more rope.
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