The Fly In The Hall

More than just "here"

2008-09-21T12:55:00.004-05:00

Books. Movies. Commercials. Television. They all seem to portray the same image of teens: that teenagers are "just here" and their job is to be lazy, gossip-loving, self-centered speed bumps on the road of society. I, for one, hate this picture of teenagers that has been painted by just about everyone.

If we look back in history, there wasn't this "limbo" period of life that we today call "adolescence." You went from a child to a young adult, doing the same work your parents did. This makes me wonder, "What changed things?" From doing a bit of research, I find that the concepts of childhood and adolescence are relatively new, first appearing in the second half of the eighteenth century. Before that point, teenagers dresssed, worked, and were punished just as the adults in society were. Until the 1950's, there was no music aimed specifically at the age group and until well into the twentieth century, at the age of fourteen most teens abandoned formal education for an apprenticeship.

Looks pretty different from today's world, huh? It's tough to imagine most of us wearing suits and ties and working full-time jobs at "such a young age." Luckily, that is no longer what society expects of us and we are "off the hook" in that regard. But what about the rest of the stereotypes placed upon our age group? How much good is it doing us to sit back, be lazy, and completely fulfill society's expectations? None at all. Teenagers have the spirit and capability of impacting and changing society as a whole and doing great things for this country. This is why I urge all teens out there to think about their lives they are living right now. What are they doing to impact society? What can they do to change, better, revamp, or revitalize something in the world around them? I believe that if every one of us took a small step out of the box of being a teenager, society would change their opinions of teenagers. We, after all, are very capable of being "more than just here."

Sure, you "like" church...

2008-09-07T15:49:00.008-05:00

Sometimes it's amazing to me how much teens think about guys and girls and DATING. Seriously. Whether it's flirting with the waiter at dinner with the family, or checking out the cute guy in the produce aisle at Wal-Mart, you see this kind of stuff everywhere. The one place I wouldn't - and didn't - expect to see it was at church. When I go to the various youth groups and things held at church, of course I think of each as an opportunity to socialize. My friends are there and it's always nice to hang out with them. But when church becomes a place to meet guys or girls, I think that that's crossing the line. I mean, if you're at church for learning and there just happens to be a cute guy there....I can't complain about that one. But if you're valuing guys over God? I think you need to rethink things a little. The worst place I see this at my church is not at the typical Sunday church service, but at the Wednesday night youth group held at my church for middle-schoolers. Groups of giggling girls circle groups of good-looking guys like vultures with cellphones until the actual festivities start, at which time they settle for throwing googly-eyed glances across the room until they can talk, ahem, flirt, once again. Something about the whole deal just seems sacrilegious and wrong. While some of these flirting offenders are in denial, telling me, "I love youth group! The lessons are great and the songs are SO fun to sing!" others are a little more blunt, stating simply, "I just come for the guys." And, although it's wrong, you can't knock their thinking. All parents involved in one church or another want their kids to love it as much as they do, and so when their kids are just itching to go to youth group, what parent isn't going to be happy about that? Seems like a win-win for the boy- and girl-crazy. Their parents are pleased they are attending church and the kids are pickin' up the chicks. If you think about it this way, it's easy to see why middle-schoolers are attracted to church like bees to a summer barbeque. I just can't help but hope they get a little something more out of the evenings spent at the church than a few cellphone numbers and some armcandy.**

Relationships...hmm...

2008-09-01T17:40:00.003-05:00

Being a junior-high student, the center of most things significant that happen among my peers have to do with relationships. Relationships....hmm. A funny topic for the middle-schooler. No one seems to really know what a relationship really is because there is no default, no standard, no pre-set idea of what a relationship is. Relationships mean different things for different people. Take the word "friend," for example. A friend, to me, is a person who always has your back and who you can tell all your problems and thoughts to, without worry of gossip or judgement. For others, a "friend" is that one girl or guy you sit with at lunch or work with in math class. Or maybe that one girl who you don't really like but you hang out with anyway so you aren't alone. So, with all of these variations on one simple word, how are we supposed to know where we stand with anyone else? Good question. Things get even more complicated when we expand upon "friend" and include "boyfriend" and "girlfriend," not to mention the even iffier "guyfriend" and "galfriend" or "girl-friend." Confusing, right? No wonder middle-school social lives are such a mess. That's why it's so important for each individual to define what these relationships should be before they come to a point where a definition is needed. Are you willing to settle for a "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" who is just a make-out buddy or should a "boyfriend" be one with which you have a complex emotional relationship? Or is a make-out buddy just a "guyfriend" or "galfriend?" I think it's important for both people in any relationship, whether a friendship or a romantic relationship, to know what the other one expects. Not saying that you should sit down with the girl you just met in science class and have a "heart-to-heart" about the boundaries of your relationship or something ridiculous like that. I just think that communication and COMMON SENSE is important if you're going to come out of the scary world of junior high with something resembling a social life.**

Harsh dose of reality....actually learning

2008-08-26T18:28:00.005-05:00

So, we all know that the first few days of school are filled with rules, "getting to know you" stuff, and more of the same over and over. But what happens when the first week is over? That's right, learning happens. Oh, joy. For someone who is a little on the obcessive-compulsive side like me, that means more homework, projects, dates to remember, and things to take care of. Talk about a total mental spazz-out. The first few days were great, one homework assignment here or there, always completed in class. No biggie, right? The world would be a better place if that were true. I am already having problems! I somehow managed to do the totally WRONG assignment on the wrong page for Spanish class, almost forgot my P.E. clothes, can't seem to be able to bring my saxophone home to practice it, and that's just the start. Today was one of those days where I wish I would have just stayed home and slept. Oh, well.....there's always tomorrow. Unfortunately this learning and deadline thing never ends.*

Ah, the first day of school...

2008-08-18T18:37:00.004-05:00

Well, today was the first day. Amazing how you can go to school for over like five years and still feel those first-day jitters. I felt like I was a little sevvie anklebiter again. Scary!! At least everyone seemed to feel the same way. Walking in, I think, was the scariest part. I couldn't help but think, "Ohhhhh crap! We really ARE back! There's no turning back now." The hustle and bustle in the hallways was rushed and anxious. The upper-grade kids zipped from class to class and compared schedules with friends while small sixth graders and sevvies just stood there with the "deer-in-the-headlights" kinda look. Poor kids. Overall the first day was just the typical thing; lots of teachers repeating the same rules over and over and over again to the masses of confused and/or highly bored attitudinal teenagers slumped over in their desks. Ah, yes, now I remember why I come to school.