Adolescent Behavior In School
Middle School is a large school and has
students attending from six Putnam
County towns and two Dutchess County
towns. On the average, the graduating class
has close to 500 students and the
typical class has 32 students attending. The
school has two cafeterias in
order to accommodate it's large student population,
one cafeteria to provide
for fifth and sixth graders, and another for seventh
and eighth graders.
Interesting enough, the different classes do not attend
lunch together, in
other words, seventh and eighth graders do not attend lunch
together nor
fifth and sixth graders. Again I assume this is strictly do to the
large
population of this school. I entered the school at the start of the day,
I
considered this to be to my advantage, therefor not standing out so much
among
the huddles of people gathered outside the school building. It can be
said that
the students appearances varied somewhat, but a whole it remained
within a
certain unspoken code. The girls wore their hair long-shoulder
length or longer,
and had it tied back in a pony-tail or very straight. Some
were in skirts
(slightly above knee level)-all were either corduroy or floral
material. Most of
the girls though were in jeans and hip length sweaters and
wore tennis-sneakers
or the "clunky" type shoes which are all the fashion
now. All the
girls I saw wore earrings, mostly the small dangling type and
often they had two
holes pierced. Most of the girls wore make-up, mostly
lipstick and eye-shadow,
although it was not excessive. The boys all seemed
to be in clothes that were
least five sizes too big. It consisted primarily
of one of these two clothing
options: extra-large sweater overlapping a
thermal-type shirt, with jeans that
were just short of slipping to the ground
or extra-large flannel overlapping a
thermal-type shirt, with jeans that were
just short of slipping to the ground. A
close second to this dressing trend
for boys was the sweater and jeans/sweater
and khakis style, although nowhere
near as prominent. Nearly all of the boys
wore their hair short, most
frequently with the back cut close to the nape of
the neck and the top
"gelled." Some had earrings (both hoop and stud
types were observed) and many
wore neclaces-either choker chain or
"hemp" styles. All of the boys seemed to
be wearing sneakers of
endless varieties, and most in the one-hundred dollar
range. Aside from these
primary gender fashions, there were those who
differed. A few of the girls had
short hair, a few of the boys grew the top
of their hair long. Some of the kids
were in clothing that seemed "out-dated"
in comparison to their piers,
and even had the appearance of being passed
down from an older sibling. For
example, not being in this seasons color or
style. There were also those
students, primarily boys, that were in football
or basketball jerseys or jackets
that sported the schools name or mascott. I
did note a few girls wearing a
football jacket, incidentally with boys names
on the front. It was easy to note
from these observations that generally,
clothing was an outward indicator to
distinguish among the various social
groups. The clothing the students wore was
an immediate indication to various
social groups, being that it is a visual
observation. It can be said that
this is a common factor even in the adult
world, but not once did I note a
"poorly" dressed student socializing
with a student that was in an athletic
jacket or a student that was
"fashion-forward." It was during the lunch
period that I figured I
could make distinctions among social groups most
accurately At first entering
the cafeteria, it was much as I remembered, even
much like college. The
"volume" was high and immediately I noticed the groups
forming, again
this is something which does extend into the later teens, and
even into
adulthood, but here I was observing a much more rigid standard.
There didn't
appear to be any casual socializing among different groups
(except in one
situation which I will mention). The first group I noticed was
the
"jock" group, I most likely noted them first because this was
the
group that I was part of during my teenage years. All of the boys were
sporting
either baseball, football, or basketball jersey and/or jacket. The
girls were
all of the "cheerleader" type, many of them also wearing
athletic
jackets. An interesting thing to note was that this group was
tightly packed
together, even when every apparent inch of the table was
filled, if another one
of "their-own" came over a chair was pulled up. It
almost appeared
comical, especially since a near by table was almost vacant.
I noted that this
group was the most vocal, and drew the most attention. As I
remarked earlier,
there was one exception to "visual" social groups
intermingling. It
was with the "jock" group and a group that was
fashoin-forward. Often
I noted that the jock table and a near-by table
(also tightly packed, but to a
lesser extent) of fashion-forward kids
mingling. I judged by appearance, that
this group was probably considered the
"good-looking" kids table (a
standard set primarily due to having the latest
haircut or wardrobe). This table
along with the jock table collectively
formed the "popular" crowd. If
a cafeteria aide had to yell a someone for
throwing food, it was from one of
these tables. If there was a sudden out
bursts of laughter it was from one of
these tables, and often from both
together. Even one girl from the jock table
got up during lunch to walk
around and obtain signatures to nominate herself as
a candidate for an
up-comming student election. Far off in the back of the
cafeteria was another
group. As a matter of fact, I even had to relocate my
position somewhat in
order to observe them better. This group was an all boy
group. They were
somewhat smaller in size than the jock group, and dressed in
clothing that
was neither horrible or forward. I suppose you could say that
fashion didn't
seem to be as vital to this group as it did to the
"popular" crowd. They were
collectively talking about the "Star
Wars" trilogy, and laughed amongst
themselves, and at a much lesser volume
than those mentioned earlier. At one
point one of them opened up a text book and
motioned to his neighbor to do
the same, and then compared answers. There was a
table of girls that also
appeared to fit within this groups criteria. They were
not dressed in the
fashion of the "now" and also were working on
school work. They were seated
in the rear of the cafeteria as well. Interesting
enough, neither this group
and it's apparent male counterparts socialized with
one another during the
lunch period. When I later returned to the cafeteria
during another section
of eighth grade lunch, I noted, much to my surprise, that
groups with similar
styles occupied the very spots where these groups chose. The
rest of the
cafeteria was inhabited by small groups of four or five, primarily
consisting
of the "average" student, without any outstanding
characteristics. And of
course, there were the kids that just sat alone.
Observing the students
that sat alone, it was quite hard to figure out exactly
why this was. As a
young adult, I know that I tend to choose friends that have
similar values,
interests and goals. And, it can be said that the early
adolescents I
observed were doing a similar action, but it appears that the
level of
discrimination is dramatically exaggerated. A students interest goes
past
just "interest" and straight to a direct reflection as to who
they are as a
person. And the image of the group is more important than any
single part.
The students I observed that were alone were for the most part the
ordinary
kid. Some of the boys were small, some of the girls were awkward
looking, a
few of the students were overweight and a few students looked like
maybe they
had come from lower income households. I think the main reasons
these
students were excluded is because of low self-esteem. During
adolescence,
teenagers are overwhelmed with feelings and most of them being
confusion. Many
are questioning their assets and flaws, and trying to sort
out who they are as a
person and where they stand in the world as a whole.
There are endless pressures
from parents, teachers, and piers. It is quite
easy to see how a low self-esteem
can be developed. I think that the excluded
students felt either that they don't
quite "fit" with anyone or that they are
not good enough to keep
anyone's company. Early adolescents are particularly
prone to conformity,
Because of this necessity to "fit in," many become
subjected to
various peer pressures. Pressures can be obvious, such as
drinking or smoking in
order to prove yourself as "cool," or they can take a
more subtle
form. For example, while I was observing an eight grade lunch
period, I noted
two girls pushing another girl from the back. At first glance
it almost appeared
to be a fight, then I noticed that the two girls were
laughing, and demanding
the third girl (the one being pushed) to "just go
talk to him, what's the
big deal, don't be such a geek!!!" They were pushing
her over to a boy
standing outside of the cafeteria door. This boy was also
standing with friends
and looking equally uncomfortable. The girl who was
being "pushed" was
blatently against the idea, her face was red, and I even
headed her say several
times, "I really don't want to do this, I feel like a
jerk." Then she
tried to bargain with her friends by saying, "I'll talk to
him after Social
class, I swear." But still the girls continued to drag her
over to this
boy. Then came the words I was waiting to hear, "You don't want
to be the
only one at this dance without a date, only the dorky girls go to
the spring
dance dateless!" Eventually this girl did end up going over to the
boy
outside. Another example of peer pressure I observed was within a group
of boys.
About five or six boys were "daring" one boy to throw an apple
at a
wall, incidentally, a cafeteria aide was sitting on a stool near-by the
alleged
wall. The boy who was to be doing the throwing swore that, "he would
get
caught," but after a small desput he went along with the idea. About
one
second after the apple hit the wall, the cafeteria aide pulled him by the
arm
screaming that she'd "really had enough of this table's crap
this
year!", and that he'd be lucky if he'd get to have lunch in the
cafeteria
for the rest of the year. Meanwhile, just about all the cafeteria
was cheering
for him, but he did not seem so happy. There are adolescents
that act out with
such behavior without apparent pier pressure. Teenagers may
act out rebelliously
for a number of reasons, but mainly it's an act of
attention. A student I
noticed rebelling against authority was in the
classroom. It was during an
English class, the teacher asked students to
hand in the homework assignment,
then gave students an in-class reading
assignment. A student I'll call Tom,
began to start conversation with the
student next to him. The teacher asked him
to be quiet and start the reading.
Tom then told the teacher that he forgot his
text book. The teacher looked at
him in a way that made me think that this
wasn't the first time Tom forgot
his book. The teacher then asked him if he
turned in his assignment, and Tom
replied "no." Then the teacher asked
him if he speak to him outside. A couple
of minuets later they returned, and the
teacher handed him a textbook. Tom
then began to "rap" a song and keep
beat to the music by "playing" his desk.
The teacher once more asked
to see Tom outside, only this time in a lot more
serious tone. Tom then
muttered, "This is bull*censored*," and pushed his
borrowed textbook
from the desk, pushed his desk and several others desks on
his way out. I herd
the teacher and Tom arguing then Tom came in, grabbed his
notebook and was sent
off to the principle. Adolescent egocentrisim is
defined as the inability for
teenagers to differentiate between what is
important to themselves and what is
important to others. Two boys sitting in
front of me were preparing to take a
test. The one boy said "Damn, I died on
that last test, if I fail this one
I swear my father is going to beat my
ass." The other boy said, "God,
don't I know it, I bombed the last one" The
first boy then said, "No
dude, you don't know." "What are you sayin', I did
just as bad on that
test." The first boy then raised his voice and said, "No
man, you just
don't get it- I can't fail." I chose one girl and one boy to
observe
closely for thirty minutes. The girl I chose I noticed right away.
She was
sitting in the cafeteria alone. She had long brown hair and was
wearing jeans
and a t-shirt. She was an average looking girl and looked as if
she may felt a
little awkward. For the first fifteen minuets of lunch she
flipped endlessly
through her binder, and occasionally took out a piece of
paper to read, or to
draw on. She never lifted her head up to look around the
cafeteria, or to make
any eye contact with anyone for that matter. It was at
this point that I noticed
that this girl didn't have a lunch with her and
never even got up to go get a
lunch. I really felt bad for her, she didn't
seem to be very happy or
comfortable so I don't think that she was alone by
choice. I wanted to go over
and say "hi" to her by the end of the period, but
I never did. About
five minutes before the end of lunch this girl got up from
her seat and went to
wait by the cafeteria door, and as soon as the cafeteria
aide would let her, she
left. Many of the other kids were slow to leave and
often had to be told a few
times to get up from their tables. The boy I
observed was recommended to me by
the principle himself. This being because
the principle felt this student
reminded him of me when I was fourteen. I
arrived to the classroom before any of
the students had and the principle
re-introduced to an English teacher I once
had. He told me the students name
and where he sat in the class. When the
students finally entered, the teacher
told them that I was a student aide and
not to mind me. Within seconds of
seeing this boy I realized why he was
recommended. He was "in" the obvious
popular crowd, although he did
have a certain identity of his own. While his
friends were talking aimlessly
among their own clicuqe, he talked to not only
his clicque but outsiders as
well. Another key observation was that he made
eye contact with everyone he
spoke with whereas his peers were much more
easily distracted in conversation.
He carried himself in a maturelike
fashion as well. He wasn't loud, or needing
to be the center of attention,
although conversation was often directed his was.
But despite this mature
demeanor, he still had the Notorious adolescent
vocabulary. When the teacher
asked for silence, he responded, whereas a few of
his friends still wanted to
continue conversation. One situation that was
particularly notable was when
the students were assigned to depict parts of the
sentence structure on the
board. Many of his friends joked around when they were
in front of the class
and had to be told to focus on the task, whereas he went
straight to work
when his turn was called. Another thing worth mentioning was
that when a
not-so-popular student was called to the board, many of my subjects
friends
were quick to make fun, and he didn't take part. I am not going to say
that
he told them to "shut-up," or anything near as admirable, but
during a time
when conformity is very important, this boy took a very passive
approach. Of
the two subjects that I studied I noted that both had
characteristics of the
normal adolescent, although in very different ways. The
girl displayed
behavior that is associated with the imaginary audience. She was
very
self-conscious, afraid to look around in fear that others might note that
she
was alone and be the target of their ridicule. I also believe that she
is
currently in the stage of role confusion, she seems to have doubts
about
identity and is withdrawn from others almost completly. The boy on the
other
hand, seemed to be very well adjusted, even more than the average
student. I
believe that he is at a point of identity achievement, he
defiantly appeared to
have a higher self-esteem, he had a balance of
relationships with his peers and
was able to committ himself to tasks that
were required of him. I think the
George Fischer school is providing a
positive learning environment. The two
classrooms both used various
techniques to encourage self-development. For
example, the teacher at one
point had the students work in groups that were
formed by him. This not only
eliminated students from being left out, but it
also encouraged students to
get to know one another. Along with this, the value
of working with each
other towards a common goal was also enforced. Another
advantage is that the
students attend this school from fifth to eighth grade,
therefor eliminating
a transition into a junior high school at a time when
adolescents are most
awkward and insecure with themselves The school also
offered various
different classes depending on students needs, for example a
student that may
not have been in a stage of formal operations had different
class options
then say that of a student in post formal operations. This
students were not
required to remain within this tract, but instead could be
reassigned the
next year. As a whole, I found this school's resources to be more
than
adequate, both teachers and services that were provided for students
were
nurturing for the adolescent. From my observations, I learned a great
deal. I
forgot how difficult it was to be an adolescent and live by all of
the un spoken
standards. I also got a chance to observe objectively those
students that I
hadn't gotten a chance to really know during my time
attending middle school. I
believe that all adolescents have a difficult life
during those years whether
popular or not but, not all kids suffer as the
movies may portray. There are
kids who don't fight with their families. I saw
plenty of kids who didn't act
out in any anti-social, rebellious behavior.
Many were just having fun, and
learning along the way. As far as my self, I
learned to look a bit deeper into
what I am seeing. In the approximate ten
hours that I had spent there, I
answered the questions that I was assigned.
So maybe if I put the attnetion into
my life that I did this paper the other
questions that I have might just get
answered easier.