Written by Jen Sass, Assistant Principal
According to a report by John Hopkins University, 40 to 60 percent of all students are chronically disengaged from school by the time they are in high school.
Also, 7.5 million students miss a month of school each year which puts them at risk of dropping out. Many of today’s youth do not “get it” until it is too late and cannot finish high school. So many previous students come back to PHS and talk about how they wish they would have listened and did it right the first time. They are now young adults trying to get a slice of the “good life” and have made it so much more difficult due to their choices as a student.
It is rare that a student gets to high school and then just gives up, but many times it is a series of small steps that lead them to the threshold of the senior year when they feel overwhelmed. We need to see the small, negative steps our youth are making and help them take a step back and go a different route. As a community, we can all help our youth live the good life.
What can we do as a community? We need to give our youth the one thing we all need as humans…to have a voice and be heard. Many students are longing for relationships and connections. As adults, we must realize they will not always make the best choices, but we need to always be there for them and help them find their slice of the good life and stay engaged. Our time and skill for listening can really make a positive impact.
Study after study reports the relationships we form are the building blocks for success and achieving the good life. What a simple concept, really… We need to reach out to one another and make a positive connection. The simple action of giving our time and respect to our community youth could change their whole outlook on life.
As a community, our assignment for the new school year is to make an effort to connect with our youth everyday by asking a question or just being present. It may mean asking them to put the phone down or take the ear buds out, but after awhile it will become the best part of your day. Just by giving them two minutes, you are making a connection with the student and giving him a voice. The number one complaint of our youth is that they are not heard. By just listening, we help students feel valued.
Here are some ways to improve our relationships with our youth: listen attentively, do more listening then talking, ask questions, ask opinions, validate their thinking, always respect them, and always have high expectations of their potential.
Unfortunately, we are in times where many view “youth” as bad or up to “no good,” which causes our youth to not trust adults. It is a circle we can break simply by doing our “assignment” and reaching out. We are the adults and need to keep reaching out and listening. We need to make a conscious effort every day to connect with our youth and keep them engaged in school. This is the easiest assignment ever. Just make a connection with our youth today.