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Facing the many challenges of adolescent to adult transitions
Children who transition from childhood into adolescence face many difficult changes which will have an impact on the rest of their lives.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, www.ed.gov, the rate of change which occurs during early adolescence can be both rapid and unpredictable. The developmental process occurring the years between 10 and 15 is different for each adolescent and depends on several factors.
"We welcome the changes, but we also find them a little disturbing. When children are younger, it is easier to predict when a change might take place and how rapidly," the Web site said. "But by early adolescence, the relationship between a child's real age and her (or his) developmental milestones grows weaker. Just how young teens develop can be influenced by many things: for example, genes, families, friends, neighborhoods and values and other forces in society."
FSMS Choir Teacher Pat Harry defines adolescence as a combination of childhood and adulthood. The changes which occur during this time period occur rapidly.
"Middle school students are a fascinating combination of young adult and child," Harry said. "I read once that a good definition of a middle school guy is 'six-foot tall, with facial hair and a toy car in his pocket.' The great thing about middle schoolers is their eagerness to try new things and belief that they can accomplish anything. Once you motivate middle schoolers to head in the right direction, you'd better run to keep up with them because their energy is boundless, and their ability is tremendous."
According to the US Department of Education, during this period of their lives, adolescents undergo physical, emotional and cognitive changes which can be difficult to endure.
"It takes time for young teens and their parents to adjust to all these changes. But the changes are also exciting," the Web site said. "They allow a young teen to see what she can be like in the future and to develop plans for becoming that person."
FSMS Art and Video Production Teacher Lynn Barr said middle school students not only struggle with physical, emotional and cognitive changes, but some also face environmental situations which make adapting to the many changes occurring within them all the more difficult.
"I think there are many challenges facing the students in this age group," Barr said. "The ones that have faced kids in this age group for years which go along with making that transition from young children as they grow into teenagers and eventually into young adults. Unfortunately, some of our kids have very challenging circumstances at home that they also must deal with. Combine those challenges with the ever increasing challenge of improving test scores and these young adolescents face a very challenging time in their lives."
Fort Scott Middle School teachers work diligently to create an environment which allows the students to make it through young adolescence with confidence. For instance, since puberty can have a huge impact on the voices of both boys and girls, Harry said she takes great pains to help the middle school students involved in choir become comfortable using their voices even in the midst of change. Boys in particular suffer through voice changes often making the sound of their voices unstable, according to Harry.
"Some boys stay in the treble clef clear into high school," she said "Some are comfortable with that, others long for those low notes as a sign of their manhood. That means they may be willing to stay in the alto section, singing along with a few other boys and many girls, or they may desperately want to move to the bass or tenor section. Some will try to fake a low voice or sing in a monotone just to get placed in that section. I try to accommodate those feelings by separating girls -- calling them 'altos' -- and boys -- calling them 'alto-tenors.' I also try to make sure that they have something very masculine to sing."
FSMS teachers find it rewarding to watch the adolescents mature and grow during their years at the middle school, according to Barr.
"Coming into the middle school, many of them are still a little uncertain of themselves, but during their time here they become more confident and grow as individuals," Barr said.
The US Department of Education stresses the importance of parents involvement with their children. Especially during this developmental part of their lives children need to be shown love; be given support; shown respect and provided with responsibility. In addition, adolescents need to have positive role models who provide structure and supervision for them.
October is the Month of the Young Adolescent, an annual international collaborative effort of education, health, and youth-oriented organizations. According to Month of the Young Adolescent, www.nmsa.org, this is the twelfth year a month has been set aside to bring organizations together to concentrate on the needs of adolescents ages 10 to 15.
During the celebration, several main messages are communicated, including the importance of parents' knowledge about young adolescents. In addition to the importance of parental involvement in a young adolescent's life. Everyone involved in the life of a youth should realize healthy bodies and healthy minds will help create a healthy young person, according to the Web site.