High School

[zeus]

I have been invited to a few certain north suburban high schools to talk about careers and life.. I don't want to make a big deal out of it but I have a question for you all in that regard. The kids I am talking to at one of them are 9th and 10th graders who are having a hard time fitting in, they have some group that gathers daily.

In short, I want to make sure I'm 'speaking their language' so I thought I would put this out on the table for discussion. When you were in highschool, what kind of concerns did you have? You don't have to have been one of the 'outcasts' to offer an answer here, everyone has an element of their life where they feel alone and secluded.

Put yourself in their shoes. If you were 14 or 15, what would you want to hear from an outsider? What would it be that would motivate you to pick yourself up and make it happen in your life? I want to make progress with them, and help them to feel happy about themselves and their lives. I think I'm lucky to have this chance to talk to students so often, because they take me more seriously than their teachers somehow. To them the teachers are 'old' and they 'don't get it' no matter how valuable it may be what they are saying. At 25, I still look young enough and 'dress trendy' enough (shut up punch) that they can identify with me as 'one of them' in a way. I just try to go in and help them in a way I wish someone would have helped me when I felt like a 'loser' at their age.

Any ideas are very much appreciated. Thanks.

-Patrick

[Roast'em]

Tell them to get all the bo0zin and smokin out of their system while they're still in high school. Otherwise it will fuck up their college studies.

[Sleeper]

Just tell them you're in a "Rock and Roll" band...you'll have their attention forever....

But really...I'd tell them not to take it too hard, because honestly, the stuff that goes on in high school doesn't mean shit anyway

[slo5ohh]

How about that high school isent life and the worlds a whole different place that dosent give a shit about high school. Wether your the most popular kid, or just a nerd, none of that matters when you get into the "real world". When I think back at high school, I stressed about alot of things that I didnt need to, cause like I said it just dosent matter now. I guess what it boils down to is that no matter what your high school life is like, when you get out of school your life is what you make it, not what it was in HS. I guess thats what I would say.

[Sleeper]

Couldnt have said it better myself (I tried I guess)....

[zeus]

great comments so far guys, thanks. I think I will print this out and bring it with me. I need more opinions than just my own in order to make a good effort.

[Macs Stang]

i would tell them to just be themselves and if someone wants to talk shit about them, they need to realize that these people are insecure thenselves, thats why they talk shit about other people.

[mnstang]

heh, saw this thread and was thinking it was about this club at 1st
but... i'd have to agree with slo5.0 and macstang.

[Sleeper]

Originally posted by mnstang
heh, saw this thread and was thinking it was about this club at 1st
but... i'd have to agree with slo5.0 and macstang.

thanks mnstang...

[Matt87GTA]

Tell them that there exists a place where they can fit in and accomplish things they might never have imagined possible. A place where every day is an adventure and a challange and the communication and leadership skills you learn are invaluable. A place where the cause is all and it is the most just one in history . They can find it all, and much much more, in the United States Army .

[SS1LE02]

Originally posted by Matt87GTA
Tell them that there exists a place where they can fit in and accomplish things they might never have imagined possible. A place where every day is an adventure and a challange and the communication and leadership skills you learn are invaluable. A place where the cause is all and it is the most just one in history . They can find it all, and much much more, in the United States Army .

I'd recommend the Air Force.

[Drunko McMoppo]

I was an outcast since I was received at birth. When I was 14-15 it was the worst, I somewhere along the line learned to hate everyone I met in school, highschool was better but my best friend decided to conform to everyone else and lived the life of someone he wasn't and I rarely talk to him, which is bad since I've known him my whole life but whatever, now that I'm out of school everything is better, I work a bit too much and don't sleep enough, but it's ok until I figure out what I'm going to goto school again for.

I don't know what you can do to help the kids because you're most likely going to be bullshitting them, you'd like to make a difference but it's just not going to happen, I'd tell the kids that they shouldn't believe what they've had beaten into their brains their whole life, school is not the end all of life and they shouldn't spend their entire highschool career trying to "better" themselves and conforming to the world around them to fit in, what kids today need to realize is that highschool doesn't matter. It's just something you have to do to do something else, I remember all through school teachers, principals, hall monitors, whatever, all they did was try and make me 'fit in' and have school spirit, but while being exactly like everyone else I should be unique. It just doesn't add up. I doubt any of what I just said helped you because I'm so preoccupied I can't even remember what my main point of replying was, I'll get back to you if I remember.

-Mark

[zeus]

Originally posted by LTDpower
I don't know what you can do to help the kids because you're most likely going to be bullshitting them,

Can you explain this comment in a little more depth?

[Zephyrefi]

That seems kind of like a "rebellious teenager" point of view he has there, no offense. I think it's hard for kids not to see the adult world as one big sellout. What people eventually learn as they grow is that things like changing how you dress, etc in order to get a job just doesn't matter that much. The whole idea of "conforming" in the physical sense is extremely trivial. Compromising your values is quite another matter, but i don't think kids know the difference. How you look can have NOTHING to do with how you think. But if you dress to represent how you think don't expect NOT to be discriminated against if it's seen as a negative affect on society. i HATE when people complain about that. "i wasn't hired because of how i dress." THEN DON'T DRESS THAT WAY! It's all part of achieving a goal such as getting a job you want.

As far as the bullshitting remark, you have to be prepared for that. Teenagers are learning that the "being able to be whatever you want" like their parents told them, oh wait, there's hard work involved! Espeically kids who are handed everything. They give up pretty easily, and might see what you tell them as bullshit. I'm not talking about anyone specifically here. Hope that helps.

[DNeinstadt]

Use the words "shizzle" "nizzle" and "sheezy" a lot.