Chapter 1 - Vignettes of Adolescent Students
Chris.
Chris attends a large urban high school. Chris has an academic curriculum and works after school three days a week and on the weekends. Chris comes to school by car, usually picking up three or four friends on the way. After the half-hour ride to school, Chris goes to his locker, talks with a few friends, and goes to his first class by 8:00 A.M. His girlfriend, Monica is in his first class, so he usually there on time in order to talk briefly with her. Chris's first class is an ESL class, which he likes because the teacher treats all the students with great respect. The teacher told the students that he would be available after school to help with language problems.
During math class, which Chris does not like, yet feels frustrated, because he loved math last year, but finds that a lot of time is wasted because of a group of "trouble-makers." These students tending to their misbehaviors constantly divert the teacher. In the regular English class, currently being taught by a student teacher, Chris is asked to read a poem he wrote aloud. After reading the poem, Chris is embarrassed and just shrugs his shoulders when asked to explain what he meant by the poem. In biology, the teacher has just begun a unit on amphibians. She announces to the class that in lab this week, lab teams will dissect a frog. Pedro is not too thrilled about this.
Mary.
She is thirteen years old and her family has just moved from New York City to a small town outside a large southern city. She rides the bus to school each morning, getting up at 6:00 A.M., and riding for an hour to reach school by 7:30 A.M. The school, a regional middle school, is in its second year of operation. Mary is a student in one of three eighth grade teams, each of which is comprised of about one hundred and fifteen students and four teachers. When she arrives at school, she goes to the cafeteria to eat breakfast before going to her homeroom. She starts the day with a bowl of cereal, a biscuit and a carton of orange juice. A first year teacher who has a lot of energy, and sometimes surprises the students with a mysterious demonstration teaches her first class, a pre-chemistry course. Although she doesn't like the subject of "pre-chemistry" she loves coming to this class because her teacher encourages all the students to learn and enjoy science. Her next class is math. All the students in her pre-chemistry class move in mass to math across the hall. She hates this class. The teacher, who is also on-the-job for the first time, embarrasses the students by pointing out their mistakes, especially when they are sent to the board to "work" problems. In interrelated arts, the teacher has invited a well-known potter to come to her class to show the students some of his work, and how he makes pots. Mary is excited and looks forward to interrelated arts today. Mary's class eats at the first lunch period, which causes her to be hungry every day around 2:00 P.M. Her science teacher has asked for volunteers to form a science club. Mary is not sure whether she will go. She decides to ask two of her friends is they are going. They say they are.
Thomas.
He is the oldest in a family of five children. Both of his parents work, his mother during the day, and his father at night. Thomas usually leaves home without breakfast, but stops at the "Quick Mart" for a sweet roll and a soft drink. Thomas is a very quiet student and tends to keep to himself, except for two friends that he sees each day at lunch, and briefly after school while he walks to the bus station to go to work. Thomas reads at the sixth grade level, and is having a great deal of difficulty with homework assignments in English and in U.S. History. He goes to his homeroom for attendance, and then his first class, general chemistry. His teacher explained that they are using a new book this year, and the emphasis is on chemistry in the community, and how chemistry applies to everyday life. In chemistry class, the teacher is explaining the chemistry of digestion, and as he does Thomas's stomach is rumbling. When it rumbles very loudly, a student in the next seat starts to giggle, and pretty soon the back of the class is giggling. Thomas likes school okay, but he would rather be at work. He is assistant manager of the evening shift of a pizza joint, and he feels very important in this role. He often wishes he was graduated from high school, and gives a great deal of thought to dropping out. His younger brother did.
Joseph.
He is a fifteen year old in the seventh grade in a junior high school. He is overweight and towers over all the students. He was retained twice in the third grade, and can't wait until next year when he will be able to drop out. Joseph goes to bed late each night. He lives with his mother and two older sisters in an apartment in a high rise. Joseph is a member of a gang, most of whom live in his apartment building or the ones just adjacent. His gang has not been involved in any violence, but regularly meet and smoke dope. Joseph knows that his teachers and especially the assistant principal keep an eye on him and his friends. Still Joseph has smoked in the boy's room, and come to class many times stoned. His first class is life science, and like all the remaining classes, Joseph never shows up with his textbook, pencil or paper. Joseph shows up to school on an average of three or four days a week, and is forever behind in his work. Joseph shows some interest when the teacher does a hands-on activity, but otherwise disdains reading the text, or doing worksheet exercises. The teacher, however, rarely does a hands-on activity, because some of Joseph's friends misbehave and can not be trusted with the teaching materials.
Alicia
She is a senior at a small high school in a mid-sized city in a Western state. She, like most of the students attending the school, rides the bus. She would like to have her own car, but she can't afford one, and her parents refuse to get her one. Alicia is fond of art and language, especially French, and is a member of the drama club. This year she decided to try out for one of the lead roles in Romeo and Juliet. In art class, the teacher has agreed to help the drama coach build the set for Romeo and Juliet. Alice offers to make some quick sketches so they can get an idea of how the different plans would look. Derek sits down next to Alice and starts talking about how bad he is going to feel when they leave school in a few months. After class, they go to the student lounge and talk for a while longer. Alice suddenly feels sad herself and is happy to share her feelings with Derek. The conversation becomes more personal. Derek tells Alicia that he has liked her for a very long time, but has been afraid to say anything because Alice was dating another boy. The bell rings. Alicia and Derek have to go to separate classes. Alicia goes to advanced biology where the students are giving reports. Her mind wanders to the conversation with Derek. At lunch she does her best to avoid looking at Derek. Derek finds her after school, and talks to her again. He has tears in his eyes, and tells her how much he likes her. She tries to comfort him, but nothing helps. She goes home sad, angry and flattered.