August 20, 2003

The Daily (Georgia)

New survey gives insight into minds of teens
By: Katie Hawkins

Recently, the Horatio Alger Association released a study based on a national survey given to 1,055 high school students. The annual report, entitled "The State of Our Nation's Youth," examines teenagers' feelings about various issues such as pressure, school, and the future.

Social pressures remain high
Various pressures facing teens are everywhere in popular culture. Drugs, sex, and other peer pressures are identified as problem areas concerning today's youth.

Surprisingly, among the pressures that teens cited, the pressure to get good grades was the greatest. Forty-two percent of high school students called the pressure to get good grades a "major problem," considerably higher than the pressure to do drugs or drink (8 percent) or the pressure to have sex (7 percent).

Sarah Parsons, 17, understands what teens face. Vying to be this year's salutatorian at Stockbridge High School, Parsons faces the pressure to get good grades every day.

High school, she said, is an extremely stressful time concerning grades. "It's the end of the road. I knew I had to really succeed in order to get into the best of the best colleges."

This pressure, furthermore, has significantly increased in the past two years-in 2001, only 26 percent of students felt getting good grades was a great pressure.

Although Parsons said that her parents taught her "academics come first," and her teachers are "constantly pushing [her] to succeed," she admitted that she pushes herself the hardest.

"I have high expectations of myself and I try to live up to them," she said.

Parsons, who also participates in club and varsity soccer, track, cross country, National Honors Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and the Science National Honors Society, said she believes that many of her peers undergo the same stress.

"In honors classes," she said, pointing out that many of the same students take higher-level classes, "there is a lot of competition."

Parsons added that the classes can be stressful.

"It's gotten to the point where I can't think clearly, my health starts to deteriorate, and I'm always tired," she said.
The survey also asked teens to estimate the number of their peers that are engaging in various activities. Among the findings, 40 percent of students reported that at least half of their fellow students do drugs or smoke cigarettes. The majority of students also said that at least half of their peers are sexually active and cheat on tests.

Improvement among students, not schools
Although many initiatives and efforts-such as No Child Left Behind-have been passed, students only reported slight improvements among their schools. Students were asked to grade their schools on various aspects. Overall, students assigned a 2.9 GPA to their schools-a C-plus on a regular grading scale.

Ray Hudalla, Chairman of the Henry County Board of Education, believes that it is too early to expect notable improvement.

"Education is a very long process," he said, adding that it takes a full 12 years for a child to complete the educational system. "[Many initiatives] never stay in effect long enough to have an effect."

Students, however, have made significant improvement in educational achievement. One-third of students reported receiving mostly As on their report cards. In addition, another third of students reported receiving As and Bs. According to these results, nearly 70% of students are eligible for their school's honor roll.

According to Hudalla, the Henry County Board of Education has plans to continue these improvements. Schools will begin to "focus on reading and mathematics, incorporating writing as well." These basics, Hudalla believes, are the key to well-prepared students. "They can be successful if they have mastered those things."

Furthermore, teens claimed to devote much greater amounts of time to homework. Up from 25 percent in 2002, one-third (33 percent) of students reported spending 6 to 10 hours on homework a week. Students also reported being more involved with extracurricular activities.

Hudalla offered advice for teens frustrated with slow school improvements.

"Talk with teachers, counselors, and administration and share information with them," he said.

Too often, teachers complain of students who never share their opinions or ask questions, Hudalla explained.

"If you don't understand, you have to ask," he said. "In order to be successful, you have to voice any issues you have with the school."

Future plans
Randy Miller knows a lot about making future plans. As a sophomore at the University of Rhode Island, he came up with a way to provide counseling to students unsure about what to do in life.
"I discovered an overwhelming need for students-at-large and on a national basis to get professional assistance," he said.

Now, Miller is the Founder and CEO of a successful online counseling program named ReadyMinds (www.readyminds.com).

In addition to school counseling, ReadyMinds offers teens "another level of personal connection." The comprehensive, structured program provides students "flexibility, convenience, anonymity-via telephone and online interaction," Miller explained, as well as the ability to reach closure. The program is offered to high school and college students unsure about what decisions to make concerning their future.

There is one decision, however, that many teens are confident about. According to the survey, students unanimously cited college as a key to success. An impressive 88 percent of teenagers said that college is either critical or highly important to being successful in life. Additionally, 11 percent of students maintained that college was "somewhat important" in a successful life.

However, the importance of a college education leads to further stress for teens. Many students feel pressured to decide a college major before they enroll for college.

Miller feels that teenagers should not have to worry about their future careers at such an early age.
"The most important thing is self-assessment," he said, "not getting caught up on a major."

According to Miller, students should focus on their interests, and apply them to their future goals.

"A common misconception [among counselors] is focusing on a major," he said. Teens should "understand who they are," which, in turn, may help them decide what college to apply to and, later, what to major in.

While in-school counseling and other counseling programs such as ReadyMinds are available to high school students, they must ultimately make decisions facing their future. Overall, the survey found that students have definite plans for the future. Eighty percent of students planned to attend a four-year college or university, compared to only three percent who did not plan to continue their education.

Furthermore, students were asked to define success. Teens decided whether fame, wealth, popularity, or other factors determined a successful life. An overwhelming majority of students (90 percent) felt that success was defined by "feeling personally satisfied by what you are doing."

Such practical and mature answers prove that today's high school students have a bright future, indeed.

Katie Hawkins is an 18-year-old graduate of Stockbridge High School who plans to attend Georgia State University in the fall and major in journalism. She is a volunteer with The Carter Center Mental Health Program.