Raise Your Voice!

Every day a myriad of labels, both old and new, are thrown into society, reaching first its most vulnerable population: its teenagers.

Through social media and word-of-mouth, the spread of these labels can create both comfort and fear in teens trying to find their place in the world. Having lived just a small fraction of their lives, they are pushed to fall into certain groups which will supposedly make them more readable by their peers. However, this means that once grouped in a certain way, kids are expected to fit into a label completely. This not only results in kids losing their individuality, but also masks the individuality they do possess.

I grew up as a first generation American in a mix of two cultures; a home environment filled with Venezuelan news and food, and a school that taught me about the American Revolution and had me standing up with my classmates and friends, right hand on my heart, left at my side.

The labels set in stone for me such as Venezuelan and Latina have been ones that both others and I have questioned. If I am a Venezuelan American, am I less Venezuelan? Am I less American? Am I really in the Latinx community if I do not look like what some people assume a “normal” Latina looks like despite the fact that it is an ethnicity, not a race?

When a teacher tells you that your summer reading homework is to read a list of books, what is your first reaction? Do you grumble and groan? Do you procrastinate until the last moment possible? Stop and think how terrible the world would be without books. We should feel grateful we even have books at all, yet all I hear about books is negativity. Why has reading become such a hated activity?

Movies are commonly replacing books. Don’t get me wrong, I love movies just as much as anyone. It’s an amazing thing to see a book come to life on a screen. Unfortunately, more often than not, people ignore the books and look to the film adaptations of the story.

I am a huge fan of Harry Potter and a serious advocate for reading books before watching the movies. So it pains me to hear the responses of my peers when I ask them if they have read the Harry Potter books. The most common answer is, “I haven’t read any of the books, but I’ve seen the movies.” Unfortunately, the movies don’t provide the depth the books do. All the knowledge they have about the series is from the movies. If you think that should be enough, think again. They only know the plots to a certain degree. They think they know everything about the series, but there is so much more. Watching a movie is like scuba diving. But, instead of diving downward, you only skim the surface of the water. When you are reading a book, you dive deep into the water and discover a vibrant coral reef below. In other words, much of the book is lost when they are made into movies. Books are condensed and shortened to fit into our busy lives.

Flowers. Trees. Rocks. Dirt. This is nature at its finest. Even in the winter, when the blanket of snow suffocates the scene, it’s gorgeous. No communication. No connection to the outside world through technology. Yes, of course it’s beautiful, but is it practical?

No, not really.

Think of your phone for a moment. Most of you have one. What would you do without it? Would you have as many friends? Would you know as much about the world? But how much trouble is it causing?

These days, it seems like there’s an ever growing war between this generation and the last over technology. Our parents argue we’re growing dumber by the day and we retort that without internet, where would we be? Society is at impasse with tension growing by the day. 

On the one hand, there are our parents. They base their fight on the grounds that the internet is compromising our intelligence. We don’t bother to think for ourselves, wonder, or focus on learning. We ignore teachings, thinking that if we need that bit of intelligence later, we can just Google it and, voila, the answer. 

There is truth to their argument. We are becoming so caught up in technology that we aren’t caring as much for the things around us. The facts support that. In the last generation, SAT scores have dropped from 1,026 to 1,002 out of 1600 throughout high schools. However, the amount of A's given out has gone up noticeably. How is it that grades and SAT scores are going in such opposite directions?

We are known as the “swaddled generation.” A generation set apart from the ones before us as we are overly sensitive in how we act, what we say, and how we say it. We don’t want to offend anyone so we often take precautionary measures to avoid doing so. Society tells us to celebrate our differences but to be careful in what you say about them. We are often socially scolded for discussing controversial topics like political stances, race, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, rape, and assault. And, honestly, it’s extremely difficult to exercise the right of freedom of speech while not offending anybody with what you say in the process.

These previously listed topics are incorporated into many college and university courses as well as high school courses for open debate and discussion. Having this material that offers different opinions assimilated into coursework allows students to be engaged and learn the varying perspectives of others. What would college and high school classes be like if there were not topics that challenged your opinion? Why would we avoid learning the perspectives of others by avoiding these contentious topics?

Growing up may be a hard fact for some to admit, but it is bound to happen. Schools are faced with the challenge of preparing students for life ahead, and they are working to make programs readily available to students for continued education or even for a job right after graduating high school. Students need to help out and do their fair share of work for setting themselves up for success.

At Fort Kent Community High School, we are offered a program known as Jobs For Maine Graduates (JMG). According to the organization’s website, “JMG partners with public education and private businesses to offer results-driven solutions to ensure all Maine students graduate, attain postsecondary credentials and pursue meaningful careers.” By taking part in this program students are able to take part in internships and actual jobs. This helps students by opening their eyes to the real world. I talked to one of my friends about this. Brody Albert, a senior from Fort Kent Community High School said he enjoys leaving school to enter the community and getting to see and do the work first hand. He enjoys working at a fast pace and to get things done and this program allows him to do that. When asked what the best thing about the program is, he stated, “The program is hands on” and that “it’s great to see what work really is over the course of the day.”

My school has been preparing students for the future since middle school. In middle school I had taken a class called Career Education. In this class we learned about the 16 career clusters and each job within each cluster. We also learned the education levels needed for each career and what skills and experience may be required. There was a career cluster breakfast for the 7th and 8th grade students last school year in 2016.

Take a look through the classrooms of nearly any high school. Chances are, you’ll find some students who are highly engaged, and others, writer Adlai Nelson notes, staring into space, bored, disengaged, and uninterested in the challenge before them.

“Not everyone is ready, or willing, to learn at the same level,” he says. Adlai suggests that honors classes should “not be encouraged for everyone to ensure that students who do not want to take part in them do not end up in them.”

He proposes setting up class enrollments based on who really wants to be there. His podcast shares his ideas, and a simple solution for creating the kind of classroom atmosphere for students who want to excel.

Adlai Nelson is a sophomore at Lincoln Academy and lives in Newcastle.

Writer Ellie Mathews has some strong advice for schools: work on the first-year transition.

Coming together is a big step for most young people, and they need some guidance, Ellie argues.

In schools, social dynamics are often overlooked by adults, and at times, young people need help forming bonds. Teachers could lead the way to help everyone feel like they belong to the community, says Ellie.

“I think addressing this problem means addressing exclusion and inclusion. That’s hard, because teachers can’t really enforce their students’ ‘kindness,’ but we can’t keep letting exclusion go on,” she says.

Ellie’s podcast gives her solution to this problem that has challenged schools for years.

Ellie Mathews is a sophomore at Lincoln Academy in Newcastle.

At Lincoln Academy, a residential program brings students from 19 different countries to this small campus in Newcastle, giving Maine students a chance to interact with young people from around the world as part of their education.

Sophomore Grace Canny has learned about the benefits of learning in a community with both American and international students, from the chance to hear about life in another part of the world to the opportunity to experience diverse cultures.

“If anything, this year has taught me that we all have something in common to bond over, whether it’s disdain for a certain school subject, or the love of a favorite sport. I have made friends who I never would have met.”

Grace explores the benefits of blending a multicultural experience with living and learning in Maine in this podcast.

Grace Canny lives in Newcastle where she attends Lincoln Academy.

Starting in 2020, a new Maine law will require that all graduating students meet minimum levels of proficiency in their subject areas in order to receive a diploma.

This new directive will make proficiency-based learning the new normal rather than the current grading system. With the new law in place for the upcoming academic year, students will be evaluated on their performance in meeting learning targets.

As the Maine Department of Education website states, these learning targets and the subsequent proficiency-based diploma will ensure that students graduate “with a diploma that signifies they are leaving high school with the knowledge and skills needed for college and career success.”

Perhaps caused by the lack of visibility to students, what is interesting about this new initiative is the lack of student opinions. With teachers, adults, and the Maine DOE having plenty of mediums for their thoughts, students have been mostly mute on this important change. Three Waterville Senior High School sophomores, Leah Shoulta, Conrad Ayers, and Lauren Smith, all among one of the last classes to be graded based on the traditional average-based system, spoke about the new initiative.

As I’ve grown up, I’ve come to realize how important it is for me to share my own thoughts and opinions and use my voice. To me, this project was seen as something more than just your average research project because I was given the freedom to choose a topic that I cared about.