This morning began with a lovely run on the Haverford College Campus after snowfall last night. There is nothing like crunching through a snowy wood at daybreak – I had the place to myself and could think about my 10th grade students last week here in Philadelphia. The beauty and stillness of winter is the perfect setting to consider the inner life of a sophomore in high school.

No other grade is as mute as 10th, yet no other grade pays such fierce attention in my seminar. Younger kids have more to say on the topic of alcohol and other drug abuse, as do older kids. I once heard someone say that adolescents need you the most when they are the hardest to be around…Teaching 10th grade is a challenge only because you really have NO IDEA what they are thinking or what they will do with the information being presented. I like 10th grade a lot and I have theories about why they are so quiet. They seem to be in a deep phase of rumination on this topic. Those who are drinking are likely in a honeymoon phase with alcohol and can’t believe that something that makes them feel good might be harmful. The students who aren’t drinking are wondering if they are making a healthy choice or missing out on all the fun – some are also wondering if they will really make it all the way through high school sober and do they even need to…Or, they are concerned about friends who are drinking and possibly feeling abandoned by peers who have caved in and started boozing. Sophomores aren’t exactly joyous non-users like middle schoolers or older students can be. Long story short, they need adults. They won’t tell us that or thank us for it, but they require much attention and support while they molt through being 15. The room warms up when I explain to students that I hit the deck with my addiction in 10th grade and had to be hospitalized twice during that time – I wasn’t at all okay when I was their age and they seem to appreciate and understand that level of honesty.

hiding in a hammock, but paying attention!

Next week is 8th grade; a whole new world…