They throw paper, smack on gum and chew on thier pencils. When they don't know the answers to he questions on thier math homework, instead of looking for help in thier books, they come up and say "Hey, teacher. I dun get this". They talk, sleep, eat and throw snooty temper-tantrums just to maintane thier egos.
Yep, I'm talking about Teen Agers.
In the world of cell-phones, tv and freaky hair colors, I have learned a LOT. Teens' minds work in strange ways that we adults would consider insane. Now, it's "cool" to go into war and shoot people down, "awesome" to color your hair black with neon-green highlites, and beauty means fitting into a size-zero and wearing the most expensive brand-names and latest styles.
After all of my studying and research or students in my classes, this is the information that I have collected and analyzed. Now, it is being presented to the world of SYM for safety reasons. Here are my results:
There are four major sectors that Teens are divided into, I've found. First, are the Prepsand Jocks - the snooty group who, I would swear on my life, is a tightly-woven network of some sort of secret organization that is plotting against the other three primary groups. To identify a Preppy or Jock, in the women you should look for: skin-tight clothes, almost always brandnames such as Mudd, Adidas and others. Girls band together in tight clans, usually in numbers of 5-15 members per clan. Cell phones are common, as are expensive almost-natural looking highlightes. Men have basically fallen into baggy-pants/t-shirt look, sometimes wearing one long-sleeved shirt under a short-sleeved. Sometimes have colored hair at the tips and is usually spiked up with gel. The young men are usually quite athletic, though this rule doesn't always apply. Overall, it is not hard to identify them and they must be observed from a distance - this group is probably the most dangerous as they have inflated egos and are most likely to drag you into an arguement over the most stupid things. The key rule to this group is that The Preps are NEVER, under any circumstance, wrong.
Completely opposite to the Preps are the Goths. Goths are the alternates to Preppy people, usually being quiet unless provoked or high on some controlled substance. The appearence of the Goth is simple, and quite easy to indentify. They are, for the most part, black-clad. Thier clothes may include red or silver details, and thier hair tends to be either black or bleach-blonde. Another think to note is that thier skin is somewhat pale, whether naturally or cosmetically is still a mystery to me. They tend to fall back in classes, usually silent unless they're around friends. Goths, for the most part, are not particularly hostile. They follow rules and directions, usually listen to you, and don't bring a whole lot of attention to themselves. Gothic students are not to be mistaken for Hostiles. Also, NEVER call a Goth a Prep - it is highly offencive to them, as known from experience.
Third in line are the Hostiles - the students who LIVE to make you miserable. They never do thier homework, never come to class prepared and, as I believe, are always looking for an excuse to start a verbal arguement with thier teachers. When given the choice, they sit in the back of the room where they can talk to each other without interuption from the teacher ( rolleyes: ). Hostiles travel in large groups - usually 5-20 students per group. They are a part-time alliance to the Preps, as they pick on Nuetrals and bother Goths for no apparent reason other than they can. Why Hostiles and Preps even work together in some cases has yet to be answered, but perhaps I will be able to figure it out with more studies and examinations. Hostiles are usually males, though some females can be classified into this group. Swearing is all right, and rules don't apply when you're throwing paper wads at your friends and/or enemies. Hostiles are completely incompatable with Nuetrals, and Goths tend to avoid them all together.
The final group is the Nuetrals. This is the alternate class that contains people of all shapes and sizes. Health and good hygeine is observed (It's a miracle!) and friends are made, reguardless of outward appearences. Social skills vary, though many Nuetrals are quite friendly to one-another. Because this class contains so many charactoristics, I don't think it's possible to evaluate them all, but I can honestly say that they are the most compatable and easiest to handle for teachers. They do as thier told with few problems, and avoid the other major groups, though I have seen indavidual Nuetrals and Goths become friends. They stay away from Preps and Hostiles, and with good reason. There is no range of sized for Nuetral clans and groups: they can be large or small. Outward appearnece is observed, but not used to discriminate anyone.
And those are the four Major groups. Some rare exceptions may fall into two categories, but I have yet to find a student who falls into three.
I have come up with a sort of definition for students. There are three major types, as I call them, A-Categories: Athletic, Artistic, Acedemic. Each student is at least one of these categories, and is thereby a normal student. To be two of these categories, such as Artistic and Acedemic, then the child is blessed. To be all three... Then that child is god. (Three weeks into the year, I have yet to see any child fall into all three categories, by the way.
)Lastly, what I see aftershool. Cell phones, pagers, cd players, electronic organizers, beeping watches, mountain bikes - I once even saw a student bring an electric toothbrush to brush his teeth after classes. This is the electronic generation. Computers dominate teens' lives for convenience or to announce social status. Teens believe these days that the more you have is equal to the better off you are in the crowds. While this is observed, it is also a dangerous rule. Example: Sally is showing off her new 40$ CD/Radio/Headphone set with some interesting little gadgets and things to her friends before school. Oh, guess what. By the end of the day, that nifty toy has been stolen. THAT is how this is a dangerous age. Thieving is a major problem among Teens, as is lieing. To steal is impressive to one's friends, but to get away with it means you are now a god. But if you're busted, then it's all over...
And those are my notes from Jr High school students. They are pureply for reference and discussion reasons, and I have to put my notes SOMEWHERE safe where I know that those conspirising Preps won't see them.
Feel free to add onto my notes about Teens. Share your knowledge - Knowledge is power, and as I have said, it may save your life.
