4. Attitudes towards school
Many students see school as the biggest part
of their lives. It’s like their job. They feel like they have to go to school
to get educated and to get a good job later on. School takes up a lot of their
time: They spend quite some time in class, have school activities like clubs
after school, do sports in school and then – when they finally come home – they
have to do homework and study. For these students, school plays a major role in
their lives.
Others are not that interested in school.
They rather meet their friends, do sports or make money. Especially boys.
Many teachers think that students go to
school because they have to, but not because they want to. So they are not that
engaged, which makes it hard to teach good classes.
Most of the students see school as “a place to meet multiple goals” (http://www.ed.gov/pubs/USCaseStudy/chapter4b.html).
They believe you need a High School Diploma to get a good job, to go to college, to get educated or to learn skills like responsibility, how to work in a team etc. They also see school as a place to meet people, to meet your friends. You take the classes together, you talk, and you eat lunch together. It’s a place to learn social skills besides academic ones.
Another group of teens sees “school as an
alternative for crime, unemployment and a life on the streets: If there wasn’t
any school, like in summer, then all kids do is just hang around the streets.
Then when somebody asks them to hold this and they start selling drugs and
things like that. School is keeping you out of trouble.” (http://www.ed.gov/pubs/USCaseStudy/chapter4b.html)
When students are asked about school, they will mostly tell you that they like the classes where the teachers are funny, enthusiastic and like to teach. Students even said they didn’t like a subject, e.g. math, and then they had a new teacher that was like the teachers students like and they started to find interest in this subject. For the students it plays a big role which teacher they have.
Others – mostly from the honor or advanced
courses – said they like the advanced/ honor courses better because they do
more and the atmosphere is different. There aren’t as many disturbing factors
as in general courses.
It also depends on the interest if a student
likes school or not. This is also very subject-related.
Identification with school
As can be seen above, high school is an
important factor for U.S. youth. It is particularly essential to point out the
identification of students with their school. Most students feel tied to their
school, more than in other countries. There are various reasons for this.
First, there is a bigger sense of
“togetherness”. They have the same classes everyday, and so students know each
other better because they meet every day. Then, there are so many clubs and
especially athletic activities offered, you are bound to make new friends and
get closer. School teams compete against other schools, and thus it makes the
team, and the whole school, more unified. Especially at events like basketball
games and football games, there is always a huge crowd of spectators and fans
that supports their school team. In addition, there are a lot more parties and
other events organized for the students – all these activities achieve in
getting students to feel more related to their school. Also, every school has
its individual logo and colors, which appear on many things, such as key
chains, clothing, cups and plates, the school facilities itself, athletic
equipment, etc. This creates a feeling of “belonging” among students.
All this achieves that students (if they are
happy with their school) really identify with their school, they are proud to
mention which school they go to, and, for example, they like to demonstrate
this by wearing their t-shirt with their school logo on it.
