When I first started student teaching at a high school where students were diligent and unfailingly polite, I asked my co-teacher where the tough students were. “Still in ninth grade,” she said. A decade later, I understand her real meaning: It’s not the kids who are tough, it’s the high school system.
Freshman year throws still-developing adolescents together and asks them to navigate shifting friends, classes, and clubs—and the allure of drugs, sex, and popularity—all while their bodies and brains are undergoing enormous changes. Many come from different, smaller middle schools and start high school with a range of backgrounds that impact how well or poorly they adapt. Though some high schools offer support for kids who show up confused or unsure—like tutoring and counseling sessions—many do not, which can leave students struggling to find their footing. Some never do...