People always wonder how an experienced junior high worker is able to
function in what appears to be a state of total confusion. I can remember times when I would invite the pastor of our church to speak briefly to the junior high group, and invariably he would stand before the group and try to quiet the kids down and achieve total silence-
unsuccessfully. Frustrated, he would look over in my direction and
expect me (plead with me) to do something, when really there was not
much that I or anyone else could do. What he needed to do was to
proceed and to ignore the ever-present stirring of the crowd. Despite all
the noise, he would be heard, even though he might wonder how in the
world that might be possible. Rarely can you tell how well you are
communicating with a group of junior highers simply by noting the
decibel level or by waiting to get positive feedback from the group.
Then there was the time I had spent several weeks studying and
discussing the concept of Christian love with my junior high group. We
particularly concentrated on what it meant to be the body of Christ and
how as Christians we should care for and love each other, to strive for
unity and harmony, and so forth. The kids were really into it, and I was confident that the way the group had responded to this material meant that our group was going to be the most loving, harmonious collection of junior highers in town. Unfortunately it wasn't to be. Less than a
week later, two of the dominant cliques in the group were at each
other's throats again, so one half wouldn't even speak to the other half.
It was all I could do to prevent an all-out war. Apparently our study
about love didnt make a very deep impression on them, I concluded.
Naturally when things like this happen, you begin to wonder whether you are getting anywhere as a junior high worker or teacher.
Normally, you hope that you see results reflected in some kind of
positive behavior, but with junior high kids, you just can't count on it.
And it rarely has anything to do with how well or how poorly you are
doing your job. Learning and growth in junior highers will be taking
place even when their behavior seems to indicate otherwise. A junior
higher's behavior will many times hide more than it reveals, so you can't
really depend on positive behavior to measure your success, failure, or
results. You will be disappointed when you do.
The Value of Patience
The unpredictability of junior highers predictably generates a good
of anxiety for people who work with this age group. It is no easy
of anxiety
task to adapt to the emotional ups and downs of junior highers week by
week .It requires a considerable amount of patience, particularly when
the behavior of the group is more negative than positive. The temptation he in such situations is to respond in anger, to punish them in some way, to give them a tongue-lashing, to call in their parents, or to threaten them with whatever might seem appropriate. In my experience as a junior high worker, I can recall times of panic, despair,
anger, and my impulsive actions at such times did more damage than good. If you lose your temper, or overreact in a negative way, it rarely
accomplishes much. It only reveals an area of weakness that can be
exploited by the kids at some later date. There is nothing wrong with
being firm and strict and honest about your feelings, but young
adolescents need to see maturity and consistency in their adult leaders
as much as possible. Junior highers demand almost superhuman
standards from the adults around them.
Rather than losing control, it's best to try to be as understanding
as possible and relatively good-natured through it all, even when the
kids are not cooperating with you. The best advice is to have patience,
make as few demands on them as possible, and wait it out. Sometimes
it's a good idea to punt-switch gears and move the program or the
activity in a new direction. For this reason, it's wise always to have a
backup plan.
To be patient with junior highers also requires resilience. When
young adolescents are angry or distressed, they are prone to attack you
verbally. They may tell you off, call you names, or tell you that you're
Stupid, or old, or ugly. If you are insecure about yourself or get hurt easily, you could be in trouble. Experienced junior high worker recognize that kids don't usually mean what they say when they
emotionally upset. If you can remain calm and refrain from responding in like manner, they will often come back with their apologies, asking
for forgiveness. Be sure to give it to them.
