PSU Magazine Spring 1996

"This time is of immense importance in the development of the young person," states a 1989 report by the Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development titled "Turning Points." "Biologically, young adolescents experience puberty, a period of growth and development more rapid than in any other phase of life except infancy." This physical maturing- which in a period of four or five years produces dramatic changes in height, weight, body composition, and the ability to reproduce-happens at a time when many adolescents are still children in terms of their intellect and emotions. And children are reaching puberty earlier than ever before. In the United States 150 years ago, the average age of a girl's first menstrual period was 16 years; today it is 12.5 years. The change for boys is less pronounced but follows a similar trend, according to "Turning Points." Emotionally, young adolescents are struggling for indepen– dence, but they also have an intense need for adult guidance. It's like a second birth. David Capuzzi, a PSU professor of counselor education, says children of this age group need as much of a parent's time as they did from birth to age two. "And they're sending out messages that adults take all too seriously: 'Leave me alone. I need my space. I can make my own decisions,"' he says. "Parents and teachers often take this at face value and forget that this is a human being who needs more adult support, companionship, and guidance than ever before." Capuzzi, nationally recognized for his research on teen suicide, says middle school is a defining time for children. If, during elementary school, a child has low self-esteem, prob– lems dealing with stress, aggressive behavior, poor communica- tion skills, depression, and other troubling traits, this child will be vulnerable to anything from drug abuse to suicide in middle school. This will be the time for making choices. "It's a crucial time in children's development; they either outgrow or overcome this profile, or get stuck in it," he says. School officials throughout the United States call upon Capuzzi for consultation after a student has tried or succeeded in committing suicide. They often ask him to address a gym full of students, but Capuzzi rejects this, saying the better approach is to meet with teachers and administra– tors to teach them how to respond to adolescent needs. "The worse thing to do is encourage kids to reach out, and have the adults they're reaching out to freeze up because they don't know what to do," Capuzzi says. "Kids will misper– ceive the adult's reaction, and use it as a reinforcement in their decision to drink a lot or pop pills or commit suicide." Capuzzi, the Carnegie Council, and other educators agree that children of this age group are particularly vulnerable to peer pressure, temptations to use drugs, and the emotional problems that come with lack of adult guidance. The Carnegie report states that half of the nation's youth is at serious or moderate risk of school failure, drug abuse, and other forces that can damage their adult years. It goes on to say that middle schools are potentially soci– ety's most powerful force to recapture millions of youth adrift. Yet they often make problems worse. Teachers often view educating young adolescents as impossible. And as a result, their least desired choice is an assignment to a middle school. That situation is changing. Karen Noordhoff, assistant professor in PSU's Department of Curriculum and Instruction, says the state of Oregon is drafting a new standard specifically for middle school teachers. They will require that teachers be SPRING 1996 PSU MAGAZINE 5