Is High School a Rite of Passage?

High school is thought of as preparation for life for adolescents.  If students plan on going to higher education, high school is meant to prepare them for at least four more years of tough schooling.  If students plan on going straight to the workforce, high school must also prepare them for the responsibilities of having a job and managing money.  Are high school student actually ready for life after secondary education?  Are high school graduates already adults?   High school is the American rite but struggles to be a complete rite of passage that graduates adolescents to adulthood.

Adults are recognized by society for their maturity and responsibility and independence – responsibility and independence being the determining factors as to whether one is adult or not.  According to Lynn Hoffman and Vivienne Collinson, who studied high school students to determine the success of secondary education in the United States, “students [consider] responsibility synonymous with adulthood.”  They continue to state that the students “[equate] responsibility with putting time and effort into worthwhile endeavors” (Collinson 12).  Responsible adults have jobs and/or careers, support themselves, support families, and put effort into all the aspects of their lives.  These traits are also what are found in independent people.  An independent adult is one that is not dependent on parents any longer.  Thus uses his or her responsibility to become independent.

Students gain independence in a number of ways.  Hoffman, in her study of the high school experience through the eyes of yearbook students, explains another study done by Chang.  Chang states that there are “several markers of independence [among high school students] … including employment, fundraising, turning sixteen, driving, dependence on peers, and the ultimate marker, moving away from home” (Hoffman 27).  Most high school students do not move away from home but the majority them do drive their first cars and get their first jobs.  These experiences are aspects of the greater high school experience but does high school really have anything to do with them.  The experiences would most likely happen without any high school at all.  High school does, however, provide the location for students to meet others their age.

Students’ interactions with one another become most important to them during their time in the high school experience.  Hoffman, in her study of the high school experience through the eyes of yearbook students, shows evidence for this important quality high school gives the students.  She states, “[s]tudents repeatedly indicated that being with, interacting with, and seeing friends and acquaintances on a daily basis in and out of school were critical components of their high school experience” (Hoffman 26).  This experience is a small rite of passage to these students because it shows the value of working with others, virtually unavoidable in today’s society, and creates a sense of community for the students.  Students are recognized by their peers for what they have done and what accomplishments they might have made.

Social influence is also a sign of independence.  Jason Fletcher, who studied the choice to have sex among teens based on social ties, describes that “measures of [social] norms for sexual behavior” are “important predictors of sexual initiation” (Fletcher 374).  This means that teens in high school choose to have sex because it is the normal thing to do in their social environment, creating independence through dependence on peers.  It would be silly to suggest that sex at a young age is always a good idea, but there is no doubting the way sex can distances teens from their parents – creating more independence.

However, high school fails to create a clear definition of adulthood.  Students graduate ill-prepared for life ahead of them and continue to struggle finding themselves as adults living in our society.  Rachael Kessler wrote an article calling for rites of passage programs to be inserted in school curriculums across the country.  She compares future “school-based rite of passage” with the rituals and initiations of cultures around the world stating the passage young people take are summarized into these steps: “young people become conscious about the irrevocable transitions they’re undergoing; are given tools for making transitions and separations; are initiated into the new capacities required for their next step; and are acknowledged by the community of adults, as well as by their peers, for their courage and strength in taking that step” (Kessler 31).  Is homework what makes teens responsible?  Homework is certainly not a necessary tool “for making transitions and separations”; it does give students the responsibility to complete and turn in their homework but students do not take it seriously because they know it does not affect more than them.  High school also lacks in the acknowledgement from adults: teachers in school only have the duty of lecturing, administering tests, and recording grades.

High schools themselves have been “graded” and analyzed just as much as their students.  Reforming education in the United States has been a hot topic as of late.  Those interested in the matter should ask themselves what outcome they want from secondary education.  Jenna Colozza, an eighteen year old senior in high school, wrote an editorial blog post about her confusion as to whether she was adult or not.  She wonders “how long I can stay this way – how much longer can I be a kid but still have the responsibilities of an adult?” (Colozza).  The “responsibilities” Colozza speaks of consist of driving, turning in assignments, a list of don’t-do’s – don’t drink alcohol or do drugs, don’t run in the halls, don’t bully others – and treat teachers with respect no matter what.  Society still thinks of high school students as kids though and expects that they will break the rules set in front of them.  Colozza demonstrates the frustration most high school students and graduates have: stuck between the delights of childhood and the overwhelming responsibility of adulthood.

Kessler defines what really works.  She describes a ceremony where high school seniors are each recognized for their achievement through a three week retreat.  During the ceremony teachers speak to every one of the students in a setting in front of their peers, parents, community members, and elders about the growth they have seen in these students (Kessler 32).  The big difference between this ceremony and a traditional high school setting is that students do not have to excel academically to be recognized for growth they have made.  Even when students are congratulated for academic achievement it is often blow off as just another part of high school.  Everyone in the community must publically recognize all of these students in order for students to feel accomplished.

High school freshman have a big change in front of them.  They will endure many relationships with peers and will benefit and grow from both the successful and unsuccessful ones.  These students, however, will not all be recognized for the great achievement they have made in their growth toward adulthood.  The status quo of the traditional high school must change to account for this loss.  High schools can change but only with the help of the community.  Students must be supported by their community and high school in order to see their transformation to adulthood and to continue growing into responsible, independent adults.

Works Cited

Collinson, Vivienne, and Lynn M. Hoffman. "High School As A Rite Of Passage For Social And Intellectual Development." Proc. of Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, April 1998, San Diego, CA: ERIC. Web. 24 June 2013.

Colozza, Jenna. “Growing up without really growing up.” timesunion.com. Hearst Newspapers, 7 Nov. 2012. Web. 22 June 2013.

Fletcher, Jason M. "Social Multipliers In Sexual Initiation Decisions Among U.S. High School Students." Demography 44.2 (2007): 373-388. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 June 2013.

Hoffman, Lynn. “Why High Schools Don’t Change: What Students and Their Yearbooks Tell Us.” The High School Journal 86.2 (2002-2003): 22-37. Academic Search Complete. Web. 13 June 2013.

Kessler, Rachael. "Initiation--Saying Good-Bye To Childhood."Educational Leadership 57.4 (2000): 30-33. ERIC. Web. 24 June 2013.