by Heather Russell

Created on: April 23, 2007   Last Updated: June 04, 2009

The high school student is a complex animal, going through many different stages before emerging, at graduation, as a well-rounded, confident individual. As a high school teacher, I'll be the first to admit that the most accurate generalization to make about teenagers is that it's impossible to make generalizations about them; the four years of high school each bring some noticeable changes in students.

Freshman year:

Freshmen are aptly named; they come to the high school fresh from middle school, with a fresh view of the world. They are optimistic and idealistic, believing that smoking and drinking are wrong, that it is important to get good grades, and that their parents are their strongest allies. However, at this age, this freshness sometimes works against them. They tend to feel as if everyone else knows more than they do, does more than they do, and understands more than they do. I am constantly asking my freshmen to face forward, as they spend so much time looking around the classroom at their classmates, monitoring their own behavior in terms of everyone else's; they live in constant fear that they will miss out on an important piece of gossip or that something essential will change in the few minutes they're not paying attention and leave them in the dust.

Sophomore year:

Sophomore year is a very logical successor to freshman year; sophomores are palpably relieved to no longer be freshmen. This relief manifests itself in a newfound confidence; sophomores have more trust in their own interests and choices. However, this confidence is often expressed in negative ways; sophomore girls are more likely than their freshman counterparts to wear revealing clothing, and sophomore boys tend to try out a particular brand of cockiness that results in everyone striving to be the class clown. Sophomores have a stronger sense of belonging; they know the ropes, as they've done this before. They feel more secure in their identity, and feel freedom to try new activities and sports, and maybe to reach outside their groups of friends to meet people. However, this sense of self also has a downside as well. In this push to express their uniqueness, sophomores may experiment with risky behaviors.

Junior year:

Junior year comes as a wakeup call to many students. All of a sudden, college is no longer an abstract concept somewhere in the distant future, but a very immediate reality. Students become more aware that actions have consequences, and are shocked

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