ATTITUDES: Adolescent OR

Academic?

INTRODUCTION“How regrettable it it is that none of them realizes that history, literature, science, and civics offer not only knowledge for school but resources to manage the vagaries of adolescence.

Commiserating with a buddy after a breakup helps, but so does reading about Gatsby and his dream. Learning about how Mendeleev arranged the elements might grant a reprieve from the way sophomores take seats in the cafeteria. The heroism of George Washington sets the aura of the popular crowd in welcome perspective”

--Mark Bauerlein from “The Anti-Intellectual Environment of American Teens

PURPOSE-The purpose of this project is to explore teen culture in order to determine the attitudes and beliefs about education and academics held by adolescents, most specifically high school students in the mountain community of Conifer, Colorado.

-The ethnographic fieldwork will attempt to explain who youth are, what they do, where they go, how they communicate, what their interests are , how they get information, the impacts parents and peers have on their thoughts and beliefs, etc.

NOTE This piece serves as a representation of the teen culture of the mountain community and strives to be as original and accurately representative as possible through the use of artifacts such as newspaper articles, photos, images, cartooning, poetry, etc.

-Much of the research presented within will address teens attitudes about the importance of schooling overall. The cultural artifacts of Conifer students will serve to either prove or dispel this research.

-Throughout the piece there will be interpretations from the ethnographer, though these will be separate and defined. The cultural exploration will attempt to be as objective as possible, as will the research.

COMMUNITY PROFILE: CONIFER

CONIFER, COLORADO

-GEOGRAPHY AND DEMOGRAPHICS: Conifer, Colorado is a relatively small, unincorporated community about thirty-five miles southwest of Denver. It is part of Jefferson County and had a population of 19,683 in 2009. The median age of residents is 40.7.

-ECONOMICS: The average family income for residents of Conifer is $114, 375 and the median income is $104, 116. Seventy-five percent of the working community travels to Denver or surrounding areas to do so.

CONIFER HIGH SCHOOL

CONIFER HIGH SCHOOL PROFILE

-DEMOGRAPHICS: For the 2009-2010 school year, Conifer High reported having just over 1,000 students, 490 females and 518 males. Of this group 92.5 % were white, 4.4% Hispanic, 1.5% American Indian, 1% Asian, and .7% Black.

-ACHEIVEMENTS: In this same year, 11% of students obtained an “advanced” rating on the Colorado State Assessment Program (CSAP) and 50% received a “proficient” rating.

-POINTS OF EXCELLENCE: The school boasts its high number of teachers with advanced degrees and the fact that its school library was designated a Power Library by the Colorado Department of Education.

AFTER KNOWING THIS INFORMATION…..a few questions arise.

-How do Conifer area teens feel about academics?

-How does this compare to the ways all teens feel about education?

-What are some potential factors influencing these attitudes?

-What role do libraries play in the lives of teens?

RESEARCHMany students, both of the past and present, hold values that are non-academic for the most part. For example, boys may be more concerned about becoming star athletes than doing their homework while girls may worry more about being pretty and popular than getting good grades. As stated by Susan Dumais in her article “The Academic Attitudes of American Teenagers,”

“…our society has within its midst a set of small teen societies,

which focus teen-age interests and attitudes on things far removed from adult responsibilities, and which may develop standards that lead away from those goals established by the larger society”

(Dumais, 2009)

THE PROBLEMS-In 1984, a survey was conducted John Goodlad, an educational researcher and theorist. In this survey students were asked what the best thing about school was. “Friends” and “sports” were the top two answers. Kids responded more frequently with “nothing” than “classes” or “teachers.”

-On a related note, the U.S. Department of Education reported that the percentage of teens who say they read on their own every day was 31% in 1984. This number dropped sharply to 22% in 2004.

MORE PROBLEMS-Music, television, media, fashion, and overall appearance are all major components of youth culture. This can be seen from an excerpt taken from