Throughout life, there are several different stages of growth and maturity. Junior high is a huge step for young people and is often a difficult place for them to fit in and feel comfortable.
During the junior high gender chapel, Dec. 9, I was asked to lead a small group of seventh grade boys. Walking into the room on crutches, I was hit with a flashback of my eighth grade year. Remembering some of my first activities with the youth football program, I saw how far the journey had been from the middle school years.
The main impact on my junior high experience did not come from a teacher; it came from the high school students that I watched. Seeing these older people in awe, I felt so insignificant — not because of what they had done to me, but because of my own insecurities.
Now, the roles have been reversed for me. The opportunity to reach out to those in need does not always have to be for those who need food or shelter. These boys need someone to look up to, too.
The main topic discussed in the group focused on what it takes to be a man. For a junior high boy, the last thing he probably pictures himself as is a man. However, my view on these young men has changed tremendously through this past chapel.
Junior high boys are the same as they were when I attended middle school: energetic, outgoing and slightly mischievous. These attributes are commonly seen as negative features for an immature young man, but I have been moved to think differently.
Though they obviously have a lot of maturing to do, there is much growth already in the boys. The stereotype that is so often associated with junior high has been given wrongly.
Yes, they are still boys, but this is the beginning of their process of becoming men. This long process is certainly not easy and has to start somewhere, so why not in middle school?
Although these boys often fall short in their maturity, they are far from lacking when it comes to insight. During the group’s discussion, I saw several of the boys come forward and speak their opinions. Not only did I see a different side of what junior high is, but I saw another level of maturity.
My outlook on junior high has changed for the good. No longer do I view these boys under the typical stereotype; they are much more than that. I have discovered that this stage is one of the most difficult of many stages in becoming a man.
For more information on gender chapels, check out Setting standards and Girl band. For more experiences, read the Dec. 16 article, State race tests Yee, strengthens faith.
