Working with Junior High School Students (SMP)

In my last post, I wrote about my experience in Junior High School (SMP -Sekolah Menengah Pertama-). The post was in Indonesian, but I believe anyone can guess the content of the post, which was about the difficulty in adjusting from child life in primary school to adolescent life in junior high school.

In this post, I would like to write a little about my experience working with Junior High School students, after I left school -in fact, after I graduated from the university.
Initially, I was back in my Junior High School because my sister had been sending me letters throughout my university study about how the Scouts and Guides Brigade in our school was going down the hill because of its lack of proficient instructors. Later, a girl who was one year below my sister -whom I had never met- was also telling me about how bad things were.

As soon as I graduated from the university and came home to Jakarta, a good friend of mine, and I decided to have a look for ourselves what all the fuss was about. It turned out that the school could not find an instructor to set out a good program for the Scouts and Guides Brigade. So, we decided to ask around.

In a couple of months, we finally found someone we thought we could work with. We decided to give it a try and the result was really good. My friend and I stayed on for a few years as a senior member of the club. Our main role was to accompany the students, especially when none of the teachers were available. The club instructors could ask us to be involved in the program as they saw fit.

Even though our role was never really formalized, it seemed that the students -club members- had the right idea of our presence in the club. They did not see us as authority, but they felt that they could tell us their viewpoints freely. In most cases, we successfully bridged the communication between the teachers/school, the instructors and the students.

My friend and I were only 24 years old at that time. The students saw us young enough to be their older brother and sister. They often told us what they felt was a worry for them, and we tried to discuss it with them.

The first person who often had discussions with us was the girl who told me about the club problems, Niken. She liked the club, but she felt that it was not enough for her curiosity and enthusiasm. She was a smart person, and she had her priorities in the right order. We decided that we should let her find the place she felt belong, and wow, she did try!

Niken started off joining various social communities concerned in youth problems, until finally, she found the one that she liked best, a young readers community which main goal was to gather used books to be donated to localities that lacks the presence of a library.

Niken finally decided to leave the Scouts and Guides Brigade. At first she felt guilty about it, and she was not sure why her parents were fine about it. We told her that she did not need to feel guilty. There are many ways to participate in increasing community welfare, and Scouts and Guides Brigade is not the only way. Everyone should look for a way that best suits them.

The next year, we had two girls who were very enthusiastic, Vie and Tricia. When they were both present, they could invite many others' curiosity to join the club. Other members always looked more eager and enthusiastic whenever these two girls were around.

After a few weeks, Vie and Tricia told us that they started to feel that their academic results were going down, and they were worried that their parents would ask them to leave the club. We cautiously asked them what they thought was the problem and what their parents thought so far.

Vie admitted that she often felt uninterested when it came to studying, while Tricia said that she didn't know how to approach some subjects. After talking to the girls for a bit, we decided that these girls were in the stage when they were feeling burdened by their study. Both Vie's and Tricia's parents wanted them to join a sports club, but the girls were worried sports club would make them more tired.

We encouraged Vie and Tricia to join a sports club before they decided to join an extra study class out of school. We told them that sports would balance their body and mind. We suggested them to try it for one semester. If it didn't work, they could quit it. They agreed to give it a try. Vie joined a self defense class, while Tricia joined a tennis club, both were out of school clubs.

In six months, there was a significant change in both Vie's and Tricia's development. They were both more confident. The best thing was, as they were physically fitter, they studied better too. Later,  they started deciding which subjects, they needed to take extra classes on and what other side activities they wanted to do so that they could use their time effectively.

By the time they were in grade 9, Vie and Tricia did what my friend and I didn't think of doing during our years in Junior High School. They refused to leave the Scouts and Guides Brigades and their sports clubs. They simply explained to their teachers that it was the side activities that kept them functioning well and balanced. Then, when one time I could go on a camping trip, both girls said to me, "Don't you worry. We'll go in your place. We'll make sure these new kids are well taken care of on the trip."

These three girls I met, Niken, Vie and Tricia was clear proofs that Junior High School students CAN and DO grow faster than anyone could expect. Before you know it, they have transformed from a little primary school kid to a young responsible adult with just a little encouragement.

The best lesson I learned during my time working with Junior High School students was that I should always put the parents' advice under consideration. After all, parents are the people who know their children best. If the adolescents feel differently about their parents' choices for them, try to find the right time to talk to the parents about what their children think they want to do. Never try to come between parents and children because it will only create a problem we can never solve!

*Note: the names have been changed to protect confidentiality, but the story was true. The three girls, whose stories I wrote here are welcome to read this post and write comments anytime.. :-)