Teenagers have better things to do than go to school board meetings.

Thursday, September 09, 1999

Teenagers have better things to do than go to school board meetings.

At least, they can find more interesting things to do.

That doesn’t mean they’re not interested in education. It means, they understand they are powerless to change it.

They, students, are on the receiving end of education. All that is done in schools is done to educate children and teenagers.

I don’t know what the Shell Oil Company is doing taking a poll of the nation’s teenagers. Maybe, they hang around Shell gas stations and the owners decided to ask them what’s on their minds with the surveillance tapes rolling.

The Shell Poll surveyed ninth- through twelfth graders to get their perceptions of the safety of their schools; the influence of their parents, school officials and peers and more.

Two-thirds of high school students recently surveyed say their lives are at least somewhat tough; yet three-fourths say ‘the future looks promising because "I am pretty confident that things will work out for me."

It was a Monday and the whole week lay ahead, but only four more days to the weekend.

High school juniors, African Americans, girls and students from one-parent households are the likeliest to report experiencing difficult times.

Duh. Let’s see . . . you’re a black female high school junior living in a single-parent family and you want to be President of the United States. Girl. Maybe, you’ve set your sights too low.

The top two pressures concern academics; not sexual activity and drug use, according to the Shell Poll.

Isn’t it amazing how times have changed?

Asked to grade their own schools on the issue of safety, 77 percent of all teens gave their high schools an A or B for "being a safe place, without violence."

School should be a safe place. Lord only knows, homes aren’t.

However, African-American and Hispanic teens are far more concerned about these problems than their white peers.

A majority of teens polled say the best thing about going to school is seeing their friends, compared to 21 percent who say the best thing about going to school is going to classes.

Strange . . . I thought it was the tuna casserole in the cafeteria?

When asked to identify qualities most important to them personally young people tend to stress the intangible above the tangible.

Almost two out of three (65 percent) high school students rate being honest as very important, followed by working hard, being a good student, having religious faith, giving time to help others and having lots of friends.

The rankings change when high school students are asked which qualities are most important to being popular and admired. The three qualities rank at the bottom of students’ own personal value structures are considered more important when it comes to gaining popularity: having lots of friends, being a great athlete and having a lot of money.

And driving a huge Sport Utility Vehicle too!

While their friends are a very important part of their lives, high school students report their parents’ support and guidance is more important than that of their friends, teachers, siblings, girl friends or boy friends. Eight in 10 report they rely on their parents for guidance on decisions or problems, including 63 percent who rely on them a lot.

At least, these teenagers know who controls the keys to the car and pays the allowance.

Girls report feeling worried (58 percent) more often than do boys (40 percent) and students with lower grades are more likely to feel depressed (39 percent) than are those with higher grades (21 percent).

Obviously, these teenage females need a trip to the mall to brighten their lives.

A majority of high school students (53 percent) say they have "no interest at all" in becoming a teacher.

Good. If these are the ones who are failing - America’s schools don’t want them.

Only 14 percent of those polled say the best reason to put time and effort into schoolwork is that "it makes you a better person."

Probably the sons and daughters of school board members.

Lee Bonorden’s column appears Thursdays