Teens and Adults

I love hanging out and talking with students. I find teenagers endlessly fascinating. Maybe it's the youth pastor in me or the fact that I'm still a kid at heart (and have a junior high sense of humor), but I think young people are some of the most interesting, fun people to spend time with.

I remember in high school, some of my best friends were a year or two behind me in school, so when I was a senior, I would often hang out with freshmen and sophomores. I remember asking my youth leader at the time, Jimmy Olson, if he thought that was normal. He looked at me and said, "Hey, I'm a youthworker! I hang out with younger people all the time!" When I became a youth pastor my dad asked one time if I thought I would still be able to relate to young people when I got older. I said, "Like your age?" He was in his 50s at the time. "You're a high school teacher and you can still relate to teens!"

I wish more adults had the opportunity to get to know this next generation (and vice versa!) I think the media often gives a skewed perspective on teenagers and it's easy to stereotype them or lump them into a category that may not be real flattering. But there are some fantastic students around. I'm so fortunate to be able to know so many great kids through my youth group, substitute teaching, and helping coach the cross country team - which is pretty much the reason I am involved in those activities.