Youth

 

The loud speaker came on and our principal announced that the police canine team had arrived, all classroom doors were to be locked and students kept inside while we had a sweep for drugs.  

It’s a safety measure in response to drugs being found and shared on campus this week that ended up being laced with other substances.  

Fortunately the students were all physically okay in the end. And a handful are headed to expulsion hearings.  

I’ve been impressed with our administration’s dedication to keeping the school a safe place for learning.

But when the announcement was made,  one of my seventh grade students began shaking and sobbing.

My heart dropped.  Did she have something in her locker?

She quickly shook her head no.

She was upset and afraid for her friend who is awaiting his hearing.

With tears running down her cheeks she told me in words interrupted by halting breaths and whole body shakes.

“Mrs. Potter, I begged him.  I asked and asked please don’t do this.  Don’t bring them and use them.  They will hurt you.  But I didn’t try hard enough.”

And I could feel her tender heartbreak and fought back tears myself.

And right there, in that class we had a lesson about who it impacts when we make dangerous decisions. 

It is NEVER just us.  EVER.

And I reassured her that even though it absolutely was not her fault, that the hurt she was feeling was real and out of love.

And then we had a lesson about supporting one another through difficult times.  And how we all show emotion differently.

And then this sweet girl, who I have seen make HUGE strides this year - raising all of her grades, finding the courage to be a leader, and overcoming many difficulties, added another lesson.

“It is so hard when you are trying to make your life better and make good choices, but your friends- they won’t come with you.”

Oh, yes.  It sure is.

But the results are so worth it.

Elder G Scott, answering a youth’s question about peer pressure taught, “You can’t please God without upsetting Satan, so you will get pressure from those he tempts to do wrong. Individuals who do wrong want you to join them because they feel more comfortable in what they are doing when others do it also. They may also want to take advantage of you. It is natural to want to be accepted by peers, to be part of a group—some even join gangs because of that desire to belong, but they lose their freedom, and some lose their lives. One of the hardest things for you to recognize is how truly strong you already are and how others silently respect you.”

You can’t please God without upsetting Satan.

And we each have a role in becoming a bit more vocal in recognizing the strength in the youth around us.  

Because they need us.