Guest Author: Chris Stuchko, Host of 9th Grade Experience
The summer is winding down in Pennsylvania and the start of school is rapidly approaching. During these last few days, I sit with only one regret from an otherwise amazing few months spent with family and friends to recharge and renew for the 2023-2024 school year.
I missed out on the concert experience of a lifetime. Sadly, I did not get a chance to attend Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
Don’t get me wrong. I watched highlight videos on TikTok. I read all the recaps. I wanted to know the two secret acoustic songs each night. I was by no means a Swiftie when the tour started, but following the nightly reports and watching clips from the shows became my guilty pleasure as I attempted to put myself in the crowd.
It was difficult to escape Swift this summer as she grew from superstar to mega, super-duper, culture-defining star. She filled 70,000-seat stadiums on multiple nights. Some nights, up to 20,000 fans were outside of the concert to be a part of the scene and listen to the music. She created a phenomenon that allowed people from all over the world to feel like they were a part of something - one friendship bracelet at a time.
So, now that you know what I didn’t do this summer, you may be asking: What does Taylor Swift have to do with teaching and ninth grade?
On her 1998 album Fearless, as well as the 2021 re-release Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Swift wrote and performed a song called Fifteen. It opens with the following lyrics
“You take a deep breath
And you walk through the doors
It's the morning of your very first day
You say hi to your friends you ain't seen in awhile
Try and stay out of everybody's way
It's your freshman year
And you're gonna be here for the next four years …”
The powerful imagery written about that first day of high school sticks with me each year as I welcome the latest crop of 9th grade students in my high school. For everyone associated with those students, it is a journey into the unknown of what high school will really be like, as opposed to the stories their parents and friends may have told them or what they have seen in movies or television shows. The difficulty lies in just getting through the first days.
For the past several years, I have worked primarily with first-year students as a learning support science co-teacher. Years ago, our building identified the difficulties for students transitioning from middle to high school and made it a priority to offer assistance and support to allow them to become more quickly ingrained in the school culture and start off their high school career strong. I have had many years and opportunities to see and judge what strategies can truly make a difference during that first year.
As another school year begins I thought it would be interesting to give an encore to the Eras Tour with 9th Grade Tips (Stuchko’s Version) in which I will take the title of each of Swift’s 10 studio albums and give a short strategy that a student, teacher or parent can put into place to help students be more successful.
So there is no confusion or bad blood, please note I am only using the album title as the basis for each strategy. This is not an article in which we will dive deep into song lyrics, hidden messages, and other interpretations.
Are you ready for it?
Take a deep breath …
Baby, let the games begin …
Taylor Swift (also known as Debut)
It is important on the first few days to put your best foot forward and stay out of trouble. Initial impressions are key to building relationships with adults and peers in a new building. You have a chance to reinvent yourself if you desire, so think about what you do on the first few days.
Fearless
High school allows students the opportunity to get involved in many different things. There is an extracurricular activity or program for all students. It may take a little bit of reaching outside your comfort zone, but being brave and trying new things is one of the best parts about high school.
Speak Now
High school is a time when you are beginning to discover who you are and part of that process is finding your inner voice. It is important to be your own advocate, especially if you are in a large freshman class in a big school. Find an adult you can trust, like a teacher, counselor, staff member, that you know will always have your back. This may take time, but when you find those people, build that relationship.
Red
Stop and think before you post to social media. Is this something that I want to follow me for the remainder of my high school days? I know it may seem ways off, but colleges and future employers can easily search your name online to see what digital trail you leave. Be smart about your digital footprint.
1989
Take it old school and do things without technology as much as you can throughout the day. Take notes in a notebook. Write down assignments in an assignment book. Talk to friends in front of you and not just through snaps and texts.
Reputation
A person’s reputation can be destroyed quickly, so saying mean things in a joking way to seem cool or posting an embarrassing photo can have more repercussions than you think. We all have moments that we regret, so as you start high school, think about what it feels like to be on the other end of negative comments and act accordingly.
Lover
As you begin high school, it is time to focus on yourself. While it may seem like everyone around you is interested in dating, not everyone is doing it. An observation that I have made in my years of working with high schoolers is that much of the drama created in a school comes from relationships gone wrong. Learn from the mistakes Swift sings all about!
Folklore
Depending on where you attend high school, the school and community may have many traditions that have been passed on for generations. Take the time to learn about them and see how you can be a part of them. It might mean attending a football game on a Friday night or participating in dress-up theme days, but the more you are engaged in your school community, the more you can potentially get out of the experience.
Evermore
You will be continually learning and adapting throughout your entire freshman year. You may face new challenges that you did not encounter in middle school. Tests and quizzes aren’t so easy for you anymore, so you will have to learn study skills. The amount of work could be increased and you never had to manage your time before, so creating a schedule is something that could be a new challenge.
Midnights
Get a good night’s sleep! You should not be up all hours of the night studying, chatting, playing games, etc. Teenagers need sleep. And you can’t get it all back on the weekends. Try to set a consistent schedule so that you can wake up feeling refreshed and recharged for school.
There’s no need to re-release any of these tips; use them to find out who you are supposed to be as a freshman.
