The lasting influence of teen friendships

Friendships formed during middle school actually have a lasting influence on an individual’s future, according to a study published in the journal Child Development.

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The study followed 184 youth from a public school in the southeast, which included teens from both urban and suburban neighborhoods. The researchers from the University of Virginia interviewed the teens’ parents and other adolescents that they identified as their closest friends annually for three years, starting when the participants were around 13. The authors followed up again when they were ages 20 to 23.

What the researchers found is that “the path is straightforward,” or as researcher Joseph Allen, a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia explained to TIME Magazine, “It is more like a tightrope walk between trying to connect well with peers on one side and avoiding getting swept up into peer influences toward deviant behavior.”

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The study showed that teens who best resisted peer pressure during junior high were less likely to engage in criminal behavior and face lawsuits. Unfortunately, this ability to resist peer pressure can also be isolating; the same group also had fewer and weaker friendships as adults.

Meanwhile, those who have the strongest interactions as adults were teens who walked a middle ground, remaining open to peer influence, but not allowing themselves to be overwhelmed by the pressure to conform.

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Friendships formed early in life are part of growing up, contrary to what others believe that children shouldn’t have best friends. What parents and educators should take note of is the kind of friendship made during adolescent years.

Students of North Central Texas Academy in Happy Hill Farm are encouraged to form healthy relationships with their peers. Learn more about student life in the academy here.

In diverse milieus: Education and racial diversity

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A 1999 research conducted by Psychology Professor Patricia Gurin at the University of Michigan asserts that students who are exposed to racial and ethnic diversity become better learners, and most importantly, more effective citizens.

The study reasons that learning is obtained in the presence of comparison, competition, and interaction—factors present in schools with a diverse environment. In learning institutions where racial and ethnic diversity is present, students are observed to demonstrate the following:

• Better scores on exams used to measure complex thinking
• Greater intellectual self-confidence and engagement
• Higher level of motivation and citizenship

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• A better understanding of the beliefs and views of other people
• A greater understanding that group differences are compatible with societal unity
• A greater chance of having friends, neighbors, and co-workers from other racial/ethnical background after graduation

Prof. Gurin also found that when students spend time with other students of a different race, it makes the former “more receptive to new knowledge.” She summed up the study by saying, “This is precisely why the diversity of the student body is essential to fulfilling higher education’s mission to enhance learning and encourage democratic outcomes and values.”

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At North Central Texas Academy, located in Happy Hill Farm, a unified but diverse environment helps the students learn better and become more efficient citizens. Learn more about the school’s core values at www.happyhillfarm.org.

Happy Hill Farm’s Resident Parents

Most students in regular schools go home to a familiar environment where a parent or other guardian is present. Happy Hill Farm offers an alternative through the Resident Parent who represents the parental figure in a traditional home. These parents take on a very important role in shaping them to become people of character as opposed to people up to their ears in trouble or lawsuits.

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Resident Parents can either be singles or couples. They are offered many employment benefits, which includes lodging, a competitive salary, and meals. Moreover, the role also serves as a vocation, urging adults regardless of age to accept the call of God to make an impact on the lives of young people.

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The Resident Parents live in a large home with eight children, either boys or girls. The private quarters they receive is large enough for younger couples who want to start a family of their own.

At Happy Hill Farm, the Resident Parent is the primary role model for the children, with many support staff members serving in a supportive role. This is a ministry position that has a crucial role in the development of the students. This guidance could mean the difference between a life lived in outstanding virtue and a life riddled with wrongdoings and lawsuits.

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Further information on the benefits of being a Resident Parent with Happy Hill Farm—and the role it entails to help young people avoid choices that lead to a life of bad decisions and lawsuits—can be accessed from this website.

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