Dear youth of today,
First of all, hello. If we don’t know one another,my name is Emily Staat - or Ms. Staat to my students at Liberty High School. I’ve been asked to pen this letter to you all as a way to share an adult perspective on youth. And in the most millennial way possible, I feel in no way that I can represent adults as I barely feel like an adult myself! That transition from young adulthood to adulthood seems like such a huge milestone - or at least to me it did. The answers and independence adulthood seemed to offer were really enticing to me as a teenager! I wanted to have it all figured out (still do...). And now that I’m “an adult,” I can confidently tell you that while I’ve gained independence and answered some questions, there are still so many questions, even in adulthood.
We seem to believe - as a collective - that there is a chasm between our teenage years and adulthood. That the problems we grapple with in our teenage years are trivial to those we wrestle with in our late-twenties or early-nineties or anywhere in between. However, in my experience, that is not true at all. You experience the world just as I do - or any other human does - in all its brutality and all its beauty. You are navigating a world of struggle and triumph just like I am. Certainly our surroundings, identities, experiences, and other factors impact this. But still, we each are out here experiencing, navigating, being. Sure, I have a few more years under my belt (and maybe a more fully developed brain) but that does not determine the depths of either of our feelings or the potentialwe each hold.
As a high school teacher, I have a first hand glimpse into high schoolers’ lives and let me tell you - y’all are living life. You’re navigating social relationships. You’re working part-time and full-time jobs. You’re caring for family members. You’re putting yourselves out there and trying new things - constantly. You’re thinking about the future. You’re thinking about the past. And each of you - consciously and unconsciously - are grappling with and reflecting on who you are, who you are perceived and expected to be, and who you want to be. All of these things (and more) are you being human - not being a teenager or being an adult. These are things that I do too.
And as humans, we are constantly asking questions. I had so many questions about myself and my life when I was a teenager. And I really, really wanted all of them answered. I wondered about my worthiness and my future. I questioned the expectations others put on me, that I put on me. I pondered injustices and the sometimes random, sometimes deliberate unfairness of the world. And I’m still questioning these things today. While some of these questions have been answered, many have not. I’ve learned - and I’m sure many of you have learned too - there are some questions we might never have a nice, neat answer for. Whether about ourselves, others, or the world at large.
And isn’t this questioning so human of us, right? You may not be an “adult” but you are human. Living life. Asking questions. So what can I offer to you other than an affirmation of your humanity? You are a wonderful, curious human. You are growing and learning now as you will in 5, 10, 15, 20 years. Don’t think for a moment that who you are now and the human you are becoming - with all your questions in tow - isn’t incredibly important. You are living life and you are asking questions. There may not always be answers but may there always be growth. Embrace that growth.
Stay curious, Emily Staat
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