It’s the first day of freshman year of high school. You just got your lunch. Now you are looking out over the cafeteria to find a seat.
This is such a universal experience that I don’t need to describe what happens next. Your brain has already filled in the details. Maybe you stood for what felt like an eternity before your eyes landed on a familiar face. Maybe you rushed to the first open seat you found. Maybe you had a friend by your side the whole time, and together you confidently wove your way through the tables and chairs.
The first-day-in-the-cafeteria experience brings up a rush of feelings. Fear. Excitement. Nerves. Relief. Why is this a moment we can all relate to?
Because at the end of the day, high school is timeless.
Every generation walks the same hallway, just in a different decade. Those hallways may look different, but the hills and valleys of high school remain the same.
Yet you wouldn’t think that from the narrative we hear.
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From our students, we hear that we adults just don’t get it.
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From “the experts,” we hear that technology has changed education so much that it’s unrecognizable.
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From culture, we hear that every student dreams of being an influencer and a YouTube star. (How is that even a career path? Asking for a friend.)
And looking at the cars students drive, the take-out coffee they bring into school, the TikTok dances they do in front of lockers, the overload of activities they do … maybe it’s true. Maybe high school has changed beyond anything we can relate to.
High School Time Machine, the series
In our new podcast series, High School Time Machine, we are proposing something different. We’ve gathered 9 story pairs, one from a current student and one from a LuHi staff member, to show that no matter the decade, teenagers struggle, celebrate, worry, and overcome the same situations. For example:
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We all look for purpose
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We all seek to be understood
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We all need strong friendships
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We all wrestle with our faith
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We all lean on our family
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We all fear failure
We all want to belong.
Parents, why engage in this podcast series?
If you’ve been caught in the trap of assuming your student’s world is so different that you can’t relate to them, this podcast is for you.
If you’re looking for new ways to engage your student in meaningful conversation, this podcast is for you.
If you want to open the door to let your student know you want to understand them and meet them where they are, this podcast is for you.
We end each episode with a set of reflection and discussion questions to get the conversation going in the car or around the dinner table. Maybe you haven’t thought about your high school experiences in years. We hope these stories spark your own memories and stories you want to share with your student.
We hope you realize you’ve walked these same hallways, just in a different decade.
Students, why engage in this podcast series?
First, it’s always fun to hear your classmates share stories.
Second, it’s even better to hear your teachers’ stories. Who knew they were once students who didn’t always care about school, struggled with friendships, or had no idea what to do after graduation?
Third, everyone feels insecure, left out, proud, and hopeful throughout their lives. You aren’t alone in your experiences.
Lastly, you may not know it, but your parents want to connect with you. Maybe you’ve felt the desire to connect with them, too. If you’re not sure how, this podcast is here to spark conversation.
Belong and Be Built Up
At LuHi, we want students to not just find a place to belong, but find themselves in a Christian community that welcomes them, builds them up, points them to Jesus, and launches them. We know students are in the messy middle of friendships, pressures to succeed, wrestling with faith questions, and navigating disappointments.
We can’t eliminate all the tensions of high school, but we do walk with you through it.
What can you expect from this series?
Each episode covers a single theme and pairs a student story with a teacher story. Themes include finding purpose, having siblings in high school, trying (or not trying) in classes, being all in, and more.
In our first episode, the theme is Losing the Big Game. Both storytellers reflect on the highs and lows of getting to the big game and the emotions that followed the unexpected loss. We end the episode with discussion questions for you to reflect on:
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Has there been a moment in your life where you thought a win was certain but didn’t happen?
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How did you respond?
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What advice would you give yourself if you could go back?
The first two episodes are out now. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts! We’d love to hear from you, so email us at podcast@lhsparker.org with your feedback.
