Summer is almost here. We have our graduation ceremony tonight. Then, I have three and a half days of school with our underclassmen next week.

My summer will consist of leading some camps with elementary schoolers, working on some long-overdue house projects, and preparing for next year (my 10th year as a high school teacher).

Inevitably, my preparation for next year will be heavily informed by my students’ experiences.

Most of my students are seniors. They live in the uneasy space between high school and real life, and I have a front-row seat. The most gratifying part of my job is getting to know them beyond merely a number in my grade book. Few things make me happier than having conversations with these soon-to-be graduates, hearing their life stories, answering their questions, and simply commiserating with their struggles in life. I truly have the best job in the world.

Without these daily interactions, I would most likely fall into the trap into which most non-teachers fall: losing touch with the younger generation and assuming that they’re more uninformed, idiotic, selfish, and lazy than every generation that has come before.

The stereotypes surrounding high school students are undoubtedly out-of-date. In fact, I would argue that we need to scrap our current high-school-student stereotypes and need to adopt new ones.

Here are three stereotypes that I am proposing to start the process:

  1. High schoolers are deeply in touch with their emotions

I believe that today’s generation of 17– and 18-year-olds are more in touch with their own emotions as well as the emotions of others because we have largely normalized being honest and transparent about what we’re going through.

I don’t know about you, but my brother and I were the first generations of therapy-goers in my family. Our family is not unique in that respect. Thankfully, mental health counseling is more accepted and encouraged today than it was in the past.

The youth of today are actively tracing the roots of their anxieties. They are exploring their hurts. They are more inclined to share what they have learned with those they trust.

This morning, I saw an 11th-grade student leave his classroom, walk out into the hall, and pace up and down the hallway. He was in tears. When I asked him if he was okay, he said, “I’m just stressed out, and I needed to take a walk.” When I asked if I could walk with him, he said, “Of course.” As we walked, he told me about everything on his plate. He wasn’t embarrassed or ashamed; he simply knew what he needed to do to cope with the weight of things at that moment. More importantly, he invited someone into the process so that he wouldn’t suffer alone.

I don’t know that I ever saw a peer in high school who was that self-aware and knew what he or she needed to take care of themselves in a healthy way. I certainly didn’t cope healthfully in high school.

Today’s high school students are more in touch with their emotions than past generations.

2. High schoolers care about the world

Two years ago, I began devoting my Senior-English classes to the news and current events every Monday.

We start the class off by listening to a news summary-style podcast and keeping track of the day’s main news stories. (A personal favorite podcast to use in class is NPR News Now because it’s quick, covers a lot of ground, and updates every hour.)

After we keep track of the stories, I give students some time to simply talk about what they heard. I give very few restrictions on this conversation time, aside from the fact that I’d like them to discuss the news they just heard. These conversations often lead groups of students into mini-debates, Google searches and fact-checking, and, above all, questioning what they heard.

Finally, I lead the class in a discussion of what they heard. This usually involves me asking as many questions as they did and working together to seek out answers.

For example, this year’s conversations often revolved around Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The first week we were discussing it involved us searching for why this conflict was happening in the first place.

Here is what’s fascinating: Students take these Monday discussions seriously. I don’t have to constantly emphasize why this assignment is important. They get it. They understand why it’s important to know what’s happening globally, even if it doesn’t directly affect their day-to-day lives.

Today’s high school students care about the world around them. They simply need people to expose them to perspectives outside of themselves.

3. High schoolers want to contribute the best parts of themselves

What is the point of school if not to prepare students to make the world better?

The opportunity to discover truth and goodness should be at the core of any class, any lesson.

I am constantly challenging myself to think about why what I’m teaching matters for my classes. As self-defeating and downright annoying as it often is, I have learned to doubt my plans for my classes and to throw out any lessons that don’t intentionally help students continue to become the best versions of themselves. Honestly, it’s exhausting.

But, here’s the thing. High school students will often jump at the chance to contribute their time and talents to a higher goal when they are given the opportunity to.

I often begin the school year with a unit on storytelling but focusing on how stories can change readers’ minds. I like exploring the idea that our ability to tell a story can be used as a persuasive technique. A good story can impact the world.

Once I’ve framed storytelling in this way, I often see students taking their writing more seriously. Once they see how learning is beneficial, they typically jump at the chance to improve. They are learning for themselves and others.

High schoolers are hungry to put something good out into the world. I firmly believe that high school students will take advantage of their chances to impact the world.

If you aren’t lucky enough to teach high schoolers, you may be operating on out-of-date stereotypes based on John Hughes’ movies or your own experiences in high school. But, I promise you things have changed.

It’s time for us to throw out old generalizations about high school students and recognize what they have to offer. We will all be better off for it.