Northwest High School - Vanguard Yearbook (Indianapolis, IN)

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n dllullElll llD l Qi llll?llllQ llllennlllali ?? When she first found out she was pregnant, her first impulse was to run away. But at I7, and unmarried, where could she go? She ended up facing her parents with the trruth. The conflicts and tensions resulted in her parents' divorce. She completed school, was graduated, and then married in her sixth month of pregnancy. The story of this Northwest girl was in no way a new one, although the attitudes towards the situation be- came more open and honest. It was unlikely that the problem of teenagge pregnancies could remain Amer- ica's skeleton in the closet, for statistics bore a startingly high figure of unplanned births. A newscast disclosed the fact that Chinese teenagers were respon- sible for only one percent of their country's birthrate, while American teens were answerable for I7 per cent. Socialogists and other researchers of human behavior stated that young adults tended to act out the per- missive sexual ethic, which was based on the attitude that sex before marriage was all right if the two people loved each other. W ' Why this trend of permissiveness? It was not iust an- other of the changes in time, brought about a new gen- eration. Psychologists believed it to be more deeprooted -than that. According to these behavioralists, young adults were seeking a security and fulfillment of emotio- nal needs that the family failed to provide them. The ba- sic unit of society, the family, underwent considerable turmoil and change in its living patterns. At any rate, the no A 3- occurence of pregnancy out of wedlock did exist, and in increasing numbers. At Northwest, like any high school of its size, it was not uncommon for girls to withdraw as a result of preg- nancy. Individual teachers who knew of these situations spent extra time giving whatever help could to the girls. There were also two home economic courses, home nursing and family living, which dealt with the physical and emotional needs of high school girls. Mrs. Pat Thomas, home economics teacher, felt that the attitude of most Northwest teachers was one of concern. Preg- nant girls were allowed to remain in school as long as their health permitted if they did not disrupt the learning atmosphere. lt appeared that this open approach less- ened the curiosity and the gossipers. As one girl com- mented, My pregnancy iust hurried things, I was get- ting married anyway. I acted naturally excited about it, like it was nothing unusual, and l think my attitude in- fluenced people around me. A program in California, New York, Maryland, and a few other states allowed pregnant girls to continue school. These girls studied home care in the morning, and academic subiects in the afternoon. After the birth of the child, if she had Ano one to care for him, the mother was permitted to bring the baby to classes with her. This program strengthened the attitude of accept- ance towards out-of-wedlock pregnancies and helped the mothers regain their self-respect. The atmosphere benefited everyone including parents, teachers, and stu- dents. The boys cleaned up their language, began open- ing doors, and even offered to push strollers. Frank, open honesty towards the unwed mother may have been the solution to an old, old problem. However, not all teenage marriages were forced, by- products of pregnancy, some married at high school age simply because they felt they were both physically and emotionally ready. Yet other students believed that they had not had enough experience to know what they truly wanted from life, and were, consequently, unprepared to face the responsibilities that marriage involved.

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1 I Exilim people provided the-counter house iobs worked in ferred to mg Terri was satisfied with her don't mind Becky mal really more own two E own and I confidence. Although guidance from this department. guidance department that fit students' personalities office files held of employment, qualification for various positions. Mr. to several businesses searching for lot depended on the person's introduced students to the because I had access to the whose abilities suited the she said. Sandy It is fun alerting her to p- pizza the at Westside Miss to see what it she gained much Business me to stand on my quiring about job had s with Northwest students they began Lamar to ask if there were others she built up obtain scholarships, and find interesting ss- careers. I enioy dealing with the nts' personal lives, she said. I iust try to find a nic hey lt is no inconvenience can fit into. The iob I had in a also went out of firms in 5 In addition, Miss Lamar helped students col- i e

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