We don't do assigned seating in youth group. We do unspoken assigned seating in church--an oddity we adults are willing to accept. But in school, our students are often subjected to assigned seating. So when I substitute teach, it never fails to have someone, or more often many, students ask me if they can switch their seats just for the day. I can repeat their whines verbatim, "I'll be really good today, Mrs. Seefeldt." "Mrs. Seefeldt, I just can't sit here. You don't understand." "Mrs. So-So moved me to this spot yesterday. Honest." "She's lonely over there, Mrs. Seefeldt." (But the one who is supposedly lonely is not the one asking.)

Typical for adolescence, teens want to push their boundaries and as their sub I'm the new boundary keeper so they always push. Always. But I'm unmovable. After 15 years of substitute teaching, I know the reason for assigned seats.

When subbing, I also get unending questions about everything. Just a way to push those boundaries again but I always notice the pattern that the question has a root to make their situation better, whatever that situation may be. Some older teachers are appalled at the audacity of the questions. But when I get asked if we can go to 7-11 (true moment), I calmly say no and give Chris a wink. When Kareem asks if we can get out of class 30 minutes early and the class mocks him, he gets it. He says, "Who knows, she might have said yes." If he didn't ask then certainly there would be no chance to go. With asking, there is always a chance of a yes. A one in a million chance but there is a chance.

With all of the rather dumb questions, my students will tell me if I have something in my nose. Adults don't often tell me. Aren't teens wonderful?

This sense of wonder, this journey of discovery, this progression from concrete operations to abstract operations, experiencing the growth of the frontal lobe and the amygdala are the reasons why teens are so wonderful to work with. As an adult in their lives, you just never know what you may unlock and experience with your teens.

You will also notice when you field questions, even dumb questions, the questions are always asked to better the situation for that teen now. Simply for teens, life is viewed through this, "Is it on the test?" If it's not on their test, they don't want to know about it. (It's nice to know that my nose and embarrassment make the test.)

This past Sunday I taught our foundations Sunday school class. I was teaching about The Apostle's Creed but one of the boys had a 24-ounce Mountain Dew and two donuts for breakfast (his mother confirmed this). The Apostle's Creed just wasn't on his test. Handling himself was all that was on his test that day. So how do you teach the permanency of the gospel when that is not even on the test? The reward of heaven or the fruit of a Biblical lifestyle is so far off in their minds that it is almost incomprehensible.

So how do you teach the permanency of the gospel when the life perspective of a teen goes all the way to next weekend? Have you tried to get youth to commit to a church event a month or so in advance?

One thing for sure is you don't chuck the lesson on the Apostle's Creed. You don't see schools chucking lessons on exponents and we all know that those are not on the test. Teaching to what is on an adolescent's test is why we do units on friends, dating, stress, etc. However we also have more to offer. We have discoveries about their faith that teens don't even know yet and we get to open them up for them.

Do you know why students like Lucas feel free to ask me "If we get our work done, can we go home early (which would be 10:30 a.m.)?" They know that I am in a relationship with them. As the teacher I am the test-giver but they also know that I am there for them. They know that I will walk with them through to the discovery. Today's discovery was percentages. Who knows what tomorrow's might be?

Poor teachers in the public education system are the teachers that teach to the test. As a youth leader, teach to the possibility of discovery. The test questions will be answered in the process. You may have had one of those teachers when you were in school. He/she is that one teacher you always remember so fondly because he/she opened up some sort of new world to you. With the youth in your group, you have that opportunity to be that sort of teacher. You have that opportunity to make their situation better by opening up their faith. And if you get the opportunity to be asked a dumb question such as "Was Pontius Pilate the president and why isn't his wife mentioned (in the Apostle's Creed)?" you will know what is on his/her test. Give him/her a wink and proceed to answer. And smile because this is why we love teens.