The Amish

"According to Amish belief,

only adults who know the
difference between right
and wrong can be baptized
and officially join the
church. Choose not to, and
you may be shunned by
your family and faith for all
eternity, which is precisely
why Amish teenagers on
the verge of adulthood
face such a monumental
decision."-Schadler
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2W5KHs
BzzI

Intro
A group of traditionalist Christian church
fellowships that are a subgroup of the
Mennonite churches
Known for simple living, plain dress, and
reluctance to adopt modern technology
Have their own unwritten code called the
Ordnung; stresses the virtues of humility,
obedience and simplicity
Began in Switzerland led by Jakob
Ammann; those who followed him became
known as the Amish

Intro
Currently communities in 27 of the U.S. states and
the Canadian province of Ontario
Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana have the largest
population
Currently, there is a rapid population growth in Amish
communities so new settlements are being grown or
formed

Education
Goals: to teach children the worth of hard work, ethical living, and
how to be a valuable member of the Amish community
Preschool:
The Amish have no pre-school
They believe that it is important that very young children are
with their parents and learning under their guidance

Post school:
After 8th
grade, Amish
education
moves from
the school
back to into
the home and
community

Education
Female adolescents as teachers:
8th grade education; it is more important that she is
strong in faith and will stick to the Amish way of
thinking as she teaches the children
Chosen members from society
A new teacher is usually a young girl
Men usually do agricultural work therefor, it leaves
women as teachers

Education
Is Amish Education
Adequate?
This successfully
achieves the goal of
preparing Amish kids
to become
outstanding members
of the Amish society
while having the skills
to do business in the
outside world

Religion
Relating to a Baptist sect
Private people who believe that
God has called them to live a
simple life of faith, discipline,
dedication and humility
Believe that God has a personal
abiding interest in their lives,
families, and communities and
thats why they should be
separated from the rest of the
world

Religion
Faith-based Amish traditions include wearing plain
clothing, living in a simple manner and helping a
neighbor in need
Communities are divided into church districts
geographically, which enables services to be held in
church members homes
One of their biggest beliefs is against infant baptism
a person needs to be old enough to make that
decision; this usually takes place after Rumspringa

Family Relationships
Amish families tend to
settle around each
other, growing up and
living surrounded by
their extended family.
When an Amish family
moves into a home they
usually stay there for
life, this is especially
true of those who settle
near their extended
families.

Family Relationships
Families are generally
started during late
adolescence after
Rumspringa
Families have an average of
6 children per household.
Having a large family is
greatly valued by the
church, who wishes to
continue growth to their
community.
The traditional Amish family
works and does chores
everyday and attends
service every other Sunday.

Marriage
Marriage generally occurs around the
ages of 18-21 in late adolescence
In a marriage, the man is the leader
of the family and the primary
breadwinner making all of the major
decisions for the family, business,
and household.
The degree to which a wife is
included in decision making varies
from family to family.
A traditional Amish family depends on
both parents being active and
present for the supervision and
raising of the children.

Marriage: Roles

Traditionally the wife is in charge of the household she

cooks, cleans, and is the seamstress of the home as well.
Other responsibilities include: childcare, yard work,
laundry, food preservation, helping with barn chores and
harvesting.
A young Amish girl is expected to practice these skills to
prepare her for her own household.

Amish Dating
Children normally attend
school until about the 8th
grade, leaving few places for
teens to socialize and meet
potential partners.
Amish customs on dating differ
greatly from church to church,
each following their own
Ordnung.
Courtship traditionally begins
around the ages of 14 and 15
for girls, and around 16 for
boys.

Sunday Night Singing

Teens stay after church on alternating Sundays to
participate in Sunday night singing
boys and girls are seated at a long table facing
each other
between songs teens have plenty of time to
socialize, as well as 2 hours of socializing after
singing is done
If a couple hits it off, the boy then asks the girl if
he can drive her home where they may sit up the
whole night getting to know one another while
the household is asleep
If couples are willing they can start seeing each
other regularly and going steady

Amish Dating
More conservative couples follow
traditional dating practices, dating in
buggies and participating in group
activities or activities with parents as
well.
Couples that follow more progressive
church teaching may go into town for
a date or even drive into town,
although
this group is a very small
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lKlB
PdgA_E
minority.
(1:00-2:00)

Bed Courtship
Another method that some
Amish traditions utilize is
bed courtship.
In this practice the boy will
ask the girl if he may drive
her home, if she accepts
they will go to her home go
upstairs and get into her bed
fully clothed.
Teens must follow tradition
and are expected not to
touch but only talk
throughout the night.
Bed courtship is a tradition
practiced only by very
conservative churches.

Social Aspects
More lenient free time
Teens in some Amish communities have
the freedom to:

Wear tight jeans

Put subwoofers in their buggy
Use a cell phone
Go to Sunday singings for social interactions

Adolescence, for the Amish, seems to be a

time where a person is held accountable for
forming their concept of right and wrong. They
are out of school, they have their own
responsibilities to manage themselves and
their faith and to determine what is right and
wrong. This is why they are also given some
freedom to explore modern and non-Amish
things.

Social Aspects
Examples of common teen social activities:
Go to Sunday singings
Go bowling
Some teens may even be allowed to go to parties
Note: Some Amish teens go to community events in order to
meet a significant other that they can one day marry. While it is
true that some Amish teens engage in more wild behavior,
especially during Rumspringa, many Amish teens stay closer to
what they know and in more expected social spheres

Social Aspects
Differing Expectations and Freedoms
40 different Amish affiliations in the U.S.
Some of the subgroups are very
conservative, very isolated, and doing
very well protecting their way of life
because they basically reject much more
technology than the more progressive
ones Kraybill

Social Aspects
This difference can have a huge impact on the social
expectations of teens in the Amish communities. In
progressive communities, teens may feel they have
incremental freedoms that slowly allow them to gain
some autonomy.
In more authoritarian situations and conservative
communities, it is not very uncommon that a teen will
attempt to run away, leaving everything they know
behind forever.
Because of this, the social expectations and norms of
how Amish teens gain autonomy and what level of
autonomy they gain during adolescence can differ a lot
on a case by case basis.

Rumspringa

running around
Youth in the Amish community
temporarily leaves the community to
experiences the world
During this period, they are no longer
under control of their parents, not
under authority of the church
Begins at 14-16 and ends when a
youth (boys more than girls) chooses
baptism within Amish church or
instead leaves community.
At the end, faced with choice to return
to Amish community or reject it

Note: vast majority choose baptism and remain

in the church

Rumspringa
Elders generally view this time
as a time for courtship and
finding a spouse
Most youth continue traditional
Amish behavior, others
experiment with worldly
behaviors:
Buying a car
Going to the movies
Wearing non-Amish clothes
Buying a T.V./DVD player

Knowing they have a choice

likely strengthens their
willingness to obey church
standards and, in the long run,
the authority of the church
itself

Conclusion
Hard to define adolescence in the
Amish community

References
A Look at Amish Education. (2010, November 17). Retrieved from http://www.exploring-amish- country.com/amish-education.html
Amish America. (2010). What is Rumspringa? Retrieved November 28, 2013, from http://amishamerica.com/what-is-rumspringa /
Amish Studies. (2013). Rumspringa. Retrieved November 28, 2013 from http://www2.etown.edu/amishstudies/Rumspringa.asp
Brady, J. (2013, September 2). Amish community not anti-technology, just more thoughtful. Retrieved December 1, 2013, from NPR website:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/09/02/217287028/ amish-community-not-anti-technology-just-more- thoughful
Fulong, S. (2012, June 13). About Amish. That Rumspringa Misconception, Again. Retrieved November 28, 2013, from
http://aboutamish.blogspot.com/2012/06/that-rumspringa-misconception-again.html
Lindener-Stawski, G. (n.d.). Patterns of amish courtship. Retrieved November 24, 2013, from
http://web.missouri.edu/~hartmanj/rs150/papers/ws993-1.html
Neal, C. (n.d). Rumspringa: Amish teens venture into modern vices. Talk Of The Nation (NPR), Amish customs. (n.d.). Retrieved November
28, 2013, from Exploring Amish Country website: http://www.exploring-amish-country.com/amish-customs.html
Schadler, J. (2009). Will Amish teens commit to old lifestyle?. 20/20 (Abc), 1.
Townes and Heritage of Amish Communities. (2007, April 1). Retrieved from
http://www.padutchcountry.com/towns-and-heritage/amish-country/amish-religious-traditions.asp
Stevick, R. (2007). Growing Up Amish: The Teenage Years. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.