The official student newspaper of The Hockaday School

The Fourcast

The official student newspaper of The Hockaday School

The Fourcast

The official student newspaper of The Hockaday School

The Fourcast

Fragments of beauty
In Focus
Fragments of beauty
Larkin Clouston and Elle Myers February 29, 2024

Opinion
February Staff Standoff: Valentine's Day
Alexa Muñoz and Danya Risam-Chandi February 27, 2024

Let Cupid Live - by Alexa Muñoz I have Valentine’s Day plans this year. And this is not the beginning of another malicious anti-Valentine’s...

Junior Jordan Lacsamana utilizes one of MBLs confocal lens microscopes as she observes squid embryos after staining them.
Features
Mastering marine biology
February 27, 2024

From dissections to monitoring fish tanks, the juniors and seniors who spent seven days at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woodshole,...

The DEI Divide
The DEI Divide
February 27, 2024
Lipstick and Ledgers
January 25, 2024

It’s All Relative

There is a counterculture emerging in the halls of Hockaday caused by our upperclassmen. Though recently, the “It Gets Better Campaign” on YouTube, which features adults of the LGBT community consoling those younger than them and encouraging them to know that bullying is only temporary, has become popular, our Upper School student body has recently adopted a culture of striking fear into younger students about their future workload by saying that, to their misfortune, their lives will only get worse as they get older.

This message that each year is harder can be seen not only in blatant statements that undermine underclassmen’s morale, but also in subtle gestures: eye rolls, dismissive gestures and other condescending actions. Comparing these different stages of life isn’t a fair assessment of workload because it is all relative. You wouldn’t snap at a kindergartener for worrying about getting a gold star, so don’t criticize a freshman who’s worried about her Freshman Research Paper—it was a big deal to you then, too.

While we concede that there are two pinnacles of potentially incomparable stress within every high-schooler’s career, standardized testing and college applications, these are the only exceptions. Yes, writing an eight-page paper for Mr. Kramer the night before it is due is a big deal, but so is writing a four-page paper over a week to someone three years your junior.

If we make out each year to be harder and less satisfying than the last, we only discourage those younger than us rather than inspire them. Each year naturally entails more work at a higher quality—why would we even be in school if it didn’t?

It’s important for us to maintain a sense of community within the school. Each year, girls should look forward to the next, knowing that they’re ready and that the new privileges they will receive make the heavier workload worthwhile. Sure, seniors have college applications, but they also get to go off campus for lunch. It all balances out.

High school is a climb, but the higher you climb and further you get, the more experienced you are for the challenges ahead. So next time someone younger than you voices their seemingly trivial complaints, help to pull them up rather than knock them down.

View Comments (1)
More to Discover

Comments (1)

All The Fourcast Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • N

    NandithaApr 24, 2014 at 1:57 pm

    Thank you for being so kind and thoughtful. I hope we have more like you in all schools across this nation.

    Reply