Freshman have always been the lowest tier of high school, and for a reason. They are the youngest, and generally the most annoying. But this leaves a question: At some point everyone is a freshman, but how do the incoming freshmen always seem to be the most annoying? Why do they seem to be more and more annoying every year, and have they been getting worse over time? In this article, I, Seth Norton, and Grant Seamons will explore this question.
While Grant and I have our own strong opinions on this question, we knew that we needed to broaden our horizons and learn what others think, so we started by interviewing people around the school. The first person that we interviewed was junior Landon Park. He said that this year’s freshmen are “all pretty nice… they seem to be hardworking. They all seem to get tinier every year.” But he admits “I probably was (annoying) because lots of people said I was […] sometimes I think [freshmen] are just not mature, and they’re kind of crazy.” This interview gave us a fresh perspective, maybe freshmen seem more and more annoying because we get more and more mature. Are freshmen just doing their best and we are being too judgemental?
After this interview we realized that we needed to ask for a senior’s opinion, because they have seen the most freshmen over the years. We talked to senior Evan Runia who said “[Freshman] have gotten worse over time.” We asked him if he looked up to upperclassmen as a freshman, he said “I mean I kind of had to because I was like 5 feet tall.” In fact, he believes that this is the reason that upperclassmen dislike freshmen, in his words it’s “because they’re short.”
Junior Barrett Hoagland was asked about his thoughts on this year’s freshman. He said, “a few of them are good, but the rest of them are low key bums.” Junior North Taylor said, “[Freshmen] have no respect.” There seems to be a common theme; upperclassmen do not like freshmen.
We soon realized that some freshmen don’t seem to be catching on to this hate. Such as Owen Stevens (who’s street name is Grub), who says “[Highschool] seems pretty good.” He admits that upperclassmen “tease you, but not bad.” In fact, he even thinks that freshmen don’t get too much hate. This gave us a fresh perspective. Maybe freshmen are actually annoying and the hate that they get is the only thing that keeps them in check. Could it be that bullying freshmen is the duty of upperclassmen?
But what could be the reason behind their disrespect and annoying behavior? One possibility is the transition to a new school with lots of unfamiliarity and uncertainty. It is easy to be uncomfortable and act in a way that other students see as annoying, but in reality, the freshmen are just trying to adjust to a new environment. They want to feel accepted and fit in, and that might cause them to act differently.
Honestly, we all feel that at one point, so who can blame them? The truth is it is difficult to be in a new part of life and feel comfortable. Why do we give unnecessary hate towards people who may be struggling? We should instead try to create unity at Timpview and make the school a place where we can all be T birds.
