By Madelina Machado & Evon Fitts
Wind-Up
St. Joseph HS
1st Place Division 3, News Writing
Pro-Con Editorial Columns
JUDGING CRITERIA
- Topics relevant to interests and/or welfare of school or students
- Two pieces, while offering opposing views, are consistent in style and tone
- Both pieces win reader interest with impelling leads
- Present evidence/interpretation in logical sequence
- State issue; uses effective examples, facts and comparisons to clarify
- Deal with specific issue; avoids preaching, rhetoric and clichés
- Show sufficient thought and knowledge of subject, developed with personal style
- Sentences, paragraphs of varied length; written clearly, concisely and vividly
- Proper diction/grammar
Six classes. Six teachers. Six groups of kids. Each day consists of the same routine. Every class requires something to be done, something to finished, or something to be edited. When I talk about the overwhelmingness of school, I know I’m not alone when I say: school is stressful.
“I think most of the time that kids are crying over their grades, and school is where a lot of your stress is coming from but also, you have family issues that are going on outside of school,” Gabrielle Dilley, 12, said. “And, I think a lot of the time that all these things are building up and piling up and sometimes one little thing might make you start crying, so I think that if people were more understanding of why you have emotions, it would make it more acceptable.”
Maybe that isn’t the case for you. Maybe you could give two if you’re not doing well in class-and that’s okay. But stop shaming the people who are not emotionally equipped to handle the stress of high school without a good cry or two.
It isn’t every day when you see people crying in the halls or in a classroom. However, when you do see someone crying, your first reaction isn’t to look at them in disgust (unless you don’t like the person). Typically, it’s a sympathetic emotion that you feel.
The thing is, when students are crying, it’s usually for a valid reason. Whether it has to do with homework, tests, or something completely non school-related, who are you to judge anyone for being emotional? Generally, the students that are crying aren’t sitting there sobbing, they’re keeping to themselves.
“I think it’s embarrassing, almost, because so many people judge you for it (crying in class) but then it’s like when you see someone else crying, I, personally, feel bad for them. For some reason, I feel like others might look at me and question why I’m crying,” Gabrielle said.
Honestly, if you think other people crying is an inconvenience to your education, toughen up. That’s life. People are going to annoy you, bother you, and throw obstacles at you. If anything, the people causing a scene are bettering you and your tolerance.
According to Medical News Today, inevitably crying is healthier than holding it all back. While the tears may be streaming down your face, you’re actually helping yourself! The tears are releasing stress hormones that initially caused you to cry. Essentially, you’re reducing stress in the crying process.
The argument that school is not the right place or time to be crying is simply unfair. Is there ever a good time to be crying? No. Crying is inconvenient for everyone and even for the people doing it, but that doesn’t mean it’s not okay to do.
As mentioned in Evon’s article, there are many places in the school to cry. For starters, the bathroom is always a safe zone, even though you might receive a few judgmental looks from the girls who make TikToks in the mirror. The guidance office is a good alternative from the hallways, too. While the guidance counselors may be busy, the Zen Room located in the guidance office also acts as a sanctuary to students.
The high school environment is one that replicates the predatorial ecosystem found only in nature. We’ve got our sloths: those who don’t really do a whole lot, but are just kinda there. The wolves are the few alphas leading the academic pack that is SJHS, and then there are the frightened songbirds, red in the face with eyes like a sprinkler system.
The cryers are a common group at St. Joe to stumble across. I say “stumble across” lightly because as soon as they hit a room everyone in it is staring at the teary mess before them. Whether it’s because you didn’t get your homework done, your boyfriend isn’t replying to your text, or you’re just “HaVinG a BaD dAy,” there is a sea of reasons not to cry in school and maybe a pond of explanations that explains the absurdity.
“Crying in school… I just don’t get. Your crying makes everyone around you extremely uncomfortable and putting them in a spot where there’s no good options other than to pretend you just don’t see it,” Hunter Main, 12, said.
There’s no need to cry in school. School is a place that causes much stress, sadness, and many more sad and long days than that of the sunny season of summer. But, as growing adolescents, we attend school because it’s our job. It doesn’t pay great and the benefits are horrible, but it’s our job as students to at least be here and try our best not to cause any issues; anything extra is up to you. And at no other job is crying is acceptable, and we aren’t an exception just because so many want to act like children.
“I think the last time I considered okay to cry in school [was] sometime around 2nd grade. We didn’t understand things like social settings, so that was fine. But now you know what you’re doing, the crying is still going on and I don’t get it,” Hunter said.
I understand emotions in high school. This place amps everything but happiness up to an 11. But if you’re gonna cry in this place of learning, at least know what you’re doing to the others around you. The few adjacent personalities in your life will run up to you with comfort. And the rest are left to pretend like we don’t hear the cackles of the blonde in first hour who didn’t get their homework done for Pre-Calc.
If you’re going to cry in school, which I highly advise you don’t, here are some good places to do so. The bathrooms: while not a perfect solution, you’re severely limiting the range of your influence and the number of those who hear you.
The guidance offices: while the counselors likely don’t want to hear it either, they’ll at least be there to talk to you. Or, try crying in your car. Much more tricky to orchestrate, but this creates the least amount of impact and you’ll be doing those who would hear a favor by not bothering them. And you get a quiet environment where you can listen to “Marvin’s Room” as loud as you want and you can save yourself from potential embarrassment.
So, please, next time the levee of emotions breaks, get out of there. Find sanctuary where the toilets be or wherever you can. Make it just a little easier on everyone who has to see in your worst moments, and even a little easier on yourself.