High School Student Uses Op-Ed to Scold Peers

Earlier this week, we heard from pupils in New Jersey rallying in support of their schools; now, a high school student in Massachusetts is taking her classmates to task for not applying themselves to their lessons. Writing in The Boston Globe, Chrismaldy Morgado, a senior at Jeremiah E. Burke High School in Dorchester, Massachusetts, censures the ranks of students at that school who "talk to their friends after the late bell [rings] for class" and hang out in the bathroom when they should be in their seats.

Burke High was recently reported to be "underperforming," an assessment that led to faculty shake-ups on a massive scale: each member of the staff was forced to re-apply for his or her job, and not everyone made the cut. However, argues Morgaldo, "The teachers aren't the problem; the students are ... Many teachers really do try to teach the students well, but the effort from the students just isn't there." Morgado frets about what this will mean for her own college-acceptance prospects: "Will the college admissions think twice before accepting me?" And she worries about the implications for the greater Burke High community:

My principal, guidance counselors, and teachers support their students, and are always there for us. It's sad to think that many have not been rehired. I remember when my principal named me one of the leaders of the school and invited me to become part of the Family Engagement Action Team. With honor, I accepted her invitation. All the staff members and students are part of a big family. Will new staff members be able to give us the same kind of support?