Chloe 2024

Hello, My name is Chloe. And I will be speaking to you about my experiences when it comes to resistance to the school staff as well as how I engaged with my peers. My own experiences with my other classmates have been mixed. There have been times when I have had some positive relationships with other students when it comes to helping out one another with issues regarding their disabilities. What was helpful was that there were other students who have the same issues as me when it comes to their identities and have also felt disconnected from the school community.

An example of when other students had the same issues as me was how the school didn’t do enough to support those with disabilities on doing well in classes. It got especially bad in one class where I was constantly distracted from trying to focus on my schoolwork due to other students being loud and disruptive. I then requested that I had this class in a different period, which later happened. Luckily, I was able to get around the constant distractions by trying my best to focus on my work and eventually became able to focus on things outside the classroom, like what I wanted to do with my future. This would ultimately lead to me wanting to become an active speaker on certain issues that are ongoing,.

My senior year was where I saw myself becoming more proactive when it came to speaking up about certain issues regarding how some of the staff were treating some students. I wrote out a Google Document where I pointed out the flaws that were going on in my school, which included the constant message that they were pushing into making sure that students are on the “correct” path which was never explicitly mentioned just what they meant by that, as well as how they’re telling students that without doing well in school, they will go nowhere in life. Another issue that I mentioned was how the schools rely too much on getting teachers to make the other students feel bad about not completing their assignment. The main purpose of the statement was to get others to open their eyes and realize that their high school may not be what they thought it was and to spread awareness to the issues that some of the staff were causing for their students. When I tried to speak out about the flaws that my school had by emailing the other students and staff, they ended up blocking the email and silenced me. I eventually decided that I have had enough with the treatment that I was getting, so I have made the decision to make speeches regarding my experiences and share them with others that I will hopefully be able to share with others someday.

It is very important for schools to let other students speak up and be open to hear about their problems. Because if they do, then students wouldn’t have to be afraid to open up about their issues. As stated before, the teachers are always wanting their students to be on the correct path. This ultimately made me want to stand up for myself and tell them that no one in this world is perfect or ever will be perfect. Unfortunately, I was mistreated even more by the staff and I thought to myself that enough was enough and that I have made the decision during my senior year to become an activist for many causes. I have made this statement because I want others to be aware of the types of issues that me as well as many others have faced during their time in school. And I hope to encourage others to point out issues that they face daily in their school communities.