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Kickin’ Back With the Seniors

Kickin%E2%80%99+Back+With+the+Seniors
Sophia Hampton

Ah, seniors. The indescribable student.

But I’ll take a stab at it.

The super laid-back students who don’t seem to have a care in the world. They enter the classroom with a slow shuffle and collapse into their seats, assuming their default positions — head on hand, one leg extended, slouching deep into their chairs. As the teacher brings the class through lesson after lesson, their eyes seemed to be glued to the clock.

This is what it’s like to be in a classroom with a senior.

There’s always speculation when two age groups are mixed together and expected to collaborate in class. Will they get along? Are they going to work effectively? Can we join these two different groups and make one, comfortable learning environment?

I think it depends on the class. This is my first year in classes mixed with seniors, and it was a little intimidating at first. I figured that feeling would soon disappear; with time comes comfort.

So far, so good.

But I guess three years of persistent hard work really wears you down, and by the fourth, some seniors have no motivation left in you whatsoever. Class discussions are a lost hope — I find my teachers asking questions to a silent class.

I’ve narrowed it down to a simple science — seniors exist in three groups.

First, there are the enthusiasts. This rare group of seniors exemplify the perfect student — raising their hands for nearly every question the teacher asks, rhetorical or not. I’ve only seen this type once or twice.

Then, you have the cruisers. Cruisers are those who know they have the right grades and SAT scores from their previous year to get into college. In short, they’re not worried. They just want to get the remaining credits they need.

Lastly, you have the slackers, which I think is safe to say makes up at least a quarter of the senior class. These kids are so happy to be in senior year that they just want to get by with doing as little work as possible.

Despite the fact seniors alter the mood of the class, I will admit, it’s nice to have a group full of new faces. One’s own clan can get tedious after a couple years, and it’s a breath of fresh air getting to interact with new people.

All in all, the seniors in my classes are mixed; some have positive attitudes toward the actual subject, while others just towards college. However, no matter what their intentions, I can assure you working super-duper hard is not among them.

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About the Contributors
Emma Muro, A&E Editor
Sophia Hampton, News Editor
Sophia Hampton ’15 can’t quite decide what she wants to do mainly because she wants to do everything. “I can’t tell you what I want to do,” she said, “Because it’s going to change.” Hampton described how, in the past, her varied ambitions ranged from being an editor of Vogue, to being owner of a restaurant, to even being a member of the Peace Corps. Now, however, she has become fixated on another career. After a five week journalism course at Northwestern University over the summer, Hampton decided to take the parts she loved best about journalism- connecting with people through interviews and talking about important issues- and use them it construct her new life plan. With lively passion, she detailed how she would love to be a lawyer. She discussed how she thinks it’s very similar to journalism, since they both would allow her to uncover the truth and “give a voice to the voiceless.” Of course, with Hampton’s ambition, she wastes no time getting started. When she wanted to own a restaurant, she became president of the culinary club.  So when she wanted to become a lawyer, she took up a summer internship at a law firm right after her journalism program. But she playfully acknowledges that her dreams have changed before, and makes sure to add, “Right now I am so down to be a lawyer, but don’t be surprised if you find me in 30 years and I’m a marine biologist.”  

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