Admin: Wrangling the Hallway Hooligans

Dear Timnath adults,

Ever since schools were first established, there have been two essential components of a classroom: students and teachers. In an ideal world, students and teachers would work in harmony to produce the best possible education for students. 

Obviously, it is not an ideal world, so what exactly is life at Timnath like? 

It would be a stretch to say that all students at Timnath want to make their teachers cry themselves to sleep every night, but unfortunately for all of us, the minority is loud. 

Everyone knows the students that waltz into class 10 minutes late only to ask to go to the bathroom and visit every class but their own. And most of the time, peace and quiet in the hallways is nothing but a faraway dream.

Most of us at school want nothing more than to be able to do our work in peace so we can go home with a light homework load, but these students make it difficult for many of us to do so. It’s safe to say that we would appreciate less lenience when it comes to them.

Student Theories for the “Why” Behind Misbehavior

Although disruptive high schoolers are not a new concept by any means, Tessa Strnad, a freshman, had some commentary on why some of us seem extra foul lately. She said, “I feel like because so many kids were home alone and not going outside, they didn’t have social interactions that some of us high schoolers had, so they don’t know how to act properly in front of people.” 

As a covid student myself, I can’t really judge how students compare now to how we were before the pandemic, but not knowing how to act properly in front of people is definitely how I would describe these hallway hooligans.

(Side note: As I’m writing this I watched some kid run through the halls screaming and bellyflop onto a couch. If that isn’t a hallway hooligan, what is?)

In contrast, Daryan Shaw, another freshman, had a more timeless take on the question. He said, “I feel like for the most part, teachers get the respect they deserve. But there’s also a few occasions where I feel the opposite when it comes to… I don’t know, the amount of work given. Students like to complain and throw hissy fits about that. People don’t realize that teachers are here to support us.”

Wrangling the Hallway Hooligans

I’m not necessarily saying we need super strict policies. The hallway hooligans can slip through these policies (say, by not showing up to lunch detention), while the rest of us might get squeezed by zero-tolerance approaches.

Students need accountability for their actions, though. Right now, hallway hooligans don’t seem to have as much accountability as they need. The scariest thing our school has is J-Rob’s office, and many of the students who need accountability seem like they’re friends with him; they’re not scared of him or the consequences for their actions.

I don’t know how to solve this issue entirely, but it seems like the rules may be too general and the consequences unclear. If you bully someone, how is that handled? Is it a slap on the wrist or a suspension? 

We need more clearly defined lines and expectations and consequences when those aren’t met so the hallway hooligans can be wrangled and the rest of us can have permission to go on walks again.

A Concerned Student,
Ann Fields