Unexpected Backlash
On February 4, 2025, not one, but two Facebook posts were made about my article, “Students Should Have a Say on Board Policies.” This article discussed the ramifications of students not having a say in policies that directly affect us. I never would have thought that this would have been the article to receive backlash. I have written several articles, one of which is “The Battle Over Birthright Citizenship: Trump’s Executive Order and Its Implications” and another being “Beyond the Letter: Redefining Educational Success.” These two articles would seem to bring more controversy than simply giving students a voice. Giving students a voice should not be a controversial topic. When policies are being made that directly affect us, we should have a voice. We should have a voice rather than adults who, in some cases, have no direct connection to the district.
When I was criticized on social media I was made to feel unintelligent. In one post, the person claimed that the teachers around us were “pushing their liberal agendas on us,” when in reality, the articles we write are in no way influenced by our teachers and administrators. Teachers at Mentor and across the country are unable to express their political affiliations or opinions to students in any way, and this has not been violated in any way in this district with any teacher I have encountered. Frankly, I am insulted that this person, or any other, thinks that a 16-year-old doesn’t have political opinions or opinions in general. I would certainly hope that a 16-year-old junior in high school would have some sort of political knowledge and opinions because I will soon be able to vote. In two short years, I will be able to express my political views by casting a ballot and influencing an election. This is something that I am extremely excited about and hope that those who are also my age and reading this will realize the importance of casting a ballot.
Empowering the Next Generation
Adults around us are supposed to help us develop our skills, abilities, and knowledge and give us some sense of how to become a functioning adult and citizens. But when the adults around us are instead stifling our voices, it makes us think that our voices don’t matter and aren’t important, when in reality, we are the next generation. We are going to be the next voices of the country, the next politicians, doctors, lawyers, and everything else. For the past few years, we have been told that Gen Z is going to “ruin the country” and that we don’t have the same level of knowledge about important issues and tasks that we will have to know about as an adult. Things like mortgages, balancing a checkbook, filing taxes, and all the other boring things adults have to worry about. But guess what? We can’t learn these things all on our own. We have to be taught, and in most cases, we aren’t, so instead of criticizing our lack of knowledge, help us. Help us develop our knowledge instead of criticizing and demeaning us. I digress. My point with all of this is simple: when adults stifle our voices, these voices will continue to dissipate and, eventually, disappear completely, which does not foster a successful future generation, but instead harms it, making these assumptions about our knowledge inevitably true.
Political Awareness
Oftentimes, people around my age are not aware of the significant influence that one ballot can have and also don’t realize the importance of creating their own opinions and learning about the world around them. We are the next generation. This is not only a responsibility, but an opportunity to learn to be a well-informed citizen and grow into a responsible, respectful person as a whole.
Writing an article is in no way influenced by the people around me. I sit down and start typing, and eventually, I have written an article that, I hope, effectively expresses my opinions and explains the research I have conducted. At no point during this process do I ask my advisor, teachers, or administrators about what I am writing about. So, the next time that you think that my article is influenced by the liberals around me, here’s a little inside scoop, I’m an unofficial Republican. I believe that people have the right to own guns for self-defense, abortions shouldn’t be used as a form of birth control, our foreign spending is ridiculous, border policies need to be stricter, and illegal immigrants should be deported. And by the way, in case you’re unaware of the true political beliefs of Republicans even though you aren’t scared to express your conservative beliefs on social media, Republicans fully support the First Amendment right of speech, and if anyone needs a little clarification on that or the other rights listed in the Bill of Rights, please read my article “A Guide to Your Rights.”
It’s people like this who discourage students from speaking their minds and their opinions. Age is not included in the First Amendment. We as students have the right to speak, or in this case write, our minds just as much as adults, but adults around us, who are supposed to guide us, are stifling our voices and claiming that “teachers are instilling their own opinions onto students.” This makes it seem like students are unable to form their own opinions and think critically. I hate to break it to you, but students at Mentor High, especially in Cardinal Nation, can think more critically, intelligently, and effectively than most adults, so assaulting us on social media and encouraging parents to comment about how our teachers are failing us is not fair to students, faculty, or the rest of the Mentor community.
So next time you criticize a 16-year-old girl on Facebook, check your facts and do your research, because I sure do.
