Respect the adults who make school a great place

I was getting lunch one fateful block day in the cafeteria. With long lines, but greater hunger, I waited forever to get to the front, where I was finally able to grab the tiny sheets of paper and golf pencils needed to create my own, special sandwich. After filling it out (veggie sandwich with pickles, lettuce, and mustard), I waited until I heard the much anticipated “Next in line, over here!” I walked over to one of the cafeteria staff, and she smiled at me as she asked how my day was.

Now, this politeness isn’t unusual to me. All of the lunch ladies are polite, even when they have to work with hundreds of loud, crowding teenagers everyday. But something about how sweet they were got me thinking, why are they so underappreciated? Once my sandwich was ready, I said thank you, paid for lunch and tried to maneuver through the crowded cafeteria, all the while pondering how underrated the lunch ladies, and many people within our school, are.

Teenagers are caught up in their own worlds, I get it. We have to focus on these so-called “best years of our lives” and keep our grades up for school, trying to overcome anxiety about every test that could make or break our grade. But do we really think about how many adults help us out every single day? The janitorial staff, the teachers, the substitute teachers, the administrative staff, the secretaries, the security guards: all these people help us to have a school experience as easygoing as possible.

For such a large responsibility, all these people receive so little thanks. We throw our trash on the ground, not thinking that someone has to clean it up. We mouth off the teachers and subs, not realizing they have dedicated their lives to helping us help ourselves. We start fights, not thinking about how stressful it is for the administration to pull us apart, escort us, and make sure everyone is safe.

CVHS, we all need to clean up our act. Think about how terrible school would be if the trash bins were not cleaned, if no one made us lunch, if no one made sure we were all safe. It would be mayhem. Think about the bigger picture: we are all here to set a foundation for the future. Without the adults who help us behind the scenes, our dreams wouldn’t be attainable. We need these adults. They deserve respect.

So next time you want to throw your lunch on the ground, think about who has to pick it up. When you want to roll your eyes at a teacher, think about all the work they put into getting their credentials to help us. When you want to abuse the system, remember that you have amazing opportunities, all thanks to the work of others.