Among the changes that Wauwatosa East has recently experienced is the shift from the motto, “Raider Respect” to “East Side Pride”. Now, it is obvious that introducing a catchy new phrase will not change the school environment, nor did the administrators intend it to. However, since this new phrase is being introduced, we are provided with a good opportunity to reexamine the values and behaviors that are expected of students.
Responsibility, respect, safety. In no particular order, these are the core values that students are expected to practice on a daily basis. The change in name did not change our student code of conduct. By no means are these outrageous requests, nor are they unachievable. Common decency should always be expected, regardless of what environment you may find yourself in. On the first day of classes this year, all students were introduced to the school’s new mantra and listened as teachers reiterated the rules of the school. While many students understandably may have felt patronized, it is important to realize that some students are not following these seemingly obvious rules, causing teachers to address the entire student body. It is not the intention of our teachers to patronize us or waste our time, and it is of course not our intention to make our school environment a disrespectful or unsafe one. Students and teachers need to build a mutual understanding in order for real change to occur here at East. As students, we need to take initiative and show that we are willing to uphold our code of conduct. Once this behavior is set, teachers and administrators will find less of a need to remind students of these values.
The point of East Side Pride is not about singing the school song at football games or wearing “white and crimson” all the time. The point of East Side Pride is remembering that this place that we have agreed to spend the next 4 years of our life in, requires a little TLC. We do not have to like all our teachers, we do not have to like our classes, we do not even have to like school. We do, however, have to treat the school and those working in it with some level of respect. Teachers are always in our corner, rooting for our success, even if it may not always seem that way. There is no need to give a teacher the stink eye for doing their job and assigning homework. There is no reason why we should not be a little more mindful of those around us (yes, I am talking about walking on the right side of the hallway - there is a system, people). As one teacher once said to her class, we do not practice Geocentrism here. Meaning, we are not the center of the universe, not here at least. We can believe whatever we want but the moment we walk through the doors of our school we need to practice some good old Copernicanism. When in school, surrounded by our peers that outnumber teachers, it is easy to assume that our world revolves around us. The thing is, it does not. The school will not always be sensitive to what we want. We may come home with hours of homework and we may be told to put our phones away and to take our hats off. That, however, is no excuse to treat our school as a doormat. If we can learn to refrain from building our world around us, we can bring a positive change to the dynamic of the school. This is no hard feat by any means. Practicing a little consideration and patience can go a long way.
East Side Pride, without a doubt, is probably one of the most dorky things I have ever heard of (maybe next to Raider Respect), but if would be disadvantageous to write off the whole message itself. No matter how many summatives you have in a day, no matter how stressed out you may feel, no matter how excruciating you may find the cell phone policy to be, it is inexcusable to treat your school with anything less than respect. So go ahead, hold a door open for someone, pick up some trash, say please and thank you - you can do it.