Can anyone hear me when I speak? Better yet, does anyone remember what I say? The truth is, whatever one says or does—especially if they’re a teen—that isn’t part of what people want to hear isn’t heard. It isn’t understood. Sure, people might say that they “completely understand where you’re coming from” and “agree, one hundred percent” but they don’t mean it. They’re too stuck in their routines, their systems, themselves to remember that others’ have a voice as well. Everybody deserves to be heard, yet people refuse to listen. This applies to high school students all over the world, which includes Graded’s very own. 

There’s lots of different reasons for this sort of refusal: one of them being cliques. Not the cliches you see in Hollywood or the stereotypes you find in young adult books, but the large, confusing pressure on people to fit in. To be part of a clique, you have to align with a specific agenda. Whether it be to act a certain way, have the most recent collection of White Fox hoodies, or always go out partying on the weekends, in high school, it feels like you need to adhere to something for people to like you. So, if you don’t like White Fox hoodies, think Owalas are just a cheap tactic for people to consume products, or just don’t like to party, everything related to you, what you think, and who you are is immediately shrugged off. When you speak, people don’t care enough to listen.

But teens aren’t only cast aside by their peers, they’re not taken seriously by adults either. Maybe it’s because our prefrontal cortex hasn’t fully developed yet, or because we’re hormonal and always moody so we can’t think rationally. Even so, we have a voice. It deserves to be heard. It needs to be listened to. Years ago, a person I knew was getting bullied by someone at school because they were “weird”. They were too scared to come forward alone, and I had no idea why, so I did it for them. I talked to a counselor with a group of people to sound more credible, I even tried following up, but nothing happened. No apology from the bully, no acknowledgement that this behavior was unacceptable, nothing. The bullying eventually stopped, but on its own accord. It was then that I realized why the victim wasn’t too keen on coming forward. This experience had shown me that whatever I claimed went in one ear and out the other. 

This can’t happen. Students shouldn’t feel scared to come forward about bullying or any sort of unfair treatment because they think nothing will happen. A school’s priority is to ensure that their community is well educated, respected, and treated with the kindness they need to flourish in the world. Moments like these create cracks in the system that, if left unchecked, will grow until the whole thing shatters. However, with just a bit of empathy, this trust that has been worn thin can be restored. So, please, just listen to us. Hear what we have to say, even if it’s ridiculous, just lend us an ear.