It is already end of the second month of school. As freshmen, students have to find their way to fit into high school – not to mention the classes are completely different than those in middle school. Nevertheless, it actually turns out great; after a month of adapting to the high school, freshmen are already participating in class more often. So why does it happen?

Researching freshmen participation in class gives the answer. The vast majority of students think that it is hard to transfer from middle school to high school because they will find themselves learning with some different people, and be taught by teachers they may never have met before. They may get nervous at the beginning of the school year, often causing them to stay quiet in class. Bella Stuccio ’18 agrees, sharing, “I think participating in class is hard for me at first, especially in English class. I think it has been so much easier recently after three weeks studying in high school because I am more trusting of the environment and the people.”

If you are the kind of person who doesn’t participate in class because you are not intrigued at first, or maybe you are confused about what the conversation in class, don’t worry! Lots of people feel the same as you. “Global Peace and Justice just seemed a bit boring at first, though I really like our teacher, Betsy,” says Jack Zhang ’18. “We were talking about a book about Malala at the beginning of the year. Since I already read the content during the summer, I just listened to her and a couple classmates talking while I barely participated. But after a period of time, I got to know more about this girl Malala and notice more meanings behind the theme in this book. I find it interesting that there are actually lots of exciting question to argue about through this one tiny book. I started really admiring her by how brave she actually is and discussing more with others from then on which make me like this course so much more now.”

Through observing classes recently, it is clear that exciting topics intrigue students and create a desire for them to participate more in class. Students get really excited when the teacher suddenly mentions a topic that stirs up their interest, and start to focus more in class. “I like when a teacher starts by making jokes or telling stories,” says Eric Jiang ’18. “I do remember a couple days ago when Ms. Puritz was talking about her experience in Mexico. I think it really caught everyone’s interest, since it’s a completely different country and culture. It just somehow made the whole class focus more, and people just started to talk a lot and asking questions. Who doesn’t like stories?” One might wonder, however, if these topics could influence the class’s efficiency when the teacher has accidentally gotten off topic. Jiang adds that he thinks off-topic stories are actually a good way to get to know more about the teacher and other classmates, as well as making learning process easier as the lessons goes along. “Moreover, stories somehow help me absorb the content much better if I didn’t understand it before,” Jiang concludes. So, it turns out that an appropriate amount of jokes or funny, off-topic stories might even enhance a student’s class participation. You are lucky if you meet a teacher who loves telling jokes!

Many people think it is harder to participate in high school than in middle school because the material is more challenging. “I think it requires more thinking skills,” says Denny ’19, an Advanced Math student. “Sometimes the questions are really hard and I can’t follow along. I do enjoy the pace during class; it’s such an exciting course to participate in.” For those who don’t speak in class because you can’t follow, you can try asking your friends for help, and I’m sure that your teacher would be glad to give you extra help during lunch!

All in all, people who don’t participate in class are usually quiet because sometimes they are shy and have yet to adjust, don’t have interest at first, or just need more time to absorb the content and follow along. It is completely okay in any of these cases, because as long as you try to take the first steps to participate, you will eventually succeed.