One late night in the common room of Johnson II, many friends and I noticed how stressed our proctors seemed. Making sure that 16 girls are taken care of every day, filling out college applications, and completing school work, our proctors balance these responsibilities on top of handling busy senior schedules. In hopes of lessening their work for the night, my classmate Haley Hickman ’26 and I sent messages to our fellow hallmates, encouraging them to be ready for bed at the expected time rather than hanging out in other people’s rooms.
We hoped that this would make the lives of our proctors, dorm residents, and fellow freshmen a lot easier. Thankfully, my peers responded positively, and the majority of our hall was in bed by 10:30 p.m., but two freshmen shouldn’t have to go out of their way to remind a larger group of students of their responsibilities, especially such basic ground rules of dorm life.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time that our class needed guidance on expectations in the dorms. Crow hours had to be shortened during our third week of school because some 9th graders were not back in their rooms before Crow hours ended. Faculty members had conversations with their halls only two weeks into the school year because they were too loud during study hall hours and many Johnson residents were not ready for lights out on time.
Although freshmen certainly hold responsibility for how we conduct ourselves within the dorms, our unruly behavior is not entirely our fault. The changes that come with a complete shift in environment and the struggles of adjusting to Deerfield’s unique standards of student life affect our behavior.
“Think about taking 120 different people from different backgrounds, different schools, with each school having their own set of rules. Now they are coming to Deerfield where they all are held to the same expectations, which may be entirely different than something that they are used to,” said Grade 9 Class Dean Heather Brown. She elaborated on freshman behavior, saying, “For many students, this is their first time away from home. So not only are [freshmen] figuring out themselves in the context of a new environment, but figuring out themselves as independent individuals,” Ms. Brown said.
When freshmen join Deerfield Academy, discomfort naturally arises from living in a new place with strangers. This causes some students to act out in ways that they normally would not, Ms. Brown said. On top of dealing with that discomfort, Deerfield students have to multitask as they learn more about themselves as students, learners, and people. Some form of pushback to these changes is normal, and important, as it shows growth and learning while facing complex circumstances.
Despite our rough start, I am optimistic for the rest of the year for the freshman class. Although we have lots of room for improvement, according to older students, we aren’t as troublesome as some freshman classes have been in the past. If we can all take a positive step forward as a grade, with respect for our peers, dorm residents, and proctors, we will all grow stronger as a community. We will all spend the next four years of our lives together on one campus. The more consideration and empathy we act with and the more appreciation we show toward the hard-working faculty and student leaders, the more productive and thoughtful we will all grow as one freshman class, united in progress.