Life of a Fellow: Joslyn
Joslyn joined our team all the way from California by way of Amherst College, where she graduated with an Asian Languages and Civilizations degree. She has been a huge asset to the Hill Freedman World Academy team and we love her sense of humor and personable nature that makes her close to so many students.
There’s nothing particularly special about the bricks and mortar of Hill-Freedman World Academy. Its sheer size is something to consider; extracurricular clubs such as Indoor Track and Drumline use this to their utmost advantage. Even so, its largeness is a mere exaggeration demanding to be noticed, especially against its quiet suburban backdrop. There is, however, extreme greatness about Hill-Freedman World Academy in its students and staff of teachers and counselors - and this is no exaggeration.
Students here have a lot to juggle. On top of the many schedules and deadlines they have to keep (huge emphasis on many), ever-changing rules, rules and then some more rules subject them and really anyone else walking these halls to a constant state of bewilderment. No phones allowed, for any reason. No utilizing the 12+ Center during classroom time anymore, even with a legal pass and purpose in hand. You can’t walk up the stairs without being commanded an attribute. Even the “make it a great day or not, the choice is yours” slogan our PA system champions at the start and end of each school day sits more like a threat than the suggestion its intended to be to the listener’s ears.
Currently, of all the students, our juniors and seniors have the most to shoulder. In this specific season, we’re priming our juniors for the upcoming March and May SATs, and we’re advising our seniors to shift their primary focus from college applications to FAFSA, PHEAA and scholarship completions. But being International Baccalaureate (IB) students, both grades have never ending lists of tasks and assignments looming over their heads. As they fight to stay afloat in class, keep up with their extracurriculars, balance their work/school life, and more, these upperclassmen have to worry about producing and submitting an immense portfolio of work that meet IB regulated standards over a period of two years.
Thankfully, the teachers and our one and mighty counselor are all godsends. As a 12+ Fellow, I’ve worked alongside them now in various capacities, whether as a field trip chaperone, test proctor, academic tutor or workshop presenter, and I can attest that they themselves have a lot on their plates, perhaps more so than the students. It’s actually pretty gnarly to be on the other side of high school now as an adult and realize just how easily things can go wrong. Regardless, for every challenge their students face, they have a ready hand available to help. For every assignment they must complete, they’re there to aid and support. For every crisis that pops up, they will find ways to temper the chaos down into solvable fixes.
So yes, at Hill-Freedman, there are a lot of rules, a ton of flux, and always one too many crises. But there are also students, the real troopers, who in the end, whether the day is great or not, make it to school. Apply to colleges. Submit their papers. Present on their papers. Get accepted. Get rejected. Play card games. Wear pink on Wednesdays. Spur each other on, peer to peer. There are teachers who push their students to be great, who at the same time are ready to catch them if they fall. There is a counselor running around all day, working tirelessly to keep the school up and running. There is a 12+ center, working hard to identify and fill in the gaps.
Whether it’s a great day or not, resilience abounds, and for this, Hill-Freedman is great.
Joslyn with Hill Freedman World Academy Students on a field trip to Penn State.