As Homecoming approaches, students are aware of the administration’s plans to take more severe measures against froshing. Leading the opposition is the long time Garfield Language Arts teacher, Ms. Taylor.

What do you have against froshing at Garfield?

Most of the activities that take place, there would be no question as to whether or not they were wrong if they were outside the freshman context. For example, if I grabbed you right now and wrote ‘you suck’ in Purple ink on your face, your parents could sue me. If I threw you in the trunk of my car, if I threw you in the lake, none of that is fair or right and what really bothers me is that young boys or young girls or ninth graders who are strong, assertive, capable kids would normally never let you do that to them will let then do that to you because of froshing, and that’s brainwashing.

Well, do you think there’s such a thing as an appropriate level of froshing?

No, I don’t. I don’t think kids should be treated as outcasts in any way or ridiculed in any way just because they’re ninth graders. If freshmen on a team are given stupid things to wear, and the whole team wears them, including the seniors, then fine, but usually that’s not what happens.

But if you were froshed or “initiated” as a freshman and then as an upperclassmen and you want to uphold the tradition, would that make it acceptable?

No, I don’t think it’s an excuse to do it to someone else just because it was done to you. Kids should not be afraid to come to school on Purple and White Day, they should not be afraid to come to school on Homecoming, and some of them are.

When did you first become exposed to froshing?

At Garfield. I know that Garfield students think that froshing is normal, but in the context of schools nation wide, it is not common at all. Garfield is the only school that I’ve taught at that had froshing.

Was there a particular year where froshing got out of control?

Every year it’s different, every year there are things that get out of hand in a different way. One year there was a senior boy who came and grabbed a freshman boy out of my class, during class. That hasn’t happened recently, but there are new things like shaved heads, writing on the face. Writing on the face has gotten more and more malicious. You know, it’s different every year.

What do you think the worst case scenario for froshing could be?

Someone could drown, someone could be in the trunk of a car and get rear ended and die. Someone could be in the trunk of a car and there would be something wrong with the exhaust system and they could die. That’s the worst thing that could happen, someone could die. Other things that could happen that are sad, but maybe not tragic are when you see someone who you know has low self esteem willing to be humiliated and not even question it.

Do you think there’s a difference between that and “initiating” your sibling into the new school, even if it’s not at all violent?

No, I’m sorry I don’t, you know I think that for example, one of my students said, ‘Oh it’s really cool Ms. Taylor, you take the freshmen and you beat them with a paddle and you take them and throw them into the trunk of your car, throw them in the lake, and then you take them out to lunch!’ And I’m like well, why don’t you just take them out to lunch? You know that would be nice, if you want to do something for a freshman to make them feel included, then take them out to lunch. And the other problem I have with it is the cliquishness, it’s the Washington middle school clique, you know people who went to Washington Middle School initiate people who went to Washington middle school, and it’s sick.

What sort of punishments should students face for froshing?

That’s up to the administration. What I do is I tell my kids if they do that I’m not writing their letters of recommendation for college. Because when I write your letters for college, that is the assumption that you are of good character, and if you participate in this Lord of Flies kind of stuff, it is not of good character.