The reasons behind all this fright are the stories that follow certain teachers. Sometimes those are just as, if not more, vicious than the stories and rumors that follow student. They can also thoroughly sway a student’s decision to take a teacher’s class.Here’s the thing about rumors: they’re hardly ever true. And I’m speaking from experience.

Without labels, there would be mayhem in the streets, people not knowing which car was theirs, which home was theirs, or even which children were theirs (well, they may be able to deduce which child was theirs, but there is no way of knowing for sure).

As a pale-skinned, freckle-faced, redhead I have been privy to all the labels. In grade school, I was the girl under the hat, and I got a lot of looks, mostly from mean girls donning Limited Too. When we went on class field trips to the beach, I wasn’t in my “itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini.” I was dressed in full combat gear, fighting a battle against the sun. Tights covered my legs, long sleeves my arms. No one dared to be different then. Standing out meant you were out.

I’m sorry to disappoint, Californian nonconformists, but nonconformity is a label, too.

The separation between Special Education and General Ed. has created an environment where we view each other not only as people with slight differences, but as people part of two entirely different species.

As teenagers, our job is to experiment, make mistakes, and be judgmental. We find ourselves casting stares upon our classmates, envying their toned waistline or clear skin. Many teenagers jump to conclusions when noticing someone’s physical appearance. They assume that people are fat because they eat too much, or that skinny people don’t eat at all.