Malcolm GauldCommon Resistance
Much of the early disdain for BK is due to the fact that a student’s initial association with it tends to be negative. Typically, a boy or girl has committed a violation of school ethics and does not want to accept accountability for it at the hands of a “brother” or “sister.” However, it can be equally trying when a boy or girl has witnessed another student committing a violation and is loathe to get involved in the ugly social repercussions of acting as a brother’s or sister’s “keeper.” It’s common for some students to initially adopt a mode of operation where they toe the line themselves but keep the blinders on relative to their peers.
However, later on, after a student begins to perform well academically, scores a few goals out on the soccer field, or sings a solo in a school production, the student realizes that he or she might never have accomplished these things without the positive peer pressure of BK. During my daughter’s senior year at Hyde (2010), I had the pleasure of watching her lacrosse team win the league championship after trailing by three goals with less than five minutes to play. Although I didn’t ask them as they were hoisting the championship trophy, my guess is that they thought BK was pretty cool at the time. After such experiences, the veteran student generally regards BK in a positive light – but I acknowledge that it’s often not until then.
Onward, Malcolm Gauld
