Summer Crown As the youngest of four siblings, who all attended Latin, I have always had a clear idea of what to expect in each year of my schooling. Countless times, I have had teachers who mistake me for one of my sisters. I walk through the hallways past pieces of artwork that have my siblings’ names on them. However, it had never crossed my mind what it would be like to be a middle or oldest child at Latin, someone who was leading their path for their younger sibling. Similarly to myself, another youngest sibling, John Reum says, “It’s nice having an older sister who went to Latin because she has gone through the Latin experience, and I can ask her about certain teachers or classes. I can also get to know a teacher better due to relationships my sister may have had with them.” I could also easily relate to Cameron Cozzi, a youngest child who believes, “It’s good to have somebody to show you the ropes of high school and to give you advice about certain classes.” Another anonymous younger sibling explains, “Being the youngest at Latin has shaped and matured me as a person…a lot of my friends are youngest children too and our older influences have made us more aware of what to expect at Latin”. A contradictory view, however, comes from an older child, Ioannis Paranikas, “My younger sister always gets annoyed that she is younger because I leave a certain view of myself on teachers that is sometimes immediately associated with her.” Ioannis does not understand why she complains, continuing, “I have kept certain tests and projects for my sister over time to help her for reference.” Members who view Latin from a third perspective have mixed ideas on their situation. Lily Campbell says, “Being a middle child has shaped how I interact with others and I think it has made me a more patient person. In life it has shaped me to give advice or be a mediator and forced me to make my own identity to separate myself from my siblings. At Latin, I don’t want to create expectations for my younger brother or make him feel like he has to be a carbon copy as long as he works hard.” On a slightly different note, Annabel Edwards explains, “Even though my siblings don’t go to Latin, my sister still helps me with school sometimes and gives me tips on what to prep for. I like being the middle child cause I don’t have to go through it all first and then I also have someone else–my younger brother–who I can pass what I learned at school to.” Overall, it seems that Latin’s emphasis on student individuality can often be tested by the tendencies of youngest, middle, and oldest children. From experience, I know that younger children can often feel overshadowed by the older family members, even if they are doing nothing but trying to give advice. Nonetheless, it’s important to recognize that maybe us younger siblings can be a slightly annoying too.]]>