这封信的作者是The Webb Schools in Claremont, Calif., N.Y 15 岁的Anna Xu，她是学生公开信大赛的前 10 名获胜者之一，我们收到了 9,946 份参赛作品。
Dear Teachers,
Last week in class, I raised my hand once. It took everything I had. When you finally called on me, you didn’t say my name. Just a flat “yes,” to my question before moving on. I made my comment, waited for a chance to add more, but it never came. I didn’t get a second chance to speak. You probably didn’t even notice. Maybe you were scanning the room for more enthusiastic hands or louder voices. But to me, that one comment felt like a risk, a stretch, a decision to participate. You said you value student voices, but only one kind of voice seems to be rewarded. For students like me, who tend to process before we speak, who lead by listening, and find strength in observation rather than being under the spotlight, there is little space for growth.
As students, our school tells us to “Think, Act, Lead, Serve.” We’re taught to lead with distinction and think boldly. But somewhere in between the mission statements and the participation rubrics, it feels like leadership is mistaken with being the loudest voice in the room.
In class, my silence is seen as disengagement. But I am always thinking and always present. I’m the student who follows along, takes meticulous notes, makes annotations, and who stays after class to ask a thoughtful question. Still, I was marked down for low participation. “Participation” is a grade I cannot achieve without pretending to be someone I’m not. When thoughtful engagement is constantly overlooked, it really starts to mess with my confidence. It makes me wonder if my way of showing up in class even matters.
Outside the classroom, it is no different. When leadership roles are announced, the spotlight usually falls on the students who can take charge loudly in meetings. The titles tend to go to those who know how to perform leadership, not always to those who practice it. I’ve seen my quiet friends mentor their peers, lead projects efficiently and hold their values with moral courage all without recognition. We lead with distinction, too. Just not with a microphone. When opportunities arise, be it recommendations or leadership role selections, we are not the student you think of first, even if we have quietly done the work.
This goes beyond our school. Studies have shown that introverted students are often perceived as less engaged by teachers, even when they are participating in a different way. Teachers commonly assume quieter students are less involved, impacting how they grade and interact with those students. In fact, introverts actually make strong leaders. They often excel in empathy, listening, and strategic thinking, but they are frequently hidden in the systems that reward charisma over competence.
If you truly want to “transform students’ lives,” as our school’s mission promises, then that transformation must include the quiet ones too. Redefine participation. Redefine leadership. Allow for thinking before speaking and notice action without performance.
We are here, and we are leading, you just haven’t learned how to see it yet.
Sincerely,
Anna Xu
Works Cited
Atamanik, Candace. “The Introverted Leader: Examining the Role of Personality and Environment.” FIU Digital Commons, 2013
Auer, Emma. Grading Participation Misses the True Picture. Maine Public, 19 Sept. 2017.
Dubee, Megan M. The Relationship Between Introverted Student Behavior and Teacher Perception of Student Engagement. Southeastern University, 2022.
Rozentals, Artis. “Silent Leadership: How Introverts Can Be Excellent Leaders Despite Societal Stereotypes.” Forbes Magazine, 13 Aug. 2024.
“Should Students’ Efforts Be Rewarded with Good Grades?” The New York Times, 12 Jan. 2025.