Our last blog posting, I asked you to think about the importance of studying literature, both in your life as a student and in your life as a citizen of the world. The majority of you expressed the opinion that, though sometimes boring and difficult, the work of studying literature can teach you important academic skills as well as make you think about "the big questions" in life. Only a few of you commented that literature was not important at all, and was a complete waste of your time. Some examples on this side of the argument were that Shakespeare, for example, never comes up in "the real world" and that studying fictional stories is a waste when you could spend your time reading to learn a trade or skill. Whatever opinion you expressed, most of you expressed yourselves in a clear and convincing way on the blog. As an English teacher, I have my own beliefs about the importance of studying literature; however I do appreciate the dialogue and the open-endedness of the debate on the subject. Do I think there is a "right" answer to the question about whether studying literature is important? My answer is "No," it depends on your point of view.
An underlying theme I found in your comments about studying literature is a problem with school in general. Many of you voiced the opinion that, in one way or another, school could offer you a way to learn that is more in touch with your own individual interests and goals. For example, many students suggested that students should be able to select their own books to read rather than have to read the same old books with which they find hard to relate. As much as I believe in the importance of school, having been a member of a school - as a student and as a teacher - for most of my life, I can admit that there are many problems and quirks of the school system that could be improved upon to enhance the learning experience for many different kinds of students from different backgrounds and with diverse interests.
Begin your comments here by stating some of your complaints about school in general. What if anything about school makes it difficult for you to learn? Then, imagine what the ideal high school education would be like (of course keeping to the bounds of reality here - I am not talking about a playground/amusement park/country club where you spend your school days playing Nintendo Wii and napping all day!). What would be the ideal high school situation for you that would allow you and motivate you to learn? What subjects would you take? What subjects would you leave out? How would your classes be taught? Your goal in this post is to imagine the perfect school, one that you still have to go to, but that you enjoy going to and learning in every day of the school week.
Your posts must be at least 150 words. Please check for spelling and grammar before submitting. These previous criteria, plus how thoroughly and completely you answer the question, will effect your grade for this assignment.
Due Wednesday 3/18. Total = 25 points
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The perfect school would be a school that we would go in at any time in the day and they would always have teachers working until 11 at night. You would have to get a certain amount of hours in by the end of the week and their would be no homework just class work. A quiz at the end of every week and a test every 3 weeks. The only classes that we would have are the major classes and then you get to choose the people in your class. For lunches you can get anything you want, they would have people run out and get you anything you wanted. This school wouldn’t have the buses they have now but they would have luxury buses and they dropped you of right in front of your house. That would be the school that I would want to go to everyday.
ReplyDeleteTim Clauss
The ideal high school situation for me that would allow me and motivate me to learn would be fun teachers like Mr. Reendine, less homework and more work in class. Because when I get lazy I don’t do my homework and I’ll get zero on my homework. If I don’t do my homework, I am not gone a learn anything. The subjects that I would take in ideal school are English, math, chemistry, and world civilization because you have to use math and English every day in your life. Chemistry and world civilization are good stuff to learn. I would not take Spanish because I think it’s not important for me. Teachers should make power points and explain everything. Do everything in class and no homework because if students don’t do their homework, then there is no point of homework. We should take 5 minute breaks when we are tired or don’t feel like working.
ReplyDelete-----Badal
The perfect school would be a school where it is more like collage. In my school there would be random times during the day in which you go to class but the times must be between 10a.m and 4p.m. The perfect school would have really hot teachers and you could pick any class you want and you could pick the friends and people you want in your class. At my school the school year would only last about 6 months so that you have more time off for your vacations. The perfect school would allow you to do whatever you want and you could graduate as early as 10th grade. The teachers wouldn’t expect so much from you and there wouldn’t be homework, tests, or term papers. This is actually really hard to think of the perfect school so this is just a summary.
ReplyDeleteTyler Dillon
A perfect school would be a school where you would only have to go to school for 50 days and you could choose weather you wanna go at the beginning of the year or he end of the year, you wouldnt have to get up and go to school at 7:40 in the morning you could go in at 11 till 2:20. There would be no homework and only class work , the only classes you would have would be the major classes but no chem. and for lunch you go to go anywhere and then come back.. that would be the school i would wanna go to everyday..
ReplyDeleteNick Jamison
Theirs two things that make my time at school difficult to learn. The first thing is I the teacher doesn’t know what she or he is talking about. Or if the teacher’s way of teaching is hard to understand that could make school horrible. Teachers I have no are hard to follow. Most the time I can’t follow them. The second thing would be the students. If they don’t stop talking that could distract me. The best thing any school could do to motivate the students would be respect, including other students. If you show respect you’ll get it in return. I would take math, science, and more gym classes but not have to change, obviously lunch, and a different language not including English. All of the student’s classes would be taught in the same way. I love how my math class is taught. My teacher gives us an example on how to do a different math problem and we follow along. This would be the ideal school.
ReplyDeleteMy goal of schooling and where i would like to go in higher education is music...to become a music therapist then a teacher...i already have classes that relate to music to help me later on in life and that's orchestra so i am glad to have that in my schedule for 11th grade and on i would be including chorus too. A perfect school to me is taking classes that you want to take or have high interest in....and all the require classes to just know the basics repetingly. Test in schools make it hard and difficult to learn because your mainly just trying to memorize the facts instaed of actually trying to understand it...instead of taking test i would rather like to perform what we know and learned like in chemistry class!and toi keep school regualr time approzimately 8-3
ReplyDeleteArnitia Moten
The perfect school would be a school that lets people go whenever they want, school would be until 12 midnight and all you would have to do to pass is just show up. There would be no homework just quizzes and test but those would only be on the easiest things you could know and they would only be every 1 month. When you get to school they give you free breakfast and lunch and the food would be good, really good. The teachers would allow people to listen to their music anytime they wanted to. The buses would be very luxurious, and not yellow. There would be a certain class where you can do anything you want to and there would be computers where you could go to any site you want and there would be video games there. This would be the school where I would want to go to everyday.
ReplyDelete-Aaron Johnson
The perfect school would be a school that we would go in at 10:00 in the morning and would have teachers working symbiotically with the students to provide a more personal learning experience. You would have to log a certain number of hours in the school, working, and by the end of the week have a certain quota of work completed, but only in class. You would have just one quiz at the end of every week and a test covers the quizzes every two weeks. The only classes that we would have are the major four classes, English, Math, Science, and Social Studies, and then you get to choose study halls in which you could do your work. For lunches you could buy anything, within reason, that you want. This school would have clean buses that dropped and picked you up right in front of your house. That school would be great!
ReplyDelete-Pat
The ideal school situation in my opinion would be to revise the time that we would arrive and depart from school, I do no mind waking up early at all and prefer to go into school earlier than we do now. I feel that there should be a variety of different times to go to school to give students a choice of when they want to go into attend school based upon the times that the student feels that he or she performs at their best i.e. some students feel that they perform better and are more attentive in the morning and closer to when they woke up, and some students feel that the afternoon is better for them because it gives the students a chance to wake up and gain all of their marbles. Another revision would be to revert back to the way schools were say about 50 or so years ago where there were more hands on classes like a shop class and a mechanical shop on the school grounds rather than going to a tech school like most schools do now. I also feel that the way the lunch periods are set up is ridiculous and students should take a lunch break when they feel the need to do so rather than having to wait until their assigned period because most students start to feel hungry early in the day and i know that when I'm hungry all i think about is eating which shifts my focus away from that class and onto lunch. The next revision would be to lessen the workload that we have as it stands and make everything optional or for extra credit rather than being pressured to complete all of the work that is given to us.
ReplyDeleteZach Cole
My ideal of the perfect high school is everyone gets atleast one free period,and still get lunch. We should have the right not to go to a class if we don’t want to,and we should be able to drop that class if we want. The only two classes that are important to me that I think should be the only major classes we have to take is math and reading. If you think your gonna be something ese in life they should have a class for it but it is an elective,you can choose to take it if you want. You should only have to stay in school until you are done going to all your classes you should be able to come and go when you please. To make a school fun the school just needs to have fun events every now and then. We should only have to take classes that we choose to take.
ReplyDelete-Abrena Lee
Joe Lee
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in Korean school, all the students of my school were forced to study. We actually didn't have any choice because Korean parents of Korean society want their child to be a doctor, lawyer or some other jobs that is professional and requiring a lot of studying. If one doesn’t do anything related to music in Korea, studying is like a duty. But if you ask whether it’s perfect, I would say no because it doesn’t motivate the students to study but it’s only giving them a heavy pressure and treating them as a studying robot. Especially, in Japan, many students try to suicide because of the pressure. We know here that forcing students to study shouldn't be done.
Most American students have less pressure from their society, fortunately. Instead, some of American students waste their time with some required subjects they don’t like at all such as P.E., Biology, English, etc. which forces them to study.
Here’s an example. I know a student in this high school who is really good at playing the piano. He doesn’t have any interest in other subjects but he only wants to be a musician. He sleeps in all the periods except orchestra. Our school is actually killing his talent, here. I’m not sure whether it’s perfect for him to have only orchestra instead of some required subjects but he would be improving his music talent much better.
I think a school should support its students to develop the students’ talents. If a school creates and supports the subjects that students desire to learn, it might be a school which everyone likes to go. Forcing students to study something they are not talented or they don’t like can be wasting their time or killing their different and various talents.
The perfect school would be a school that we would go in at any time in the day and pick what classes you wanted to take instead of having to take classes that you don’t want to take like chemistry. There is no homework only studying in class and only one test a month and four quizzes a month. For forth, fifth, and sixth periods we have lunch and no classes so we don’t have to worry about skipping class. OH YEAH Rendine, you’re allowed to wear your hoods and seat where ever you want. For classes you can pick your best friends to be in the same classroom as you. That is the PERFECT school ever. – Ryan Moore- Yeah!
ReplyDeleteSchool to me is very time consuming and just plain boring! you go in early and get out after the day is already over and then sit in desks and learn silly things that you ill absolutely never use again in our lives. What makes it diffcult to learn in school for me is you dont do nothing but sit there and take notes all period and there are no hands on activities or anthything. The teacherd arent very fun either there all old and stuff. The ideal school for me is a place where i can go and choose the classes i want and be with all my friends and have younger teachers. Motivation for me to learn is just having fun while learning and being able to do what i want and stuff. I would just want to to choose my own classes and be with my friends.My clases would be taught by young bulls lol!
ReplyDeleteAmber Lovett
My ideal school would be a school where grades didn't matter. I think grades are a bad way to judge a person on how hard-working or determined he/she is. I think that a student should more be judged on their character and how good of a person they are. Instead of having assigned subjects I would rather that you could walk into a class that taught whatever you felt like learning. Such as learning about algebra one day and going to a class about culinary the next. This way your always learning something new. Also, if your are really interested in learning about a certain subject you can keep going back to it everyday. I would also like a school if it gave you like 15 minute breaks during some parts of the day, lunch isn't enough time to relax and chill out. If there were breaks kids would come to class more refreshened and ready to learn. My ideal school would be a school that gave me more choices rather than one that does it for me.
ReplyDelete-----Matt McHale
The main thing that I dont like about school is that we have to wake up so early in the morning. The other problems that I have with school is that when we get breaks off of school the break is not long at all. Other schools get off 2 weeks when we get off a week or they get off a week when we get off 3 days. I think it is bs the amount of days we get off each year. Classwork during school is crazy such as reasearch papers in social studies and in english we do enough work as it is give us a break from papers that are 3-6 pages long and are worth 350 points or more.
ReplyDeleteSome things that make it difficult for me to learn in school is when i am simply not into the subject.. An ideal school for me would still be the same timing and school year around, but for there to be two required classes, and we get to choose four other classes of our intrest.Taking more music classes would motivate me even more to come to school and learn..The subjects that i would take or keep would be English, math,social studies, orchestra and chorus. I would take out language and science classes. My classes would be taught as the teacher pleases to teach it.
ReplyDeleteBy arnitia Moten
Robert Deak-
ReplyDeleteI think schools could have more classes. Some middle schools are teaching guitar, and high schools, ours dosen't I wish for it though.class-wise I'd just like our chocies to be more broad and taken more seriously.Also alot of electives get full quick and leave alot of people behind.I wanted to take creative writing and psychology this year, 2 things I've been interested in and I never got those classes.They threw me in some random class at the last minute.I also wish we could listen to our Ipods during schoolwork. Everytime a substitute lets us use them we get our work done quickly, quietly, and there is usually a good report for our teacher from the sub.I also firmly beleive in make-up work, sometimes you just can't get it done in enough time, things comeup.What I do really like in our school is the use of the smartboard.I've never seen or heard of one before moving here, a huge upgrade from my previous school.Little things like that matter so much.I hope school's continue to try new things and find what works best.