A high school English teacher in Pennsylvania was suspended from her job because of her public criticism of what she called, “lazy, whiny” students. She posted the comments on her blog, and in her post she commented on how unmotivated her students are and how tired she is of hearing the same poor excuses for a lack of achievement and a lack of effort. The news article concerning the issue claims that her blog was “profanity-laced.” There are a few things here…
1. She did not mention any students by name, simply made general comments.
2. If she did use profanity, it does not set a good example especially when she is criticizing the behavior, work ethic, and motivation of students.
3. Was she suspended because of her thoughts on the students being lazy, or because of her language?
As a teacher, I can attest to a sense of apathy with students. Take senior project for example… now I know as seniors, very few of you feel like doing senior project, however when it comes down to it, what is actually being asked of you? And is senior project unreasonable?
You need to put in a few hours at an activity of your choosing, so theoretically it’s something you are interested in. You need to create a product showing that you learned something. You need to write a five(ish) page paper discussing your experience; a paper you have almost the entire first semester to do in your English class.
I understand that I am generalizing here, and there are extenuating circumstances for some students, however on the whole, senior project does not seem to be an unreasonable requirement… even if it is unwanted by the students.
What do you think?
I personally do not think senior project would be much of a challange. It gives people a chance to do something that they may want to do for a career choice. For my senior project, I am teaching an acting class. Yes, I am stepping out ofmy comfort zone and doing something i'm not used to doing. I usuallystick to acting onstage rather than directing and teaching the actors. I think that in doing senior project,I will be able to learn about myself and about the subject I am going to major in. Overall,it is a great idea,if taken seriously and if you do something you enjoy doing. :)
ReplyDeleteIf done the right way, senior project should not be a big deal. However, it also takes a healthy dose of luck, which many sadly are not privy to. A prime example is the mentors. After four years of senior project, the number of willing mentors has exponentially gone down. It was difficult enough before. The administrators don't make things easier either. The GBP coordinator for example will not think of helping a student find a mentor unless the student has full documented proof that said student tried at least three times, did all that they could do, and still failed. It would be easier if they made a directory of willing mentors in all occupations even just in the city of Warwick. I know, the argument is that the students "display independence and initiative", and some would attempt to abuse the system. But can't the GBP director make judgements based on that individual student?
ReplyDeleteIt might make it easier too if there weren't superfluous requirements. One example is the fieldwork pictures. They aren't needed. One may say that they're needed as additional evidence that the fieldwork did actually happen, but can't they just call the mentor? That rules out the false fieldwork, and also if the mentor's signature is forged. At best, they're inconvenient.
It may be on a subject that we're interested in, but often the GBP changes the project in the proposal so much to make it acceptable that the whole reason for picking that subject in the first place is lost. It's not fun anymore. My friend has had just about every single mishap that he could possibly have in the senior project. His proposal was approved fine, until December when the GBP coordinator informed him that it was not acceptable, and he would have to change around his entire project. This set him far behind, particularly on the senior project paper, which was a key part of his second quarter English grade. His mentor also dropped him, so he had to find a new one, this happening around January. He had to construct an entirely new senior project, and had to file appeals. Now, I may have only heard his side of the story, but I don't think that he could have exaggerated that much.
To sum it all up, the senior project is like communism. It was great in theory. It was great on paper. When they implemented it, it seemed the great solution. Didn't really work in practice though.
As a junior, I can only give limited opinion on this topic, but I do not think that Senior Project is that much of a challenge.
ReplyDeleteThere is most certainly not that much asked of us, it is just that the process is very tedious. The tasks that we are being asked to complete are not that difficult whatsoever. I had to write a fifteen-page research paper for Mr. DiFilippo last year; this assignment is one-third of that, and it only has to be deemed proficient. The paper is immensely easy to complete.
The presentation, however, is most likely the most ridiculous and extraneous facet of the entire project. If you have written a research paper, done field work with your sponsor, and extensively worked to complete everything asked of you, why on earth should we have to present it. Who wants to drone on for eight to ten minutes about their topic? How is it possible to explain all you have experienced and learned over the past YEAR in a matter of minutes? It is almost impossible.
There is no added pressure with the time constraints, either; if you don't meet the eight-minute mark, you don't pass, and if you extend past ten or eleven minutes, you don't pass. So what the system is trying to tell me is that I have worked extremely hard over the past year to complete this project, and I may not pass because my presentation was 7:56 long? No, there would be a lawsuit there.
Senior project is a very easy task to complete. Some drag their feet simply because of the tedium that accompanies the assignment, but, overall, the entire process is not that difficult. The unnecessary, and most ludicrous, part is the presentation. Senior Project would be much more bearable if our entire graduation did not rely on falling between eight and eleven (or ten or twelve) minutes of speaking.
-Jake M.
I really don't think that senior project is a reasonable requirement for graduation. As seniors, we already have enough work to do. We still have our classes to focus on, many of us have jobs, and we are also busy with college applications. Senior Project just adds to the stress level and takes more time out of our already busy lives.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to these reasons, I would also like to argue that not every city requires Senior Project to be completed for graduation. Never mind the rest of the nation, but look at Rhode Island alone; many school districts are not required to do this Senior Project, including Smithfield and nearby Cranston. Their seniors can graduate without ever doing such a task and they are just as prepared for life's challenges as Warwick's seniors are, if not more. Also, if you take a look at past graduates, they did not have these things to do, and they turned out to be successful people who are making a difference in the world today! I just don't think that Senior Project should be a requirement.
I do not think senior project should be manditory. The actual task does not sound too intense but it does take up a lot of time out of school. I have a job and it is very difficult finding time between my two metors and myself to find time to meet. Also, I am taking challenging classes that require time out of school to complete assignments. However, I do senior project is helping me figure out what I would like to do after college. I chose a topic that I would like to major in for college and the mentor hours have showed me what I would be doing as a career.
ReplyDeleteShe should know that she shouldn't be posting that online. Personally, I don't have a problem with what she said, even if she had used some profanity, but it isn't exactly professional. Also, I don't really see a problem with senior project based on what I've heard from teachers, but I'm still a junior and I haven't experienced it yet so my opinion could still change.
ReplyDelete