Students deserve more freedom

Students deserve more freedom

With the importance of broadening ones’ horizons, taking a rigorous course load, all while maintaining a high GPA so frequently stressed to high school students, it would be logical to conclude that the brunt of teachers’ focus should be on students’ understanding and retaining of information being presented to them in class.

However, it seems several instructors are more concerned with considerably less relevant matters than students’ comprehension of the material.

Gum chewing, food eating, sleeping, and listening to music are just a few examples of concerns that often seem prioritized in the classroom.

While the aforementioned activities have the potential to distract students from the task at hand, how are kids supposed to prove themselves responsible and capable if they are never given the chance?

Teachers may argue that certain students would abuse these privileges if granted to them. Although this may be true in certain cases, it would be considerably more effective if the irresponsible students were dealt with separately rather than punishing the entire class and future classes for their mistake.

High school is supposed to prepare students for the “real world.” In the “real world,” the entire town does not get their driver’s licenses suspended just because one irresponsible driver received a D.U.I.

The fact of the matter is: students who are uninterested and unmotivated will always find a means to weasel their way out of work and bide their time in the classroom rather than paying attention. It is important to point out that such students represent the minority rather than the majority.

Preventing all students from doing potentially “distracting” activities simply because a few have proved themselves incapable does not solve the problem in the slightest.

And what of those kids who actually care about their education? If a student who is actively participating wishes to quietly chew gum or eat a snack in class, why should they be prevented from doing so because of the actions of their less-studious classmates?

If such students were given the chance to prove themselves responsible and capable of multitasking while still being productive, it will quickly become evident that the dynamic of classrooms will improve significantly and the class as a whole will run much smoother.

18lgregory@usd489.com