We, the Students
This debate (for lack of a better word) about school choice has raged on throughout Cabot; facts and figures thrown into the air with nothing to back them up, opinions about the school and the apparent views of the students.
Let me state that again, in case it wasn't clear: opinions about the apparent views of students.
In all this... debate, I suppose, I wager most would agree that there are two sides. The families intent on closing the high school in favor of universal school choice, and the families who believe that the high school should continue to function.
However, there is a third side to this proverbial coin. The students, who attend the very high school that is the object of such recent scrutiny. The students, whose very near future is hanging in the balance.
Granted, there are many reasons why the students shouldn't be listened to. First and foremostly, the reason that “...we're just kids, and don't know what's good for us.” Other excellent reasons include “the school is just a burden for us,” and “we're learning nothing worthwhile.”
The first reason is an excellent stereotypical example of the autocratic leadership that so often inhabits the adult world. Because we're young (or not eighteen yet; I'm not entirely sure where the distinction falls) we are incapable of independent thought. We don't know about the world, or what we need to be successful there. We have no thoughts concerning our future, and we don't deserve to be a part of planning it.
I hope that sounds as ridiculous as I thought. Cabot High School students have been actively engaged in the civil discourse of the debate, and have sent many succinct, supportive letters to the editor of the Hardwick Gazette (causing, may I remind you, the editor to remark on the civil presence and eloquence of the students in their writing and reasoning). We are just as capable, perhaps more, as any adult who engages in this debate. We are about to enter the adult world, and we deserve our own opinions about our futures. After all, we are the ones going to live it.
The two other reasons are examples of a frequent phenomenon in this debate: putting words and opinions into the mouths of students. We, the students, are learning nothing that will help us in the world. We are all failing students, doomed to a life of compromise and challenge.
Please enlighten me as to why the scholastic stereotype of “reading, writing (“riting?”) and 'rithmitic” are so vastly superior to the experiences and opportunities that Cabot High School offers. Is it that, because we're so busy “learning nothing,” we're missing opportunities to engage in alliterative classroom activities? That we're not learning anything important? That we're wasting time having discussions about African genocide when we could be focusing on important things?
The style of learning at Cabot High School is one that is admired by practically every other school in New England. To the rest of the nation, we are a progressive, 21st century school that is an example to everyone. Students are engaged, and learning about current events, past events and theorizing about future ones in a way that is far more in-depth than any “riting” exercises at a traditional school could possibly manage.
Students are the future, and the leadership and passion that is demonstrated by every Cabot high schooler is the example other schools are using. Cabot High School students are the future, and it's high time our voices were heard in this debate (if that is indeed the correct word for this issue that's in the process of splitting the town in half).
The heart of many a post and letter concerning this issue is: “we [the adults in question] love our children. We want the best for them.”
If you love them so much, and want the best for them, shouldn't you be listening to what they want?
Let me state that again, in case it wasn't clear: opinions about the apparent views of students.
In all this... debate, I suppose, I wager most would agree that there are two sides. The families intent on closing the high school in favor of universal school choice, and the families who believe that the high school should continue to function.
However, there is a third side to this proverbial coin. The students, who attend the very high school that is the object of such recent scrutiny. The students, whose very near future is hanging in the balance.
Granted, there are many reasons why the students shouldn't be listened to. First and foremostly, the reason that “...we're just kids, and don't know what's good for us.” Other excellent reasons include “the school is just a burden for us,” and “we're learning nothing worthwhile.”
The first reason is an excellent stereotypical example of the autocratic leadership that so often inhabits the adult world. Because we're young (or not eighteen yet; I'm not entirely sure where the distinction falls) we are incapable of independent thought. We don't know about the world, or what we need to be successful there. We have no thoughts concerning our future, and we don't deserve to be a part of planning it.
I hope that sounds as ridiculous as I thought. Cabot High School students have been actively engaged in the civil discourse of the debate, and have sent many succinct, supportive letters to the editor of the Hardwick Gazette (causing, may I remind you, the editor to remark on the civil presence and eloquence of the students in their writing and reasoning). We are just as capable, perhaps more, as any adult who engages in this debate. We are about to enter the adult world, and we deserve our own opinions about our futures. After all, we are the ones going to live it.
The two other reasons are examples of a frequent phenomenon in this debate: putting words and opinions into the mouths of students. We, the students, are learning nothing that will help us in the world. We are all failing students, doomed to a life of compromise and challenge.
Please enlighten me as to why the scholastic stereotype of “reading, writing (“riting?”) and 'rithmitic” are so vastly superior to the experiences and opportunities that Cabot High School offers. Is it that, because we're so busy “learning nothing,” we're missing opportunities to engage in alliterative classroom activities? That we're not learning anything important? That we're wasting time having discussions about African genocide when we could be focusing on important things?
The style of learning at Cabot High School is one that is admired by practically every other school in New England. To the rest of the nation, we are a progressive, 21st century school that is an example to everyone. Students are engaged, and learning about current events, past events and theorizing about future ones in a way that is far more in-depth than any “riting” exercises at a traditional school could possibly manage.
Students are the future, and the leadership and passion that is demonstrated by every Cabot high schooler is the example other schools are using. Cabot High School students are the future, and it's high time our voices were heard in this debate (if that is indeed the correct word for this issue that's in the process of splitting the town in half).
The heart of many a post and letter concerning this issue is: “we [the adults in question] love our children. We want the best for them.”
If you love them so much, and want the best for them, shouldn't you be listening to what they want?