The amplifier., October 01, 2010, Page 5, Image 5

2010
Forum
5
Study hall would be of benefit—too bad there is no money
J oshua K im ____________________
Hectic work and activity
schedules hinder student
study time, while study hall
gives students time to finish
homework earlier and to do
last minute studying for a test.
Extracurricular activities
take time, leaving less time
to do homework. If a student
participates in school activities
that conflict with student
studies, students may be
discouraged from participating
in order to finish their
homework in a timely manner.
However, students could
take advantage of this option
and use it as free time. A school
cannot influence how hard
students will work on their
studies. A student's effort is
something that they choose for
themselves. Study hall would
be a class where students
would do work because they
wanted to.
"Yeah, [study hall] would
actually be really nice,"
Christopher DelBene, senior,
said. If a student needs the
extra time to study, why can we
not give it to them?
Study hall is not an option
during the day because we
technically have a study
hall before and after school
according to Aaron Downs,
Assistant Principal. However,
in many situations students do
not have the time or a ride to
come to these study halls.
An additional problem with
providing study hall during
the day is that it would require
another teacher, and obviously
after our recent cuts that would
not be feasible.
If study hall were to be
given as a class option for
students, credit would not
be received for taking the
class. To earn the required
48 credits over four years,
taking study hall one semester
would require you to take an
early bird or summer class. If
a student were to fail a class,
the student would then have
to make up for that as well. If
a student feels he or she will
need study hall in the future,
Photo by Rachae! Woolley
James Topping and Derek Sunkle, freshmen, study during their second
period English 9 class. With students working at different paces and
being involved in extra curricular activities, study hall could be a
desirable option for some.
the student could plan ahead
by taking an early bird class
to receive an extra credit. The
option of study hall would
require student responsibility
and would also give students
a cushion if classes ended
up being more difficult than
expected.
Allowing students to take
study hall during the day
would show understanding of
students' needs. Graduating
with honors is not easy for
everyone. If a student needs
more time for school work, the
school should give it to them.
High school is an important
time for kids as it helps to
shape their future. If a student
has the ability to succeed in
challenging classes, but does
not have the required time
to study, then the student is
missing out on education and
a heightened future because of
an avoidable absence of time.
Four hundred thirty-five
students are enrolled in at
least one Advanced Placement
class this year and 27 take
four or more. In order to
graduate with honors, at least
12 honors/AP credits must
be earned. Study hall would
provide an opportunity for
students to pursue goals such
as graduating with honors
as it would offer the time to
study for the more challenging
courses.
I believe that giving
a study hall option that
requires responsibility and
accountability could not hurt
anyone. It could provide
opportunities for a better future
by allowing students to reach
their full learning potential.
Study hall during the day is not
necessary for a school to run,
but it would help all of those
who really need it.
Large classes create frustration; students, teachers affected
P atrick D ouglas
Students and teachers are
being forced to accept and deal
with the oversized classes.
Classes have gone from a range
of 24 to 30 students, to 29 to 37
students per class, according to
Lou Bailey, principal.
"Nobody got hit as bad as
us," K ath y L o g a n , Sch edu ling
and Assessment Administrator,
said. Districtwide, WLHS
suffered the greatest strains
from the budget cuts. The
entire district has been
adversely effected, but West
Linn is in worse shape than
most of the other schools in the
district, according to Logan.
"I feel so sorry for the
teachers and the kids," Logan
said. Larger classes mean that
teachers now have much less
time to focus on individuals,
which will make it harder for
teachers to meet individual
needs.
Large class sizes are an
Photo by Patrick Douglas
Fourth period Advanced Photo consistins of 36 students in room D103.
As was true in numerous classrooms, more chairs had to be brought
in to accommodate the increased number of students.
unfortunate part of the cuts.
Class sizes can't return to
normal until the Oregon
economy improves.
Spanish is one class that has
a large increase of students.
Some Spanish classes have up
to 37 students, stretching the
limits of effective schooling.
Though language may have
taken a huge hit, it isn't the
only class that's affected.
English and math teachers
alike face unbearably large
class sizes.
"We're all in the same boat,"
Curt Collingwood, Spanish
teacher, said. Students and
teachers are feeling the same
pinch as a result of these
oversized classes. Aside
from overcrowding, there are
How would you feel if the school
offered study hall as an elective?
"It would be good
sometimes, especially
for people who have
after school activities
or sports."
— Amanda Comings,
freshman
"I would like it
because it would give
the students time for
homework if they
choose to offer it. I
would take that class."
— Daniel Plotnick,
sophomore
additional problems resulting
from these changes.
"It's making the classes kind
of hot too, with all the bodies
in the room," Collingwood
said. Between the decrease in
air conditioning and increase
of people, some classrooms are
uncomfortably warm.
Letting go of teachers
and scaling back programs
is unfortunate. The
administration's priority is to
keep all the programs that we
have. The only exception is
that Chinese 1 was not offered
this year.
We have seen many cuts to
teaching and classified staff.
So why is money being used
on technology, renovation and
other less important school
needs? There are two types of
funding; capitol money and
operations money.
Monev
used on
technology and renovations
comes from a bond approved
by voters. This money cannot
be used on operations, such as
teachers salaries.
The common misconception
is that we are using money on
technology and renovations
when we could be keeping
teachers. This can’t happen.
"Can we design something
different?" Bailey said. One
of the administration's
possible solutions is to look at
alternatives to how we split
up classes. Bailey suggests we
might be able to give some
students a greater degree of
autonomy in classes, giving
them time alone to work.
Teachers and students are
facing dramatic changes this
year. With all the budget cuts,
the next few years will be
difficult.
j
ST t# D E
"I think a lot of
people probably
wouldn't take it that
seriously, but for the
people who do it'd
be very helpful."
— Bryan Steele,
junior
i S .—
speak out
"That would be cool,
I would've taken it
for sure."
— Savannah
Ellingson, senior