Effective communication
This year I had the opportunity to take University of Utah classes. I was enrolled in Humanities and writing 2010. I had one of the most amazing professors that have taught me about many things not related to school at all. One class I really enjoyed was Humanities with Jose Hernandez. Jose had opened up my eyes to how corrupt the world can be. We learned everything to higher education, racism,sexism and even police brutality. One project Jose had given us was to create our own Bill of Rights as students. If we had the power what would we change about education? This was a very difficult project for me because I have never been asked my opinion of my own education. I quickly brainstormed a few issues that have stood out to me during my high school years and with the help of my peers i narrowed it down to these 10.
Priya Raj
University of Utah/Ames
Jose Hernandez
We the students of America hereby declare our rights as students. To form a more prestige structure of society creating fair laws such as: Freedom to use the Hall Pass, to have more internet privileges, have longer lunch breaks and better the quality of food substance. The students of this nation will receive equal rights as genders whether that is clubs or sports teams, the dress code as more flexibility but still have boundaries which students will get penalized when crossed. Students of this nation will have the right to knowledge and transportation to and from the school campuses. To have ourselves and future generations country the right not to take standardized testing and college will be a choice of the student and not the University. As we have stated our 10 laws that we believe should be revised and enforced. This will provide more information for why we chose the rights that we did.
Right for the Hall Pass: We the students have declared our rights to have the use of the hall pass at any time. Teachers would like students to be present every minutes of the class given when in reality students may have valid reasons for the use of the hall pass. Beyond natures necessities or other reasons why students might leave class should be up to the student. It is ridiculous that 14-18 year olds in high school ask to be excused. It does not allow students to have independence when in only 10 months we will be asked to pick majors. With any school policy come downfalls, use of the hall pass frequality or leaving to walk around. With the faculty and students we could create expectations for how those situations may be handled.
Right to more internet privileges: It comes a day every student has experienced when a site was blocked for no reason. This is a very annoying and time wasted process going from site to site finding information for a subject or class homework. With more internet privileges we could waste less time and achieve more work being done. We the council is not saying to not have boundaries but only open those boundaries just a bit. With the use of internet come the devices we use internet on. The use of personal devices in high school should be allowed when entering high school. This will allow students to become more comfortable when entering colleges and universities.
Right to longer breaks: Our biggest argument here is students aren’t getting enough food. Plus allowing students to have low blood sugar and have a harder time focusing in their classes. Students of this nation are always in a hurry during breaks not worrying about food but getting to the next class on time. With only 30 minutes to spare students don’t have enough time to eat and socialize. Socializing is a major factor when it comes to students, with longer lunch breaks come longer relaxation. It is nice to take a break from a 90 min class and socialize.
Right to better quality food: Cafeteria food is probably the unhealthiest foods given in school. It does not provide the nutrients that growing teens need to focus in school. When students eat Cafeteria food they are not necessarily looking at the food but the price. A price of salad vs a pizza is hugely different. With better quality food the prices of the foods would be stable and students would be eating a lot healthier.
Right to gender equality: Playing a sport is a key part of the high school experience. Sports and clubs could be defined as football, tennis, band or even chess for example. The benefit of extracurricular activities is socializing with your other peers and helps build leadership skills. The gender equality is majorly played in high school and further into college. Mostly females are discriminated towards when joining a sport or club. With this law we created an open opportunity for all genders to join any club of their desire. A male could join dance, drill or even cheer. While females could join football, CO Ed basketball and wrestling.
Right to flexible dress code: The council opposes school dress code. Dress code does nothing to prepare young people for the workforce or college. Not only does dress code not prepare us for after high school but it is also sexists in school are considered sexualized when showing a shoulder or legs. Nowhere in the law of school does it say dress code must be forced. Public and private have the right to responsibility to safe teaching environment, nowhere is stated to enforce dress code. The council agrees it is important to have dress code but it will be more flexible when it comes to students of this nation.
Right to knowledge: It is ridiculous how much stuff we learn throughout our school years. Students should be allowed to pick subjects that pertain to their interest. We find that if students are interested in a subject they tend to focus on that subject better plus it’s more fun doing the work. This will then lead to students turning in homework on time, better testing grades and a higher GPA in general. In the real students do not use all the skills taught in school. If a student has a general idea of a career or passion in mind, we allow them to take the minimum required class’s then classes that interest them.
Right to transportation: There are many ways students get to school from their homes. This of course costs the students and their family’s money. This law allows us to have free bus uses to and from school facilities. This allows students to spend money on other school events or fees. Students will raise money by doing school fundraisers to meet a minimum amount which will then pay for the buses. With buses to drop and pick students up it will also help students to be at school on time.
Right to no standardized testing: Standardized testing has been a part of American society for many generations. Standardized testing is part of 50 states in the Unites States and is primarily focused on categorizing students. The tests continue to get harder has the new standard core curriculum changes. Standardized testing puts students in a stage of anxiety thus not allowing them to focus as well. With this law we allow students not to take standardized testing and allow colleges to primary focus on GPA.
Right to college: A college degree is becoming increasingly important when finding a career. In today’s world, having a high school diploma means nothing. Careers in today’s sociality expect bachelors or master’s degree in a major. With costs of tuition rapidly rising, students find it hard to pay tuition. The cost of U of U is 23,478 for the 2015-2016 year. This includes books, housing and other materials that students may need. We believe that college should be free and any student can attend the college they prefer. This helps those students who may not be able to pay for college or did not meet the minimum requirements. This gives all students the right pursue the opportunities they desire.
With these laws be believe this will better help students for the college and future workforce. These laws are in favor of the students. We believe the laws be have created will help us see better attendance, more
graduates and learning to the students fullest capacity.