Early Drafts: Changes in School
A group of tenth graders were asked, on the first day of school in the fall, to write a short paper on "one thing you would like to see changed in school." This rather vague assignment produced a set of rough drafts that students brought to class the next day. The following papers have been adapted from that set.
A. Finding a topic to write on seems to be a problem because of all the problems at school. But it is the same in all the school systems in the United States.
Whether it is a big school or a little school they all have the one problem. Prejudice. Either the complaint is farmers and city folk or towners and outof-towners. In the big cities it is gangs that go after each other.
Now to go on. In our school it is the same. Students from the military base are mistreated by people from town. Town people sometimes gang up and jump a guy from the base just to be nasty. I think students should get together. There are not enough clubs or social activities to bring these two groups together.
Teachers also go this way. Some teachers look down on students who come from out that way. Some even go so far as to give them a lower grade. Some teachers look at basers as troublemakers. If there is ever a fight against a baser or a towner some people might look down on a baser.
Basers present the same difficulty. Many will look at towners and spit on their shoes. Others will just walk away and not listen or something else like that. Basers have habits of forming their own cliques also. Here it is not as bad as in New York with its street gangs. But if we don't do something to control it, it might get out of hand.
To conclude I suggest that things be done to prevent it. Maybe students could get together and sort things out. But again we arise to that problem. A towner won't lower himself to talk with a baser and vise versa. This report is a little exaggerated, but maybe it should be to get the point across.
B. I think that the change they need in education is a relaxing class. They should have chairs that are cushioned so that the enviroment is comfortable. Then since you were pleased you probably listen and learn more. Do fun things like field trips, and going outside you can learn alot more outside and not under a roof most of your life. You can learn alot more if you are out by your self trying to survive then you can coming into the same old pail rooms and the same uncomfortable chairs. They should be able to go to a lounge where kids could smoke, although that is not legal in public build-
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