Social Change Project Quarter 1 Reference Post

Format: Email

Subject line: Student Concerns Regarding School Rules

To: koroshetzs@norwalkps.org

Dear Ms. Koroshetz,

I am Leila Saint-Amand, and I am currently a junior at Brien McMahon High School. Being a student here has reinforced in me the idea that you have to speak up when you want things to get done. There are various groups within the school, such as the Peace Project and SCF, that strive to help the community by raising awareness for human trafficking and other human rights issues, but individual student acts to bring about change aren't something I see often. And, wanting to be a student who is actively involved in the school climate, I can no longer stay silent on what is a big part of maintain the bonds between students, staff, and the administration: school rules.

Rules exist to keep everyone safe and happy. But what happens when rules can no longer function efficiently? A number of high school students, myself included, have some concerns regarding the rules that exist. Some students break the rules due to ignorance, unable to understand what is expected of them, and others because they find the rules illogical. Many mean no disrespect to their teachers or or other administrators. They're simply trying to get by in a way that works best for them. Blindly following every rule, even the ones we students find to be illogical, is just an empty promise of deference to authority. And that, unfortunately, undermines one of the principles of the school: Being respectful.

Mutual respect is an important part of maintaining a good school climate, but when students are dissatisfied with the rules that govern them, it becomes harder to maintain that respect.

For example, many students (and even some teachers) have issues regarding the 10/10 rule. The only time a student is allowed to leave a class is when there is a high probability of a lesson being taught, and in order to leave, they must get a pass signed by the teacher, taking learning time away from themselves and their classmates, and possibly disrupting the chain of thought of a lecturing teacher. Of course, the 10/10 rule is not the only one which presents difficulties for students and staff.

The difficulties and uncertainties associated with the administration of certain school rules, especially in regards to the 10/10 rule, the H-policy, passing, and study halls should not be overlooked when considering what helps Brien McMahon students to be respectful, make good decisions, help others, and strive for success.

For further information regarding these issues, please read my blog post “Why Should We? With a Firm Conviction, Expose the Truth” at http://emptytower.blogspot.com/2014/10/why-should-we-with-firm-conviction.html. If you have any questions or comments, please email me back at this address or leave a comment on my blog.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I appreciate your concern for the voices of students.

Sincerely,

Leila Saint-Amand

E Pluribus Unum (Out of Many, One) *A Speech*

Everyone in America was born with a silver spoon in their mouth. You can fight me if you want, with your fists, or with your wits, but please hear me out until the end. We’re not all millionaires, but we are rich in that great, flawed equalizer we call education. Here we are told to follow our dreams, that nothing is impossible if we try. And can this not be seen in the huge amount of courses available to high school and college students around the country? Where else do you find a high school that offers aeronautics and ballet? In American society, we value individuality, and individuals we create.

But what about places that don’t mean to create individuals? What about that Japanese proverb, “The nail that sticks up gets hammered down?” Well, what about it? Conformity, if that’s what it is, is only one way of looking at things. And conformity breeds a certain kind of individuality.

You’ve all heard of kawaii culture, right? In a nutshell, it’s the cuteness that’s so prevalent... everywhere in Japan. From facial expressions and way of speaking, to clothing and toys, to everyday items as plates and chopsticks, and even keychains on regulation book bags, kawaii is a way for people to express themselves in a culture that demands conformity. And the best part is, everyone is free to define kawaii in their own way, for while we take it to mean cute, kawaii quite literally means “the ability to be loved.” Everyone loves what they love, and they’ll show it to us, one way or another.

But why limit ourselves to reality? When it’s this late, why not take a fancy to Saleem Sinai and his belief in the mysterious  powers of midnight?  For do we not all know that our greatest inspirations (and our greatest fabrications) happen at that time of night when all we’d like to do is sleep and all that we can do is write? But I digress.

In Saleem’s story of India of generations prior, we see the usual things, of how  men work to support their families, of how a woman’s place is in the home, of how she should be ashamed of showing her body in public. And as such, Reverend Mother has nothing but disdain for her actress daughter-in-law, Pia, and provokes thoughts of a certain line in her daughter, Amina, when she takes to betting on horse races to keep her family afloat. She herself admits that she shouldn’t be doing it, saying, “Gambling is a terrible thing; it would be so shaming if my mother found out” (Rushdie 160). But for Amina, a wife’s duty is to her husband and household. So to defend her family’s place in society, to save her husband’s pride and honor, it only makes sense to do what she did.

In breaking the mold to sustain the mold, Amina too helped to show us how people interact with society. Whether we realize it or not, whether it is the intention or not, society shapes individuals. And yet, despite it all, all we can really be is ourselves.

Works Cited

Rushdie, Salman. Midnight's Children:. New York: Random House, 1981. Print.