User Rating: / 0
PoorBest 

Some teachers argue that missing school for a fieldtrips is robbing students of their education. The way students make up the work they missed following the field trip has been a source of controversy on Granite’s campus.

"There are more advantages for students being able to experience these things than the drawbacks of missing a day of class especially if it's a strong student," argues history teacher, Jeff Warren.

The Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) class took a field trip in November called Roadtrip Nation. Forty students attended the field trip.

Some staff argue that learning experiences like this are worthy enough of having the chance to make up the missed work.

Jane Kisling, the coordinator from Granite Hills High School’s AVID course believes these field trips are beneficial.

"These kinds of field trips are opportunities to get outside of Porterville and see potential choices of colleges. If students have a field trip for another class, in which they can attend colleges, art museums, and or any educated field trips, it is very important every child should receive the option to make up work," stated Kisling.

Despite the incoherence of teachers that did not let students make up any work, some students still went on the Roadtrip Nation trip.

“If I would have not gone on the field trip, I would have missed out on the things they informed be about. I learned what requirements I needed for college,” said Adriana Lara, sophomore AVID student at Granite.

These field trips created tension on Granite’s campus because of teachers who do not let students make up work and teachers that do not agree with those teachers.

“It’s not fair that students should miss out on a school opportunity,” said Krista Nix, “It is a school event that should be supported by all staff.”

However, teachers who do not let students make up work believe that either way the student will win and lose.

Michal Reed, English honors sophomore teacher at Granite, does not let her students make up any work.

"The student has to look at the choice with the most gains and least losses. Short and long term," believes Reed.

Some students feel they are being deprived of important experiences when their teachers do not let them go on field trips because of class work they need to complete.

This issue of controversy caused students to feel belittled by the choices of their teachers.

Sophomore Heriberto Zavala was planning to go to Rotary Career Day but decided last minute not to attend the trip.

"I just decided not to go because I didn't want to get behind in my schoolwork," declared Zavala.

The district policy on makeup work states that make-up work will be "determined by the teacher; the assignments and tests shall be reasonably equivalent to, but not necessarily identical to, the assignments and tests missed during the absence. Students shall receive full credit for work satisfactorily completed within a reasonable period of time."

Comments  

 

+1 #2 Katelyn 2011-02-16 17:26

Ok, so... I think its kinda shameful on the teachers that dont want us to miss their calss for an EDUCATIONAL fieldtrip!! Do they not want us to go out in the real world & see what it has to offer us the WHOLE REST OF OUR LIFE & not just one day in class?! I mean, come on!!

Quote

 

 

+1 #1 Elissa Lombardi 2011-02-07 17:22

It is in my humble opinion that the most educational experience will always come from the real world. How can one argue that looking at a picture of looking a Van Gogh in a textbook is equal to or better than seeing one hanging on a wall at the Getty? Or studying nuclear fission from a powerpoint versus visiting the Lawrence Lab where Glenn Seaborg actually synthesized berkelium? Nowadays the field trips are few and far between it is a shame that students would not be allowed to make up a test or an assignment because a teacher thought his or her class was more important. In my opinion our attention should be directed toward the long independent study contracts students have around Christmas time not a field trip to UC Berkeley or Circle J Ranch. These students miss between 3 and 6 weeks of school. This length of time away from the classroom is extremely difficult to make up. These students rarely do well on the final exam when they make it up in January.

Quote

 

Refresh comments list
RSS feed for comments to this post

Add comment

Name (required)

Website

Refresh

Send

Cancel

JComments