Why?

I’m sure most of you have heard this spiel before, but I can’t mention this enough.

Why do we have the budget to buy 6 plasma screen TVs?
Why do the Algebra I students get iPads?
Why does every teacher get a SmartBoard and document camera, when only half of them use either?
Why don’t we have enough money to get new textbooks?
Why doesn’t the music department have enough rental instruments or soundproofed walls?

We need to alter the budget. A good deal of this stuff pertains to technology. Many of the “tools” that the school buy to better educate the public won’t have much of a difference unless several criteria are met.

Firstly, the teacher needs to use these things. I’ve seen many a teacher who just uses the SmartBoard as a glorified projector frame, and the document camera once in a blue moon. Sure, it’ll be useful occasionally, but the only teachers who I see use document cameras and SmartBoards every day are usually math and science teachers. If teachers who don’t need all of this fancy tech every day pass on getting one, there’ll be enough money to put into things that these teachers will use.

Also, the students have to be willing to learn. Most Algebra I students, to be honest, don’t have the incentive to learn. Even if you give them iPads and fancy graphing programs, most won’t use them for their intended purpose or at all. Higher-level math students can actually put these to use. For example, graphing f(x), f’(x), and f”(x) could be useful early on in Calculus to explain derivatives and the correlations between the functions. Calculus BC students could explore polar graphs, series, and other things like fractals (which are not native to Ti-84s) on an iPad, which would be better suited to handle these things. Hell, if we didn’t get iPads, maybe we could get enough textbooks before the school year starts, instead of getting them about four months in. Or maybe, we could get online textbooks on these iPads! Who would have thought of that?

The plasma-screen TVs in the foyer, library, and cafeteria just scream, “Unnecessary!” every time I see them. We just don’t need them. They sit there, with their volumes off, playing useless things. The one in the foyer plays a one-slide PowerPoint saying, “Good Morning, Henry Clay!” or something to that extent, and occasionally puts up some valuable information that’s posted right underneath on a piece of paper. The ones in the library play random videos promoting books – these videos last about ten minutes a pop and don’t give any relevant information on the books because there’s no sound coming out of the speakers. Don’t even get me started on the ones in the cafeteria. Sure, have played the announcements once or twice, but nobody can hear a thing because the lunch room is about 100dB constantly. Usually, it plays some random sports games, but recently, I’ve been seeing them show Days of our Lives, also known as A Sitcom with Sex Scenes that Probably Shouldn’t Be Allowed on Daytime Television on. Honestly, these TVs could be useful if they had sound or played relevant and useful information, but nope, that would be educational, and educational is boring.

I could go on with this rant, but you know where this is going. Sell or don’t buy new things, or at least repurpose them to be used by people who actually need them. Hey, if the school’s looking to get some money, I’m sure a bunch of students would love to buy a SmartBoard, or an iPad, or a flat-screen TV, for a reduced price, that is. The point is, spending less money on unused things would let us buy things that would be useful, like soundproofed walls for the orchestra and band.

Because really, who in their right minds would put them right next to each other?

“Hey guys, since they’re both music, let’s put the orchestra and band next to each other! They definitely will need that! It’s not like they’ll fight for space in the practice rooms or that the walls are useless since there are wooden doors connecting the two rooms.” – The architect who designed the school