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18 - PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, November 9,1993 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" Students note pressures at high school From page 1 case forever. While this youthful innocence was extended for a while longer 15 years ago, it is not the case now. The pressures to succeed and to accomplish the goals which you have set and the goals your family and society have unfairly set, are great. This pressure is inherent when you talk to the Grade 9 students. Carla Leszkowicz and Katie Senyk, both Grade 9 students at PPHS, feel the pressures of be- ing astudentin the 1990s. For Katie it is "tough" being a student. She is worried about her future, noting that her per- formance in high school would determine her future. While it was rare for a stu- dent 10 or 15 years ago to look too far beyond, students today are forced to do so. Katie ex- pressed concern as well about her career. She wondered if there would be any jobs follow- ing completion of university. Although less concerned about the future, Carla noted the added pressure of being a student today as well. While much was the same as in my time, much has changed as well. The rows and rows of desks have been changed to groups in which the students are given more of a chance toin- teract with one another and feed offone another forideas. Co-operative learning was in- troduced into the classroom by the Durham Board of Education five years ago. Dave Cutler, a teacher at PPHS, estimates that he utiliz- es the co-operative method of teaching approximately 40 per cent of the class time. This is 10 per cent higher than the recom- mended standard, but he feels the students respond well un- der this method. Co-operative learning, he maintains, gets the whole class involved and becomes student- centred instead of teacher- centred. In co-operative learn- ing all members of the group be- come accountable, and the group pressure serves as a moti- vational tool. But this strategy must be var- ied with other teaching meth- ods to prevent boredom among the students. "The times are gone where teachers stand at the front of the class and talk, while the stu- dents sit at the back and suck it up like a sponge," said Principal Ted Morrison. He said teachers are relying more on co-operative teaching Editor Scott Anderson sat in on four classes during his re- to get the students thinking critically of both their own work and of their peers. Computers have taken on an increased role in the classroom as well. Gone are the days when a student would turn in a hand- written assignment. They are now given class time to access a computer room where they can prepare their assignments. And while a computer is not a new tool, one or two wee availa- ble in a school during my time, there are now classrooms full of them where each student can have access. Students are also far more computer literate as well. The Ministry of Education is attempting to not to categorize the new students as well, seek- ing instead to destream the edu- cational system. A number of years ago classes were offered at different levels of difficulties including general and advanced. This is not so to- day. Such was the case with this Grade 9 class which was "de- streamed". All students, despite the level of competence towards English, are a part of one class. This lends to new problems in the classroom and new concerns for the administration to deal with in the future. Will the ones that are less competent in Eng- lish suffer under the destream- ing, while the ones more compe- tent benefit or will it work the opposite favoring the weaker English students? The assessment is ongoing at the present time and in fact, the students in teacher Gayle Ebbe- son's class were completing an Ontario ministry assignment which will be used as part of an assessment to determine the ef- fects of destreaming. dkkok Like night and day, the next two classes I attended were "university-bound" classes, commonly known in my day as "Grade 13." The ministry did away with Grade 13 a number of years ago, however, opting in- stead for the designation of On- tario Academic Credit. Unlike the Grade 9 classes in which there is an attitude that they are there because they are required to attend, in the OAC classes there is real feeling of desire. There is a sense that they are there to learn and they are all business. While the previous class had the distinct feeling of Grade 9, the OAC classes had the flavor of a university tutorial. The stu- dents were leading one of the classes with well thought out 4 | turn trip to school including Grade 9 English, Grade 11 auto shop, OAC history, and OAC administrative studies. i LN Sa, F I Er . ee : : A girls basketball game was one of the many activities taking place at PPHS on the day we sent editor Scott Anderson back to school. He is pictured watching the game with Emi- ly Smith, Kim Wray, Heather McLean, Kendra McCrae, and Dodie Bell. resentations, sharing the nowledge with their class- mates. The teacher sat back and observed. Not only did the pre- senters know their given topic, their fellow classmates were as equally prepared. With the use of flip charts, hand-outs and other teaching. aids, two students led the class while the students took notes, eager tolearn. The maturity of the students was impressive. They were all business possessing an "I'm here to learn, because I want to be here" attitude. This is also the attitude you notice when you talk to these students. Todd Smart, an OAC student planning to go university for Environmental Geography and Physical Education, is one such student that displays this ma- turity. He is not too worried about his future as he feels con- fident with his marks. He is "worried about the "next genera-- tion," however. Todd does not feel that the younger students are as devel- oped as he and his peers were when they were in Grade 9. He does not see them as responsible individuals and worries that the educational system today is letting the students slip through the cracks not prepar- ing them fully for the years ahead. Although some students feel the pressure to succeed and do well in terms of academic stan- dards, Todd said he felt the most pressure from his peers to per- form and set examples. He felt, just as he looked up to the older students, he should be there to serve as a role model to the younger students as well. "It's kind of scary," he said. Despite showing an eager- ness to get on with the next phase of his life, Todd will none- theless take a part of the high school experience with him. "High schools are supposed to provide good memories. I'll look back with good memories," he said. But if the occasional pressure to do well in school is not enough, there is the added pres- sure of being a young adult as well. Sean McEnaney, an OAC stu- dent, is worried about future job prospects when he graduates. He is pursuing a future in thein- surance industry. And if the pressures to succeed are not enough, he said many of the stu- dents face the added pressures of adult life such as financial commitments. Todd McCullough said a lot of his peers are feeling scared about the future. They are wor- ried about the job prospects and their future. This has put added pressure on them to succeed and strive harder, therefore making it necessary to spend more time doing school work than ever before. The teachers are noticing a change in attitude among the students as well and are sympa- thetic to the changing climate. Mr. Cutler has found that in his OAC classes the students are very concerned about their marks and the job market. "I find the university-bound students are extremely con- cerned about their marks and they should be," he said. "There are great pressures out there for entrance into university and they must meet those expecta- tions." This was very noticeable in his Canadian and American History class last week which was preparing for a test the fol- lowing day. A number of stu- dents arranged personal tutor- ing with him prior to the test to clarify uncertainties. Despite teaching for 17 years in a number of different schools, Mr. Cutler said he has not no- ticed too much difference in the students over the years. "I think their social pressures are more difficult, but they tend to cope with it very well." Teachers have had to adjust to the changing pressures of the students as well, offering a kinder and gentler approach to teaching. "l'eachers are a lot more aware of the student's life to- day," teacher Glen Wraith said. "They appreciate that aspect." In return, he said the stu- dents are seeing the teachers in a more personal light as well, re- alizing that they have lives be- yond the classroom. "Teachers have to be warm, caring people who the students can talk to and the. successful teacher is just that," Mr. Morri- son said. "I think the vast major- ity here are just that." While so much in the past has dwelled on the pressures of the students and the changes they face, little has been noted of the teachers who also face incredi- ble pressures. eachers and the educational system are put under a more critical eye today as both the teaching methods and the costs involved are scrutinized, said Mr. Wraith. While the teachers don't see anything wrong with the public scrutiny, they feel the pressure to perform to the expectations of . the students and the public. If the students find it easy to adapt to the changing roles at the high school, it is the teach- ers who find it harder to adjust to the new methods of teaching and the changing pressures and expectations. "We have changed every sin- gle year. The students don't change as much," said Mrs. Ebbeson. skkkk According to Mr. Morrison, the goal of Port Perry High School is to make students life- long learners and give them the skills to be such. With this in mind, my last class of the day was a Grade 11 auto shop class. I never had much interest in the technical classes, taking only the few re- quired courses to satisfy the ministry requirements, but I felt if I was to be "a life-long learner" I should try my hand at it once again. I was as out of place in that class as I was 15 years ago. As- signed to work along side a stu- dent, we were given the task of remounting an engine in an au- tomobile. And it was a good thing that the students were there to help me as I fumbled my way around in the bowels of the car trying to look intelligent. The end of class could not come quickly enough for me as this was one of the most hum- bling experiences I have ever had! Hekkok School is a learning experi- ence, and although I learned far more my first time through the secondary school system, I went away from Port Perry High School with lessons I did not know I had learned more than a decade earlier. I learned that day, as I sup- pose I always knew but needed reinforced by Mr. Morrison, that I was a life-long learner and that I had the skills to con- tinue learning. I also learned, as Todd Smart told me, you are supposed to have good memories of high school. I do have good memories of high school, both of now and of then. My new memories of high school, coupled with my experi- ences from my own school, will be with me forever. TR CR LR RT acute acid Rk a