DECEMBER 2014
EDITORIAL
EDITOR I A L : The Opinion of The Union
Current tenure policy ineffective but beneficial, requires reforms to create better environment The public schooling system in the United States has one primary goal: to educate the citizens of tomorrow. The way this education is achieved is through the use of teachers, knowledgeable adults who do their utmost to pass their knowledge to us. Given the structure of the public educational system in California, and therefore Milpitas, one of the main benefits to teachers is tenure, a method in which teachers are essentially given permanent jobs after they have proved themselves in the classroom setting for a certain period of time. It is common knowledge that the amount of funds available to the government are steadily declining. Budgets and funds are being slashed across the board, and unfortunately these slashes have trickled down to the education system. One of the main parties severely affected by the cuts have been teachers. Along with jobs being eliminated and teachers being handed pink slips, the wages and benefits provided to teachers have been declining. Tenure is perhaps the biggest incentive for people entering the teaching industry, as it essentially ensures job security. However, we, The Union, believe that the tenure procedure needs to be reformed. Although tenure ensures that teachers aren’t unfairly removed from their positions and also ensures that there is a steady stream of teachers entering the industry, there are a plethora of unintended problems that arise from
this. Students will agree that there are great teachers, and there are not-so-great teachers. Under the current tenure policy, teachers who teach well for two years receive tenure. Basically, if someone can prove that they are capable to teach for two years, they can become tenured by the district. This system allows teachers to perform above their usual capabilities for two years in order to receive a lifetime job. Once the guarantee for a permanent, stable career is achieved, human laziness can kick in and allow teachers to begin slacking off. The people most affected by this are, of course, students. We believe that the policy should be modified to increase the probationary period to longer than two years, in order to ensure that a teacher is maintaining his performance level rather than simply feigning his way through the two years currently mandated in the status quo. Implementation of this adaptation would in all actuality guarantee an increase in the quality of the educational system, as the ineffective teachers would be weeded out of the system. At the end of the day, all anyone wants is a quality educational experience for students and a fun and rewarding teaching experience for teachers. So why do we not implement policies that ensure that the educational environment is the best it can be for both students and teachers?
Abigail ecal | THE UNION
EDITOR I A L : The Opinion of The Union
New scheduling plans a positive initiative, block design with four period day a possibility We, The Union, commend administration for looking to implement a new schedule for future years. We believe that the best scheduling option for students is a block schedule with an advisory or tutorial period on day A and an optional extra class period on every other day, day B. The days would be four periods each, A day being periods one, two, advisory/tutorial, and three, and B day being periods four, five, six and an optional seventh. Mondays and Wednesdays would be A days, and Tuesdays and Thursdays would be B days, with Fridays alternating. We believe that a block schedule as previously stated would aid students in covering more material. By extending the classes to at least one and a half hours each, students would have more time to begin homework during the period and also get immediate help on it from their teachers. Longer periods also would be beneficial to the arts and lab science classes. Instead of being on a time crunch to set up materials, begin work, and rush to put away the equipment, students could truly spend time on their experiments, write-ups, and artwork. They wouldn’t have to come in during break or lunch to finish their work in order to get credit. The block schedule should also start at a later time, between 8:40 and 9:00 a.m. Not only would a later start give students more time to get ready for school, potentially reducing tardiness, it would also help minimize the traffic issue created by having three schools in the same area. As the traffic for the elementary school and middle school on Escuela Parkway would clear out by 8:30 a.m., high school students would not have to worry about being late to class for something like traffic that is not in their control. Starting later doesn’t necessarily mean ending much later. School is required to be in session for
a certain number of minutes each year and as long as the minutes are distributed accordingly, students would still be allowed to get out at between three to three fifteen. Given that there are only four classes each day, the fourth being optional on B days, ending around three is definitely manageable. This way students could keep their prior commitments such as work, sports, or volunteer service. A benefit that ties into the busy schedule students have after school ends is in the mandatory advisory/ tutorial period we are proposing on A days. This period would be block of time scheduled into the day when students could go to any teacher on campus to get help in a particular subject, work on homework, or visit the counselor without worrying about missing class time. This block could also be used for various other announcements or time for students in organizations to do necessary work. The B day opens up classes that are in high demand and create an extra period for classes that are required for graduation, students would be able to expand their skills base by taking classes not required for graduation. For students not interested in adding another class onto their workloads, they are free to leave school early on B days to use their extra time for after school activities and homework. Another possibility with the block schedule we propose is extending the lunchtime to forty minutes every day. This would give the students more time to obtain and eat lunch especially if they are involved with noontime activities and clubs on campus. We believe that by adopting a block schedule, several concerns such as start times as well as extra classes and time constraints affecting MHS will be addressed. With all these options in mind, the possibilities to create a flexible and effective schedule are on the table for the students of MHS to decide for themselves what best fits their needs.
3
T HE U NION
U NION S T U D E N T V O I C E O F M I L P I TA S H I G H
The Union is published by the Journalism class of Milpitas High School. The views in The Union are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of the school, students, administration, or Milpitas Unified School District.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Yearly subscriptions to The Union are available for $25. Contact the Business Manager for more information.
ADVERTISEMENTS
Those who would like to advertise in The Union can contact the Ad Manager at (408) 582-4391 Ads are available in full page, half page, quarter page, and business card sizes. Inserts are also accepted. Upon request, The Union staff will customize and design your advertisement. C O N TAC T U S 1285 Escuela Pkwy, Room E-17 Milpitas, CA 95035 General Info: (408) 635-2800 Business Manager: (408) 981-8008 Ad Manager: (408) 582-4391 Fax: (408) 635-2848 Email: mhstheunion14@gmail.com
S TA F F Rishika Dugyala Editor-in-Chief
É ?G<5HÉ 5GÉ Ć&#x20AC;É News Editor 95@É 5BG5@É Ć&#x20AC;É Co Op-Ed Editor =A9CBÉ @C>=D5BÉ Ć&#x20AC;É Co Op-Ed Editor =7<9@@9É I5B;É Ć&#x20AC;É Features Editor IH<É 5F?É Ć&#x20AC;É Sports Editor AMÉ ;IM9BÉ Ć&#x20AC;É Lifestyle Editor 9BBMÉ 5CÉ Ć&#x20AC;É Entertainment Editor 6=;5=@É 75@É Ć&#x20AC;É Spread Editor A5B85É ;IM9BÉ Ć&#x20AC;É Co Copy Editor BH<CBMÉ G9B;É Ć&#x20AC;É Co Copy Editor MG<5É 9<A5BÉ Ć&#x20AC;É Web Editor JMÉ ;IM9BÉ Ć&#x20AC;É Photo Editor 99É =BÉ C<É Ć&#x20AC;É Business Manager FMGH5@É F5BÉ Ć&#x20AC;É Ad Manager =JM9G<É <CH5=É Ć&#x20AC;É Asst. News Editor B8F9KÉ IIÉ Ć&#x20AC;É Asst. Features Editor J5BÉ I5B;É Ć&#x20AC;É Asst. Sports Editor
I@=5É ;IM9BÉ Ć&#x20AC;É É Asst. Lifestyle Editor 9FF5É 5@@GÉ Ć&#x20AC;É É Asst. Entertainment Editor 5HF=7?É MÉ Ć&#x20AC;É Asst. Spread Editor G<@9MÉ =7?GÉ Ć&#x20AC;É Asst. Copy Editor <F=GH=B5É ICÉ Ć&#x20AC;É Asst. Photo Editor FID5É 5H9@É Ć&#x20AC;É Asst. Business Manager 5J=9FÉ 5@G65I;<É Ć&#x20AC;É Asst. Ad Manager Jeff Colburn
Journalism Advisor
L E T T E R S TO T H E E DI TOR Issues being addressed by MHS There are many different issues in the current high schools young adults attend today. Among most issues the common ones tend be racism, bullying, inefficiency of education, etc. Fortunately, for the most part, Milpitas High has done a great job in preventing these problems or spreading awareness. The other day P.E. was cancelled to show students an educational video regarding a man and his troubles with his sexual preferences and bullying at his former high school. Milpitas High has been overall an exceptional high school experience for me. However, like other schools, there are issues. At the campus there is a bit of a sewage problem. Not to be distressed, but rather large puddles have filled up in many areas around the campus as it rained hard the past week. There was one place where the drainage simply clogged up, leading to a small leg deep lake. Most large and small puddles were created because most of the pavement
around the school was simply uneven and made ditches. For the most part, I also do not think this is a major problem. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t rain too much in Milpitas, and I would think some students would rather enjoy it. Additionally, I have little hope in the district or school to have enough funds to do anything of the sort. There was already a new swimming facility and girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bathroom rebuilt as well as the school library renovated. There also havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been too much trouble either academically or in club activities. I have experienced last year that the football team had received a great amount of funds while most other established clubs or sports like swimming or speech and debate club receive a pittance. However, I could hardly argue since this year the football team had reached CCS and won most of their games in this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s season. I would expect that compared to other schools throughout California, Milpitas High is quite fine.
David ngo
Class of 2017