Ninety five thesis to VHS
things need to change
Mission statement of VHS
"The mission of Varina high school is to provide and educational program designed to develop 21st century citizens who can achieve their full potential as critical thinkers, problem solvers and life long learners with a commitment to their community, state and nation which will enable them to meet the challenges of change."
"....developing 21st century citizens who can achieve their full potential..."
One of VHS's so called goals is to help us achieve our full potential. However they do not realize all students learn in different ways. Constant homework, studying, and rigorous testing in preparation for SOL's may work for some students, but not for all. We are not learning the things we teach for life after high school, we study and test all for the love of passing SOL's. After that most of could care less.
So much homework, so little time.
VHS wants us to get involved right? join sports, clubs, and extracurricular activities. Well all this would be possible, and more students probably would, if we weren't buried in pounds of homework every night. Coming from a VHS field hockey player, i know i arrive home at 6:45PM and after i shower, eat, and do chores, i spend a good 3-4 hours doing homework. that averages a bedtime about 1:00 AM Making me very exhausted by the time i even wake up for school, and that not counting days where i have home games and get home at about 8:00PM, or away game which take even more time.
Study! Study! Study!
In preparation for Varina's SOL state tests, we are required to learn a certain large amount of material in each class every day. By the time most students are done studying this material they have crammed their heads with so much material to recall on command, that their brains essentially become more along the lines of a binder that was just spilled in the hallways. Rather than a cabinet ready to pull information studied at the students will.
If Varina wants us to be involved..
If Varina wants to fulfill the expectations of their mission statement, they need to cut back on bombarding their students with clinical work. Also, they need to fill in that time enriching their students about other things, not drilling test answers into our overworked brains. We have had enough.
Things need to change, our students are drowning!
In order for Varina to correctly fulfill said mission statement our school board, administrators and principles need to realize it is not only books and tests that prepare students for life, but other fundamental life lessons. Ones that simply cannot be learned inside books or explained away with numbers. They also need to realize when enough is enough, sometimes students just need a break. We grow as our freedom does, how can we possibly grow and succeed with a stack of books shackled to our ankles?