Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Wednesday - Fighting the "Uphill" Battle

Quote from yesterday - The tardies are an effect, not a cause. They are a symptom of a school that is going downhill.

We all might not agree that this statement is true, but I'm sure we would all agree that this perception is widely held in our community (constant talk/press about failing to make AYP, about our tardy problems, about our high suspension rate, etc.)

Given that, what is one (or two) simple, concrete thing that YOU (students) or I (teachers) can do to help reverse this perception and help get our school moving uphill instead of downhill.

98 comments:

  1. Rebuild the school with a northern slope and pretend we're going uphill (even if we move South on a downhill angle). It is all about perception now isn't it?

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  2. It is hard to change people's minds once they're made up, and we WON'T change their perceptions unless the school, as a whole, comes together. To me, this seems impossible--there will always be those who refuse to cooperate just because. But, it is doable, I think. First step, get everyone on the same page.

    ~~Obada Ejoh

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  3. Instead of talking about the negative things and Eastern's bad rep, why not focus on the good things and the things we are doing right?
    -Lauren Wicke

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  4. We need to make AYP and students need to come to class on time.

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  5. i think that we should have classes that are teaching u to the work force or a classes that u take to get u ready of collge.
    meng yang

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  6. We all need to see what is really happening and work together to solve it then move forward. keep moving foward- Tim Blake

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  7. First of all, making our school a better place to be will never be finished. Maybe rebuilding our school on the outside would make the people who go to our school seem better. Pattengill was rebuilt, and now that school seems better than the rest of the older buildings in the district, making its students seem better too. Another improvement we could make is to improve our testing scores by enforcing better rules, without going overboard (such as the tardy "solution" we have now).
    -Alayna Bailey

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  8. The only way to get our school to move 'uphill' is to get students to care.

    --Sarah Kimmel

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  9. We do need to make AYP. And I think the administration does need to also recognise the good things about our school.

    I also agree with Meng Yang. We need classes that prepare us for the future.

    I hope the state doesn't take us over... then we'll be at the bottom of the hill...
    -Melissa Scenga

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  10. all students have to do is their work but to get kids to class some need incentive because they cant do it by themselves dont have that strength or just diont want to-cameron sanchez

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  11. students should start to care more so the school can go 'uphill'. - fonso

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  12. THE ONLY WAY ANYTHING WILL CHANGE IS EVERYONE WHO CAME TO SCHOOL DID WHAT THEY WERE TOLD AND IF HALF THE TEACHERS IN THIS SCHOOL ALSO CAME TO DO WHAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO ''ITS NOT ONLY THE STUDENTS'' BUT HALF THE PEOPLE IN THIS SCHOOL ACT SLOW THEY COME TO SCHOOL BUT DONT DO NOTHING SO REALLY DONT THINK ITSPOSSIBLE FOR ''CHANGE'' OR ANYTHING SO I GUESS WHATEVER HAPPENS HAPPENS.!!!!!!!!

    <3ALYSSA TUCK =)

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  13. Students need to come to school, we need to make AYP and contuine to make it. We should foucus on the good things about Easter too. Everyone talks about the bad things about Eastern and there are so many good things about Eastern, but we have a bad rep.

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  14. i Agree With Raechel.-Ciara Cisneros

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  15. Okay. So basically theres always in every situation a "point of no return" so to speak. Our school is extremely close to reaching that point. The kids attitudes are horrible, so the teachers are trying to enforce rules on kids who could careless. Which is kind of pointless. Most of the kids come to school to mess around, see your friends, ya know. They dont care if they get suspended.,Get sent to the social room, fail a class. So perception of the school will always be bad until you can actually change whats going on. You cant put out a misleading message making our school look better than it is..Until theres a significant change in the kids here, i honestly dont think the school can improve.

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  16. We can make differance but we would have to go out of our way to make these people come to class and not be tardy tardies are always going to happen theres nothing we can do about it the problem will always exist

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  17. crap. that last one was by me. -Ashlee Smith

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  18. Plain And Simple, Things Wont Change.. __David N.

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  19. We shouldn't be thinking about the negative of our school we should try to find a way to make that negative become a positive. By dowing something about it.

    Chris Lowure

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  20. "None of us are as cruel as all of us."

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  21. Dont announce that your have hallsweeps _grantswix

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  22. the people that don't want to be her should be kicked out. The people who don't ever go to class, and when they do, just cause interuptions-Jordan King

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  23. well the teachers cant really do anything differnt i think its on the students cause if the student doesnt want to learn then u really cant do anything about it...

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  24. well the teachers cant really do anything differnt i think its on the students cause if the student doesnt want to learn then u really cant do anything about it...

    tyler b

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  25. you can rarely ever change people's minds. thats all i can really say about this. it all depends on the students not anybody else.
    -Chelsey n. Clark

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  26. I think teachers cant realy do anything aboout it because it is most likely up to the student to learn of course that is being said if they want to learn if not than there is really not much to do about it .
    -Madelaine Pelaez

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  27. we should try to focus on the good on Eastern instead of the bad and get rid of the people who don't want to be here.
    ~Mercedes~

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  28. Teachers can't really do anything but teach us, as the have been doing. So its up to the students to come to school and do what they have to do.

    - Quatica =]

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  29. i think that there is nothing the teachers can do more than that they are doing every thing they could do .. it's depends on the students if they want to get this school uphill they will if they won't nothing could help... but if u are a good student u have to encourage the other students to be as u maybe that will work a little bit
    ban baraya

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  30. i think that it is up to the staff and students if there is no effort on either side to try and help out each other on whats goin on in the school then we will go uphill instead of downhill so that what i think about it. IF NOT AT ALL THE NONE AT ALL

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  31. Ok.....one thing that we can all do, together, is work on student behavior. It seems that when more things are weighted on students, their attitude/behavior changes accordingly.

    But the way that we have been going (adding more things, instead of changing them), students are going to go downhill with their behavior. The more rules there are, the more students are going to try to munipulate them and try to get away with it anyways!

    But we all need to work together to fix things, which we haven't. If we could accomplish this, then Eastern would go back uphill. (the way we ALL want it to go)

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  32. that we all should come to school and learn the things that we need to learn.another is that we all should do what we are told to do just to get it done with.its not that hard to to these things that we need to do
    -angelica martinez

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  33. I believe that we should promote the IB program. We're the only high school in Lansing to have that program, so that should give us something unique to be proud about.

    -Joey Coscarelli

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  34. man tha tardy thing is stupid.we all know tht eastern is never gonna make AYP.If tha teachers and or staff are not allowing students in class is jus gonna lead to problems.yu guys give out detensions lik candy.then when students dont go to tha detensions.then yu guys want to get to suspending.but lik i said EASTERN is not making AYP!
    -Gabby

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  35. We should be nice to the teachers and ourself. We have to come at school every day but not to skip the classes. The teachers have a good time to help us for the best that they can do. - Nelson Mandela

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  36. The first thing that students should do is start paying attention in their classes instead of sleeping and wasting their time and other peoples time.
    ~*~Elena Herrera~*~

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  37. If we really think about if ALL the teachers could actually try to change their atitudes then it would actually have an effect on the students making them want to learn so we all need to work together on this! Its not just the students i believe that everyone needs to find away to make this school meet AYP PLEASE PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Jeff-Walker

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  38. Well I think that we should work on the problems that we have than causing more. Like with the tardy thing most of the students that arent tardy all the time will be one time or another and i dont think they shouldn't be penalized for it.
    ~Taylor L.

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  39. I think, to help stop the perception of going downhill.....Students could make more of an effort to come to class on time and actually TRY to do the work handed to them. Also...making AYP....maybe teachers could have some kind of reward field trip to the students who show up to big tests like the fianls and the MME if thats what it takes to help the district-Jessica Z.

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  40. U cant make someone care that doesnt care, students do not care about eastern high school because they already feel like they hav a bad reputation from jus bein here. Its hard to b n a failin environment n try to care wen u hav tha feelin dat no one else does. i feel dat eastern goin uphill has as gud a chance as a astronaut travelin to pluto
    ~Trell~

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  41. I think it is the student who needs 2 try and care more about their education and maybe the teachers need 2 teach better in a way students can understand more. cheklsey g

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  42. i dont think that its the students and teachers fault... i think that the parents that need too be more involved to make sure that their child is doing good in school! giving their child consequences will make students do better in school... point. blank. period. :)

    Mariah.H;

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  43. There are definitely problems with Eastern, and the administration, but we do have many great teachers and students that you can't find anywhere else. As many have said, it is clearly up to the students. There is definitely a portion of students who care about school, and do well because they are cognizant of the fact that they want to get out of here, and move on to bigger and better things. The ones who don't care should just LEAVE. They are the ones that outside speculators see, and base their opinion on. As many may know, first impressions are difficult to change. Especially when they get that impression continuously through the media, other parents, and see it in public. They dwell on the failure of inner-city schools, and the reason we may not meet the standards is because they are reliant on us to fail. If no one believes we can, it is inevitable that we fail. However, it is completely true that change is the only constant momentum in this world, meaning that circumstances can change.

    It is understandable that we don't have the resources or budget as the schools on the outskirts of Lansing. It is a presumption that just because the outer schools are more lucrative, they are better. NOT necessarily the case. Our school is the only one that has the International Baccalaureate Program in the entire state. Over 65% of our Juniors and Seniors are included in this program, and it is just becoming more popular. No other high school has that, and no other high school has a student body like us, therefore WE need to make that uphill battle.

    A cause for the carelessness in Eastern is that all values that we carry through to the outside world are taught at home. Education IS a value that needs to be taught, and its significance must be elucidated. Some feel they needn't go farther than their parents in their education, or even not need one. Or they feel it is too difficult, so they don't even attempt. At this point in the students' lives, when they are as old as 14-18, they are pretty set in their ways and values, as they feel precocious that they know the world already, and they know what's best for them (although in many cases, they may). You can't change that or affect at this point in the game. This is only one of the cases, and there are definitely many more, but this is what I see as ignorance, an epidemic worse than H1N1.

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  44. Some students need to care more about school. More parents need to get involved so that their children can learn. It's not the teachers' fault; it's the students'.
    - Amelia A.

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  45. its not the students not the teachers
    they're doing there part
    the parents need to lend a hand and help
    out too

    bernade lizaire

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  46. i agree that are school is going downhill and we could all help by doing what were supposed to be doing and staying on tack and do the best that we can do

    Eric Steele

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  47. It seems like we're just focused on teachers and students. Theres another group of people that we're missing. Parents. They need to influence their student to do better.
    -Adam Cortez

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  48. Once a student makes up ther mind whether or not they care enough to come to class on time or at all there is no changing it. Also, Eastern is a school full of clicks and followers therefor if one or a few decide school is unimportant there are always going to be the stupid followers who go along with it. So that will make it very hard to change anything.
    But perhaps it would help if the school should educate students about the consequences of not making AYP it would help some students realize that it is important and if it is not met the school.

    -Amelia T

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  49. This school is more focused on how bad this situation is instead of just doing it. yes eastern should meet AYP but this is pretty unfair. I know students who get good grades and are in school everyday yet they are sitting in the social room missing out on some very important classes. its just bs to me honestly

    kk

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  50. Getting our school moving "uphill" isnt going to be easy. The students just dont care anymore. You can give them a letter, or make them sit in the social room, make them leave for a few days.....idk. I hope we can eventually start moving "uphill" soon.

    -Bryonna Trevino

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  51. What does Eastern High School so we can go up hill........... To me stop teaching to the test and why is AYP the only thing on everyones mind. Why do we let that test decide how good or bad our school is. It makes no sense because we get all strung up about this test and thats when things go bad. -Billy Hundt

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  52. I think we should just grow up and do what were supposed to and try and be succesful and stop trying to do the opposite of what the teachers tell us.

    **J.Clark77***

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  53. THE PROBLEM IS NOT SCHOOL!!!!! IT IS OUR SOCIETY!!!! Everyday I watch T.V., always something to do with violence. If we want to fix our classmates (I know that none of the people who are the problem are on this blog) we have to fix our society.
    Rappers has torn us, Violence has entranced us, Sex has bullied us, War has DESTROYED us.
    DON'T HELP THE STUDENTS NOW, LET'S HELP THE FUTURE STUDENTS OF THIS SCHOOL!

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  54. Not all of the students are on the same page. Some of them see this as not even a big deal and they think that the staff are making to big of an exaggeration on the condition of our school so obviously they won't take the time to pay attention to what you have to say. We as students would all have to get on the same page but there has to be something to motivate us to think the same. Some students don't care about their test grades-suspensions-etc and others think those are their number one priorities. You as the staff need to show us that this IS important and we SHOULD be trying our best at it all. At this point in our lives we aren't too worried about the future and how it could effect us. Ignorance is a big factor in this and understanding isn't in our favor. So getting everyone on the same page is the first thing we should do but I do think that we can do it, if we put more effort into it.
    -Brenda T - 4th hour

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  55. I don't think that it's the school's fault that it's students are this way. I believe it is the way they've been brought up and parents should be the ones pushing their kids to go to school and make a better life for themselves. The best anyone can do is simple encourage peers and students to do their best eventually leading to making AYP and better graduation numbers. I know I've had a good life and everything, but I don't want to be stuck here forever and I can't imagine anyone else would either! That's why I try my best. :P
    - Lynea Villegas

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  56. In order to get onto a positive slope everyone needs to carry the same attitude of hard work and doing whats right. Its hard to stay on task and try to do the right thing when people around you act out and can get away with it. Its hard to do the right thing when authority that suppose to keep us in line are too lazy to bother. Its hard to do the right thing when you go to a class where the teacher stutters and stammers to get though a lesson EVERYDAY. We need to improve the foundation of Eastern before we can build upon it.

    -Rosalia Juarez-Yuen

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  57. Well, first we could somehow try to get the full hour off-campus lunch back, the time where students blew off steam, did their homework, could get help from their teachers that wasn't before or after school [If you ride a bus, its extremely hard to stay AFTER school to get help, or if you get a ride in the morning, its hard to get here before school to get help].

    Secondly, lets get students BACK in school. If we still had truancy officers more kids would be here [Granted, not all, but some more than there are right now].

    Third, like Lyanh said this is the only school in Michigan that is IB-Certified, and with more than 60% of upperclassmen enrolled in it, this should be an outstanding school, and this battle should not even exist.

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  58. If the student doesn't care about school then theres really nothing that can be done. You can't make someone want to learn. For the kids who do care then they can help in making the school get better and do what they need to do.

    Chaunise Leiva

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  59. Actually, we are not the only IB school in the state .. we are only IB school in the area.

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  60. i really dont know cuz their is not really any thing that we can change even when kids try i feel that the biger power can just take it from up* mariah harris*

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  61. The students need to actually care about their education and make an effort to succeed.
    -Jessalyn Gonzales

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  62. How do we, as teachers, help students care? I would love to hear ideas for what I can do that I am not already doing. Motivation to do well needs to be intrinsic, but there should be extrinsic ways to influence students to be more successful. As a graduate of Eastern, I find the media perception of the school to be disappointing. When I was a student, Eastern was the best school in the area. I think we still could be if we could just come together and work together.

    Ms. Brady

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  63. i think if everyone do wat there supposed to do and the principal and teachers like the kids more then everything will work out like it supposed to but the tardy issue snt gone help everything to get better

    Farid

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  64. Ok, when I say Eastern is going downhill, I'm talking about the overall high school experience. Kids don't do sports anymore, there's no school spirit anymore, it's harder to be proud of being an eastern student. A big part of that is that lunch closed, and being a student just got harder. Then the AYP thing came around and the administration doesn't seem to care about what's best for the students, they care about raising the test scores. I want to go to the school my older siblings went to because when school is a positive place, it's a lot easier to perform well. Let's start a drama program again. Then let's have a 4 or 4:30 bus that could take kids home so they could do something after school.

    -Katie King

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  65. I think one of the major problems with so many students is that they are lead to believe that the way they act is appropriate or acceptable, when really they are acting like children. They need to understand that they are in high school, and its time to grow up. Now while you cannot solely blame teachers, there are those teachers that not only allow, but sometimes do things that encourage that behavior, and they need to be held accountable for the way they conduct their classes - Charles Raymo

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  66. the school is not going downhill its just those who are lazy the students who dont care about their education,and dont know it will change their life - Brett Anderson

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  67. The only thing that will help is if students actually care about their future and their life and see that without school they're going to be bums they have to change not the students who care and actually do what theyre supposed to do.....-Leo Mendoza

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  68. Alot of Students don't care. Don't care about grades, tardies, failing. There is nothing the teachers can do but sit & watch. By making all these dumb & pointless rules are just making the students angry & making them not want to try even more. I honestly think our school is going downhill...ALOT!
    -Brittany Dyer.

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  69. Replace T.C. Wallace, and get someody who is working for us instead of a ridiculously large paycheck.
    ~Kelly Christopherson

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  70. We start being educated from the day they are born. I believe many of our problems are started in grade school and middle school. Teachers don't expect much out of us students until we reach high school and then there is so much pressure that our ultimate, and unfortunate, result is failure. I think we need to work from the bottom up and have greater educational opportunities for the youth, because that builds us up for the higher expectations in high school.

    -Joey Ulrich

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  71. well this school is slowly losing its hope on the students but we need to establish the fact that it is the students that pulls the school downwe have to let them know that for our school to be better we must better our self and to do this they must get to class and make in effort to do assighnments and even take a part in sports if we want to school to improve we must get up on our own 2 feet and make the school better so everyone pick up your books, go to your class, go to a gym teacher and say "hay is there a team you coaching and if so what do i have to do and join"now this may seem alot but in the long run sucess will come your way and you will be the leaders of tomarrow and when you look back you will see the tools eastern high school have given you rather you made academic allstate,honor roll/gaurd,varcity/jv,even estabblishing a 3.0 will be easy if you put some effort in it so listen to my words and take them to notice and build the future of the school and the school will do the same

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  72. we should just let the kids that dnt worry about thier work fail. And all the kids that want to learn learn. Then we wont have this discussion.
    -eric goss

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  73. ~ABIGAIL DE LA P.~
    we have to work together to change eastern to be a good school. but the student need to care about their education if they dont care about they education dont come to school because they dont help us to do better.

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  74. I've read a lot of these responses. A common one is that it's the parental guardians fault. Which, in theory, I agree with. But I don't think we should just blame the parents and teachers. As a student, I can accept responsibility for myself. But for others, it may not be as easy. I think it's more focused on the students behalf. If you really want to achieve something, you'll find the time to do it. But, if you couldn't care less, then why bother complaining if you're not going to change. It also can be pushed onto some teachers. The reason for not making AYP, I believe, is that teachers are not teaching testing material. It may help if we were learning information that could be useful when it comes to test taking. As for the Administration, they're just trying to do what's best for our genereation, since in time, we will be changing their diapers. So, I would like the student body to take the time to reflect on ourselves and come up with what WE can do. And hope that the parents, teachers, and administration will do the same in order to save our education.

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  75. I guess i could encourage others to not be so lazy and not care. But all my friends come to school & are not a problem to the school, so my help can only go so far.

    Lauren Lindemulder

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  76. oh ^-^ that me, --Aubriana Ward ^^^^^^

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  77. there are so many people in this school who want to learn and who care about their future. there are also people who don't care about learning and dont care about their future. Those people need to not bring Eastern down. It is up to us, as students, to change people's attitude toward Eastern. The teachers and administration can only do so much. People need to care and take pride in their school no matter what.

    ~~Rachel Turner~~

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  78. There's a lot I could say on this topic, much more than you would care to read in a blog comment. Besides, most of it is not that helpful. I could sit here and post pessimistic views on culture and society like some other posters, however those are merely the problems, not the solutions.

    The general consensus seems to be that students are the problem and that people are hard to change. So then, if students not caring and being resistant to change is the problem, what's the solution?

    I think Joey Ulrich nailed it on the head. The solution is rooted back in our earlier educations. Kids need to be influenced early on, before they get to the point that they are tardy to 5 classes a day. Things like (subtlely) teaching better critical thinking skills in young children could affect their ability to make informed decisions later in life.

    - Matt Johnson

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  79. do work & stop complaining; also get rid of t.c. wallace

    -zach vanamber

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  80. security needs to enforce the rules of the school a lot more. theyre being too friendly with the students and avoiding their resposibilities as security guards of the school. the students that are friends with the security are the ones that skip more because they know security will not do anything. enforcing the rules of the school, like skipping, is definatley the first step of pushing the school uphill.

    ~rEbEkAh lAwLeR~

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  81. I think that our school is going downhill because they just don't care about their education anymore and I think that if people want to change then they should change for their self and their own education.

    -Keanu Torrez

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  82. i dont think they hurt anything is we still get our work done and have good grades if those arent happening then yes it is true
    -Tony Weed

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  83. I think that if all the kids actually walk to class instead of stand in the middle of the hall and talk and be in everyones way, or they walk, but half of the kid's pants are so far down that they cant even walk normal speed, so if they actually walk then they could make it to class on time and we wouldnt need dumb rules for tardys.
    -Tyler Hoover

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  84. I think students do their work and work hard they know already they have to do thier work to pass the classes otherwise they may not thats sucks for them. if students doesnt care they dont i dont think they can change maybe some of them not all. The students who always does good jobs they should keep up and go forward and try to help those who doesnt if they want the help.
    Shakira

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  85. I agree with Katie King 100%.

    We need to promote the positive aspects of Eastern, of which we have many. We need to work on changing the LSJ's demeaning attitude and have positive things printed about us. And, we have to work hard as heck to do it. It doesn't matter what we do, the media is always going to hate us, which didn't used to be the case. More attention on the many good things about our students and our school, and less on the unfortunately over-hyped poor aspects of our school. It doesn't help that the general public has so many terrible misconceptions when it comes to us, but what's past is past, and we shall over come.


    -Kayleigh R.

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  86. i will do my proper work on time and when the students in the hallway ask why i graduate on time, i will tell them that i get the easy classes done and out of the way before doing the hard classes.
    -sean

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  87. I think in order to get our school going uphill, we(students) needs to take our education more seriously, and the teachers need to be more understanding, and they should aty least act like they care about our futures.

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  88. Every school has its pros/cons and no school is perfect and when we emphisis our negitives that is all people will see. So if we want to change what people think of Eastern, then we need to first change what we think of Eastern.

    -Abdelaziz Adawe

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  89. I think that this school needs new stairs...i mean who falls up the stairs. And when you dont, you get to your destionation like you just ran a 5K marathon. ESCALATORS!!!

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  90. I agree 100% with Katie King. We are going downhill in a sense that no one is involved anymore and nobody cares to be involved. For example, the sports programs are rapidly declining because no one wants to do them anymore. Nobody cares.

    When I was a freshman, I used to love coming here. It was a positive environment and I enjoyed being here. Over the years, things have began to change and as a senior now, I absolutely hate being here. Its not the fact that I have senioritis or any of that, it seems to be a common consensus. People go to school and then run home. They don't have the will and in some cases the opportunity to get involved with any activities that happen after school. The economy is falling and people don't want to pay for gas because of the high prices. More students are being obligated to make use of the school provided transportation in which most of us have to run to to catch anyways.

    Going along with what James said, an open-campus lunch would help students get more involved in clubs in such. Not everyone can make after or before school meetings and it's not fair to them that they can't be involved because they don't have the transportation. Look at how the amount of clubs have decreased in number and there are only a few major ones left.

    Getting the schools reputation back up needs to happen and this can be done by bringing care back. No one has anything to care about anymore. Like, lets bring the drama program back and get some plays going; bring the participation in athletics back, both playing and spectating.
    -M. Rambo

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  91. teachers should be more encouraging instead of demanding and students should not be so afraid to ask teachers/staff for help. a big factor is also the respect level that teachers and students have for eachother. students should show more respect for the teachers because they are taking time out of their lives to educate students. but teachers should also respect students enough and treat them like adults and give them a little more freedom.
    Destiney McCoy

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  92. I agree, with the idea of the perception of Eastern being bias. But due to both our academic and disciplinary challenges, what's the average person to think? We've brought this upon our self, and maybe this is sort of a consequence; disappointing our piers. In turn, there is little effort put into helping or restoring anything. For example: The Community Dream Project. I do believe an entire sports facility to be shared with LCC was intended on being completed by my graduating year. Here we are, 2010, half way through my Junior year, and absolutely no progress has been made. It is agreeable that effort can be made on both parts, but let's give them a reason for to get up and make an effort.

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  93. I concur. I think the schools in a pit and needs a ladder to get out. Oh wait we are poor. Ans we cant afford a ladder, or a rope for that matter.

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  94. All we can do is try to go uphill we will-kami flake

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  95. I think some ways that maybe could make this school go uphill; is to actually motivate the kids to do better and tell them that they can. Because if they get no motivation and belief in themselves, then forget about them even trying. It could be a possibility that at home nobody even cares if they do good or not, so if at home, where all the progress should begin at, isn't there, then their wanting to do good and make their school progress, etc; it won't happen unless the school and teachers push their students to do well. Everybody has the ability to triumph, it's only a matter of act of how bad they want to.

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  96. It's half and half between the teachers and students. It's pretty damn obvious that the students need to work on their mindset on how they see school and their future. However, look at the difference in the teachers. Take teachers like Baragar, Richter etc. They are kind, care about students passing and will work with their students to figure out the problem and allow them to pass. You notice how many people pass those classes? Then you have teachers like Wright, Clegg etc. where they teach hard material then when you ask for help they DONT HELP! I don't know how many times I have asked Mr. Clegg for Chemistry help and all he would do is tell me to ask a student or read the text book. Teachers like that turn me off from caring because I put so much hard work in and the end result isn't good because they won't explain and I miss out on important details in the beginning that carry over into further in the semester. I guarantee if open campus lunch was brought back, a lot would change. That whole 20 minutes before the bell don't do jack shit because anytime I went to see a teacher for help they were busy taking care of their own stuff.

    The problem with students varies into many different things. Some students are hanging out with the wrong crowd, some have their own personal things they are dealing with...you really can't point out a specific reason why kids aren't doing as well as they should be. If you really want insight, you need insight from those that are behind in credits and causing the downfall. Maybe have councelors talk to select students are who in a bad situation and try to gather insight on what their problem really is. As a previous student who was there for 5 years because of struggles, I can tell you my problems were teachers who wouldn't help and not having time to see my friends due to the closed campus policy so me and my friends would take off and come back when we felt like it. Not only did I feel deprived of the high school expeirence I had loved when I had the freedom of leaving for an hour, I also took advantage of that time by doing homework because most teachers offered help. They don't offer help after school, nor would I have stayed after school because I don't want to deal with the conflict of finding a ride. After graduating I know that was the wrong way to do it, but I'm sure this is how your current students are thinking.

    P.S. Miss Brady: Your class is great. You give a fair amount of work and the average student should do okay in your class. Unfortunately, not all teachers are like you in that school.

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