I’m on it and I know why.
I made the decision not to go to class eight times, and now I’m paying the price.
I see where the district is coming from when it says that the policy meant to keep a person from missing class unless they have a legit reason, but does contract even have a true purpose, seeing as many workers these days work outside of their offices? Instead of sweating inside a cramped 8x8 cubicle, work is now completed with Blackberries, laptops, and Bluetooth’s at Starbucks or Macdonald’s.
Contract is the agreement a student has with the Assistant Principal that says that if the student misses class, they must have a legitimate reason for not being there. If the student misses the class, they must have a doctor’s note. A student also is only allowed to have three tardies per class.
It gives me the impression that it is trying to keep kids responsible by making them go to class and attend on time. But how does this policy prepare students for life after high school?
Sandra Yangouyian, a Birminghamarea career counselor, says that there are 17 foundation skills that all workers in the high-performance work place must have. Only one skill had anything to do with attendance.
Yangouyian said Lawrence K. Jones’, “The Foundation Skills” were a career building blueprint to be followed. These skills are broken down into four categories: “Basic Skills,” “Thinking Skills,” “People Skills,” and “Personal Qualities”. Expanded, these skills include Problem Solving, Writing, Critical Thinking, Communication, Mathematics, Visualization and Decision Making Skills.
Responsibility, one of the 17 foundation skills, does include attendance, but as its fourth most important subset, below hard work, concentration and superior effort.
However, it’s this quality that the administration seems to be honing in on.
“The contract tries to get a student to realize that they cannot skip class,” said Assistant Principal Deb Boyer. “It helps students to focus on attending in that if they don’t attend class, they have to have a legitimate reason for why they are not in class.”
With the new technology in our generation, class can be taken without actually being present. Right now, teachers leave some content on the web. A student can access Microsoft Word from their Blackberry, and can make PowerPoint’s from their house. That allows students to learn what the class learned that day, complete what needs to be completed and not be punished for missing. Some college courses are only given online, and the number increases each semester.
Seems like when a student is put on contract, they are being set up to fail. However, many students who have been put on contract for a class can easily demonstrate a mastery of the content the class covers.
“Give me a test and I’ll show my teacher the grade I truly deserve,” said junior Daisy Dull.
Some students are split on their opinion about the contract.
“I think it’s good that the AP is trying to get us to go to school, but I think it’s unfair, the consequences of breaking it,” said junior Claire Choinard.
If you break contract, you are in grave danger of losing credit for the class. To receive credit for the class, the student must past with a 78% or higher. They also have to complete a list of requirements given to them from their teacher.
“You need to attend class daily, and have no unexcused absences and no pattern of tardies,” said Boyer. “The punishments for breaking contract are prescribed by law. If you break the contract, then you automatically raise the bar for passing that class from a D- to a C+ by state regulations.”
Every teacher is required to give students who break contract a list of requirements that they must accomplish and turn in to receive credit for the class. This list is usually buried in each teacher’s syllabus.
Some people also feel that who the school puts on contract and for how long is not fair.
“The contracts basically do work,” said Boyer. “Our goal is to have students in class, so that they can get information, interact, learn and understand what is valuable, and be able to apply it. It’s not intended to be a punishment. It’s intended to be a heads up.”
Critics of the contract say the agreements cause the student to suffocate, thus making him or her hate school more. If a student hates school, their grades suffer. When someone’s grades suffer, they receive a horrible grade point average, and don’t get into a good college.
To have a student be successful in school, they have to be happy. When a student is happy, they are more productive. If skipping makes a student happy, why not allow him or her, with certain restrictions, to do so, because when they are at school, they are more productive?
“I go to class when I want to be in school and I actually get work done,” said Dull. “Contract doesn’t give me the choice to go to class or not anymore, so I hate school all of the time.”
Teachers see the students that are on contract as “skippers” and not smart. I got a 28 on my ACT and went in blind but I’m on contract for three classes. Does that mean that I am not smart?
When it comes to accountability, some teachers take the side of the contract and see that it is doing something good for our school.
“I think attendance, whether you’re a student of employee of a company, is very important,” said social studies teacher Dawn Whitehead. “We’re all accountable to be where we’re supposed to be. Being at school and on time teaches you skills you need to have when you have a job.”
Other teachers however feel that the contract has its flaws.
“It’s got some bugs that haven’t quite been worked out yet,” said flex teacher Peter Shaheen.
