2 Editorials
Friday. September 26.1997
“It is a calling to be a teacher...”
by George Spitzer
I would like to thank all of
my former teachers who have had pa
tience with their students. Before now,
I have never fully realized just how
difficult it is to teach.
I now understand what it
feels like to teach. Teaching helped
me realize that I had something to give
back to people. How or why I was cho
sen to teach this summer, I will never
know.
This past summer, I was
blessed with a chance to teach disabled
children. Little did I know this expe
rience would change my life. At first,
I was reluctant to take the job because
I was afraid I would have to change a
diaper.
Luckily, that was not the
case. My main responsibility was
teaching a 10 year old boy, but I also
got a chance to teach a whole group
of children.
On my first day of work, we
went to a school and got to know the
children well. I paid special attention
to the boy to whom I was assigned.
The boy I was assigned to was in a
wheel-chair because he had a disease
that affected the muscles in his body.
Soon, I found out he was
quite intelligent for his young age.
After only a few days, we became
friends, and I realized that he was no
different than anyone else.
In a very short time we be
came very close, and he talked to me
about how he was feeling. He even
told me about how sad he was that
he was different from other people.
It is not fair to treat people that way.
If people are different from the
“norm,” they are outcasts.
Not everyone is supposed to
be “normal.” If everyone was the
same, the world would be a boring
place. It was not very easy for me to
sit back and listen to my student cry
because someone said something that
hurt his feelings.
Almost everyday there was
something I learned. Part of my job
was to teach the arts, and I was
shocked to find out how enthralled
the children were with classical mu
sic. For many of the students it was
the first time they had ever really
been exposed to classical music.
Every day, I would bring in
a different CD or video, and the chil
dren really liked it. This was a huge
surprise because these children were
almost constantly running around or
talking. One day I brought in a CD
with Strauss’s “Four Last Songs” on
it.
I told them about the piece,
and the children almost had tears in
their eyes after I played one of the
songs. That was an experience that I
will never forget.
It is sad that public schools do
not teach children real music. These
kids actually thought that all you do in
music is blow air through a piece of
metal or open your mouth and start
singing.
Luckily, I could answer most
of their questions about music. I wanted
to give back something that means a
lot to me.
Day after day, I saw improve
ment with the children’s reading and
writing skills. The student that I took
care of finished his first book just two
days before my job was to end. This
was a big accomplishment for him be
cause he had never been able to pay
attention long enough to read a book
of that length. It only took some en
couraging words to help him finish his
book.
Finally, after three months, my last
day arrived. It was a bitter sweet day.
The boy to whom I was assigned
grew close to me and he cried.
I thmk I was the first person who
wanted to be his friend. I will never
forget telling my students goodbye.
Nothing has been the same since that
job.
Last, I would like to thank my
students for putting up with me. Espe
cially, I would like to thank my little
buddy.
I can understand why someone
would want to be a teacher. Like my
friends say, it is a calling to be a teacher.
Honor system needs improvement
by William Ginsler
Under the current honor sys
tem at the college, any violation of
the honor code results in a consulta
tion with a dean. The dean then has
the authority and autonomy to decide
your fate as a student in this institu
tion. Is that very ethical? Many pres
tigious institutions (like Harvard,
Yale, UNC...) have an
“Honor Council”
which students and
faculty both participate
in. The students elect
representatives to the
council from the stu
dent body, and the fac
ulty appoints “advi
sors” that serve on the
council for one year at
a time. Each member
of the council has one vote. No one
on the council has more power than
any other. This type of system has
many benefits over the current formula.
This system assures fairness by taking
the decision away from one person.
Each accused student has an option to
bring a friend or facuhy member to
vouch for him or her, so all sides are
heard.
My high school had a system
similar to this. We had an “Honor
Code” which every student signed
when he/
she ar
rived at
the
school,
and we
had yearly
elections
to appoint
members
t o t h e
council.
Once elected, student members served
on the council until they left the school.
Overall, the system worked very well.
Many people were reprimanded under
that system, but never in my four years
at EHS did anyone say the council was
not fair. This college needs to revamp
its current methods and consider this
for the good of the college community
and the reputation of the college.
Dear Editor,
I would like to point out a
dangerous safety hazard around
campus. The stone tile steps to the
library, Dunham Auditorium, and
Jones Dormitory are cracked and
broken. I don’t mind how it looks,
but I do mind that people keep put
ting them back on the steps broken.
To the iimocent pedestrian, the tiles
look whole and attatched to the step.
When people step on the tiles, the
tiles wobble and fall, leaving them
to feel like he/she is on the wrong
side of a see-saw. The College needs
to remove or replace the broken
steps. I am tired of tripping and prac
tically falling down the stairs.
—Stephen Frazier
Freshman
Dear Editor,
I was wondering if any
thing could be done about the basic
cable that students are given on cam
pus. We as students pay too much
money to get only a few stations. Of
the stations we get, most of them that
are of no interest at all to the stu
dents. I feel we should be given sta
tions that deal with issues of our gen
eration. Therefore the Disney Chan
nel and other boring channels we get
should not be part of our cable plan.
We are adults not children and de
serve to be treated like adults.
-Julie Thomas
Freshman
No one on the
council has
more power
than any other, ’ ^
The Clarion
Staff
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Advisor
George Spitzer
Walter Hackett
Jamie Tomasello
Will Ginsler
Bobby Dodenhoff
Danny Breece
Sarah Carpenter
Chrystal Rollinson
Kristen Grice
Justin Misselbeck
Tracy Borden
Molly Kummerle
Lindsay Davis
Amber Jefferies
Andrea Messenger
Rhuemma Miller