Enough with "da" Spirit, Bring in "da" Culture
Scheduling
of Blocks Concerns Students
by Kara Peetz
As my high school career creeps to a conclusion, I reflect on all the experiences, or lack of experiences I have had at Marian. Though Marian does offer an outstanding education and an ideal learning environment, something seems to be missing. Year after year, Marian students expect an excessive number of blocks. Marian can always find a reason to shorten class periods, but is it worth it? Sure, spirit is important, but what about using the time to educate us? Isn't that what our parents are paying for? I'm sure many will tell you that it's an education that will send us off, ready to take on the world and all it's obstacles.
An education of this level must include learning about others and their cultures. Even though spirit is an important part of our school, it's not these blocks that I will remember. In all my years here, the only two "blocks" that I remember were the African dancers (way back in January of my junior year) and the Drakensberg Boys' Choir (early fall of last year) from South Africa. And, if I remember correctly, these two blocks were at the most inconvenient times. You either had to starve (because you missed your lunch) or roll yourself out of bed and stumble to school an hour earlier.
Why is it that we can take an hour out of a school day to announce sports teams (which most of us are already aware of), yet we can't find time to fit in the most interesting and educational aspects of our world?
If I had a choice, I would be much more enthused about sitting through an hour of African dancers than an hour of a perpetual list of names. Don't get me wrong, I think people deserve recognition for their involvement, but I am also a strong believer in education by experience. Experience is the best teacher. If this is a known fact, why can't we use this knowledge to expand our cultural awareness. Yes, we could go on summer trips to foreign countries, but not everyone is capable of paying for these expenses. Of course, there are also books. We do read about other cultures in our classes and listen to hour-long lectures (which, to me, in time, meld into a long string of blah.. .blah...blah's), but I always seem to draw a blank when searching my memory bank for this information. On the other hand when I recall the events of the dancers and the Drakensberg Boys' Choir, my mind is flooded with vivid images of blinding colors and I am overwhelmed by the spreading excitement.
I am pleased to see that Ms. Janata and IDEAS are taking a step towards improving our cultural awareness. The IDEAS block on Friday, Feb. 25, was a big step in the right direction. I hope the minute all of you arrived at this block, you pledged your undivided attention to our guests. If not, I'm sorry you missed out on such an experience. These experiences are the ones that will shape our lives and our personalities. Without them we would be lost.