A Study Of School
A school is a school is a school.
Eight Our Generation students left their usual schools to spend the day at a different school.
Some from small rural schools trekked to a large city school. Others left their 1,000-plus student schools to see what life was like at schools half their size, or even smaller.
Some spent the day at private schools, schools on reservations and alternative schools.
The differences on the surface were obvious. But when they got into the classes where the learning takes place, the differences quickly disappeared.
Here’s a glimpse at their experiences:
Who: Tammy Scholz; Colfax
What: Spent the day at a big school (Shadle Park)
The ups: More diverse student body; More opportunities; Not knowing everyone’s business
The downs: Students don’t seem to want to learn as much; Not as safe; Harder to get around; Lake of respect for students
Report: After I got over the culture shock of there being so many people, I began to realize that both educational systems are basically the same. Most classes are the same size and the learning experiences seem to be equal. I used to think that students received more educational attention at a small school. I now realize that in big schools the learning opportunities are there. In order to learn, students have to want to learn. And this is the only thing that seems to be lacking at big schools.
In a small school, teachers encourage more student involvement. I got the impression that in big schools, students are the ones who need to involve themselves.
There is an up side and a down side to a large school. The good aspects would have to be the more diverse student body, more opportunities, and not knowing everyone’s name and everyone’s business. The negatives would be that larger schools aren’t as sheltered or safe, there are so many people and it is such a big building that it is hard to get around. And there’s a lack of respect for teachers and other students.
I like my smaller school because it’s comfortable for me. But I think it just depends on what you are used to.
Who: Elin Astron; Liberty
What: Spent the day at a big school (Lake City)
The ups: More variety of courses and extracurricular activities; More lunch variety (and it tasted better)
The downs: Getting lost in the crowd
Report: When I went to Lake City High School in Coeur D’Alene for one day, my mission was to find the differences and similarities between big and small schools. The school I go to, Liberty High, has only about 200 students. Lake City is about seven times larger.
If you are new or visiting in my school, everybody notices you. By lunch time of my first day at Liberty, everybody knew that there was a stranger in the school. At Lake City nobody thought my presence was out of the ordinary. In fact, I doubt most people even noticed me.
A greater variety of courses and extracurricular activities is one of the major advantages for students attending a larger school. At Lake City the students can play soccer or tennis and they can take French or German classes. At Liberty, none of these is offered.
Another nice thing about Lake City is the school lunch. The school’s budget allows it to offer a variety of dishes and snacks. At Liberty we have only one dish every day, and the food is not always that great.
After my visit in Coeur D’Alene I can say that a big school has advantages, but a small school still has charm.
Who: Sarah Short; liberty
What: Spent the day at an alternative school (Spokane Valley)
The ups: Supportive family-like atmosphere; Respect among students and faculty; First-name basis
The downs: Growing too fast - starting to become like a “regular” high school
Report: I had absolutely no idea what to expect as I walked up the front steps of Spokane Valley High School. It turns out, I had nothing to fear. As I was given a tour of the school, I was greeted by friendly staff members and students. They made me feel comfortable right away.
Spokane Valley High is set up so students can earn credits at their own pace and work at their own level, but the work has to be done to move on. Students range in age from 14 to 21 and can take individual or group classes. Also offered are classes on anger management, stress management and parenting.
All of the students feel privileged to be there and are there because they want to be.
What students and teachers like most about their school is the supportive, family-like atmosphere. There are few discipline problems and the students and teachers have a high level of respect for each other. Students are on a first-name basis with the teachers and everything is fairly laid back.
Everyone is accepted for who they are and everyone’s opinion counts. Students love the freedom they have to work on their own, and they get rewards for working hard. The only negative comments were concerning the growth of the school.
More kids are coming in, cliques are forming, and students complain their school is turning into a regular high school.
By the end of the day, I felt perfectly comfortable with the students and staff. As a matter of fact, I wanted to go back.
Who: Erin Pipella; shadle park
What: Spent the day at a small school (Colfax)
The ups: No cliques
The downs: Seven classes every day
Report: While driving to Colfax High School, I was thinking to myself, “I’m going to spend my day in a little tiny school in the middle of nowhere.”
I’ve always gone to school in a city, and I was right about being in the middle of nowhere.
The population, about half of Shadle’s 1,700 students, was very different.
Big city influence in dressing apparently has yet to invade Colfax High. There was no grunge, punk, gothic or other variety you’d find at Shadle. Jeans and T-shirts must be the dress code at Colfax.
My favorite part of the day was finding out there are no cliques. This made me feel comfortable and welcome.
The worst part was discovering they had seven classes a day every day. Shadle has block scheduling so I have three classes a day. I would hate having to go to the same classes every day, but I wouldn’t mind if I had a teacher like Mr. Gustufson. He is a student teacher at Colfax who performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on a goldfish.
Who: Jia Knopp; east valley
What: Spent the day at a private school (Gonzaga Prep)
The ups: Trust among students; Relaxed atmosphere; Fewer students; greater chance to get to know one another
The downs: Not as many electives
Report: I was very jittery anticipating my visit to Gonzaga Prep.
The first difference I noticed was that Gonzaga is an older building, while East Valley has been recently renovated. There are only about 900 students at Gonzaga, so they have a better chance to get to know one another than the 1,500 students at East Valley.
The atmosphere was relaxed, which is similar to my school. The students don’t wear uniforms like I imagined. This helped me feel comfortable in what I was wearing.
There was trust in the air at Gonzaga Prep. During assemblies the students laid their backpacks in the halls without a thought of anything being stolen. This was reassuring.
Most of the classes that Gonzaga offers are the same as East Valley, except they don’t have some electives such as wood shop. I attended Gonzaga on Ash Wednesday and the day’s schedule included a Mass.
I was hesitant to attend the service because I have never experienced church connected to the school system. The entire student body and staff recited prayers in unison.
And that is the real difference between public and private schools: Scripture.
Who: Seamus Flynn; gonzaga prep
What: Spent the day at a public school (East Valley)
The ups: No locker above or below you; Food is better
The downs: Crowded
Report: Think private school. Intellectual nerds, snobby rich kids, teachers who beat you with rulers and days full of prayer. OK, now public schools. Crowds, drugs and students who do not care about learning.
I set out to prove that private schools are not what the stereotype depicts, and, in turn, I learned that public schools are not that much different.
My first impression of East Valley High: crowded. The building was new and very clean. I counted five school buses pulling up to drop off students. The lockers are tall and thin, so there is no one above you; at my school there is a locker above and one below. The building was about two to three times the size of Gonzaga.
The hallways were loaded with people, but the halls can be crowded at my school, too. The difference is the amount of halls and people. Proportionately the two schools are the same.
The classes are 55 minutes long, and they are not much bigger than the ones I have. There are six class periods at East Valley, just like Gonzaga.
The cafeteria was twice as big as mine. There are two lunch periods and the cafeteria was still crowded. But I think the food was better.
Who: Zandra Rice; lakeside
What: Spent the day at a school on a reservation (Wellpinit)
The ups: Smaller; Cultural identity and understanding; Everyone knows everyone
The downs: Closed campus; Fewer programs
Report: I recently attended Wellpinit High School with my cousin.
One of the first things I noticed was how the walls were decorated. From every angle came pictures of Native Americans participating in traditional events, speeches made by famous chiefs and artifacts encased in glass boxes. Not only were the hallways and main lobby like this, but all the classrooms as well.
“There is such a richness of culture, they (the students) go to powwows, and they want to share their culture,” said Jane Swiatek, an English teacher.
What about the teachers, do many of them understand the traditions and such? “Teachers understand you better our here and can adopt what you know,” said Jeremiah Abrahamson. “Off the reservation teachers ask questions about what it’s like to live on the reservation, and can’t help you because they don’t know how you live, or how you read and write. It (the school) also has a better surrounding because of the people; they’re all like family.”
Crystal Flett agreed with him, saying. “Teachers tolerate a lot more here than in any other school. It’s more fun because they understand.”
Who: Ken Rock; lake city What: Spent the day at a small school (Liberty)
The ups: Close-knit student body; Smaller classes
The downs: Smaller library; Lack of anonymity
Report: Students who attend small schools complain sometimes that they lack many of the opportunities that kids from big schools have. After my trip to Liberty High, I decided that while this attitude isn’t entirely correct, I do enjoy going to a big school.
The biggest difference I experienced in the small school was my lack of anonymity. Everywhere I went I could feel people watching me and hear them whisper, “Who’s that guy?” I stuck out like a sore thumb. Strangers don’t stick out at Lake City, a school of about 1,400 students.
At Liberty everyone knows everyone else, which is probably both a blessing and a curse. I enjoy the opportunity at Lake City to meet new people all the time, but the size of Liberty probably leads to a much closer-knit student body.
Another difference I noticed was one I expected: the class size. The classes at Liberty have about seven or eight fewer students. This seems to give the classes a more laid-back feeling, an atmosphere a bit more open to socialization.
The physical differences of the schools are vast. Liberty has one hallway of classes; Lake City has five. I like the variety of options and opportunities available to me because of Lake City’s size, but I don’t think that Liberty’s small size is a big disadvantage to students.