http://www.pleasanthill.k12.or.us/Schools/High/BillieBulletin/Issue_5_2003(October)/5_2003_5.htm
Students mixed on loss of Channel One
by Stephanie Lowell – Reporter
When everybody came back to school in the fall, it seemed like something
was missing; and it was. Channel One, a news program that Pleasant
Hill has shown directly after Guide since 1991 has been relegated to
Social Studies and Journalism classes. ["Channel
One News" is to "Journalism" as "Bicycle" is
to "Fish"] Instead, the extra time was divided
so that classes are two minutes longer. Channel One is gone for good,
but teachers and students have mixed feelings about the news program’s
absence.
Some think that the school did the right thing in eliminating it from
the day. "I’m glad it’s gone, because it was a waste of time," said
senior Joel Rice, "It had bad advertisements."
And apparently Rice wasn’t the only student who was bothered by the advertisements. "I
think (the advertisements) were a government plan to brainwash the future
leaders of America," said senior Larissa Letaw.
Many teachers complained that they couldn’t get third period started
the way they wanted to when Channel One was still being shown.
" I’m relieved we have extra time to instruct in the classroom without the
interruption of Channel One," said Mrs. Roush. [What
a great teacher.]
Mrs. Long agrees. "It’s much easier to get class started. Now the
students are ready to work at the start of the period."
But there are two sides to every argument, and some people miss Channel
One.
" I’d prefer we still had Channel One, so I knew what was going on in the
world," said junior Amanda LeBlanc.
Apparently, the teachers are also worried about students not getting
enough news. "I think that it was good, because some students don’t
have a news source at all," said Long. "They don’t read the
paper or watch the news at home." [Mrs.
Long, why don’t you assign reading the front page of the newspaper as
homework? or watching the nightly news? "Don’t have a news sources
at all"!? Did you mean to say that?]
The students weren’t the only ones who miss watching the news every day. "I
miss the Channel One break time. It was a time for me to sit, relax,
and watch some news," said Mrs. Doe. "I’m so busy that I rarely
get to sit down and watch news." [Channel
One is "break time" but shouldn’t this teacher catch up on
her news at home, like most secondary school teachers do?]
" I really think we should reinstate Channel One," said junior Adam
Leong.
Some students miss Channel One for other reasons. In many cases, students
were allowed to eat or work during Channel One, and many liked that.
" I liked it because it gave me time to drink my coffee," said sophomore
Mike Newson.
" Teachers didn’t care if you ate during that time," said senior Naomie
Moffitt.
" Channel One was valuable time when I could work on my homework," said
junior Leif Steigleder.
So what do people think about the extra two minutes that was added to
classes?
" The two minutes helps a lot. Especially in cooking class," said Mrs.
LeBrun.
" Yes, it’s helped," said Doe, "I can fit a few more examples
and give students more information."
But some people don’t think two minutes has made a difference. "No.
The extra two minutes hasn’t helped," said Mrs. Long. "I would
have rather seen it added on to break so that students would have enough
time to make up tests and get homework help. Right now, there really
isn’t time for that. Or lunch so that students wouldn’t be speeding on
Highway 58 every day to get back to class, and the teachers would have
time to actually digest their food."
" Right now, those extra two minutes don’t seem to be doing anything," said
Amanda LeBlanc.
There are many opinions on Channel One, but the fact is, it’s gone for
good only to be seen in Social Studies and Newspaper. [Let’s
hope the Social Studies teachers realize they have more to offer their
students than Channel One’s TV show. It is incredible that a class called "Newspaper" isn’t
studying and reading newspapers for an extra 13 minutes a day rather
than watching a discredited TV show that mocks journalism.]
Thanks to Ken McNatt
