Newspaper is hurting students by putting them on a path towards success. photo by Emanuel Morales-Gomez
A cautionary account about the TJ Newspaper class aiding students on their journeys towards success.
*Disclaimer: This is a satirical article that actually highlights the advantages of joining Newspaper
There is a class at Thomas Jefferson High School that needs to be removed and I am here to warn others before it’s too late. I had to go through it for the past two years and have seen the course commit an atrocious, unspeakable action: it prepared me to succeed in life. The name of this heartless class is Newspaper.
To start off, we are encouraged to talk to others. When coming up with article topics, we gather around and brainstorm anything we believe will be a good article. This forces us to communicate and bounce ideas off each other. Can you believe it? Not only that, but we also ask other staff members for help when we hit a block in our writing or need help coming up with a headline. Ew, teamwork. I just find it ridiculous that we are having to develop our communication skills and learn how to work effectively as a team. These skills are definitely not something we need in our daily lives to be productive students, citizens, or people.
We also learn how to detect misinformation and find the truth hidden in the media. Like, when is that ever useful? It just seems like this class is trying to force knowledge upon us that could help us make informed decisions. In Newspaper, why do we need to know how to interpret the news with an investigative lens to make sure it is accurate? The audacity to teach us how to face our world filled with disinformation and how to stop this from spreading.
The horrors do not stop there, because we also learn “important” writing skills, such as grammar and correct sentence structure. Writing has never been used in important situations to effectively communicate a point or highlight ignored topics. Grammar has never once made life easier for others because it makes sentences make sense. I think our world will still be able to run without these things. When has miscommunication in writing ever caused any problems?
Last, but definitely not least, we are treated as young adults. We work with our editors to set our own deadlines and are given the liberty to decide how we are going to manage our time to make sure we turn in articles within the deadline. It is like this class wants to prepare us to smoothly transition into the adult world by allowing us to develop vital skills such as time management and responsibility. Stop trying to help us succeed in life by giving students the opportunity to work in an environment that is similar to what they can expect later in life. Moreover, students are able to become leaders to help organize different things and make sure everything is running smoothly for the staff. Why is it important for students to develop leadership skills? This does not help create needed future leaders that make a difference in our society.
As one can clearly see, Newspaper is a class that needs to be removed from the curriculum immediately because of all the important lessons and skills students are able to take away from it and use in life. These students are not what society needs, because they have experiences that allow them to overcome barriers and be resilient against challenges. Students should definitely not enroll in this class during their choice of studies, because it will help lead them to a successful life. Spartans, make smart choices for your future!
