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February 15, 2010
Htoo Htoo Lu
As more teachers use extra credit for simple tasks such as buying materials for the class, its purpose deteriorates. Teachers should give extra credit opportunities for the benefits of students.
“I don’t offer extra credit to students for simply buying things because I don’t see how that’s related to what [students] are learning,” English teacher Stewart Perlman said.
Often times, students rejoice at the chance of receiving extra credit for simply buying things for the teacher. We give little thought to as to whether it is the right thing to do or not. Even those students who believe it is wrong find themselves dashing to the store to get those few extra points.
Who cares if it is right or wrong? It’s better than staying up until 2 a.m. to study hard to do well on a test; it is better than having to put in any amount of effort at all, right? There is nothing to lose by buying that box of tissue, is there?
Most students, including me, have this mindset instilled into us. However, after giving much thought to this, I realized teachers should not give out extra credit for such a simple act. Teachers should encourage students to work harder and expand their curiosity. Everything a student does in a class should be related to the class. Each student’s grade should clearly reflect his or her understanding of the subject.
However, some teachers argue that they are doing good deeds to the community and others by using this extra credit method. English teacher Teri Hu gave out extra credit to her class for bringing gift-quality childrens books. The students had a chance to share their favorite and most memorable children books with other children. She donated these books to the Union charity program.
“I want to encourage young people to read. Some books may even be life-changing,” says Hu.
Nonetheless, extra credit should only be given out to students for “extra” work that digs deeper into a certain subject they are learning. For example, government teacher Elizabeth DeWitt gave extra credit to her students for watching documentaries and news, reading non-fiction government-related books and other activities that would enhance the student’s understanding of the government. By making the students work harder for their grade, students would no longer slack off because of the thought of not being able to raise up their grade by simple extra credit assignments.
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January 29, 2010
Htoo Htoo Lu
Often times, students rejoice at the chance of being able to receive extra credit for simply buying things for the teacher. We give little thought to as to whether it is the right thing to do or not. Even those students who believe it is wrong would find themselves dashing to the store to get those few extra points.
Who cares if it is right or wrong? It’s better than staying up until 2 a.m. to study better than having to put in any amount of effort at all, right? There is nothing to lose by buying that box of tissue, is there?
Most students, including me, have this mindset However, after giving much thought to this, I realized that teachers should not give out extra credit for such a simple act. Teachers should encourage students to work harder and expand their curiosity. Every thing a student does in a class should be related to the class. Each student’s grade should clearly reflect his or her understanding of the subject.
“I don’t offer extra credit to students for simply buying things because I don’t see how that’s related to what [students] are learning,” English teacher Stewart Perlman said.
Nowadays, the idea of extra credit is losing its actual purpose as more and more teachers are using them for other purposes I believe that it is important for both the teachers and the students to realize this and begin to use this extra credit opportunity for the benefits of the students.
However, some teachers may argue that they are doing good deeds to the community and others by using this extra-credit method. AP English teacher Teri Hu gives out extra credit to her class for bringing gift-quality children’s books. The students are given a chance to share their favorite and most memorable children books with other children. She then donates these books to the Union charity program.
“I want to encourage young people to read. Some books may even be life-changing,” Hu said.
Nonetheless, extra credit should only be given to students for “extra” work that digs deeper into a certain subject they are learning. For example, AP Government teacher Elizabeth DeWitt gives out extra credit to her students for watching documentaries and news, reading non-fiction government-related books and other such activities that would enhance the student’s understanding of government. By making the students work harder for their grade, students would no longer slack off the thought of not being able to raise up their grade by effortless extra credits.
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December 23, 2009
Bach Phan
AP government students participated in the We the People competition against other schools. Through this experience students go through governmental processes to further understand the brains behind the nation.
“You have to be able to think quickly on your feet,” senior Tara Darland said.
Third and fifth period AP government classes competed against each other for the spot in the next phase of competition. The judges came from different backgrounds, ranging from lawyers to teachers. The fifth period class beat the third period class by a margin of about 50 points. The next stage of the competition brought the students to a district-wide practice at Ohlone College for the regional competition in Santa Clara. If the fifth period class was successful, they would then advance to the state competition. Washington has reached eighth in state in previous years.
With six groups per class, one for each unit in the “We the People” textbook, students participated in the exam, which resembled a congressional hearing. It included a four-minute prepared response period in which students read three essays followed by a six-minute question and answer period.
“We were overwhelmed by the amount of information we had to retain,” senior Brittany Martinek said.
Knowing the material was an important part to the exam because students don’t know what questions to expect from the judges.
“We didn’t know what to expect,” senior Ryan Shively said.
Before coming to Washington, government teacher Elizabeth DeWitt made it to the national competition three times while teaching the We the People class in her home state Wyoming for 15 years. When she arrived here, the school was not participating in the We the People program. Many schools that participate in the program have separate classes that start much earlier than at Washington. She requested that there be a separate We the People class, but was not granted one. Irvington was the only other school in the district that took part in the program.
“It was a lot of work and speaking in front of the judges made me nervous, but the experience was memorable,” senior Shival Patel said.
Photo Credit: Raphael Ghieuw Sien
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December 3, 2009
Kaylee Miu
Washington High School prides itself in outstanding athleticism. But students aren’t the only ones that exceed in sports. Our Husky staff also has athletic accomplishments of its own, but can you guess who’s who?
1. This teacher played tennis for Mission San Jose High School and qualified for NCS in doubles.
2. In 1984, this teacher ran the 400m dash in 54 seconds.
Answers from the last issue:
1. P.E. teacher James Jones was inducted into the San Francisco State Athletic Hall of Fame.
2. Government teacher Elizabeth DeWitt was All-State and All-Conference for volleyball in high school.
Photo Credit: Raphael Ghieuw Sien
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October 14, 2009
Judy Wu
Government teacher Elizabeth DeWitt used to be an enthusiastic Halloween celebrator.
“My house was one of the most decorated houses in my neighborhood,” she said.
Since her children have grown up, she has not been as festive as she used to be, but she still remembers great Halloween moments she shared with her kids.
“My daughter was three years old and dressed as a witch with a hat taller than her body… She walked around, singing ‘This is Halloween’ from the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas and would go into people’s kitchen to take more candy. It was chaotic, I had to stop her from going into people’s kitchens and still keep an eye on my son,” DeWitt said.
DeWitt might not be as interested in Halloween now. In addition, she is concerned about changes in girls’ costumes.
“When I was in high school, girls had your standard cute costumes,” she said. “Today girls are dressed as sexy police officers or French maids. The costumes aren’t traditional or funny anymore, but more sexual and suggestive. It doesn’t show who the girls really are.”
