Every year homecoming gets students excited for a week of absolute insanity, but what affect does it have on our teachers, and ultimately our education? Do homecoming activities go too far? Are we sacrificing valuable classroom time for the frivolous and trivial? Urbana High teachers reflected on these questions.
“Homecoming activities are both distracting and a positive learning experience”, says Michael Pollock, social studies teacher, “while it takes time from classes, which can be frustrating for teachers, learning and education are about more than academics. It can be learning on a different level as students build communities within our building. A good example this year was the junior and senior t-shirt controversy, which presented real opportunities to discuss civil liberties in school, the limiting of freedoms, student activism and the roles of finance, dissention and representative government in student affairs.”
“We have a lot of rules at UHS that were created to ensure the safety of our students and to foster an environment where everyone can learn, but like all rules, they can feel oppressive at times,” comments Math teacher Daniel Bechtel, “to be able to have a week where some of those rules are lifted for the fun of the entire student body allows that student body to relax a bit and realize what a great place UHS really is.”
“I understand how much fun it is for the students, but I worry about the focus: who’s the prettiest, who’s the sexiest (Dress Like a Celebrity Day), who is better than who (Class Color Day). I wish, and always have, that it could be toned down and turn into more constructive notions of pride in doing well for UHS and those here,” says French teacher Mary Zwilling, “I think Homecoming week is simply a tradition as it currently exists. It would be fun to see it changed into something additionally meaningful–say, civic project connected with the celebration of current students and alumni.”
So Urbana High it’s up to you. Homecoming this year was fun, it always has been, but perhaps it is time for a little change. Students, we can make this week into something that truly makes a difference. The planning begins now.
i like the question posed, but i really dont think homecoming week should be changed. the freedom that comes along with homecoming week is much needed to all students and even to some teachers. class color day, i’ve herd, is in question because of the comitition between classes to show whos the best, but i thnk we need to look at the fact that a little healthy compitition is a positive. the point of finding the best class is a mute one at best, because every year that honor rightfully goes to the senior class as a “get out of here” gift.
I personally agree, I think that having a week with a little fun and commotion is alright, but I do think we as students have to keep things in perspective and not take it for granted. We are not entitled to any sort of festivities, and if the administration chose to they could be much stricter with us during this week. I think it’s important to maintain respect for teachers in the classroom all throughout the year, even homecoming week, because that shows that we can be allowed to have such privileges. I also would really like to see more of a community outreach during this week. We could easily incorporate a food drive, or some sort of other donation during the week. We could still have our fun, but make an impact for the greater good. I am not a part of the student senate so I don’t know about all of the financing but if maybe a small portion of the money collected at Tailgreat and the Homecoming dance could be put into a local charity. Maybe there could be a competition on class color day between classes to see who could donate the most money, or collect the most cans or whatever drive it may be.