Sammamish High School - Thunderbird Yearbook (Bellevue, WA)

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Than ,I t Teachw simply congratulating them when they succeed in other kinds of courses. I almost wish that while the student was in high school, he concentrated more on academic courses because he is not really needed on the labor market when he graduates. It is after he graduates that he should go on to vocational training. Mr. Connoway: The thing wrong with that idea is that if we had a minimum age level for leaving high school at the age of 18, then it would be OKto say that the students should take as many academic courses as possible. It would be great if nobody would drop out of school. The first thing to do in order to meet what you say, is to up the age limit for leaving high school to 18. Then we would have a captive audience to give academic courses to. But when kids are going to leave school at 18 still not suitable for the labor market, then I think the American high school is doing what it should by giving them some oppor- tunities to work in other courses. lnterviewer: Should there be required courses? 1' , Wa-st K - W '9vfeaw,.q . ea ale X if ts Q ,sim M Q I . ...cs . ' i'a:a5.:a :-1- H . . .. N Mrs. Radke: Yes. Ideally, it would be better if, for example, we required a student to take so much English, and what kind of English could be left to the student. I think a student should be required to take a certain amount of science and math simply because if he doesn't understand the society he lives in, he is going to be less able to direct it himself. I would much rather see people directing society than society directing people. lnterviewer: Comment on the student who disrupts classes, constantly disobeys rules, and fails many of his classes. Mr. Connoway: The student that you described takes up a great deal of somebody's time. This is one of the reasons that sometimes the public doesn't understand when concerned teachers say I'd do a much better job if I had fewer kids to work with. If I had a bit more time to spend. There are still parents who say our job is solely to teach. But that isn't the job that comes to Sammamish at 8 o'clock in the morning. It seems to me that our job is more than just teach.

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'I ur Job I or Students merely visit school. Teachers live it. In the following interview, Mr. Wayne Connoway of the English Department who has been teaching for ten years, and Mrs. Molly Radke of the Social Studies Department who has been teaching for one year, give candid opinions about Sammamish in specific and education in general. Interviewer: Comment on the quotation The students of Sammamish are passive freeloaders. Mr. Connoway: I think that is not an apt description of the students of Sammamish. I think it is a description of some stu- dents of every school that I have ever taught in, but I find enough active, inquisitive minds in my class that challenge me every single week. Mrs. Radke: I see some students in my class for whom that description would be accurate, but I'm not sure there are any- more here than at any other school. There are very brilliant students that I enjoy working with and they are not passive freeloaders. Interviewer: Would you comment on the student who takes three hours of shop, P.E. and mechanics courses, and does well in these, but constantly fails in academic courses he is required to take? Mr. Connoway: To often we think that success stems from the ability to read and write and that is really kind of tragic. But we've made it. The teachers have made it and the parents have made it and the American University system has made it, and it just so happens that Sammamish High School gears its success on how well the student reads and writes. I think my ability to read is pretty good, but I need a mechanic to fix my car. That statement makes us try to make all people alike, fit them into the same category of courses. Mrs. Radke: I suppose I fit into the American system in the sense that I feel that it is very important to learn to read and write well. I wish that the school provided more opportunities to help these people succeed in academic courses, rather than

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