Jenny+Lee+Persuasive+Speech



Rough draft Every 75 minutes, as the ringing bell marks the end of a class, the school is filled with sudden noises, and overcrowded hallways. It is so easy to witness students rushing up and down the stairs, trying to put their textbooks back into their lockers, and freshmen barely getting to their class, suffering because of their overweighed backpacks. What makes this worse, is the fact that teachers are sitting at their desk watching the clock by the second to determine who is late and who’s not. From this, it is apparent that there are many students who are stressed because of the school policy, that the students are given 5 minutes to make the transition between their classes and be ready for the next one. It is rather inequitable for the students to undergo this stress when it is supposed to be their break time. In order to reduce the stress of the students, to decrease the tardy rate of the classes, and to give more personal time to the students to increase the concentration level, the school should extend the time between classes. Getting a tardy mark on powershool, and receiving a detention because of tardiness, is definitely not what a student wants. Yet, this has become the pressure for many students because of their schedules. Here is a story. The speaker oneself has a schedule that requires a long “journey” to walk from the first floor of the high school building to the 5th floor of G building. It is often impossible to be in class on time, unless I rush and force myself to run. Even if I get to class on time, it is difficult to concentrate in the beginning of the class because of the long walk I did right before the class. Because of the pressure that the students can’t be late to class, the students are under constant pressure that we should rush and run to class… except that running in the hallways is also against the school policy! By creating such irony, the school strictly prohibits us from getting to class on time by setting the time limits to such short amount, however at the same time, students are the ones that are punished for following the school rules not to run. The school should be providing more time for the students to be free from the pressure of getting a tardy, at least giving the students some free time between classes to re-concentrate and be ready for the next one. It is true that school is supposed to be an area where the students are obliged to be able to take their responsibility as young- adults. However, it is more important for the students to balance their time so that they also get a certain amount of free time between classes. This is the moment to reassess the true definition of a break. Break is specified as a pause in work, which can be interpreted as a free time that one enjoys for one’s personal pleasure whether its chatting with friends, or going to the bathroom. Isn’t that what breaks are designed for? The school should be providing the adequate break for the students, if it is expecting quality work from the students in class. It is impossible as a student to concentrate for 75 minutes consecutively without any break, move for another 5 minutes and concentrate again. This is very different from the approach of the Korean public schools. Their classes are 45 minutes and they are given 10 minutes of break time in between classes without even the need of switching classrooms. Since I am not even demanding to reduce the class time, or to stay in one classroom, it seems fair enough to demand the same recess time as the Korean school students when our school students are given worse conditions. The value depends on the teacher whether to be strict on tardiness or not, but there are far more teachers who are strict about it than the ones that are not. It is the teacher’s desire to expect certain standards from the students. Yet as a student who has to confront both the high standards of the teachers and obey the school rule, it is somewhat inequitable. It seems like it is not fair for the teachers to adjust all of their standards according to the students, so I think it is possible for the school to allow little bit of generosity to both satisfy the teachers and the students by giving more time. Witnessing many different complaints about this argument, it is apparent that there is a problem regarding this issue. The students also acknowledge that the school has some factors to consider and it is not such an easy decision to consider alternating the school policy. Yet, because this is a policy that deals with the sore muscles of stair-climbing, detentions, and even to mistrust among the teachers and students, it is worth more than just consideration, in fact, it should become the truth.

final draft Sometimes you need more than just speed. Every 75 minutes, as the ringing bell marks the end of class, what do you see as a student? I see the school filled with sudden noises, and overcrowded hallways. Students are rushing up and down the stairs, trying to put their textbooks back into their lockers, people moaning everywhere because of their sore leg muscles due to intense stair climbing... What makes this worse, is the fact that teachers are sitting at their desk watching the clock by the second to determine who is late and who is not. It is apparent that there are many students who are stressed because of the school policy, which states that students are given 5 minutes to make the transition between their classes and to be ready for the next one. It is incorrect for the students to undergo this stress when it is supposed to be their break time. Ladies and gentleman, today, I stand here, to announce that students should be given longer time between classes, in order to reduce the pressure of the students, to enhance the concentration level of the class, and to maintain the class environment and the relationship between the teachers and students at a high level. Getting a tardy mark on powershool, and receiving a detention because of tardiness is definitely not what a student wants. Yet, we are in a position where we have to worry about the tardy because of tight schedules. Here is a story. I know a junior who has a schedule that requires a long journey, like the one of “the Bantu migration, ” to walk from the first floor of the high school building to the 5th floor of G building. He says it is often impossible to be in class on time, unless he runs up the stairs. Because of the pressure that the students can’t be late to class, students are rushing to their classes… Wait; there is one problem though. Running in the hallways is also against the school policy! The school strictly prohibits us from getting to class on time by setting the time limits into such a short one. However, students are the ones that are punished for following the school rules not to run.This situation creates a paradox, doesn't it? The school should provide more time for the students to be untied from the pressure of getting a tardy, at least giving the students some free time between classes to re-concentrate and be ready for the next one. Now, it looks like it is the moment to reassess the true definition of a break. Break is defined as a pause in work, which can be interpreted as a time that one needs in order to be able to show better efficiency at work. Isn’t that what breaks are designed for, to re-improve the capability of one? The school should be providing the adequate condition for the students, if it is expecting quality work from the students in class. It is impossible as a student to concentrate for 75 minutes consecutively without any break, move for another 5 minutes and show good attitude in class again. On the other hand, with the extended break time, it is expected to enhance the concentration level of the students in class. Let’s make a small comparison with the Korean public school. Their classes are 45 minutes and they are given 10 minutes of break time in between classes without even the need of switching classrooms. As a student like them, why do they get more time and don’t even have to move? Since I am not even demanding to reduce the class time to 45 minutes, or to stay in one classroom, it seems logical to demand the same recess time as the Korean school students. This issue doesn’t only deal with the students, but also deals with the teachers, and the relationship between the teachers and the students. It is true, that it depends on the teacher whether to be strict on tardiness or not, but there are far more teachers who are strict about it than the ones that are not. It is the teacher’s desire to expect certain standards from the students, and it is not their fault to expect a lot from the students. Yet as a student who has to confront both the high standards of the teachers and obey the school rule, it is too demanding. The school administration argues that it is the student’s responsibility to learn to balance between both values. But is it? Schools are meant to be a place to “inspire students with a passion of learning” as stated in the mission statement of KIS. School should be creating such environment that it could happen. It is nonsense that the school demands us so much to know our responsibilities without even providing physical comfort that can be given in the spare 5 minutes of time. It is obvious that the students won’t concentrate when they are tired, and teachers would be upset if students are late to class. However this is now beyond the physical ability of the students, so unless the school alters its policies, the class environment will never be the best one. I am tired and exhausted, and I am sure all the high school students are. Whenever we say we are tired, the teachers say, “Get some sleep.” Maybe, we do need some sleep. But what we really need to get through high school is a rest in our leg muscles, and 30 seconds of pep talk to cheer each other up. The school needs to provide longer time between periods to comfort the students in such way that they are under better environment to study. Thus, we as students must continue to object to this inequitable policy that is created without any acknowledgment of the capability of the students, and only considering the benefits for the school. Thank you.