Photo Courtesy of AP
Interlaced with multi-choice, true and false, and essay questions is the advertisement Molto's Pizza 14" 1 Topping Just $5, in bright red writing.
Jeb Harrison, history and economics teacher at Pocatello High School in Idaho, used advertisements on homework assignments and exams to pay for school supplies for his students.
"I just wanted to find a way to save money. We have to sell ads for our yearbook, for our school newspaper. I don't think this small amount of advertising will change my classroom," said Harrison according to AP.
The drastic downturn in the economy has caused public schools nationwide to experience lower budgets. According to NPR the high school posted signs by all light switches to remind everyone to conserve energy and save money by turning off the lights. Clearly the Pocatello School District is focused on saving money.
But even with this lack of money in the school system, is it appropriate to allow ads to be printed on schoolwork?
I think this is ridiculous and completely unnecessary. As do many of the parents in Harrison's school.
They're so many different ways to raise money without distracting students during their tests or assignments by loud red ads printed on their work.
Photo courtesy of www.collegeotr
Lots of students would be affected by these ads negatively and possibly perform worse. With attention deficit disorders diagnosed more frequently in the 21st century, any unnecessary distractions should be removed from the classroom.
Harrison argues that the ads could help students understand the current economic crisis and compare this time period to that of the Great Depression .
This is not a valid point.
High school students understand that everyone is pinched for cash right now. Regardless if students spend money excessively or if they fail to pay attention to the news, they are informed that the economy is in the gutter and if they are not, then that is the school's responsibility to inform them on current events.
Harrison and the Pocatello school district are not the pioneers of this idea. In December AP reported that Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego also printed ads to generate extra spending cash for the classroom.
Photo courtesy of AP
However, at this high school teacher Tom Farber charged different prices for different levels of exams. For example quizzes cost $10, tests cost $20, and final exams cost $30 to print advertisements on. According to the AP he raised $625 in one semester.
Despite the money raised from advertisements the distraction this could cause students is more important. It is shame that the school districts had so little that this felt like their only option to raise money for supplies.
School districts and their community should come together and generate ideas on how to help students succeed without distracting them by pizza ads.
It’s a shame that a school has to do something like this but it also tells you a bit about the current state that the country is in. America hasn’t got the best schools in the world, the best healthcare in the world or the best infrastructure in the world. You’re pretty decent at everything but you’re certainly not the best at anything, more then the obvious. For the last decade your leaders have been neglecting the things that are important in a society and are the foundations in a democracy and being a welfare state. This negligence is going to haunt you in the future.
Ps. Ni är alla hjärtligt välkomna till Sverige. Where healthcare and education is really good and totally free.
I agree, I do not think that putting advertisements on exams and homework is a good idea for students. You made it a good point that it is extremely distracting especially for those students who already have attention disorders. Advertisements or any type of distraction will negatively effect a students learning process especially since they are on exams. I think they should find another way to raise money instead of putting ads forth for students in school.
Advertising on exams is not a good idea. It seems that students, when asked what was on the test, will likely remember the pizza ad and not the actual questions/content. Different approaches for revenue intake should be tried out by schools. Some ideas that I have are:
1.) advertise on athletics programs at sporting events
2.) advertise for 30 seconds or one minute during the morning announcements
3.) hand out ads during lunch
I agree that this is a completely ridiculous way of making money. I understand the point of view regarding the economic crisis, but I do not believe that students should be constantly reminded of it while taking a test. That is the last thing that a student needs is to be reminded of money difficulties while they are also stressing out about passing the class. It is a difficult time, but people need to be comforted, not constantly bombarded. Like Michael suggests, there are many different ways for schools to go about raising money. This should not be one of them.
I can't even believe this is something that actually happens! It seems absurd.. I already get spacey during tests, so having a bold red advertisement at the bottom of my test would certainly distract me and make me lose my concentration. Like Hannah said, it's important for students to be aware of the economic crisis, but this can't be the best way to show them.