Guest columnist Kenneth Bayless: School days changing

Thursday, Dec. 27, 2001 | 8:12 a.m.

Editor's note: More than 900 Clark County high school students participated in the 46th annual Sun Youth Forum Nov. 20 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The students were divided into groups to discuss seven selected topics. A spokesperson was chosen from each group to write a column about the students' findings. Kenneth Bayless of Eldorado High School tells of the students' opinions in the session entitled "School Days."

FINALLY, THE FLOOR was ours. Everyone put down their pencils, stopped their meetings and listened to us. At the 46th annual Sun Youth Forum, students from around the valley conversed and debated issues ranging from national concerns to the way the Clark County School District operates.

The group I was privileged to be a part of discussed "School Days." Obviously, some of us were less than excited to be out of school only to be talking about school. The majority of the group, however, did not miss the opportunity to voice their opinion on subjects that after June of next year will no longer concern them.

One of the issues inciting the most passionate exchanges of the day was the Clark County School District policy restricting the viewing of PG-13 and R-rated movies in school. To no one's surprise, almost all students disagreed with the limitations placed on what films can be used by teachers in the classroom. All students agreed that film material must be educational. One participant said each student should decide what is acceptable and what is not. Others argued that those under 17 should be able to view selected movies with a parent permission slip.

Students also expressed the right to refuse to watch any movie that didn't line up with their personal or family values. A powerful point of view was that students benefit from being exposed to the "reality" of the world through movies, preventing the "shell shock" once out on their own. With all the pros and cons, it was quite clear that students want more choices, including the watching of certain films in school.

When asked to discuss the timing of the six to eight hours we spend in school, most of us realized that we had never even questioned the routine we've experienced the past 12 years. One suggestion was that school should begin at a later time. Most students agreed that no matter what time classes start, school will consume the bulk of the day. Later start times would make sporting events start later, students would be out to work later and this could cause problems with the law and in the home.

Other students, however, felt that a later start time would mean more rest for students, which would result in better grades since "the mind is more awake during later hours of the day." I would have to agree that staying awake during the early periods can be harder than smiling for a dentist who's about to give you a root canal. A simple suggestion was made involving something that many of us haven't done since elementary school: eating breakfast. The time it would take to give our bodies energy in the morning isn't exactly as hard as walking uphill to school (both ways) like our parents endured. Fueling our bodies when our minds are doing their hardest work makes sense.

Generally, when it comes to going to school, we all want to be treated like adults, but must first learn to fulfill the responsibilities already given to us. The saddest part is that as long as there are those few students who can't do the simple things that are asked of them, the majority of us who do what is expected will continue to be punished by the school system for the mistakes of our peers. In reality, whatever alterations, good or bad, are made to our school days, learning to adapt to the limitations and requirements of our surroundings is part of our journey into adulthood.

I can't possibly express the view of each of my fellow participants without taking up the entire newspaper. Students always want to be heard. I hope all students who had the opportunity to meet other students and voice their opinions didn't take the experience for granted. On the same note, I hope the ears and minds of our advisers were open and their pens were busy. Not often do grown people take an interest in what we have to say, but functions like the Sun Youth Forum raise our hopes for better relationships between us and the adult world.