Jarvis JargOnline 2001 - 2002: Voices
Read or be Shot
By: Damir Maltaric
Meandering through the lively hallways of good old JCI, I can't help but wonder what sounds these ancient walls have heard throughout their innumerable years.
How many whispers did they keep in their cold, stone-like embrace, as the national anthem echoed atop of the shivers of the not-quite-on-time mischievous vagabonds standing in the halls.
Even in the most tiresome days, there always seems to be strange whispers emanating from the ageless hallways, until now.
This year, the walls themselves are being silenced, and deprived of unruly rumors for a half-hour, every day. After a shrieking bell roars like an air raid siren, complete silence is to follow.
Many have stopped and reflected upon the eerie stillness that befalls the school at reading time. But are we really promoting literacy with it?
At first it was but a time to chill out, maybe scan through a good book, maybe take a nap, or just have a walk around the building.
But the increasingly authoritarian activity has been riddled with newfound disciplinary actions to ensure complete obedience by the student body.
We have heard announcements at assemblies and on the P.A. system of new rules to be implemented during reading time: one is discouraged from going to the washroom after the warning siren has blasted; he is to "drop whatever he's doing" and read, is asked not to roam the hallways, is not allowed to take out a pen and write, is to be completely silent, is not allowed to leave the library once reading time has started.
"A teacher on the 1st floor stopped me from going to to go back to class," exclaimed Peter Tran, a Grade 12 student. Is the authoritarian aspect of Reading time getting a little out of hand?
Not to mention the intimidating footsteps of disciplinary enforcers wandering the hallways. The hall-monitor Bill and Mr. Sovran, among others, equipped with walkie-talkies and strict brows, make sure that there are no adventurous stu-dents secretly disobeying the sacred reading time code of conduct.
"I keep expecting Mr. Sovran to walk down the hallway with a basket of propaganda," admitted Isaac, who was too intimidated to publish his last name or grade.
Who could ever foresee that having a pen in your hand could get you into trouble? If illiteracy, or poor literacy, is a problem in today's schools, is shoving a book down a student's throat really a way to solve it?
"They're trying to force us into it too much… a lot of people are just trying to get around it," says Nicole Smith, also from Grade 12.
An anonymous teacher from one of my afternoon classes that's affected by the reading period seems to agree, "Maybe it will, maybe it won't [promote literacy], but the bottom line is that we're losing too much instruction time."
If the goal of the school is promoting literacy, they should embrace students with comfort not authority. What if some students end up associating book reading with an uncomfortable feeling looming over them?
"When I come to think of it, now I find it hard to read unless I'm forced to; before it was leisure," commented Ali Karim. So are we really promoting literacy?
Elbert Ho, a Jarvis senior, disapproves of it as well, "They're forcing us to read; it's not fair, reading time should be a choice."
And when I told a former Jarvis student Kate McDonnell about this new reading policy, her response was a hearty laugh, followed by a brief statement, "It'll never work."
Perhaps a different action is necessary to promote reading. Instead of not allowing students to roam to hallways by ill-enforced threats, how about equipping a few classrooms with sofas, so the students will be comfortable enough to stay still.
The administration can grant students a few minutes before reading time to grab a snack or a drink to prevent sleeping or grumpiness.
And for those scanning over beauty magazine pictures, maybe a teacher can point them to the articles, and clarify their complex content.
Also, a popular demand from the teachers is to increase the reading material available in classrooms, so students can find something they like.
If we are to encourage something as great as reading, we should associate it with comfort and pleasure, instead of the slowly escalating authoritarian system, whose negativity only seems to, by student opinion, further perpetuate poor literacy.
How many whispers did they keep in their cold, stone-like embrace, as the national anthem echoed atop of the shivers of the not-quite-on-time mischievous vagabonds standing in the halls.
Even in the most tiresome days, there always seems to be strange whispers emanating from the ageless hallways, until now.
This year, the walls themselves are being silenced, and deprived of unruly rumors for a half-hour, every day. After a shrieking bell roars like an air raid siren, complete silence is to follow.
Many have stopped and reflected upon the eerie stillness that befalls the school at reading time. But are we really promoting literacy with it?
At first it was but a time to chill out, maybe scan through a good book, maybe take a nap, or just have a walk around the building.
But the increasingly authoritarian activity has been riddled with newfound disciplinary actions to ensure complete obedience by the student body.
We have heard announcements at assemblies and on the P.A. system of new rules to be implemented during reading time: one is discouraged from going to the washroom after the warning siren has blasted; he is to "drop whatever he's doing" and read, is asked not to roam the hallways, is not allowed to take out a pen and write, is to be completely silent, is not allowed to leave the library once reading time has started.
"A teacher on the 1st floor stopped me from going to to go back to class," exclaimed Peter Tran, a Grade 12 student. Is the authoritarian aspect of Reading time getting a little out of hand?
Not to mention the intimidating footsteps of disciplinary enforcers wandering the hallways. The hall-monitor Bill and Mr. Sovran, among others, equipped with walkie-talkies and strict brows, make sure that there are no adventurous stu-dents secretly disobeying the sacred reading time code of conduct.
"I keep expecting Mr. Sovran to walk down the hallway with a basket of propaganda," admitted Isaac, who was too intimidated to publish his last name or grade.
Who could ever foresee that having a pen in your hand could get you into trouble? If illiteracy, or poor literacy, is a problem in today's schools, is shoving a book down a student's throat really a way to solve it?
"They're trying to force us into it too much… a lot of people are just trying to get around it," says Nicole Smith, also from Grade 12.
An anonymous teacher from one of my afternoon classes that's affected by the reading period seems to agree, "Maybe it will, maybe it won't [promote literacy], but the bottom line is that we're losing too much instruction time."
If the goal of the school is promoting literacy, they should embrace students with comfort not authority. What if some students end up associating book reading with an uncomfortable feeling looming over them?
"When I come to think of it, now I find it hard to read unless I'm forced to; before it was leisure," commented Ali Karim. So are we really promoting literacy?
Elbert Ho, a Jarvis senior, disapproves of it as well, "They're forcing us to read; it's not fair, reading time should be a choice."
And when I told a former Jarvis student Kate McDonnell about this new reading policy, her response was a hearty laugh, followed by a brief statement, "It'll never work."
Perhaps a different action is necessary to promote reading. Instead of not allowing students to roam to hallways by ill-enforced threats, how about equipping a few classrooms with sofas, so the students will be comfortable enough to stay still.
The administration can grant students a few minutes before reading time to grab a snack or a drink to prevent sleeping or grumpiness.
And for those scanning over beauty magazine pictures, maybe a teacher can point them to the articles, and clarify their complex content.
Also, a popular demand from the teachers is to increase the reading material available in classrooms, so students can find something they like.
If we are to encourage something as great as reading, we should associate it with comfort and pleasure, instead of the slowly escalating authoritarian system, whose negativity only seems to, by student opinion, further perpetuate poor literacy.
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