Unspoke Magazine: Issue Seven

U N S P O K E M A G A Z I N E

ISSUE SEVEN

SEPTEMBER 2017

E D U C A T I O N

OUR MAGAZINE: In today’s world, we are faced with conflict and constantly changing social, political, and economic issues. These issues are commonly suppressed and are “taboo” subjects of conversation. Our mission is to expose these topics and get people talking. We want to release the unspoken and shine a light on it.

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THIS ISSUE: Education is one of the most important resources a modern person can acquire and utilize. An education—particularly higher education—can open countless doors to jobs and subsequent success and financial stability. And despite the importance we place on it, education is often inaccessible to many. Is education today a necessity or a luxury? How important is a formal education to survive? Is it worth investing thousands of dollars into degrees? What kind of education can we acquire independently and/or alternatively?

What limits our education, and what kind of education are we keeping from ourselves?

VOCABULARY VOCABULARY VOCABULARY VOCABULARY ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL!

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n. just another way of achieving the education you deserve

BOARDING SCHOOL!

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n. a mysterious realm of drama, rich kids, and neck ties

CURRICULUM!

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n. an all-encompassing look at the work you’ll have to suffer through ;)

DEGREE!

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n. a piece of paper that magically gets you a job!

FAIL!

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v. ……..sh*t.

GED!

n. General Educational Development, or what you get when the traditional high school track doesn’t exactly work out

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GRADUATE!

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v. to become FREE!!!!

HIGH SCHOOL!

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n. both the best and worst time of your life

HIGHER EDUCATION!

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n. they call it higher education because you’re probably just less likely to be sober

HOMESCHOOL!

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n. “so like…you mom gave you homework???”

HOMEWORK!

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n. the dirtiest word you’ve known since the first grade

MONTESSORI!

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n. the type of school your parents sent you to because they believed you were “gifted”

PROCRASTINATE!

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v. the only thing you know how to do with confidence.

SEMESTER!

n. something that needs to be over before it even begins

I AM A TEACHER

- but not like a real school te work for a company that teaches to all kinds of people; anyb work with such a wide variety of people, I often encounter t special needs. Certain things can be said about these kids, ho these kids are brilliantly smart, motivated, unconditionally kin ever met. Teaching these kids is exceptionally rewarding, just a difference, building a relationship with these kids. Often tim relationships so strong that we work exclusively with certain stand out to me however.

The first child I taught was a young boy named Matt. This natural swimmer and never ceased to impress me. Matt’s mo that he was diagnosed with Asperger’s and really needed som with him. Now I genuinely understood the patience he neede too well, or would talk and get so distracted he’d waste time water, however he had his moments of discomfort so I quick activities and lesson plans to suit his ever changing levels of c instances individuals with Asperger’s have a focus something in that is near an obsession, in the case of Matt he was espec For a 8 year old boy, he had specific regimens, workouts, and refuse to over exert himself in some lessons so he wouldn’t workouts. Matt had been swimming in the top level of classe swim team ready and very motivated in the month of May. H that they were going to discontinue lessons due to a busy sc the relationship I had forged with her son. Matt was an amaz motivated and just never wanted to stop getting better. We m days due to various issues, but every week he would come b telling me about his workouts, or how much he hated fruit (t debate on why fruit is the shit).

eacher. I teach swim lessons. I body can be taught. Because we teaching children with certain owever. The fact that some of nd, and the bravest children I’ve to know that you are making mes in my field we tend to build n kids, I have had one that really

s child is an absolutely other informed me early on meone who could be patient ed, some days he couldn’t focus e. Matt did however love the kly had to adjust. Switching comfortability. In many that they are very interested cially interested in working out. d schedules he kept. Matt would be sore for the next day’s es we offer, meaning he was His mother had informed me chedule, but absolutely loved zing kid to teach he was purely may have had less productive back smiling, giving high fives, this sparked a three week

WHAT IT TAKES TO TEACH KIDS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS BY

RICHARD POWLICK

PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE H

HH by

Carsen Schroeder HHH

We were all taught those same thirty-one words, as kids, that pledged our allegiance to our country, and those who have fought to protect it. Without question, the majority of students around the US rise each morning and recite this pledge. Its robotic tones echo through the hallways, and the words spill out along with your rights as a citizen of America.

Almost every kid in America is taught this patriotic pledge without learning it’s meaning. You memorize the words, then you stand up and recite, morning after morning after morning. What does it mean for you to pledge your allegiance? Should it be required?

How does it affect our freedom as an American citizen?

“To be forced to stand and recite is a violation of our freedom of speech.”

Our freedom of speech gives us the right to express any opinions without censorship or restraint.

It’s the freedom to express how you feel or in this case maybe you feel that you do not owe your allegiance to America. Some could argue that the requirement of the Pledge is unconstitutional in itself, by limiting our freedom of expression. While the subject of standing for the Pledge is still under debate, there is still an estimated twenty states that require students to participate in the pledge. It makes you wonder how someone is punished for standing up (or in this case not standing) for their own beliefs. What does a child learn from that process?

A school in Virginia was challenged by a family for the requirement of the Pledge in the school.

However, it clearly states in the school’s regulations that they are required to take the time to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, but the participation of students is voluntary.

“Required? No. Encouraged? Yes.”

There is an argument that staying seated for the

pledge is a sign of disrespect to people who have fought for our nation, and disrespectful towards our country in general. I highly doubt that a kid sitting down during the pledge is thinking about soldiers fighting off in another country. You could argue that they are just being lazy, but there are those few that truly have beliefs that don’t match up with the status quo. This does not mean necessarily that they don’t support our country in ways of their own, but their beliefs should be given the same respect.

“It is of my unpopular opinion that the pledge should be removed from schools, or have it rewritten to fit what the country really stands for.”

Now to address the god sized elephant in the room, “Under God”. This line was added in 1954. It may be the cause for most of the controversy surrounding the Pledge of Allegiance. Separation of church and state is no joke. Schools cannot allow prayers to be conducted before a football game, so what is the difference between that and have the entire school pledge their allegiance to God in a public setting. Students in public schools have been punished with detention for not saying “under god”. How is that fair in anyway for them to be punished, when religion is a restricted subject in public schools?

“It should be a matter of choice, not compulsory.”

Our country is all about freedom. Give us the choice to pledge our allegiance, and let us show it in a way that fits our beliefs. If we want to be truly indivisible, we need to stand together and not tear each other down. A pledge to our country should be a form of unification, instead of a way to single out those who might be different.

I pledge allegiance to the freedom, equality, and beliefs of everyone and everything they stand for. H

“The high school of the most arden a person’s life a our mass cultural ways--school danc incredibly unique resources, facult

We surveyed Unspo was like academic change about it.

WHAT KIND OF HIGH SCHOOL DID YOU ATTEND? Private 21.7%

Charter 5.4% Other 2.2%

Public 70.7%

DID YOU SUCCESSFULLY GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL? Still in high school 6.5% Equired GED or equivalent “alternatively” 2.2%

Yes 91.3%

experience� is seen to be a trademark adventure. It is one ntly romanticized, idealized, and mythicized milestones of according to our modern American cultural narrative. While l perception of high school is likely to be similar in many ces, cafeteria social geography, exams--high school is an e experience for every student based on location, school ty/staff, community values, social climate, and more.

oke readers to find out what their high school experience cally, administratively, and socially, and what they would (92 respondents)

WHAT YEAR DID YOU/WILL YOU GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL?

2005 2011 2012 2013 2014

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1.3% 1.3% 1.3% 5.1% 1.3%

2015 2016 2017 2017 2019

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30.8% 39.7% 14.1% 3.8% 1.3%

DID YOU DECIDE/ARE YOU PLANNING TO ATTEND A COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY?

Yes 98.9%

No 1.1%

HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU WITH YOUR HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE ACADEMICALLY (e.g. TEACHERS, CLASSES, ETC.)?

35.9%

35.9%

19.6%

6.5% 2.2% Very satisfied

Utterly unsatisfied

“It was both the best and the most hellish experience of my life.”

“I’m lucky to say that some years in high school were some of my best; I was surrounded by encouragement and good people almost the entire time.”

“Some teachers don’t communicate well with their teaching style. Therefore, it is up to the student to do selfteaching, which make subject materials morefrustrating.

While there are great teachers,it is up to luck on who you get.”

“I just wish I could've experienced high school without simultaneously discovering my mental health issues.”

“Felt like teachers should get paid more.”

“My school was almost 2000 people and I wish it could’ve been smaller. I feel like the class sizes were too big.”

“A lot of my teachers didn’t like me because I dressed differently and thought differently, so I was prone to trouble, and at the most ridiculous point I almost didn’t get to walk at graduation over a pair of sneakers.”

“Academically, high school was difficult. The main reason I struggled wasn’t with the work though, it was with the authority. I hated being told that I had to do something to become a better student. I know what works for me, and I suffered because they wouldn’t let me use my own process to learn.”

“Stayed high and still did better than everyone.”

HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU WITH YOUR HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE ADMINISTRATIVELY(e.g. PRINCIPALS, COUNSELORS, SCHOOL BOARD, ETC.)?

“I felt like there was no targeted support for first generation students...

I felt like I did not receive enough advice on schools and college choices.”

34.8%

27.2%

20.7%

12%

5.4%

Utterly unsatisfied

Very satisfied

“...my school never had a student council dispite my arts school being filled with kids with serious mental health problems. The one “counselor” we had was mostly for kids having trouble behaving or to do drug sweeps. Didn’t try to create any sort of respectable relationship with the student body. And the school board would never really listen to the students.” -Kristina Plumb “My school board was full of assholes. My teachers went on strike my senior year because the board wanted to do away with the salary schedule (the way most teachers are paid). During the strike one of the school board members said he wanted to blow up all the teachers.”

- Kayla “My high school counselors advised me too often to take easier classes which reflected poorly on my college applications later.”

“My biggest problem was with the college counselors. Every time I would go in for advice I was treated as if I had no clue what I wanted and that I was below them. I want to be treated as someone equal no matter where I go. They didn't like that I demanded respect, but it something everyone deserves.”

“There was one counselor who took my feelings as an “alternative” seriously, but even then her way of consoling me was telling me to conform out of pity for the principal and her (old) ways and to appease my mother. It has definitely greatly impacted me and how I interact with people. Many times I am forced to give less of myself to the world and find myself constantly in need of validation that I can truly be myself.”

HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU WITH YOUR HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE SOCIALLY? (e.g. FRIENDS, CLASSMATES, SCOOL CULTURE, ETC.)?

39.1%

28.3%

16.3%

9.8% 6.5%

Utterly unsatisfied

“My school was the pinnacle of all things collaborative.”

Very satisfied

“There is a huge drug culture and lots of cliques, which leaves out a lot of people that don’t fit in.”

“High schoolers are too self absorbed (and for good reason! so much shit is going on inside you as you grow and transition) that meaningful friendships are few and far between.”

“I’m mostly satisfied because I speak to so few people from school now. No one went to the same college as me and even the people close by haven’t said a word. And I’m glad! I got along with most people but that doesn’t mean I liked them. I keep up with a few here and there but it’s very superficial.”

“The attention and the quiet support of the teachers and my classmates help me a lot when I journey through my high school years. It’s like family, where we help each other succeed and learn the materials we need to succeed in the future. -Anna H.” “I was a very awkward character and had a lot of social anxiety; could’ve made a lot of friends but didn’t know how to at the time.”

“I was bullied.”

“Most people say you make your friends in college and your high school friends don’t matter. I’ve found this to be quite the opposite. I treasure the days that my high school classmates come into town. We are very like-minded. We all know what work ethic is and where it gets you. We have passions...there is a different level of commitment, understanding, and perseverance that was crafted in the students I befriended in high school.”

“The administration needs to recognize the superior importance of academic extracurriculars to sports if they wish to continue preaching the school’s culture of high academic expectation.”

“School representatives need to remember the students and their education come first.”

“The focus of our sc should not be on the f it should be spread equ out the sports and arts

“Holding staff accountable for their actions.”

“Dress code regulations.”

“Open communication between students and staff, and some way to facilitate this as a lot of teachers did tend to impose their power above you (or at least I felt like).”

“Talking more abou mental health

“More social awareness of the both in and out

“More student involvement when it comes to making administrative changes.”

“Community involvement. As arts kids, we were trained in our craft, but not taught how to use our craft to say something. That’s what I’ve learned in college. Say something with your art. Make a change.

That’s what theatre and other arts are meant to do.”

“The feelin breed

“More black teachin

“Teachers should have more say in administration, and sexism/racism need to be addressed.”

“My high school created a high stress environment that had a negative impact on many students’ mental health. The school should have done more to aid students with stress.”

chool budget football team; ually throughs department.”

“Diversity!!!”

ut mental health/ h awareness.”

and political e world around us of classrooms.”

“There needs to be education on privilege in general, and sexual assault.”

“Start actually expelling people instead of counting strikes against them because their grandparents are big donors.”

social hierarchy and ng of superiority that ds bullying on so many levels.”

people on the ng staff.”

“They need to work on keeping teachers for longer than a year.”

“Following through with consequences for bullying.”

“A restructuring is needed to prepare students for the real world, not exclusively for the next step in an on going quest for “higher education.”

SEX DE D

by

NaTalie Day

In my public school system, I remember dreading the day we’d reach the sexual education unit in eighth grade. While I don’t remember much more than burying my head in my desk while we watched a live birth on DVD, I do know that various topics were covered from anatomy to safe sex.

Come high school, we had in depth and gruesome lessons on the various types of STDs, dangerous of teen pregnancy, and more. It was enough to scare us into waiting a few years or using condoms, at the very least. I went to a fairly nice public school, so I assumed that this was pretty standard. However, when I moved to Chicago a year ago, I realized this wasn’t the case at all. After discussing this issue with a few friends, my mind was opened to the reality of abstinence only education, of which I hadn’t had any direct experience with in the past. It baffled me that there is a large group of people that are only self taught in anything sex-related because they weren’t taught about it in school.

As my curiosity began to spark on this issue, I naturally took to Facebook, like any millennial, to ask for opinions from my peers on the topic. It was interesting to find a wide range of sexual education (or lack thereof) that was taught in schools around the country.

“The word abstinence was NEVER said. Rather we learned about condom usage, STDs, and other consequences and ways to avoid them. It was not taught as something we were not supposed to do, but rather something we were going to do but could use some tips about to avoid certain consequences.”

“Being underfunded, all the teachers had to teach a health class. We had no designated health teacher or curriculum. It was up to the individual teacher… I was lucky enough to get the best teacher for sex ed. She was my writing teacher as well, and talked about sex in a way that was inclusive to all sexual orientations. She included lessons on gender identity. She did NOT preach abstinence, instead taught us how to use, and where to access protection and birth control. She also did a great job discussing abusive relationships without victim blaming, including warning signs, how to get help, etc.”

“The only sex education I had in high school was the last week of my anatomy and physiology class and it only really talked about all the different kinds of contraception and that was about it. At that point my class was pretty disappointed at the lack of sex education.”

“Sex education was not taught at my school… Teens are going to have sex whether you teach them about abstinence or not so you might as well be proactive about the situation and teach them how to have safe sex instead of making them figure it out on their own.”

“It was one day in health class freshman year, and she tried going through it as fast as possible because she “knows this is an awkward subject.” I don’t remember what she taught us. I don’t think she taught us about contraceptives of any sort, as it was a Catholic school and that’s a no-no in the church.“

One of the comments caught my attention. They mentioned that sex ed might help drop the pregnancy rate. I decided to follow up on that idea with a little google search (difficult, I know). I was quickly faced with dozens of articles about the teen pregnancy rate being at an all time low in 2017. It seems that a large reason for this is the amount of contraceptives teens have access to and are using correctly in the last few years. Whether or not this is because of proper sex ed is still up in the air, but it is fair to assume that it’s a big factor.

The one area that is still lacking as far as this type of education goes is dealing with gender and sexual identities. I know that my high school didn’t address anything dealing with same gender sex or sex with anyone of a nonbinary gender.

While I do realize that this can be difficult to teach at large because it is such a fluid issue, it is just as important to include in the curriculum as “traditional” sex between a man and a women. LGBTQ teens need to be just as informed about safe sex as any other teenager.

It seems that progress has been made in recent years regarding this issue. I understand that religion plays a factor within Christian schools and other similar institutions, but it is very clear that knowledge is power, in a sense. I hope to see progress in schools in the next few years so we can keep the teen pregnancy rate down and allow teens to choose to have safe sex.

C R E D I T S Natalie Day Founder, Editor

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Natalie is currently entering her second year at Columbia College Chicago where she is studying acting and journalism. She is originally from Omaha, Nebraska. She is so happy to be a part of providing a platform to discuss issues that aren’t always talked about in daily life and hopes that the words of this magazine affect at least someone. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @nat__day.

Lili Mac DESIGN EDITOR

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Lili Mac is proudly from New Orleans, LA and is currently a sophomore at Columbia College Chicago studying musical theatre and a bunch of other stuff. She’s not a real designer, but we’re not gonna talk about that. She loves exploring the uninhabited spaces of art, performance, and other people.

Shameful plug! @lilimac866

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Carsen Schroeder Founder, Editor

Carsen is from Overland Park, Kansas. She is currently a sophomore at Columbia College Chicago as an acting major. Carsen has also been a dancer for many years and loves anything to do with the stage. She has always been a storyteller and has been writing as a hobby for many years. She is very happy to provide an outlet for people to tell their stories and discuss these important topics that we avoid so much.

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CONTRIBUTORS Natalie Day Lili Mac Richard Powlick Carsen Schroeder

OTHER CREDITS Lili Mac Photography Little Free Library

NEXT ISSUE: DEATH!

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