This article is filed under “opinion.” Don’t let that deter you. The Media Center problem exists; it’s just that it’s the opinion of the author that it’s a problem. Others may view it as a harmless quirk to the school.
Our media center is abundantly helpful when it comes to reports, projects, studying, and personal education. Often, the media center is actually needed, rather than wanted. Students need to go to the media center to use the computers, printers, Internet, and books so that they can do their school work. Many teachers don’t have computers in their room. Many of these teachers sign up to hold class in the media center. This is immensely helpful.
A few computer-less teachers, however, don’t reserve time in the MC whenever they assign work that mandates the sorts of resources found in our library. For each teacher who does this, there is invariably a student who doesn’t have sufficient resources at home to complete the assignment.
This student will then sign a pass to the media center during advisory. Sometimes when doing this, the media center is already reserved by one of the forward thinking teachers. These forward thinking teachers sometimes reserve the MC for multiple days. This renders the student with no resources at home completely helpless.
Even if this student is a rare breed in this digital age, they shouldn’t be neglected. There are multiple rooms that are filled wall to wall with functioning computers with internet access. Are these utilized? In this instance, the answer is no.
It shouldn’t be necessary for the guardians of a child to have to pay outrageous prices for a miniature media center or for the gasoline to transport their child to and from school in order to have sufficient media center time before and after school. That’s the point of the school in the first place.
No child should need to go to the media center during lunch either. They need to eat. Eight hours without food physically feels like actual starvation to the average American.
Hopefully this article is read. The Crimson J is one of the student body’s only soapboxes.