Catch 74: The Plight of Mississippi Schools

Ben Guest Assignment: Free write.

The picture to the left does a pretty good job of summing up the problems with North Panola High School. Right about now you're probably asking yourself how that makes any sense, so let me explain.

The existence of that crudely painted "74" shouldn't be possible. Every morning the students and their bags are passed over with a metal detecting wand as they walk into the building. The fact that such a degradation can be found within one of our restrooms is evidence that someone isn't doing what they're supposed to be doing. In this case it was only a can of spray paint that made it into our school, but what if in the future it is a gun or a knife? The not-so-recently added "74" that unwelcomely adorns a bathroom stall in the restroom of my hall exemplifies what is wrong with our school; the problem with our school is that plans for success are continually drawn, yet they are rarely, if ever, actually fully implemented.

It's safe to say that those overseeing our school probably want what's best for it, but with no real strategy or implementation, how can things be expected to change for the better? There's no point in using a metal detector if we're not investigating the cause of an alert. It's a waste of time to hold weekly assemblies reminding the students of the rules if the rules are not enforced. And it doesn't make any sense for the administration to criticize teachers for lost instructional time when the primary reason for instructional time being lost is pep rallies and fanfare.

The administration can make all the grandiose claims they want about the path towards school improvement, but none of it means a thing if those claims are not backed by substance. The "74" that further defiles the already dirty restroom across the hall from me has remained untouched for almost two months, and that's not likely to change any time soon; it serves as a constant reminder of the lack of execution our school continually exhibits, a problem that if left unchanged will inevitably be the death of our school.