BY TAMARAH WALLACE
Trees of bright purple and skies of green, oceans of orange and rolling hills of blue- it seems that only in this alternate dimension, would it be natural for teachers to walk among students and do as they do. But what if, in light of our increasingly progressive world, this traditional wall of separation was breached and teachers could coexist with students like never before?
“If I didn’t have anything going on after school, I would definitely join student clubs,” AP Psychology teacher Steve Franzone shrugged.
The idea of student-run clubs opening their membership to include teachers- not as supervisors- is understandably, a difficult concept to swallow. As a student involved in a fair share of CCHS clubs, I can attest to the feeling of dread when pondering the idea of a teacher infiltrating the sovereignty of a student club. Since the dawn of my high school career, I have seen clubs as a pillar of student control, where we ultimately have the power to affect change and do so without need for much adult interference.
But as I think about the goal of a club, bent on productivity and the expansion of their ideals, the admittance of teachers becomes more logical a practice. In including teachers, we are incorporating their knowledge, expertise, passion, and any of the attributes, student member would supply. By not allowing their membership, we are repelling potential assets.
“Having teachers be involved in student-run clubs is both a benefit for the teachers and the club members because it provides everyone to have a learning experience,” CCHS junior Challet Jeong said. “Just because you are a teacher doesn’t mean you can’t join a club of interest due to your title or age. Clubs are open to all those who are interested and teachers can help further spread their knowledge of the subject and support the club by any means possible.”
However, there are two sides to every argument. The most prominent of which would be the student-teacher dynamic. The teacher is an elder, an authoritative figure, such as a parent would be. Their ideas will be more inclined to be followed out of sheer respect or even if they try to not offer their opinion and let us work, they aren’t adding true value to the club. Also, gone would be the aspect of being free with the words and gestures of adolescence. Students would be confined to act as if they were in the presence of adults rather than their peers.
“It limits conversation amongst students when an adult is present,” CCHS junior Emma Sheridan said. “They are adults and we are children so there will always be that line- even if it’s thinner for some teachers than others.”
This intriguing notion of teacher inclusion has undoubtedly garnered mixed reviews from students, however, on the teacher front it is quite the opposite.
“If I wasn’t the advisor of the debate team, I would definitely do a service club such as Key Club,” CCHS speech and debate coach Wendy Schauben said.
Another teacher agreed to joining student-run clubs and went on to explain his reasoning as to why.
“If teachers could join student clubs, I would join Key Club and NHS because they are committed to service, don’t complain about it, and expect nothing in return,” AP US History teacher Dwayne Dixon said.
Teachers are willing to join student clubs if able- for the most part. It is now up to society to decide whether or not they can be admitted.
